I have the fabulous luxury of having Dad live here anyway, so I don't have to rent out my condo or find a cat/fish/plant sitter.
However, I still had to deal with the car, insurance, the banks, and buy a bunch of stuff (camera, voltage converter, headsets, extra USB thumb drives, a camera). I also had to make sure I was caught up on medical, dental, and veterinary affairs
Trip preparation is a good time to hand off gifts, return things I've borrowed, mailing packages, and donating clothes. Which reminds me--Ooh La La and Miss Indigo have treats at my house.
Ashlock and Freddy--thank you for absolving me of my crushed lampshade sins.
Shopping Spreedom
I'm also begging and borrowing things that people aren't using for six months or won't use ever (backpacks, water purifiers, insect repellent you won't use, those PowerBars you won't eat before they exceed the date). Although I'm certainly not hurting, the price tag of the trip is starting to creep up. The nice thing is that I have all my checklists from my previous trips.
Remaining
- Start new job. Learn new software.
- Make a few more shopping sprees
- Vet for los gatos
- Prep the tanks
- Printed electronic copies of EVERYTHING
- Behold the wonder of Google Maps - Bangalore
- Authorize Dad as Officially in Charge of some remaining affairs
- Get med evac insurance
- Learn some Hindi
- Investigate tax options
- Finish random paperwork
- Pay bills
- Confirm arrangements
- Pack, repack, and pack again (I'm shooting for two bags)
- Visit from Mom
- Arrange for ride to airport
Oh--and a bunch more boring things, I guess.
(Realistically, I could also have done a credible post on Things One Puts on Paws, too.)
