Packing...the continuing saga!

A smaller suitcase weighs less, which is the insight I had this morning at 8:30am. So moved all of my clothing that's being checked into a slightly smaller suitcase. I had to sacrifice another pair of shoes, a bottle of Tussin DM and a second bathing suit (really, do I need more than one bathing suit?) but I made it. Phew!

I am feeling a little adrift only having the Tussin tablets though. Hopefully I'll wait a few weeks to get sick so that my liquid Tussin has arrived. According to the forums, American OTC drugs like Tussin and Ibuprofen are apparently very difficult to acquire in Japan (cheaply, in normal to U.S. citizen dosages), as is antiperspirant deodorant and fluoride toothpaste. I'm not sure why a country as awesome as Japan would shirk on the fluoride toothpaste, but I'm a huge fan of minimizing my cavities. So I packed in travel sizes and am having larger sizes shipped.

It's amazing how little you can get by with, shocking to a packrat like me. I'm glad that I can use my room at home for storage. I'm also amazed with this process, which has been at points agonizing, that my friend Carrie managed to reduce her life down to what she could carry on a bicycle. With two suitcases, a large purse and at least 3 boxes being shipped over the next few weeks, I'm still feeling naked and unprepared. (now one of these boxes is haircare products--I bought a year of Pantene for WOC Oil Creme moisturizer as I doubt that will be a hot item in Japan). I think I bought more luggage when I went to Odyssey--I know I bought more stuff home thanks to Barb's car.

This is my last morning at home for the next year and a half, my last morning in my childhood room, watching Babycat jump in and out of the window while Oddball walks up and down around me on the bed. It'll be the last day of sitting on the sofa watching DVRed episodes of Buffy the Vampire slayer while Boo-Boo tries to rob me of my breakfast. (and today, I do my taxes: all multitasking, all the time). This'll be my last morning conversation with my mom where it's morning for both of us--now, where one sun is setting the other will be rising. So while I'm vibrating with excitement (and exhaustion and stress and omg, the running and the screaming...), it's still a bittersweet experience. When I return, I'll be both myself and someone else. Someone with a wealth of new experiences, a few true stories that nobody will believe, and hopefully a fiction or two that someone will.

Love and Hugs to all :)

Getting Ready for Japan

Good News: I'm in a Leopalace, which means I'll have internet (most likely) in my apartment, as well as a washer and full bathroom dryer, toaster, and other appliances. The apartment is beyond tiny, but that should persuade me not to get too much stuff. I'm very excited!

Youtube video tour of a Leopalace apartment: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wPGMYdTcx8

The packing process has been a huge challenge though. I started out with one giant suitcase, a giant camping backpack, all overflowing with stuff. After an intense conversation with Steph and my mom about the fact that my packing strategy was INSANE, I decided to repack.

I unpacked all of my luggage and tossed it in a pile of rolled up sausage garments, then started the process of picking seven outfits for my trip. I've got it down to one checked bag (the backpack now packed inside the large suitcase). Still, I still haven't fully made the grade. It's 3am and I"m at 55 pounds on my checked bag. At least I think it's 55lb, getting the suitcase on the scale is a bit of a challenge. I may let it ride and pay the $50 bucks for the extra weight. My carry on is about six pounds over the weight limit also, but I'm hoping they don't check it. I"m tempted to pack some of my extra luggage in the backpack and save the money, but I'll probably suck it up for ease of carrying. There's also the possibility of taking a small knapsack and filling it with the extra 10lbs extra, as I'm allowed to have two checked bags. Gonna sleep on it.

I still have a zillion things to do tomorrow. I wish I'd done my taxes last week. Totally kept slipping my mind. But as I'm po', the gov't owes me so I can wait until I get back if push comes to shove. Still, the refund would be happy-making as I try to rebuild my savings as I've been hemorrhaging money the past two weeks.

This isn't the most exciting blog entry, but it's almost 4am so there goes.

Hugs to all :)