Where in the World is Cat?

And I can't sleep. Must be my old friend anxiety walking back into my life after the vacation that was Middlebury. Still fighting my cold, but hopefully will be healthy enough to fly-pain free on Saturday.

Returned home to NY with the family today, happy to be home...but at the same time dreading all of the unpacking, sifting, sorting and then-again packing that has become so systematic to me. My father has encouraged me to ignore my usual want to "nest" wherever I've moved, at least while I'm in Russia. What can I say? I like to feel at home. The worst part is after my job in DC last year, I've become an increasingly more efficient packer. Oh well, live and learn. I doubt I'll ever reach the suitcase and a backpack-type packer that some were at Middlebury, but I can still use to make some efforts at reduction.

Tomorrow and Friday bring a long of list of crossing t's and dotting i's before I leave the States - changing the registration on my car, cancelling my cell phone, making sure I have the items I need for Russia, basically wiping out any existing shred of my life here in the States and making sure that everything's lined up for my "new" life in Moscow. Unfortunately, at the moment I only have my first two night's accomodations in Moscow confirmed....let's hope they don't ship me back or force me on the streets during my first week (though that would be the most realistic Russian experience I might ever have).

Luckily, there are a handful of Middlebury students that will be stopping in Moscow during my first few days there, so I'm hoping that I can catch up with them, just so I don't spend my first week wandering the streets. Maybe we'll explore the city or our respective neighborhoods together - fingers crossed.