In Preparation

I've been a little overwhelmed these past few days.  Actually, I have been "a lot" overwhelmed.  Thursday night I was unable to fall asleep until 3 in the morning or later.  Friday, I spent the day running errands, picking up paychecks, depositing paychecks, eating dinner, and... packing.  I am just one small percentage of the whole of women who believe that in order to travel, and travel well, we must pack everything we have ever bought.  Combing through my bathroom that evening, I found myself gazing longingly at a bottle of hand lotion I bought sophomore year that's still full, thinking, "I need hand lotion for my trip."  I picked it up, looked at it for a second before my mind snapped to and yelled, "Down, Liz!  Put the hand lotion back in the basket."

I was convinced I needed all my jeans (which would seem like a good idea if I owned two pairs.  But, as my friend Neil--who owns one pair--now knows after a recent conversation about denim, I own close to 10 pairs of jeans).  Deciding which to bring and which to leave home has been a source of contention for me.  I'm still wrestling over that, as well as how many sweaters, thermal tees, socks, and pairs of underwear should join me across the pond.  I want, I need, all my clothes to see England... don't they deserve it after hanging from my closet or being stuffed in drawers for so long?

I had another close-to-sleepless night on Friday.  Had my alarm not woken me up at 8:30am, I do believe I could have slept at least until 10am.  But alas, my last shift at Talbots was waiting for me--four hours that I aimlessly walked through with my mind half asleep, my body on the brink of drunkenness as I drove home to, once again, devote hours to packing.

I finally reached a point close to 10 last night where I could fit everything in my suitcase and maybe try to cram more.  I crawled into bed shortly after, experiencing 9 hours of uninterrupted sleep that was so deep I dreamt my family was going to spend two weeks on vacation in Vietnam after a short trip to Hong Kong and before that: Australia.  I attribute these destinations to two things: my friend Seth's trip around southeast Asia, and the many chapters devoted to the Vietnam War in Tom Brokaw's "Boom!  Talking About the Sixties," my latest finished read.  I woke myself up after expressing concern to my father that the Vietnamese don't like Americans and we could be killed.  Lovely, I tell you.  Just lovely.

I couldn't fall back asleep because I realized I forgot to pack my converter, and my flat iron.  My nicely packed suitcase now needed room for two more bulky items, and I crawled out of bed to check the size of my converter case.  Only the case didn't hold a converter--at least not the kind of converter I needed.  Instead, it was a converter for internet access.  Not hair dryer access--internet!  As I perused the internet, trying to find a store that would sell what I needed I became increasingly frustrated as I realized society's obsession with interconnectedness and lack of concern for basic beauty survival like blow drying and styling hair.  I think I may just make a trip to Boots upon landing in London and buy a flat iron that fits British outlets.  

So I hate packing.  And I hate preparing for trips because I inevitably forget something.  Tuesday evening can't get here fast enough, yet I think I'd like to hold off on boarding the plane until everything is settled, which I fear would take much longer than two-and-a-half days.  Oh goodness.