It feels good to be 35

Here I am, 35 days out from one of the scariest times of my life and I am actually feeling quite chipper about the whole thing.

People in the Office, whose paths don't often cross with mine, are aware of my holiday and asking me when and where I'm travelling. I suppose that continually going through my itinerary makes the trip feel all the more real, but at the same time it makes me freak out. I confess to having a bit of anxiety on Saturday night when I finally closed my eyes to sleep and the first thing I saw behind my eyes was the South American Andes. And I wondered, what happens if they make me hike? What if I can't climb? Do llamas really spit?

And then I saw a TV show late Sunday morning about vampirism, particularly in the insect world. And most of the blood-suckers live in, you guessed it, South America! So I will have to particularly be on my guard there - sleep with mouth closed, fists clenched, and fly swatter poised.

Aside from those 'minor' freak outs, I am doing pretty well in the lead-up to the trip. The good days I have at work make me sad at the thought of leaving, and the bad days at work make me skip down the street in delight that it's "not far now".

And for those readers old enough to appreciate the segueway here, I heard on the radio this morning that The Smurfs are coming back to TV. Surely that is a good omen for the week! Papa Smurf, Smurfette, all the gang will be back - hopefully not battling 21st Century evils like drugs or political corruption - I think they had their little hands full with Gargamel and Azriel, and that's just how I want to see it return.