Why am I here?

I am racing to the finish, my friends. This morning I had coffee with my sister-in-law, who happened to be at my school discussing a case with one of the finance professors. This was great, if for no other reason because it got me up, showered and dressed in plenty of time to have a long, productive day. I decided I needed a change of scenery as I finish my statistical modeling exam and complete my final paper. As practically nobody is here because of spring break, I have the SOM building nearly to myself, and am currently in a breakout room, which is called that, I suppose, because groups can "break out" from the rest of the school and work together, although it could also be referring to my complexion, which, due to stress, has seen better days.

I have mailed my materials to The Associated Press and think I can get everything I need to get done today. I better! I refuse to leave this room until I have finished all my course work, and then I can dedicate the rest of my day to a couple errands and packing.

The only time I've flown to another continent was 10 years ago when I went to Germany for three weeks with my friend Debi. We had a great time, and the traveling went smoothly, but ever since then I have had a recurring nightmare about being at an airport, unprepared for an international trip because I forgot my luggage or my passport. So that unease is setting in. I just have to be on the ball, because I can't think of anything worse than getting stuck in some other country without any stuff or identification. (Shudder) Fortunately I'm traveling with three classmates, so all the logistics aren't entirely on my shoulders. We'll manage to figure out how to get from one place to another.

It's going to be a LOOOOOOOOOOONG trip. I mean long. Just thinking about wearing the same clothes that whole time makes me feel gross. Can I change into my jammies on the plane?