Going, Going, Gone (Soon)!

It is hard for me to believe that our departure is in a matter of hours. With last minute preparations in check, it is soon time for me to get some well needed shut-eye before our flight to Chicago.

The majority of my day has been spent attempting to pack everything into my luggage. With several shirts, shorts, and pants, I'm inclined to believe that I need to stop "hoarding" my possessions and continue asking myself "Are you that crazy for bringing what can only be described as a different shirt for each occasion?" I think the most appropriate answer would certainly be "Yes." The whole experience has been like completing a Tetris puzzle or Rubiks Cube, and while it can seem bothersome at times, I get this tingling feeling whenever I figure out a good way to pack everything. The one valuable tip I have discovered is that with very soft fabrics like certain t-shirts, rolling them certainly takes up a lot less room than simply leaving them folded. I think I have rolled so many shirts that they can easily stack into a nice pyramid! The biggest worry on the back of my mind is perhaps trying to find the right balance of luggage weight. From vests, to suits, and even heavy shoes, space hasn't been as grave a concern as the weight of it all. I believe I spent a good hour trying to weigh each valuable luggage bag we had to find the perfect balance of weight versus space!

One of my several attempts to forge a manageable suit of luggage.

However, when luggage isn't on the back of my mind, getting some final preparations finished is! From visiting the dentist to picking up that final piece of medication, the entire day has been spinning around my head.

The day finally wrapped up with a wonderful dinner with my family as a sort of note on which to send me off to the East Coast. Many of my friends and family know me as a big eater and with a full rack of ribs to munch on, I certainly didn't disappoint on anyone's expectations! And after the meal concluded, I could almost feel my stomach expanding, adding "visit a fitness center" to my mental list of the hundreds of possibilities I could experience on my trip to Cornell.

A slightly haphazard and candid photo of my family as we ate.

After all the final tasks before I depart were finished, I finally got that downtime to just lay down and relax. When I did, I just wanted to take a nap and magically wake up at El Cerrito High, prepared to leave and embark on my adventure. But I suppose a regular nap and car ride will suffice.