I did promise to do this, to set out my own answers to my question from October of the Year Six. Now, then--- let's review:

Moving to rented rooms in Vienna or Siena or to a 1-K apartment in Osaka or Niigata, moving even to rooms at college at Cambridge or New Haven-- what would you take? What are the essentials not just for travel, but for staying in an expat writer's rented rooms or rooms at King's or Trinity Hall? What would furnish a room for you? Those are things I want to ask lovely girls... And, again: details matter. Exactly what books, what accessories, what clothing would one travel with? What things count as essentials in the Year Six for moving to that Japanese 1-K apartment? How minimalist a life could you lead?

That's the question. Cynthia Gralla offered up her own answer; my architect friend in San Francisco will be sending me hers. Miss Lissy at emigree--- at _iwenthome, then ---offered up an answer back in the Year Six, the answer I quoted a few entries ago. I do wish I could read her revised Year Nine answers to the question. And of course I want to read answers from Miss Ginny at ginny_mccoo. Details Matter, of course. Details always matter. So--- while I hope for Miss Ginny's answer to the question, let's use the answer Lissy gave three years ago as a start:

Minimalist living? Sell off all the CDs, vinyl, and language tapes - buy an 80GB iPod and speakers (both black, and laser engraving on the back just in case: 'if lost please send to m.s., gamla varmdov 12, 13197 nacka, sverige'). A juiced-up HP dv6000t and a subscription to Skype to save on calls home and to the aunt in London and the uncle in Sydney and Sophie in Berlin and Vienna. Two mobile phones - one American, one British with good rates for calling Europe. Two coats: one angora-blend Calvin Klein peacoat for winter, one canvas cropped trenchcoat for spring. Two swimsuits. Four or five pairs of new Levi's stovepipe jeans, because denim anywhere outside America is expensive. Two pairs of wool trousers. Four tee-shirts. Two buttondown shirts. Two cable-knit cashmere sweaters, one cardigan. One black Chloe shift-style mini cocktail dress, one gold YSL cocktail dress. One Diane von Furstenburg wrap dress. Three skirts - one a-line, one pencil, one mini. Black platform heels, a pair of YSL ankle boots, five pairs of Dolce Vita Twist Toe ballet flats (one of every color). No underwear. Two sets of bedsheets, one pistol and four boxes of bullets. Two bottles of perfume (Burberry Brit and Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb), blank graph-paper Moleskine, address book, photo album, digital camera, book list, a copy of Nietszche's complete writings, and sleeping pills would be carried on the plane in a Chloe Paddington bag.

That's not a bad framework for my own answer. My own Minimalist Living List, then---

Obviously the iPod--- a 160gb Classic, with speakers. Both in black, always. (Though the Small Psyduck iPod does have a Gelaskin of the Tokyo subway system) Laser engraving on the back? Let's do it--- If found, please return to EdG, Muellnergasse 5/7, A-1090, Wien, Oesterreich.

A fully-loaded 15-inch black MacBook Pro. With a good laptop bag. Voltage converters. The Skype subscription isn't a bad idea. Two mobiles--- one US, one Euro. Toss a couple of 2gb flash drives in.

A good topcoat, in navy, for winter. A classic trenchcoat, in black, for spring. Maybe a black M-65 military-style jacket. A black/white keffiyeh. A six-foot university scarf. Black gloves--- driving/riding style.

Five pairs of new Levi's jeans--- four blue, one black, classic fit, straight leg. Three pairs of durable trousers--- dark solid colours (charcoal, black, dark olive), casual but blazer-compatible. Six tee-shirts (three black, three dark grey), six pairs of boxers, socks. Six buttondown Oxford-cloth long-sleeve shirts (four French blue, one white, one brick). Two regimental ties. One v-neck cashmere sweater, one crew-neck cable-knit, one lightweight crew-neck. One zippered hoodie. One polo shirt, black. One tropical-wool charcoal-grey blazer (my trademark). One black blazer. A classic tweed or corduroy university blazer. One pair swim trunks, one pair gym shorts. One flannel shirt. One midweight sweatshirt, a bit oversized, black, or maybe navy with a Yale crest.

