Collection day: didn't forget anything?

You can deal with pre-departure jitters in different ways. I, for example, make lists, stick reminders everywhere, and find other ways to torture paper. This constant activity definitely brings peace to the soul. But then comes that final "exam" day when you're sitting in front of bags full of stuff, having lost all your cheat sheets, and you're solving the same questions all over again. How many pairs of socks to bring? Which t-shirts to put on top and which ones at the very bottom? Should I take these boots? I'm writing these lines while my internal censor keeps slowing me down, because these are questions that girls ask themselves. Maybe that's true - I've never had to discuss this with guys. Nevertheless, questions about how many pairs of socks exist, and they're sometimes more complex than a chess game.

How I wish this day would fly by faster. I'm sitting in front of bags in deep thought. On the couch lie t-shirts, chain lube, socks, razor charger, the razor itself, outlet adapter, my favorite Azzaro cologne, folding knife, and lots of other stuff. These things together cover the couch like a solid blanket, and there's another question in my head... no less complex - "am I forgetting anything??" The contents of my bags are probably not interesting to anyone - there's clothing, personal hygiene items, a cooking kit for field conditions, and various electronics. The bike, however, has several new additions that I wrote about.

This is still packing, I'm still home and still speaking in future tense, but this "future" has stopped being abstract, taking on physical forms. I went to the bike shop near home. A whole support group of good-natured bike mechanics has formed there, who spent a full hour tuning my bike before departure. — Brother Ilya, come by at seven today, we'll work on your bike only! We'll turn it into a doll! The Israeli way of calling everyone brothers - in Hebrew it sounds like "Ach Ilya," with the name "Ilya" pronounced with stress on the first syllable. And the cool word "doll" sounds in Hebrew like "buba" with stress on the "U." There are my people here too, and such support is very heartwarming. Against the backdrop of packing, there's also moving things to friends' places, packing boxes, painting the apartment, and other stuff happening. I go to bed exhausted, having had a full, packed day behind me. Tomorrow will be the last "tomorrow" before departure.