Countdown

This year, Hallmark presented a Christmas ornament with a “countdown” clock to hang on the tree.  The TV ads showed a young girl constantly reminding her parents that there were only “18 days, 4 hours, and 6 minutes before Christmas”; “11 days, 2 hours, and 3 minutes”; “8 days, 8 hours, and 8 minutes” and so on throughout the commercial.

Even though Christmas has come and gone, my “countdown” continues.  Luggage will be picked up tomorrow afternoon – hopefully the snowstorm that is predicted for tomorrow night and throughout Wednesday will abate enough for the FedEx plane to fly from Burlington, VT to Fort Lauderdale, FL, where my luggage will rest in warmth for about a week before being loaded onto the ship.  Actually, the luggage will probably be shuffled around, moved around, and tossed hither and yon in an attempt by the workers to sort everyone’s luggage into a logical pattern to facilitate loading.  I envision something like chain-link enclosures with each stateroom number on the door, keeping everyone’s luggage separated.  In all reality, the luggage is probably dropped into a large open warehouse, and then fork-lifted into piles.  I should ask.

With only my one checked bag and two carry-ons left in the house, it will certainly feel a little empty, for which my housemate will certainly be very glad.  After all, he gets to have the house all to himself for four months (again).  I think I will be pacing the empty rooms, looking for anything I might have forgotten to pack – although how that is possible, I don’t know, since I packed EVERYTHING! J

The Cruise Critic board provides a countdown clock that can be inserted into the signature lines of each person posting a comment about the upcoming cruise.  Some folks have two or three countdown clocks because they are taking multiple cruises.  But, as of a few minutes ago, my countdown clock reads: 

10 Days, 13 Hours, 44 Minutes, and 31 Seconds

to departure of the MS Amsterdam on her 2012 World Cruise.

And, I will be flying to Florida two days earlier, on January 4, to await the sailing on January 6.  Whew! It's almost time!