So, apparently, it's A LOT of work to put my life on hold for 6 months.
And a lot of pressure to do it all before I go, b/c I don't want to
remember 2 months from now that I never turned off my electricity... or
didn't update the contact info my my cat's microchip... or am still
paying my clearwire bills on autopay!
My to-do list is somewhat
crazy, but I keep amazing myself at how much I can do in a day. And
still have time to watch a movie or hang out when I'm done.
Some pre-trip highlights...
1.) Lasik surgery! I have thought about it for
years...
but never had the balls to do it. Every time I thought of it, I wanted
to throw up and die. C'mon, they CUT your eyeball open, then shut it back together! But, when the thought of messing around with contact
lenses in 3rd world countries with water so dirty that I can't even
brush my teeth with it came up, it forced me to go for Lasik.
It
was hands down the most revolting, scary, disturbing thing I've ever
done. And it will probably take me 20 years to re-coupe the cost of it
in not having to buy new glasses and contact lenses. But now that it's
over, I'm happy to forget about it... And its kind of nice to wake up
and be able to see.
2.) Vaccinations! I have health insurance
with Kaiser, so it slightly softened the blow financially, but most
travel shots are elective, not mandatory, so insurance doesn't cover
it! I had to get 3 shots and a blood test (to see if I had a shot
already or not! Yea, I wish I hadn't switched health care providers so
many times in college and with my first few jobs).
Japanese Encephilitus shot? $500! No thanks...
Rabies Shots? $700!!!
I'll take my chances....
geez, health insurance is a joke!
And
the appointment took me 3 weeks to get, and then 3 hours to get my
shots and prescriptions filled! $175 later, I have 3 months worth of
malaria pills, diarrhea meds and 2 very sore arms. I had a bad allergic
reaction to the flu shot (I always opted out in the past) and woke up
with a really sore golf ball sized lump on my arm. It kind of freaked
me out, but it went away after 2 days.
3.) Cat Sitter... So, my
cat, Koa is the best kitty in the world. In my opinion. Unfortunately,
other people's cats are just not that cool to other people. And
apparently EVERYONE is allergic to cats. OR can't have pets. OR has a
dog. OR already has cats. OR travels often. OR has kids... OR some other creative excuse. So, after weeks of desperately
trying to find a home for Koa, I found 2 friends on Maui who actually
want to take him. They've never had a cat together so they wanna see if they
actually want a cat before they go and get one. Smart. So, Koa will be
a "loner kitty". A Foster Cat.
So, I flew him to Maui! As carry on luggage. Hawaiian Air gets $100 for my
little day trip. Plus a $50 FDA regulated carrier. Dammit!
At least
Koa is toilet trained (yes, he uses a toilet- no litter box. YouTube
it. Cats are capable of using a toilet... and no, they don't flush
(everybody's follow-up question). He is also SO into food, he comes
when you call him, sits, begs and shakes hands. And he does a funny
twitching thing with his mouth when he gets in trouble, or if I sneeze
or cough loud. So, I'm not about to give him away- I want him back when
I return. I just needed to transport him to & from Maui...
