Wednesday, February 14, 2001

Dear Kate,

We leave for Hawaii in the morning and I'm still not completely packed. But that's no surprise. Packing, for me, is done most completely when it is done the last minute. I find the more in-advance I am, the more I forget.

I so need this vacation. If ever one could burn out at their job, it's me right now! A week away from there will not be long enough. This, coming from the person who always says she loves her job. That hasn't been the case lately. I miss feeling good about what I do.

I'm really looking forward to feeling the warm sun on my skin. I'm looking forward to swimming with the fish and sleeping as long as I want to. I'm looking forward to all the beautiful scenery and hours of just taking in all in. I'm looking forward to fresh air, no commuter trains and all the time in the world for lunch.

I'm not bringing my laptop. Enough people have talked me into keeping it home. I'll likely be overpacked in the end as it is. But my old-fashioned paper journal is coming with me. I'll have that to jot down any meandering thoughts.

Billy's going to take care of Daisy and the fish while we are away. I'm glad for Daisy--she'll really appreciate the company. I'll miss her too.

Part of me feels kind of bad for the gang at work. The conditions stink lately, and my not being there won't help. On the other hand, sometimes I feel more valuable there than I probably am.

And in that case, I'm looking forward to not thinking about work crap. I'm looking forward to tropical drinks, fresh fruit and dining out. Sunsets. Listening to the sounds of crashing waves. Seeing whales. Feeling that warm sun. MMMMMMM. Yeah, I think I'll adjust to being away from home pretty quickly.

I will probably miss Survivor tomorrow night. I will definitely miss all contact with the virtual world. No e-mail or instant messages for a week is going to be tough. I think I'm going to have to find a cybercafe in Kauai.

Valentine's Day for me and Joe will effectively begin tomorrow morning at about 7:00 AM and last through Feb. 23 at around dinner time. I can't complain.

Enough with these circular thoughts. I better finish up some cleaning and packing here and get some sleep.

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