TO PACK AND WEAR:
2 skirts
2 jerseys or leotards
1 pullover sweater
2 pair shoes
stockings
bra
nightgown, robe, slippers
cigarettes
bourbon
bag with: shampoo
toothbrush and paste
Basis soap, razor
deodorant
aspirin
prescriptions
Tampax
face cream
powder
baby oil
TO CARRY:
mohair throw
typewriter
2 legal pads and pens
files
house key
“This is a list which was taped inside my
closet door in Hollywood during those years when I was reporting more or
less steadily. The list enabled me to pack, without thinking, for any
piece I was likely to do. Notice the deliberate anonymity of costume: in
a skirt, a leotard, and stockings, I could pass on either side of the
culture. Notice the mohair throw for trunk-line flights (i.e. no
blankets) and for the motel room in which the air conditioning could not
be turned off. Notice the bourbon for the same motel room. Notice the
typewriter for the airport, coming home: the idea was to turn in the
Hertz car, check in, find an empty bench, and start typing the day’s
notes.”
—Joan Didion, “The White Album” list is from 1979
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