did you miss me while you were looking for yourself out there?

I'm feeling about ten times better than I did yesterday, even if I still get sweaty and nauseous when I have to lift things, and even if I get an unstoppable cough every time I try to laugh. To Walter's mom: I will do my best not to get your son sick. However, I'm secretly hoping that this will turn into the bubonic plague, in which case no one in Europe is safe, but I'm sure that if anyone could survive it, Walter could.

It's a little after 1am, and I need to leave the house in approximately seven hours. But, I'm all packed up, I think; right now I have everything stuffed into my everyday backpack in an effort to keep myself from shopping when I get to Europe (and to prevent myself from having to check luggage), but if I decide overnight that that's a bad decision, I'll just drop the smaller backpack in my actual backpacking backpack and take off. I just realized that I really should do that, since I want to buy a pillow in Europe--the pillows here really suck. I know, I'm such a freak for bedding, but I can't help it.

So, I won't be writing every single day, most likely, but I can't stay away from the internet for too long or I'll go crazy, so I'll endeavor to check in every couple of days. But before I go, one more thing--I got promoted! Great way to go on vacation, eh? That was the meeting that I couldn't miss yesterday, but I couldn't say anything until it was officially announced. It was pretty funny--while I was getting promoted, I was lightheaded, feverish, exhausted, coughing, and voiceless. My manager promoted me and immediately told me to go home, which was nice of her. Now, I can go on vacation v. happy.

Okay, time for bed! Take care, my friends, and I'll be thinking of you as I drag Walter all over London tomorrow looking for a hamburger tasty enough to make up for the fact that I'll contract mad cow disease from it.