2012-01-29

bjarvis: (Default)
2012-01-29 11:57 pm
Entry tags:

Busy Days

My flight to Bangalore (via Paris) is early Monday afternoon. There has been so much last-minute domestic work to get done before I depart, but I think I've finished the list.

These included:
  • Setting up automatic bank transfers & bill payments to make up for the fact my paycheck will be deposited and credit card & mortgage payments will all occur while I'm still on a plane somewhere between DC and Bangalore.
  • I prepared & submitted our square dance calling billings to DC Lambda Squares and Chesapeake Squares for the month.
  • I cleaned up my laptop since it will be travelling with me. I removed anything even vaguely risqué, encrypted anything resembling work or personal files and backed up the lot to the Internet so I can retrieve them again if necessary when I'm in India.
  • Ditto for my Android tablet and mobile phone.
  • I've chucked a lot of unnecessary papers from my clipboard. My trusty clipboard has been with me since early high school as my primary means of recording notes and managing tasks. I won't need my various square dance notes for this trip, or a lot of other domestic stuff. There's only a few sheets of work-related notes left, and a lot of fresh paper.
  • I've cleaned out my wallet, taking only a select few items, including the euros and rupees I collected last week.
  • I have submitted tax returns for [profile] kent4str and myself ([profile] cuyahogarvr's returns are vastly simpler and can be submitted by telephone).
  • I have photocopied my passport & visa, the two credit cards I'm taking with me and two vital gov't-issued IDs. One copy goes with me in case I lose something, the other stays at home.
  • I have cleaned out my toiletries kit, dumping a lot of items I won't need. Some items (like my anti-malarial meds) will travel with me as a carry-on, the rest of the toiletries will be stowed in checked baggage.
  • Price tags have been removed from the eight Washington DC gift items I'm taking with me as presents to my Bangalore colleagues. Because of travel regs, I can't gift-wrap them before travelling so I'll have to think quickly once I'm in Bangalore about how to prepare them for presentation.
  • I've nearly finished packing my suitcase. I'm taking clothes for about six days; I'm planning to have laundry done while I'm there. Nearly everything is office wear --dress pants, dress shoes, socks, a selection of nice shirts. On a last minute suggestion, I've also stuffed in five ties and two sport coats in case the office is more formal than I suspect. Once I'm done with my razor and beard trimmer Monday morning, my suitcase will be complete.
  • I've dumped all of the unnecessary items from various pockets of my backpack into a large bowl sitting on my desk beside me as I type this. My tablet & power supply, camera & tripod, misc cables, earphones, a spare flash memory stick and the electrical adapters to deal with French and Indian electrical systems are packed. And a tonne o' business cards since I'm told it is customary to exchange cards with anyone to whom you are introduced.
  • I have checked in for my flight and have printed my boarding pass.

So... what have I forgotten?