crunch time

At this time in two weeks I  will be on my flight headed to London Heathrow, where I will then board my plane to Boston.

That is a staggering thought as I have spent the last week battling a laptop that refused to respond, trying to research for a presentation next week, and figuring out my exam schedule for my last couple of classes, since I have to take both early. I've also been making lists of the millions of random things that go with moving out of a place after a year, including finding people to give my extra spices to and locating donation bins within walking distance that I can bring unwanted clothes to. I only have two suitcases to pack in, each can be 23 kg this time, and I am determined to not go over that weight limit. I have this over-whelming feeling that my to-do list is only going to get longer as I cross items off of it.

But really, while all of this boring work stuff feels like it is taking over my life for these final weeks, the truth is that I am also having so much fun whenever I'm not doing work that I almost immediately forget how hard I was (or wasn't) working. Yesterday for example: I battled the entire day with sweltering computer labs, forgotton charger cords, crazy kids at my internship, and the headache that comes from that feeling of having too much to do and not enough time to accomplish it. But then I took the evening off and headed to the Donau with friends. We ate ribs at the best restaurant along the river and watched the amazing lunar eclipse which had the moon disappearing and then reappearing beautiful shades of red and orange. We went swimming after the incredible ribs, around 11, and by that time the sky had completely cleared and we had sparkling stars and the big orangey-red moon above the river, with a twinkling city skyline on one side, and the wooded edge of the Donau Island on the other. The cool water was the best antidote to my headache, and was absolutely what I needed. It was a night I will never forget, a perfect Viennese summer evening.

So I've decided I won't let myself get too stressed about getting everything done in two weeks---there are still too many Vienna things to savor as well. But I will get the work DONE. That is a must.