Pam LeBlanc cuddles up with her HEST pillow during a recent trip to Dinosaur Valley State Park. Photo by Chris LeBlanc

I have discovered the perfect pillow for my camper van: The cushy yet supportive HEST pillow that packs into itself to protect the sleeping surface.

This isn’t a camp pillow – it’s a camper pillow. There’s a difference.

I have a tiny inflatable pillow I use for backpacking, when every ounce counts. I hate that pillow because my head tends to slide off while I’m sleeping. But it’s small and light, so I tolerate it.

The standard size pillow opens to 20-inch by 26-inches. Pam LeBlanc photo

My new HEST pillow weighs in at a whopping 2 pounds. Unfurled, it measures 26 inches by 20 inches. Folded up, it’s 18 by 10. That’s way too big and heavy to haul in my backpack. But I’m using my HEST pillow when I sleep in Vincent VanGo, my kitted-out-for-glamping Ford Transit, so I don’t care.

Read more: This is the best place to find shells in Texas – but you can’t drive there

HEST makes a smaller version of the pillow marketed for tent camping, but it’s still bulkier than what I’d use in the backcountry.

The HEST pillow tucks into a 10-inch by 18-inch size. Pam LeBlanc photo

I store my HEST pillow in protective mode – tucked inside itself, with its durable cover zipped around it like a clamshell. (Or a hedgehog, now that I think about it.)

I like the cover, because I always seem to drop my gear on the ground. I can keep it in “folded up” mode when using it outside (it still serves as a pillow), then unfurl it when it’s time to hit the hay.

It’s filled with memory foam and polyester, and you can remove some of the loft if you like a thinner pillow. The cover is washable, too.

All that bliss doesn’t come cheap. You can get an inflatable camp pillow (with a groovy mushroom motif) by Therm-a-Rest for $36.95 at REI. By comparison, the much larger HEST pillow sells for $119. Two different products used for two different situations,

Sleep tight.

Pam LeBlanc cracks open a cold one with former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman in January 2022. Eight will host an Earn Your Eight workout in Austin on Jan. 29. Pam LeBlanc photo by self-timer

There goes dry January.

Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman unveiled his own beer, Eight, about a year ago. Now he’s teaming up with fitness guru Jennifer Jacobs, a former Peloton instructor and founder of the J Method, to bring a series of fitness events called Earn Your Eight to locations around the state.

On Sunday, Jan. 29, Jacobs will lead a session of meditation, stretching and interval training in Austin. Afterward, participants can attend a No Shower Happy Hour featuring Eight beer.

Entry fee is $10, and proceeds benefit Back on My Feet, a non-profit organization that works to help people who are experiencing homelessness. (I wrote about the organization when it first came to Austin.) Back on My Feet participants attend early morning runs, and in return get educational support, job training programs, employee partnership referrals and housing resources.

Sharing a beer with Aikman

I cracked open a cold can of Eight with Aikman last January, just before he unveiled his low-cal, low-carb lager, made with organic hops and no preservatives.

Read more: Behold my 2023 New Year’s resolutions

“Life is full of special moments and small victories. I think those moments and those times need to be celebrated, and at least for me, those usually involve beer,” Aikman told me then. “[But] the amount of work I put in during the week with lifting, cardio, mindfulness, and sleep—I don’t want all that to be compromised because I want to go celebrate.”

Thus, the beer has only 90 calories and 2.6 grams of carbs per 12-ounce can.

And no, Aikman probably won’t attend the Austin event, although he does plan to participate in a similar workout in Dallas this week.

The Austin Earn Your Eight event is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Jan. 29 at The Fieldhouse at Crossover, 1717 Scottsdale Dr., No. 1160, in Leander. Register here. Attendance is limited. Ages 21 and up only.

Pam LeBlanc unveils her 2023 New Year’s resolutions. Pam LeBlanc photo

Every year about this time, I jot down a list of goals for the upcoming 12 months.

In past years, I’ve vowed to write a book (check), learn to make fire using the bow method (check), swim a 200 butterfly without fins (check), and run with scissors, figuratively (check.)

I haven’t accomplished every item on my New Year’s resolution lists over the 15 or so year’s I’ve been making them, but I’m at about a 75 percent success rate. Even better, some of those goals have turned into habits that stuck around longer than a single year.

I’ve cut back on single-use plastics, I pick up trash more often, I’ve improved my photography skills (still working on that one), and tried to live more honestly, letting people know I care about them and being truthful about things that hurt.

I think it’s a great exercise. And so, without further adieu, here are my 2023 New Year’s resolutions:

Pam LeBlanc relaxes next to her campervan, Vincent VanGo. This year she vows to use the van more often. Chris LeBlanc photo

1. GET PICKY – I made 34 trips in 2022, including 16 by plane, five to other countries, and six in my campervan. Once, I woke up and lay in bed for 20 seconds trying to remember where I was. This year, I’m going to get more selective about work-related trips.
2. GO CAMPING – Vincent VanGo, my campervan, spends too much time on the driveway. But my husband just retired, and we’re going to let Vincent out of the stable more frequently.
3. PEDAL MORE — Back when I was a staff writer at the Austin American-Statesman, I rode my bicycle to work almost every day. Now that I work from home, I don’t bike as often. But I’m going to pedal the 7 miles home from swim practice at least three times a week.
4. FLY GIRL – I’m bringing back a classic here. I’ll swim a 200 fly (fins OK, since I’m old) by year’s end. Plus, I’ll going to swim at least a 50 fly at the end of every swim practice.
5. DIAL BACK THE BOOZE – During the pandemic, I slipped into the habit of kicking back with a glass of wine almost every night. No more. That’s fine on weekends or special occasions, but my liver deserves a break.
6. VISIT MOM – My mom is in her 80s, and isn’t in good health. I’m going to visit her as often as possible.
7. READ MORE – My parents always told me I could stay up as late as I wanted if I was reading a book. I love to read, but I want to read more fun stuff, with no goal in mind other than enjoyment.
8. DINNER PARTIES – This one’s easy. I love my friends. I love entertaining. I’m going to host more dinner parties.
9. VEG OUT – My good eating habits have slipped. It’s time to amp up the vegetable intake and throttle back on meat a bit.
10. DON’T SWEAT THE BS – It’s my hardest goal, but I’m going to try to worry less and enjoy more.