Completing my full circuit of the world
...Or very nearly. In just two more sleeps! I'm all packed, with my backpack pretty much stuffed, and a purse of a good size with a nice long strap. I have my clothes set aside for that day. I need to get my car's oil changed tomorrow, and I have a couple other non-trip-related things to do, then on Thursday I should just need to feed Mr. S and take a shower, and I'll be ready to go. I'll stop in New Jersey/New York for a few hours before crossing the Atlantic for the first time in my life, then I'll get to Mumbai/Bombay on Friday night, and fly to Kochi in the morning.
I've been having very vivid, intricate dreams lately. A few nights ago I had two. First I was returning to some sort of hospital with a lady who looked a lot like a classmate of mine, and she had just killed at least one person, but we were friends, so it was okay. When we got back, everyone who could walk was stampeding, trying to get out, and the ones who couldn't were screaming at us to run, so I grabbed my murdering friend and we ran. That's the end of that one.
Then I dreamed that I was sneaking through tunnels under Westminster (my college) with Korean Jenny and just about everyone else I know in the world. It would have been quite the adventure, but then I woke up.
And last night I dreamed that I was interviewing at a school that was in a huge, tall, thin white building (bright white) with massive, sweeping open staircases all over it. It reminded me of a masted ship somehow. And I pretty much knew I wouldn't get the job, but I was still hoping for it.
Many of my holiday events were vaguely disappointing. The daytime meal I had planned would have been nice enough, but I was so tired from cooking and cleaning for the past day and a half that I was ready to just hole up alone in my room for a while, not entertain guests. But it's fine. And I didn't get much for Christmas, with the exception of LOZ: Minish Cap, which I'm enjoying a LOT. My goal is to beat it before I leave the country, and I'm currently at the final boss, just need to raise money to get one more red potion so I don't die again...
Internet access on my travels will be inconsistent, since I'm not taking a laptop, but I hear that there are internet cafes all over India, and very cheap ones at that. My plan is to e-mail myself a list of my bookmarks so I can attend to my affairs easily when I do get online.
My parents are replacing the kitchen floor while I'm gone, and making plans to keep dishes, food, and large appliances in my room. The new floor will be ceramic tiles, and should be a welcome change from the ever-more frequently chipping and breaking vinyl tiles we currently have. Also, last month Mom spilled a huge pan of raw eggs by the oven, so now every time we use the oven, I can smell the eggy smell. It's gross. Looking forward to getting rid of that.
I'll have to start taking doxycyclene, my anti-malarial antibiotic, soon. I am NOT looking forward to that. I took it when I had rocky mountain spotted fever back in 2006, and it really helped, but made me a little dizzy at dinner for a couple minutes every night. My friend who didn't get sick, but took it as a preventative, felt so horrible from it that she had to stop taking it. Hopefully this time will be no worse than last time for me! Because... I don't want malaria.
So I'm keeping an eye on the weather for Thursday, both for St. Louis and the Newark airport area. So far St. Louis is fine, but Newark has a 30-40% chance of precipitation (possibly not until Friday, though). I just need to get back in the air, then it can rain and snow all it wants... And I'm thinking of things to do at the airport. I have notebooks to write and draw in, my mp3 player, an older copy of my favorite book, a few cheap historical romance novels, and a book of easy crossword puzzles. When I'm traveling or when I'm sick, I prefer light reading that I don't have to think much about. And of course I'll check out what's around my gate and creep on flight statuses and such. I'm thinking I'll try to walk around as much as possible at the airports, because I sure won't get much chance on the planes. And I can't count on customs/security taking too horribly long, because I only have carryon bags. That'll be nice!
I've been having very vivid, intricate dreams lately. A few nights ago I had two. First I was returning to some sort of hospital with a lady who looked a lot like a classmate of mine, and she had just killed at least one person, but we were friends, so it was okay. When we got back, everyone who could walk was stampeding, trying to get out, and the ones who couldn't were screaming at us to run, so I grabbed my murdering friend and we ran. That's the end of that one.
Then I dreamed that I was sneaking through tunnels under Westminster (my college) with Korean Jenny and just about everyone else I know in the world. It would have been quite the adventure, but then I woke up.
And last night I dreamed that I was interviewing at a school that was in a huge, tall, thin white building (bright white) with massive, sweeping open staircases all over it. It reminded me of a masted ship somehow. And I pretty much knew I wouldn't get the job, but I was still hoping for it.
Many of my holiday events were vaguely disappointing. The daytime meal I had planned would have been nice enough, but I was so tired from cooking and cleaning for the past day and a half that I was ready to just hole up alone in my room for a while, not entertain guests. But it's fine. And I didn't get much for Christmas, with the exception of LOZ: Minish Cap, which I'm enjoying a LOT. My goal is to beat it before I leave the country, and I'm currently at the final boss, just need to raise money to get one more red potion so I don't die again...
Internet access on my travels will be inconsistent, since I'm not taking a laptop, but I hear that there are internet cafes all over India, and very cheap ones at that. My plan is to e-mail myself a list of my bookmarks so I can attend to my affairs easily when I do get online.
My parents are replacing the kitchen floor while I'm gone, and making plans to keep dishes, food, and large appliances in my room. The new floor will be ceramic tiles, and should be a welcome change from the ever-more frequently chipping and breaking vinyl tiles we currently have. Also, last month Mom spilled a huge pan of raw eggs by the oven, so now every time we use the oven, I can smell the eggy smell. It's gross. Looking forward to getting rid of that.
I'll have to start taking doxycyclene, my anti-malarial antibiotic, soon. I am NOT looking forward to that. I took it when I had rocky mountain spotted fever back in 2006, and it really helped, but made me a little dizzy at dinner for a couple minutes every night. My friend who didn't get sick, but took it as a preventative, felt so horrible from it that she had to stop taking it. Hopefully this time will be no worse than last time for me! Because... I don't want malaria.
So I'm keeping an eye on the weather for Thursday, both for St. Louis and the Newark airport area. So far St. Louis is fine, but Newark has a 30-40% chance of precipitation (possibly not until Friday, though). I just need to get back in the air, then it can rain and snow all it wants... And I'm thinking of things to do at the airport. I have notebooks to write and draw in, my mp3 player, an older copy of my favorite book, a few cheap historical romance novels, and a book of easy crossword puzzles. When I'm traveling or when I'm sick, I prefer light reading that I don't have to think much about. And of course I'll check out what's around my gate and creep on flight statuses and such. I'm thinking I'll try to walk around as much as possible at the airports, because I sure won't get much chance on the planes. And I can't count on customs/security taking too horribly long, because I only have carryon bags. That'll be nice!