Neurotic un-pre-travel freakout

I've written before about one of my long-standing neuroses, the pre-travel freakout. Well, I discovered this evening that the pre-travel freakout is not actually limited to pre-travel preparations. The pre-travel freakout usually involves frantically running errands that could easily be done post-travel. The pre-travel freakout usually also involves buying things that are, well, not always necessary.

The pre-travel freakout manifested itself in full force this evening. I'm not traveling anywhere, but tomorrow I'm going to be an election judge for Boulder County. I need to arrive at my precinct at 5:30am and I won't be able to leave the entire day. I'll likely get done on the early side at 9pm, but could be there as late as midnight. Today I ran all around after work running errands and buying snacks. I went to the bank, I went to the Indian Grocery and got movies and snacks, I went to Bed Bath Beyond and got a pepper grinder and a frying pan, I went to Safeway and bought a bunch more snacks...well, actually, a lot more than snacks: a loaf of bread, a dozen eggs, a box of cookies, a box of crackers, a box of cheddar bunnies, granola bars, 4 yogurts, 2 bottles of juice, frozen fish sticks, spaghetti, and a jar of mayo. I've hard-boiled eggs, made sandwiches, packed a bag with all the non-refrigerated stuff in a bag, packed all the refrigerated stuff in a cooler bag in the fridge, packed 2 water bottles, and next on my list is pulling together packets of tea and my knitting and some books in another bag. I still need to review my Election Judge training manual, find my calculator, and figure out what I'm wearing tomorrow. I expect my brain won't be functioning too well tomorrow morning at 4am, so I'm trying to take care of as much as I can tonight.

Oh, pre-travel freakout...you'll be one of the things that helps me get into heaven.

Rah-roo? Getting into heaven? Well, my friend Miss J has come up with a fun and faboo new game of asking people what uniquely identifies them. The question really is more like: when they're in line to get into Heaven, what are the things that are really special about YOU that will help the Heavenly TSA identify you since they don't take government issued IDs. (This is not exactly the way she's been phrasing the question, but my own way of asking for the same info).

I've figured out a few of the items that will help the ID checkers figure out they should let me in those pearly gates:
-I use my really good spacial awareness skills to most efficiently load dishwashers
-I love learning languages (French, Spanish, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi), and while I get good at them while I'm actively using them, they disappear out of my brain-hole when I don't use them
-cheese cheesy cheese cheese
-I really like to power-nap under laundry that is warm from the dryer
-my pre-travel freakout is such a cute habit ;)

So with that, I'm off to finish packing my 3rd bag (yes, it seems I have 3 bags to take with me tomorrow!). I'm excited for Tuesday, November 4, 2008...a Day for Democracy.