Must...Post...Blog Entry...*gasp*

It's crunch-time over here at Bri-Bri's place. I've been trying up loose ends all over town -- you know: returning pants that don't fit I bought a month ago, reading final drafts and recording grades (I was at my Community College office until 5 am doing grades Thursday night), returning things to people, terminating my employment, finishing up the last adventure in a D&D game, going "one last time" to my favorite restaurant, etc. etc. So as much as I'd love to write another meaningful entry, this is about all I can muster. I still need to:

1. Reattach ball hitch to car to haul U-Haul trailer.
2. Go pick up said U-Hail trailer.
3. Pack the rest of my things (I've done all the books, which amounts to 14 boxes!)
4. Pack another "goody box" to be sent to me later (optional -- I already have one)
5. Backup the rest of my mp3s on disk to bring (I have 25 disks full of about 130 - 150 songs each, and I'm bringing 'em in case my iPod is lost or ruined)
6. Apply for the Peace Corps property insurance thingy.
7. Scan a bunch of meaningful photos before they get packed away for 2+ years.
8. Place said photos in a small photo album to bring with me.
9. Consolidate all my contact info into an address book.
10. Go through important records and photocopy a few I need to bring (loans, medical, etc.).

I said goodbye this week (and tonight at a gaming group) to several people I'll probably never see again in my life. There was a time when I was younger that I'd never have thought that, but I'm old enough now that I've seen many people come and go whom I thought would be constants in my life far, far into the future. So I know that unless I move back to Tallahassee (*cough* yeah right *cough*) I'll literally never see them again. They aren't the kinds of friends one makes a special trip to see. With one exceptiom: an unlikely friend of mine (just friends!) who just began school at FSU as a freshman last year, and is almost young enough to be my daughter. We went on a fun trip to Universal Studios' Islands of Adventure and have hung out a bit over the last few months. I'll miss her. We had our farewell this evening, as she flies out tomorrow morning to spend a few weeks with her family up north before Summer classes begin. She's just arriving in Tally and I'm just leaving. But I'm glad I got to know her, and I know we'll keep in touch. I can tell.

And -- one last piece of good news -- I am fully packed for the Peace Corps and everything came out perfectly. I packed 14 days worth of clothing, a ton of books and computer stuff and other goodies, and it all fits because I used these super-cool vacuum-sealing bags I bought over at Target, the ones you simply press down on and they stay compressed (no pump needed). Now I just need to weigh it...

-Bri