Yes Oh Great Gladys....

I have been ordered by a good friend (code name: Gladys) to update more frequently.  Apparently she craves my scintillating wit.

Sadly, I have nothing of remarkable wit to convey to the void of blogger-dom.  I am quite a lackwit this evening.

I am afraid my brain is completely taken up with trying to mentally pack my carry-on bag and calculating how heavy I think it might become from clothes alone, or if I truly have space to take my brush....

Normally the weight concern was books, my scriptures in particular as they are quite hefty, but I now have an e-reader!  I was able to find a copy of the scriptures in e-reader format, and have downloaded it! Plus I have an additional 225 books at my fingertips everytime I open the maroon leathery case that lovingly cradles my remarkable piece of literary technology.  It's wonderful! For 7 ounces, I have a library that will last me far longer than the flight that is taking me halfway across the world starting Tuesday.  My parents call it an "8 movie flight".... from here to London is enough time for 4 movies.  Then a layover suspends us for a few hours. Another 4 movie flight from London to Addis Ababa, and 8 movies have been consumed by our buggy little sleep deprived eyes.

Of course, movies are a far more entertaining way to pass the time than staring, drool collecting in a corner of your mouth, at the back of the seat in front of you.

Sleeping would be the most preferred way of passing the time, but time and experience have shown  me that I do not sleep well in airplanes.  I usually do not sleep at all in airplanes, in fact.

The first time I came home from Ethiopia, I tried to sleep the last portion of the flight, had a bloody nose on the final leg of the trip, and wanted to vomit all over the disgusting pizza sub they offered me for breakfast. Nothing really tastes very good with blood as the spice. And all that blood that had pooled down the back of my throat and inundated my poor stomach was making me feel rather nauseous.

I apologize to anyone who just threw up in sympathy.

The second time I went, the journey back was better ( side note: it seems to only be the flights home that are terrible, the flights there are quite reasonable.. but something in your inmost core rebels at having to do 30 hours in transit for the second time in a couple of weeks. ) The worst thing that happened was that my legs fell asleep and I couldn't get up to go to the bathroom because a two year old fell asleep across my lap.  She was a seriously adorable kid though, and so fast asleep I couldn't think of disturbing her.

Still. Having multiple books to read so I can switch off the screen in front of my face and let my eyes hold still for while with no flashy colours or things blowing up; that will be a sublime option to have at my disposal whilst we fly across the world.

I'm terribly excited about what we will get to do on our trip once we arrive  in Ethiopia.  My brain is still glossing over the reality of the voyage to and from....  but the experience? It's worth the trip. Every time.