First of all, let me apologise for having taken so long to put something up here. I've been housesitting, getting my bearings, catching up with work, and just generally getting caught up with sleep. I haven't stopped since I got back, (OH MY GOD!) nearly a MONTH ago now, (time doesn't fly, it moves in quantum leaps) but fortunately, I scribbled it all down at the time, so here it goes.....
July 22, 2006 - 2:30 a.m.
Tomorrow is packing day for the Bike Rally. I have everything loaded up by the door in my shopping cart Mom gave me years ago. I'm so glad now I never got rid of it. The Madame was wise in her prescience. I must remember to thank her for it again. It'll look funny, but so what? So I'll look like a Carol Burnett bag lady hobbling down the street. Too bad. Sure as hell beats carrying it piecemeal. I must remember to bring this smaller journal with me, as I want to write down every day stuff that happened. I wish I had brought a digital camera with me from work, but with any luck, other people will have them. Hopefully I can snatch a few pictures here and there. My God, I can't sleep. I'm too nervous. But that's alright. I can sleep tomorrow afternoon when I get back and get to bed early tomorrow night. What a strange thought; the next time I write in this, it will be Sunday night, and I'll already be in Port Hope. THIS IS REALLY HAPPENING. Odd how my sense of reality never kicks in until the very last minute. I wonder if I was like that at birth; "Who the hell are YOU, and quit slapping my ASS!" Probably. I'm amazed I got everything into that shopping cart. Alison thinks I'll find love on this trip. For a woman with a voice like blasted asphalt, she really is an incurable romantic. Love. Ha! When pigs fly. I'll be lucky just finding the goddamn road every day!
6:00 p.m
Busy day. Up early to haul my stuff down to the French high school (whose name I can't remember) to load my two bins up onto the truck. Everything went without a hitch, except that I had to put Steve's borrowed rolled up sleeping mat in the oversized boxes that also go in our trucks. I'm in truck E. Mustn't forget. Otherwise, everything was fine, and I didn't have to leave anything behind. I am tired though. We lined up and got our name tags and licence plates, I'm # 384 and Trevor is written underneath it. To identify the body I presume. Stop thinking like that. You'll be fine. Still, I was out of there early, and I even managed to avoid the rain, until I was all packed up and had to leave. THEN of course it REALLY poured and I got soaked. But James H. came down and he and James A. presented me with a lovely going away present; a parrot shaped horn with the most incredibly loud squawk you've ever heard. They'll hear me in Port Hope tomorrow morning with this thing. James A's Mom was there, very lovely, and she brought the infamous Mocha, incredibly beautiful, and I took one look and thought, "Of course, what ELSE could you call this dog?" I just finished attaching the horn, and of course, found some stuff I hadn't thought to pack, so stuffed it in my bike bag (a Godsend, so glad I bought it) to the breaking point. Will transfer to the bins tomorrow night. I'm off to bed early tonight, and then up early tomorrow and then its off to the Park Grounds. YE GODS!! Its almost here!!!
TOMORROW IS THE DAY.
11:37 p.m.
Who am I kidding? I'm not going to be able to sleep a wink tonight, even though I have to, or I'm sunk. I bet everyone's in bed already. I still can't believe I'm doing this. OHMYGAWD!!! I still have to put baby powder on my tubes!!! I should make a list. What else have I forgotten? Shit. O.K. Calm, calm, you're fine. There's nothing else. Just that. Breathe. Oy. This is going to be an emotional week. Or something anyway. I'm not sure if I'm ready for it. Oh hell, quit whining, you'll be fine. Geeze, you're not going off to war. Yeah, but its been so long since I've done anything that felt even remotely brave, and everyone's been on and on about how amazing this whole thing is, and I've avoided thinking about it, the enormity of it, for fear I'll be paralyzed and hide under my bed until its all over. I've got all this nervousness built up and in denial, but in twelve hours I'll have been an hour and a half on the road. Oh yes, I have to colour in the maps before I go. That too. And fix that seat bag under my seat. Look. Quit panicking you idiot. You've been on most of the rides, not all of them, but most, you've raised $2605.00, and you weren't sure you could manage the minimum; you'll get THROUGH it. You'll be fine. Just pay attention, be alert, and you'll be fine. How do I get myself INTO these things!?!
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