The packing begins

I've started to pack for the trip, and it is exciting. Busting out with all my summer clothes (it is supposed to be warm, but rainy), and starting to think to myself that I need a new pair of walking sandals. Time to go shopping!

Been listening religiously to Saint Etienne recently, I just LOVE them!!!

Speaking of religion, I went to see the Dalai Lama in San Francisco this past Friday and Saturday. Lots of really deep stuff, I just drowned in it I couldn't keep up, and guiltily, I slept through roughly 1/4 to half of it :( The stuff I did happen to catch was quite good.

Also trying to shake off this flu. Coughing has gotten worse, and had a short bout of the fever yesterday. The coughing was so bad at one point that I couldn't get out but a few words, not even a complete sentence, before I was overcome by the hacking coughs. I was indoors most of today with a headache that I can't shake, but it was nice to take a nap with the breeze and the nice weather. With the level of activity these last few days, I think I needed a rest.

Bum

One more full week of work, and then I start my life as a bum. :)

I can play all day, stay out as late as I want on "school nights" and go to bed in the wee hours...wait, this doesn't sound all that different from what I do now! Speaking of crazy schedules, I was up all by myself at 6 o'clock this morning, no alarm clocks or cruel jokes to get me out of bed, 6 a.m. on a weekend, that is practically unheard of!!! I could use a short nap now. B-)

The Chills

I came home last night and went straight to the sofa to lie down. Not in recent memory have I felt so exhausted, my muscles and bones aching, and I had a headache, a sore throat, and chills to boot -- the funny thing is that all of these symptoms seemed to appear and consume me almost instantaneously. My first thought was fear that it was the flu, and I thought to myself that I could not be getting sick again with the China trip a week away. Towards midnight, still battling the chills and aches, I started getting very warm, then very hot and feverish, and then it was all gone by morning save a little muscle soreness. I left work early after feeling the onslaught of the aches and pains, and chills again, and I drove home in agony, looking forward to a warm bath and a soft bed that awaits.

The sad thing is that I had just gotten over a cold about a month earlier, and I've been averaging about a cold a month. Each successive bout of illness became less severe, but nevertheless I need to break out of this cycle of illness. Ok, it is back to bed for me.

T minus 14 days

T - 14 days until China! I've been reading the many China guidebooks scattered around my bed. I've bought a cute little day bag for the trip, and except for the little details - I'm not packed, need to buy travel insurance, need to book my room in Beijing, and haven't yet picked up my passport with the visa - I'm all ready to go.