The Little Things

First of all, some parental guidance- this post is being written by a Jessica who has had very little sleep and too much coffee in the past 48 hours, who is currently convinced that her dictaphone has gone missing purely to spite her, and who is now referring to herself in the third person.
It's now less than 3 days until I catch the Paddington train and leave England far behind me, and I am very proud to report that the packing list has now been reduced to 6 items, most of which are going in the hand luggage. The huge Training Handbook is still sitting out, and will no doubt tip my bag over the 50lb limit (I had 42lbs at the last weigh in), but that's no longer really a worry for me. If it's overweight it's overweight- the bag has wheels and I have a special travel 'cushion' in the bank.
At the same time, though, the closer I get to completion the more I remember all the little essentials. Things like my address book, my phone charger, my power cable, my camera... Things I never thought to include on my list because they seemed so obvious, and yet so easily forgotten. I'm not sleeping properly because of anxiety, and so as a result I'm not thinking straight and getting stressed out at little things- like the missing dictaphone. I've a feeling it might be trapped under the pull-out bed which is under my bed, but the way I'm feeling right now, any attempt to verify this would probably lead to total bedroom annihilation. I know I'm going to forget something important, but by now I simply just don't care- if I have to buy stuff, I have to buy stuff. Although I'd never admit it to her face, I do kinda wish my mom was still here, if only to do the whole making dinner and going to Sainsbury's thing.
But, as usual, I have a plan. This afternoon I'm going to finalise the packing, and then I'm stopping. Tomorrow will be completely free, and on Saturday all I plan to do is print out the important stuff. Come Sunday all I'll need to do is pop my laptop and sponge bag into the case and head out the door. Perhaps by then I'll be thinking straight once again.