Do you know what's a really cool feeling?

I don't want to steal focus from the online writing group CFP, so if you're interested, go here, and sign up. Don't delay: week one progress reports are coming June 3!


Guess what? I leave for a five-week research trip to Blargistan on Monday. And, as of 7:45 p.m. Saturday, I was finished with my pre-trip to-do list. I had finished and printed my presentation, confirmed my lodgings, put together a sheet with friends' phone numbers, located my passport, called the banks to log my travel so that my cards would still work, backed up my computer's hard drive, printed out my itinerary, printed maps of the archives, done laundry, paid bills, collected medications, and even got semi-packed.

This meant that, other than an hour's worth of house-tidying, and the last of the packing, I have had all of today all to myself, just to relax.

This is something unprecedented. And let me tell you, it's nice.

I'm up at 5 a.m. tomorrow, and off to the airport at 6. Next dispatch from Blargistan!