Philom Bios, where I work

Releasing some water from the panic dam

I like to have things planned out. I don't like surprises. I like to do my homework, study hard, and be well prepared for the exam. I'm probably some sub-type of a type A personality (which no one seems to talk about anymore these days). But I'm trying to learn to take it easier. So I haven't been making a lot of plans for our trip. We've got plane tickets and rail passes; all that's left for a carefree spirit would be to pack and go, right?

Inside though, I noticed a steadily rising level of tension. Today I hit upon a solution for opening the floodgates a bit and relieving some pressure - a trip to the local Shopper's Drug Mart. There I purchased travel size shaving cream, soap, toothpaste, kleenex, et cetera, et cetera, all very therapeutically making me feel like I was taking action for our trip.

When I checked out, I noticed the bill wasn't exactly inconsequential. Part of my type A disorder is that I always like to know exactly what I spent on a trip. You can all look forward to a pie chart. Look for the "travel necessities" slice . . .