It is Official: Two Weeks (and One Day) to Go

With only two weeks and one day to go, I feel that it is appropriate to begin making my list of all of the important tasks I must perform prior to my departure. I truly believe that the difference between a good holiday and a bad holiday is dependant on one variable - planning. Accordingly, It is imperative that I do as follows:

1. Task One - Shoes
Determine how to fit the following shoes in my backpack - sneakers (for mandatory exercise), hiking shoes (for hiking), point-toed stiletto heeled boots (for going out), rounded toe knee high boots (for going out), thongs (or "flip flops", one pair for showering, one pair for casual wear) and/or sandals.

2. Task Two - Movies
Having logged onto www.emirates.com and thoroughly reviewed their "Inflight Entertainment Guide - August - September", I must now have to prioritise which movies should be watched, and in what order - Dot the I, Fully Loaded, Herbie: Fully Loaded; Hostage, Madagascar, Mr. & Mrs Smith, Off the Map, The Deal, The Interpreter, the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, and/or Warm Springs. Unfortunately, the idea of watching Lindsay Lohan starve herself while sitting in a VW Beetle (as well as Nicole Kidman playing an intelligent woman, and Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie using guns for foreplay) does not excite me greatly. See Task 3 for other optional plane activity.

3. Task Three - Stimulants and Depressants
Given that I already have problems with getting to sleep in my own $2000 Sealy Posturepaedic Queen Sized Bed, I'm expecting to find some difficulty closing my eyes during the twenty four (24) hour flight. This will be the only time that you will see me promote the use of alcohol and/or prescription drugs to achieve success. Accordingly, I must sit down and schedule at what best time I shall swallow my concoction of Dozile and Bacardi. I must take into account that upon arrival, I will be signing a rental agreement for a car, and driving off into the dirty, London sunset.

4. Eating and Dietary Requirements
I find that I only decide whether I am vegetarian or have special dietary requirements once I have reviewed the In Flight Menu. Thankfully, Emirates posts a copy of the same on their website so there is plenty of time to make up a special dietary need based on either medical or religious grounds. See attached for Economy Class Menu - http://www.emirates.com/au/TravellerInformation/Inflight/InflightDining/EconomyClassMenu.asp
I am sure that, while all meals are cooked and frozen in advance in Economy Class, vegetables served inFirst Class are obtained from the cockpit's own vegetable garden, and all animals are slaughtered on board.

Watch this space for more planning tasks and other senseless chatter.

Kate.