The night before...

I am a night-before packer. Really, I'm a wait-until-the-night-before-to-do-EVERYTHING person.

Today I went to the bank to alert them to my travels, but was told to call the 1-800 number. Then after work I started seriously packing. Melanie and Steve met mom and I at the Olive Garden for dinner, and afterward mom and I went to the AT&T store. I bought a spare battery and car charger for the phone, then talked to the sales rep about using the phone in Australia. We were told a horror story about a family that went to Mexico and while staying in a resort, downloaded two movies to the iPhone, at 1GB per movie, using the international 3G network (not realizing the resort had WiFi?). The phone bill when they returned was $96,000. Sounds outrageous--it IS outrageous--but it gets the point across: DO NOT USE INTERNATIONAL 3G (DATA ROAMING). This puts a damper on my plans for frequent communication, as I'll only be able to Tweet and Facebook when I'm in proximity of free WiFi. AND I can't use GPS which sucks ass.

But hey, I'm glad I found out beforehand. I would have forced my way onto data roaming for sure, completely clueless about the cost.

Oh, and I get charged $.50 for each text I receive and send. *eye roll*

But enough of that--I've alerted the bank and paid my bills and found a credit card with available credit, and I've almost finished packing my checked bags. I've done laundry and the house is still somewhat clean from Sunday, and I've put a hold on my gym membership and I'll call Time Warner tomorrow to disconnect the internet. Sorry neighbors, no more free WiFi.

I was packing my t-shirts and turned around to find Lucky standing in the doorway with a look of complete betrayal on her face. I think she knew last night, but now she knows for sure. I'll pack their food and treats and toys and take them to work tomorrow morning. 52 nights of boarding... there goes my employee credit.

Gotta pack my carry-on bag with all my electronics and books for that wonderful 12 hours in LAX, get a shower, and try to sleep. It's already 10:45!!