I haven't "skived off" yet. I leave tomorrow evening. According to my handy dandy little pocket gadget (Palm Pilot) we are 1 hour behind you.

As for being casual about traveling, I spent too many years married to someone who couldn't do anything without worrying it to death. I enjoy having a casual outlook on life. If I forget anything, well, I probably didn't need it anyway. Who cares if I can't brush my teeth fot 17 days...

I'm saving my excitement for the trip and that is building. I seem to be having a little trouble concentrating on the work today. I'm not sleeping well either. Hmmm, could I be worried and not acknowledging it? I think not. I think I'm excited about going to the Land Down Under.

Plus I'll be crossing the Equator for the first time in my life. All my life's experiences have been in the northern half of the globe, mostly in one half of one hemisphere. Now I will venture into austral incognito.