This is tougher than it sounds...

And I think it sounds fairly tough... I'm trying to pack my belongings into two suitcases. I've already started, as a kind of 'test run' which is very different from the way I usually pack- that is to wait until the night before and then cram everything into boxes willy-nilly. This is an imperfect system, since I habitually forget things, which is how I end up with multiple staplers in various shades of neon transparent plastic.

How did I accrue so much stuff?!? And heavy, bulky stuff at that! I brough a few books with me, but they must've been breeding behind my back because I'm currently faced with a major population explosion here! Also, DVDs are like Tribbles, apparently. Allowing even ONE into the safe and warm confines of your home causes them to consume every available resource- just like on the Enterprise, I can no longer open cabinets with out copious numbers of DVDs dropping on top of me. Only they are not warm, or soft, nor do they make a charming cooing noise. And I think thay may be capable of asexual reproduction since I hadn't even ONE when I got here, and now they are rivalled only by the books in terms of dominance.

And just when I though I'd mostly accomplished this task, I realized I hadn't packed my cricket bat. I briefly thought about taking it as carry on, but since they took away my saftey scissors on the way to Dublin, I somehow doubt they'd allow me to take what is essentially a club made of solid English Ash into the cabin with me. Forget butter knives and toenail clippers, imagine the kind of damage I could do with a cricket bat! Ah well, I think I can slide it into the 'clothes' bag if I really force it. Cricketers are a clear and present danger. All the civility and white linen is just a front for the rampant violence that burbles beneath the surface. This kitty figurine is an excellent example- do you trust those wide, sociopathic eyes? I don't.

And I think I'll be making a stop or two at some local charity shops to see if I can get shut of some of this stuff. Especially things like a frying pan that has the dubious attributes of being bulky, not overly useful, and can in no way be considered a souvenier. I'm thinking 'Pets in Need of Vets' because, beyond any kind of valuable charitable work they do, I can really get behind rhyming. Also, they're closest which may be a deciding factor since this could be an expedition with multiple bags/boxes of kitcheware and old clothes.