Isn't it strange how stressful the week before a vacation can be?
There's so much finishing up and planning ahead involved with taking a brief break from work and daily life.
And, in accordance with Murphy's Law, anything that can go wrong at this most inconvenient of times, will.
Like my back, for instance.
It's been fine for several months (since my move -- I should have known better than to try to help with the lifting of heavy boxes) and then two weeks before I'm supposed to leave for Costa Rica, it decides to misbehave.
Of course, the doctor only sees patients two days a week and the only available time for me to see him before I depart has to be smack in the middle of my work day, making it necessary to take a day out sick (the doc is in Harrisburg, newsroom in York, so that doesn't work too well).
Like anyone can afford to be out for a day the week before they're going to be on vacation for five.
Here's a rundown of things I'm stressing about trying to remember not to forget to do:
*Find place to stay for first and last nights in the country (I'm set for the middle of the week when we're in a different part of the country, but can't seem to snag a place near the airport for these other nights -- and not all of the places have online availability info and reservation ability, so it's a painfully slow exchange of e-mails only to find out they have no room)
*Call heating oil company to fill tank so furnace doesn't stop working and pipes don't freeze while I'm gone
*Do laundry
*Pack suitcase
*Pack up kitchen so workers can begin ripping out cabinets and floor while I'm gone
*Prepare kitty for my absence
*File stories to editors
*Finish a translation project
*Remember to take back meds and anti-malarial meds
*Charge camera batteries
*Set up away messages on e-mail and voice mail
*Call credit card company to tell them I'm going to be in Costa Rica so they don't block use of my card, thinking it was stolen, as I learned a few years back during a trip to Mexico
I guess the idea is to make me so stressed and tense and sleep deprived that I am too tired to complain about airport hassles and flight delays and such. Or maybe this happens so I'll appreciate the vacation more.
I'm usually super-organized and like to plan ahead, so I don't like this frazzled state of things. I'm wondering -- is this just me, or does this happen to everyone?
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