T-minus 5 days

The number of days until I leave seems to have suddenly gone from an endless tunnel with barely a light visible at the end to the headlights of an oncoming train. I was putting off the long list of things I needed to do before I left, thinking that it was always "too early" to start thinking about that stuff and that I should get on with more relevant issues. Well, these issues are now RELEVANT.

I won't bore you with the details, but most of them are the regular sort of adult things that one does before going on holiday. The major one is laundry, which I don't think I have ever "finished" doing since I have moved to the UK. Now, though, I have to figure out how to pack for one month of Iceland's schizophrenic weather while checking only one bag. I am one of those people that can think of a reasonable reason to bring every piece of clothing I own ("Of course I need my dinner suit. What if I run into Jóhanna and she invites me out to a formal diplomatic function?"). Discarding each item back into the dresser causes me near-physical pain as I precognitively experience the regret I am sure I will feel about having left it behind.

In addition, I am trying my best to finish the rest of Colloquial Icelandic before I head out. As I have already been reminded, I don't need to be fluent in Icelandic just to go take a course there, but I can't help my language-perfectionism reminding me about how much I still don't know about the language.

Oh! And I bought a new camera today to replace my aging 5 MP one. For those who want to know, I went with a Canon IXUS 95 IS. I have also finally, after years, found an acceptable workflow for storing, sorting, and posting my photos. I will post updates via Picasa, and maybe some choice ones on Facebook.

Right, back to packing. Or something. Ég fer til Íslands eftir fimm (5) daga!

ZOMG First Post?!

Sæl og blessuð, loyal readers! As many of you who know me in person have heard, I every now and then get the urge to start a blog. I quickly get bogged down by the details, such as how to name it, how to design it, what platform, etc, rather quickly. My impending trip to Iceland, however, demands that I have a way to update you all on what I hope are the cool experiences I am going to have (and also the language blunders I am bound to make!).

I have to thank one of my twitter followers (jimorissey) for the title. It's a reference to similarly named Icelandic Sagas, such as Njáls Saga and Gísla saga Súrsonnar, although I don't presume that my blog is of similar literary importance. It will hopefully, however, be a bit more accessible. In addition to the blog, you can follow me on Twitter for less insightful but more requent updates. I will also be sharing photos via Picasa, thanks to my lovely partner Jim's sweet digital SLR that he is letting me take.

And I end this post with my daily countdown:

Ég fer til Íslands eftir eina viku og þrjá daga! "I go to Iceland in 1 week and 3 days!"