Getting ready for another odyssey.

We're packing. We're arranging. We're phoning. We're confirming. We're re-confirming. We're emailing. We're hoping earnestly that things go all right (civil unrest in Thailand is proving to be a major source of anxiety, for example, as it's one of the places on our hugely complicated itinerary). We're preparing to conduct a two-month experiment in how we can continue our professional lives while living out of backpacks and duffle bags.

The house-sitter has been briefed. The amount of perishable food in the house is diminishing. The TimTams (as gifts for people we're staying with) have been bought and packed into plastic boxes to minimize the potential tragedy of broken TimTams. (Every broken TimTam is a broken heart. You knew that, of course.) The Fantales have been purchased for my mom; she loves Fantales, and why not?

I love to travel. But I hate change and disruption. I love to have new experiences and see new places. I love seeing my family and friends again. But I'm essentially introverted (not shy, exactly, just...fond of quiet and solitude). I love food, but I'm not nearly adventurous enough about it. And, in particular, I get very antsy indeed when the logistics of my fate are in others' hands. Preparing for major journeys is, as you can guess, a very stressful time for me.