September 23, 2003

There are several things you can put off till the last minute. You can brush your teeth right before class, write a ten page paper the night before it's due, or you can even capture small men who play even smaller accordions for your show-and-tell project the next day. However, there is one thing that you should not put off till the last minute, and that is packing. When you think to yourself, "I will be living in another country for roughly three months," you inevitably think you will need to pack more than you do. This problem will also be compounded if you have a mother who thinks you simply cannot survive without five pairs of pants, ear plugs, microfibre towels, and duct tape. Suddenly you're drowning in stuff and having someone find you amongst your luggage is like having someone look for a pin in Al Sharpton's hair. So, this is the best advice that I can give to anyone. Pack what you think you need, wait a few days, and then unpack about half of what you initially stuffed in every bag you could find.

To be honest, I'm terrified of flying, but this has done little to dim my excitment. The thought of being in the middle of London for a few days and then enrolling in the University of Reading, which is only a 20 minute trainride from London, sounds fantastic to me. There are several options for travel including taking a train to Scotland, a ferry to Ireland, or the Chunnel to France. I'm sure I'll be writing more on all of this soon, but until then I need to get back to packing, or rather, unpacking.