Eternal Flame

Dear Readers,

I am exhausted.

I am exhausted because I have not been sleeping enough and have not been sleeping well and because I will not really get to sleep well or enough for another two weeks.

The weekend was good. The mood began with awkwardness and starvation, then dipped after towed car, was then redeemed by fondue!, delicious martinis, old friends, a craft fair, and The Pillowman,(marvelous!), and finally ended in D's cuteness being foiled by egg allergies, oppressive heat and not enough quality sleep.

I can barely keep my eyes open today.

Tonight I get to engage in one of my favorite activities - packing! I haven't had to pack for more than 4 days away in years. This is daunting. Seven full days of clothing compacted into one bag. Should be interesting. I have to find swimwear that is hiding somewhere in my new apartment. I have to remember things like chargers and flip flops and batteries and old eyeglasses to donate. I have made a billion lists - who I am meeting when and where, who I am supposed to call when, things for D to do while I am doing things with former coworkers, bus schedules, karoake address, methods to use while trying to prevent one's head from exploding.

Is it possible, folks, that I have not planned efficiently enough to allow for a burrito at Anna's?

RR, my dear wife, is cooking a vegetarian dinner tonight and said it will be ready when I get home. How precious!

After dinner I will spend 4 hours packing for the week. I hope RR is prepared for the insanity. I suppose she knows what she's in for since she witnessed my packing for ShittyNYCDateWeekend #1 with Certain Someone last summer. I tried on no fewer than 40 outfits. "If I wear this, it might suggest this..." "Hair - up or down?" "Half up?" "What about these earrings?" "Do my boobs look ok in this?" "Do you think he prefers purple or blue?" "But with this shirt I can wear these glasses..." "I agree that this is a better shirt but it makes me look fat."

There will be none of this tonight. It will be more like "Wait - will I actually wear this?" "What do people wear to the beach?" "How many bathing suits does one bring?" "Will I wear a tank tops or things with sleeves?" "Will I really need these shoes?" "What are the odds of my actually straightening my hair?" "Should I bring nail polish?" "I wish my camera was smaller!" "Why the fuck do I suck so hard at packing!??!?!" "I HATE THIS!" "What is the weather going to be like?" "Should I bring a hoodie? Two? An umbrella?" "What if I want to be sparkly at karaoke?" "Am I going to need these earrings?" "Should I bring all the glasses?"

Yeah. It's going to rock.

I will bid you all a fond farewell tomorrow, but until then, please have Manic Mondays.

With Love, Leah Lar