T-minus three days...

...and counting.

I'm leaving for the riverine flood plains of Bangladesh this Friday, and I'm procrastinating the actual "packing" as long as I can. I just got off the phone with John in China, mailed out a delinquent birthday card, danced around to Michael Jackson's "Thriller," and ate two of these delicious ice cream ball confections my Mom made. Soy ice cream, naturally. Have I packed my clothes yet? No. Have I even thought about how I will fit a year's worth of feminine hygiene products into two suitcases? No. I have figured out how to play "Frogger" on my iPod though. Oregon Trail is next...

Anyway, things are moving kind of slowly on the trip preparation front. I caught up with my terrific trio of college roomates in East Lansing yesterday--Christie, Meghan, and Peggy. We had beers at The Barrel and ice cream at Melting Moments for old times' sake. I stole the ice cream bowl (in a Jerri Blank voice), did some more time. Anyway, it was a great time, and I must say that my friends are so grown up. I chomped my veggie burger sloppily as they intelligently discussed things like car payments and mortgages (doesn't that have something to do with funerals?). I had little to add to the conversation, and I'm not sure my gratuitous insertion of the name "moneybags" toward everyone was well-received. I was impressed by the adult-ness of my buddies, and I left the evening deep in thought.

It made me wonder...is everyone else just ahead of the game, or am I being gradually left in the proverbial dust? Should I be paying less attention to J.R.R. Tolkein and more attention to J.P. Morgan and Chase? Should I trade in my weathered All Stars for pointy-toed heels? Do I need to grow up? I'm starting to wonder if I'm the Tanya version of those party hardy frat guys that leave college but never quite leave the beer-soaked lifestyle behind.

For now, I'm just grateful to have parents who see making my car insurance payments for me as "an investment in my education." I'm also thankful for the ice cream balls.