It's the night before Christmas... I almost have everything wrapped. I also need to pack for my trip to France. But who are we kidding? I will be packing all the way up to 3:15 on Monday - That's when my husband is supposed to drive me to the airport to arrive for my obligatory 2-hour prep time at Hartsfield.

The good news? I will be able to take along nail clippers and craft scissors in my carry-on bags. The clerk at my veterinarian was so flustered when I went to pick up my dog's medication that she allowed me to purchase Heartguard without subjecting my dog to a blood test!

I have administered the medication, and my dog is still alive, so I think we are alright there!

The bad news? I did not receive a call from my optometrist with my new boxes of contact lenses. When I called yesterday, they had already gone on Christmas vacation. Here's the deal: I have JUST enough pairs of contacts to make it through January 15th - if all goes well. And this is only because, when I was given a new kind of contact to wear, I actually KEPT the pair I wore to the office because I had just changed them out!!!!

Still, yesterday, I went to Costco to try and beg the people there to give me a couple of trial contacts just in case. No deal. The "emergency" line of my optometrist's office specifically says that it will not respond to my kind of emergency... they suck. So, I will hope that no strange amoebas develope in my spare pair of contacts and bring along my glasses (that cause me to topple down stairs because they distort the edges of my line of vision like a funhouse mirror) just in case.

Hey, maybe the optometrist will be open on Monday - that will give me the first of my jolly last minute errands to do before I leave!!!!

While I was at Costco, I bought the economy-sized package of reading glasses at the lowest setting. NOW I am officially approaching old age. Why did I buy 3 pair? Apparently, as we get older, we misplace our reading glasses. I think it states in the "geezer handbook" that one pair is for the purse, one is for beside the bed, and one is for at the office (school). This way, my students and teaching assistant can laugh helplessly at me while I peer at them, Dumbledore-like, from my desk.

I just made my last last-minute run to the Post Office to mail 5 packages to my sister's family in Louisiana. I know - they won't make it in time for Christmas! I also sent off what I hope is the last order of the year. I say that, because I haven't heard from all of my buyers yet, and I hope that I won't get some e-mail while I am in France, yelling at me about an order gone missing! Oh, well, ain't nuthin' I can do about it now!!!

And, no, my operation out of the garage and bottom floor of my home is NOT organized enought for me to direct my husband around that bombfield from across the pond!

Last night, my husband and I went to see King Kong. It was really big!!! - and long! I don't think that I have seen any of the other King Kongs but I may see the first one now. That Adrien Brody is almost as dreamy as the ape!!! I have two Netflix movies that I have to try an watch before I leave: Apres Vous and Napoleon Dynamite.

More on the trip later - I hope to blog from the road as well!

Merry Christmas!!!