Advanced Preparations

The closer my departure date creeps, the more sure I become that I am going to forget to do something vital before I leave, and when I come home I will find that I have somehow managed to black out the entire city of San Jose by leaving the iron on, or lost my citizenship, or had my car repossessed.

It's not until I tried to plan a five-week absence from the country that I realized that life really isn't easily put on hold. PG&E doesn't care if I'm on vacation and people are just going to keep sending me mail.

I've done what I can to prepare, but I know that when I arrive home, something will have gone wrong. The lights will be shut off or the fish will be dead. Except I don't have fish. But what if I come home and find someone has MAILED me fish? THOSE fish will most certainly be dead. I don't need that kind of bad karma.

So whoever reads this, don't mail me any fish for the next five weeks.

Anyway, I decided finally that all I can do is try to cross everything off my To Do list and then hope for the best. And remember to throw away the leftover Hamburger Helper.