Down to the wire

The day before leaving on a trip is almost always stressful for me. I have a million things I think I need to get done and the nagging feeling that I'm forgetting something critical, whether it's something I need to take care of at home or take with me. This time I've been writing things down as they come to me so I'm not flipping out in the last hours. It's worked, although I'm still not as close to being ready as I had hoped.

I ripped some CDs to the computer so my iPod could bulk up. Audiobooks were recommended for making the double digit hours on the road pass, so I popped in at the library to see what they might have. It turns out that one can download audiobooks through the library's website. The catch is that they are encoded as WMA files, so iPod doesn't like them. The librarian said that I could download it, burn it to CD, and then rip it to iTunes, but that was far more work than I wanted.

I found a 6-CD set of Bob Dylan's Chronicles Vol. 1 and a biography of Cary Grant on 13(!) CDs, so I won't be wanting for things to listen to. I didn't consider how long it would take to rip all of these to my hard drive, though. Insert CD, knit two rows of secret project #2, replace CD. Repeat for approximately three hours.

I also snagged some of the Knit Picks podcasts. I tried to get all of them, but six didn't want to download. Whatever. I have in the area of 12 uninterrupted days of unique audio content on my iPod, so I'm all set.

I gassed up the car and inflated the tires a bit. I could have saved myself 75 cents for using the air--I bought gas at the same place--but the line inside was too long for me to feel like it was worth waiting. Instead I got to feel like a one-man pit crew racing from tire to tire to add air and check the pressure. Three quarters bought three minutes of time. It's funny how time can slow down when you think you have to hurry.

Clothes are set out and ready to be packed. A pie is in the oven for my host. It shouldn't take me too long to finalize the rest of my vacation preparation. That's a good thing since the plan for rising at an early hour is get up, get in the car, and go.