So (e:john) and I are meeting (e:jbeatty) (and later (e:ladycroft)) in Europe in a few days tomorrow (!).

WTF am I doing????? We can't afford this trip, and I don't have the time to go on vacation right now!!! We just found a house we like and may want to bid on!! Someone needs to be here to talk to mortgage people about getting us financing, and to make sure no one steals this house away! Plus, I am going to be missing my derby league's second bout, ever. And I can't be traipsing around Europe with a gigantic backpack right now, anyway, since I injured my knees at derby practice a few weeks ago and they still hurt like crazy and the doctor said I could do some serious damage to them if I exercise a lot while they're still healing!!! GAAHHH!!

I'm kinda stressed out about preparing for this trip, can you tell?

Actually, I'm stressed because I've barely prepared at all - (e:john)'s been doing all the guidebook-reading and itinerary-planning. I know when and where we're flying in and out, but in between, I have only the slightest clue where we'll be going or what we're going to be doing. And, uhm, packing? Haven't started. The only thing I know is that I'm going to feel like I'm not bringing anything with me at all, since it's all got to fit into one backpack. I am the queen of over-packing, but I think for this trip, I'm going to end up at the opposite extreme. I will miss my laptop more than words can express. It's going to feel very weird, not traveling with it.

Since I'm not bringing my laptop, I had to dig out my old paper address book and update it. I spent the first half of my evening turning the apartment upside down looking for the thing (which was safely tucked away in an easily-accessible cabinet, I discovered after scouring many hard-to-reach places). Then it was John's turn to misplace a notebook and spend time tearing the place apart looking for it, while I sat down to learn how woefully out-of-date even my computerized address book was. Ugh.

I was going to buy myself a new pair of hiking boots for this trip, but it's pretty much too late now. I've got a few great pairs of sneakers I can bring, but I'm gonna need boots, too, I bet. I'd love to see how my awesome new cowboy boots would hold up, but they're not practical for traveling since I need a shoehorn to get them on, and they won't go on at all if my feet are swollen. I find it slightly unbelievable that I own 50 million pairs of shoes and still don't have any non-sneaker shoes that are appropriate for this trip.

Well. If anyone wants a postcard, give (e:jbeatty) your address, and I'll make sure he sends you one while we're there. :)