Less than three days to go and I am STILL frantically trying to get ready. My sister suggests that I "breathe deeply and go to your quiet place." These are just some of the tasks I did today:
- ironed a blouse (no, it's not going to Paris but I want it ironed the next time I pull it out of the closet--God, I'm obsessive...)
- checked the movie listings (so many I want to see before I leave and the matinees before noon are only $5)
- typed up destination information (Paris apartment address and phone number) to place in the inside of my luggage (printed the Houston destination for March 8th on the backside so I can flip the piece of paper on the return trip--definitely obsessive...but clever..)
- bolted down a quick breakfast
- did a test run of packing the carry-on bag
- decided what to wear on the plane (heaviest shoes, sweater, etc.)
- registered my trip with the US Embassy (https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/)
- sorted through the clothes I had selected to take--eliminated many items (a good thing)--and packed 90% of the two suitcases
- went to see the 10:15 matinee, "We are Marshall" (have puffy eyes now)
- stopped at Wal-Mart (contact solution, crossword puzzle books for the plane ride, power bars)
- dropped off dry cleaning
- asked Cincular to suspend my cell phone coverage for ten weeks--no dice
- called the bank and credit card companies to mark my records for the trip to France (fraud purposes) (CitiBank charges a 3% fee on European transactions so it won't get used...)
- gave Lightening (our on-site attendent) instructions for while I'm gone plus my house, car and mailbox keys
- ate a sandwich
- confirmed my flights and changed my seats
- created business cards (for use as luggage tags)
- wrote a letter to my condo association complaining about the increased maintenance fees for 2007
- determined the amount of money to transfer to my checking account for all the automatic bill-paying while I'm gone and cash withdrawals from the Paris ATMs (called D.A.B.--day-ah-bay in France).
There is still plenty to do. Clean (I want to return to a vacummed home in March); more packing; phone calls; check multiple lists; hair appointment; another movie, I hope; arrange transportation to the airport; write in Karlee's journal (about my visit to LA for Christmas); more paperwork; make a bank deposit; etc., etc., etc. Ready or not, New Year's Eve will be here before I know it. I noticed that I bought my plane ticket in April so why do I still have so many things to wrap up??
Next time I write--it will be from Paris!! Happy New Year! (I can't remember how to say that en francais...) PS - the princess got a scooter for Christmas!