One pair walking shoes, black. One pair Docs Oxfords in black, one pair in brown. One pair Reeboks.

Two sets of bedsheets? That's fine--- again, dark solid colours, high thread count. A pistol and four boxes of bullets? Hmmm... Hard to travel with, but...in an exiles' city, not a bad idea. I favour a revolver--- .357 Magnum, 4-inch barrel ---but something in 9mm semi-auto by H&K might be good in Europe. Still--- nothing expensive, nothing you'd hesitate to abandon. After all, like the spy novelists say, you can explain almost anything you're found with except a pistol. Shaving gear and toothbrush. One aftershave in lime. One small Eau Sauvage by Dior. Moisturiser. Blank graph-paper Moleskine. Address book. Digital camera. Extra reading glasses. Sunglasses. A couple of books--- Haruki Murakami, I think, and Musil's "Man Without Qualities" ---to read on the plane. Sleeping pills, ditto. A black canvas Land's End attache case with shoulder strap.

Lissy's Year Six list didn't include a classic denim jacket. That's worth considering. A Levi's jacket is...always acceptable in exiles' cities. I must ask Miss Ginny that, too. Is she a girl who has a denim jacket? Or would a classic leather aviator's jacket do better? Or the kind of black MA-1 jacket Cayce wore in Wm. Gibson's "Pattern Recognition"?

Now--- Lissy noted that, in regard to her rooms:

No hauling of furniture. The apartment would only be rented if there was shelf space built-in. No desk, just a tray that could stretch across and attach to the sides of the bed. Television shows would be watched on the laptop, if at all. No food in the apartment, except for the occasional dark chocolate to go with the cognac. Water, assorted juices, vodka, rose wine, Indian beer. Art-themed calendars. Audrey Hepburn prints and vintage concert flyers framed on the wall. No overhead lighting.

I agree with almost all of that. Watch DVDs or streaming television shows on the laptop. Built-in shelves, absolutely. The bed tray I do like. Wi-fi in the flat, or more likely in the all-night cafe downstairs. No real furniture. Miss Ginny at ginny_mccoo would agree with Lissy about the food. Miss Ginny told me once that she had no food in her Montreal flat, just "accessories" for food--- soya, hot sauce, Chinese mustard. Garlic dills for the Russian vodka ritual. I'd agree. Just soya and Sriracha sauce and Chinese mustard for takee-outee Chinese or sushi. Good chopsticks, of course. Garlic dills for the chilled vodka ritual, of course. Water, assorted juices, vodka (Reyka, Turi, Standart), one pinot gris, one pinot noir, a bottle of absinthe for nights with literary girls, a bottle of good single-malt for winter nights while writing. A few beers for sushi or curry nights--- Asahi, Cobra, Baltika. Dark chocolate and cognac? Maybe... Or I might pick that up on my way to the BRDYTW girl's own rooms. No--- no overhead lighting, just reading lamps. Architecture or Russian icon-themed calendars. Maybe a cheap print or two tacked up--- Japanese, maybe, or b/w architectural photos. Concert flyers on the little fridge. Toss a Gerber multi-tool in a drawer. Tack up the local subway map.

And a space on a shelf for Dorian. I'd never travel without Dorian. That should go without saying.

The laptop, the iPod, the notebook, Dorian. Those things would be key. If I had to leave--- one step ahead of the film noir hunters, or off to teach or write in some Central Asian republic ---I'd grab those things, toss a change of clothes and my passport in a shoulder bag, and go. Anything else I could just walk away from. That's part of the idea, too.

Now--- I do need to hear from lovely friends and correspondents. Details Matter, darlings. I do want to hear from Miss Ginny at ginny_mccoo on this. That would be...a key thing. But I'd love to hear from any friends... Details Matter, of course. They always do.