Ciao!

Hey all,

So I’ve been a teeny bit stressed lately getting ready to leave for Italy – and considering that I’m leaving tomorrow and haven’t packed or really done anything to prepare (outside of work), I’m laughably NOT ready. The sheer amount of shit I’ve had to get done in order to leave the office for 2 weeks is…daunting to say the least. AND, since the first few days of my trip are, in fact, work related (don’t mock, it makes the flights free), I also have to prepare for 4 straight days of meetings. AGH!!!!!!

Anyway, I’ve now been reduced to such a tightly strung mess that both Christine and my assistant have started to ask if maybe they should just go out and get some necessities for me, like, oh I don’t know, toiletries! I need little toothpaste tubes and little shampoos and conditioners for my trip, and I don’t have the time (or inclination) to get them! I also seem to have misplaced the 3 pairs of shoes that I actually remembered to buy for this trip!

OK, too many exclamation points. The lesson here is 1) I’m a spaz, 2) I’m leaving on a jet plane tomorrow and am not prepared, 3) the exchange rate between euros and US dollars is obscene, 4) I haven’t eaten in like 3 days I’m so stressed about being away from the office and email for the next 2 weeks (shut up – I’ve become the person I used to mock), 5) the odds of my luggage getting lost during this trip are staggeringly good, and 6) I’m going to miss my cat while I’m away (I SAID shut up).

But I didn’t want to leave without throwing something up here, so here goes – a short story about why I’m a danger to myself:

I fell asleep last night like I always do – my head hit the pillow, my brain whirred around reminding me of all the stuff I had forgotten to do that day, and shortly thereafter I shrugged it off and fell asleep. Now, I sleep like the dead. I LOVE sleeping, so I’ll admit to not noticing/waking up to many things once I’ve settled in to my REM cycle. But I will say that even I was surprised when I woke up on the FLOOR this morning. Apparently, at some point during the night I fell off the bed (taking my pillow with me it would seem), and I NEVER WOKE UP. My alarm went off, I opened my eyes, and I found myself sprawled out on my hardwood floor staring at the (rather impressive) collection of dust bunnies under my bed.

My cat was still in the place she had begun the night – lying in the middle of my bed on the comforter. My cat is smarter than I am.

And finally, a question that you will all probably be too late in answering: Do you tip cab drivers in Italy?