Pre-flight Checklist

It seems that most of the trouble with the previously-mentioned volcano has settled down, and we might actually go on this trip. Preparations are proceeding apace. I'm mostly packed, but will need to go through everything again once more to make sure I haven't forgotten anything. Which of course means that I will forget something. Probably my passport.
I ordered a globally enabled "loaner" phone from Verizon to take with me. What that means is that I should be able to take photos with the phone while I'm there and picture-text them to a twitpic account that will automatically update twitter, which will forward to a facebook status update. Yes, it's disgusting. But I can't help myself. My name is Epiphany, and I have a problem. Ten years from now, I'll read back over this and laugh at myself, in much the same way I laugh at photos of that perm I had in the seventh grade. You're welcome to join me, but be aware that I'll be laughing at you too, for reading a blog.
I was planning to do some cleaning this weekend, but an angel of a friend came over earlier this week and cleaned and rearranged and basically made my cute little house into a showplace. It's amazing. She's a wizard. No amount of cleaning on my part would have ever made it look this good. So I'm ahead of schedule, with not much else to do but work and anticipate the trip. That, and maybe plan a party or two for when I get back, just to show off the place.
I have the cat-sitting and lawn & garden care network in place, and look forward to the chance to pay these friends back for these huge favors they're doing me. They'll be the first ones invited to the party. Don't worry. You'll be second.
I've checked the weather reports online for Scotland, and it appears we'll have rain every day except one, and on that day, we'll have drizzle. Good thing I got a raincoat. (Actually, I've bought three in the last month, trying to find the perfect one - warm enough but not too warm, equipped with a hood, waterproof (obviously), nice color for the inevitable vacation photos - but at this point, who's surprised I'm going a little overboard?)