Whew. Today is lift-off and I am officially running 3.5 hours behind schedule. But that's because I'm a pressure-packer -- I can't do it 2 days ahead of time. Last-minuteness helps me cut through the crap more insistently, but it sure is stress-inducing. My car is stuffed to the gills. This means Alexis and I will have some serious rearranging to do in Seattle. But 2 Phi Beta Kappas should be able to figure it out, right? I am, however, happy to say that I can fit all of my life in my car -- one single car -- which was never true before this.

Anyway, wish me luck and bon voyage. To the family and friends I'm leaving behind: I'll miss you and I promise to keep in touch. Thanks for all your generous support, too.