*FLAIL*

[lex]

AHHHHHHHH I GOT ACCEPTED!!!

Okay um let me back up - for ages (seriously, years and years) I have had my heart set on going to this island lab for a summer course, okay? And I recently realized that ummmmm this summer might be my last chance for that. So I applied, and did the FAFSA bullshit, and that was a MESS and just a few days ago I finally got my SAR to the financial aid people. And TODAY I got my acceptance letter, with a HUGE FUCKING SCHOLARSHIP. The course costs like $5k and I'm paying 1.5. Fuck yes. I mean, plus the costs of the sheer amount of STUFF I will need, but holy shit! I'M GOING TO THE ISLAND. TO STUDY BIRDS. FUCK YES. HELLO ATLANTIC OCEAN, I WILL BE YOUR BFF NEXT MONTH.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that too - it starts May 23, which is very shortly after finals. And then runs for two weeks, during which my cat will cry herself to sleep every night. Sorry Nostalgia baby, this is super important homg.

Okay so there's no laundry services, and I can only shower every four days or so, so clean clothes are super important. I don't even OWN two weeks of clothes, so I need to buy:
a fuckton of T-shirts
a lot of pants
more socks
more underwear
light jackets
rain coat
2x sneakers/light hiking boots
bird field guide
possibly sheets for a single?
knee high waterproof boots
postcards
a small knapsack
shaving cream
razor blades
a watch with a compass
shower caddy (or mesh bag + soap holder)
water bottle
sunscreen
ginger gum
REALLY BIG ZIPLOCK BAGS
dry shampoo
body wipes
hair elastics
first aid kit
batteries & chargers
nail clippers

I think I own everything else I need, which includes:
netbook
flash drive
binoculars
camera
iPod
ear pugs
calculator
sunglasses
notebooks & pens
stamps
alarm clock w/batteries
toiletries (toothbrush, hairbrush, razor, deodorant, pine tar soap, jojoba oil)
flip-flops
ALL THE CLOTHES I OWN
jazz shoes for slippers
hat
Heero bear
cell phone
comforter/blanket
sheets? def. pillowcases
towels & loofah
lip balm
snacks
tea mug
at least one Transformer

Things in daypack:
Waterproof notebook
field guide
first aid kit
pencils
snacks
lip balm
sunglasses
camera
binoculars
water bottle

You guys I barely even know what to do with myself I am so excited. Also scared! BUT SO EXCITED. Gonna live on a tiny island for two weeks! Gonna smell like wet feet when I finally get home! Gonna have 17-hour days! GONNA BE SO AWESOME.

Comments

[senmut]

Doing the happy dance for you.

[swordage]

Thank you~!

[katarik]

Other things I might take: a small bottle of dry shampoo, if your hair has a tendency to grease, and ponytail holders for your hair.

The bags I would recommend are, like, Ziploc gallon freezer bags; they seal tightly, are quite heavy-duty, and are hella big.

I might also suggest taking an emergency whistle in case anything goes wrong and you need to summon assistance, like this one. Obviously, this isn't a survivalist-type trip, this is a lab with other people and facilities and the like, but just in case: carrying a very basic first-aid kit in your knapsack is never a bad idea. A basic kit would involve things like large and small bandaids, sterile gauze strips, cotton balls, first-aid tape, and a disinfectant. Tincture of iodine (2%) is available in Walgreen's medical aisle and has the extra bonus of disinfecting water to make it safe to drink. Add in any drugs you typically use; our medkit involves antihistamines and painkillers as a matter of course.

This advice is not intended to panic you further! But things go wrong everywhere, and sometimes it helps to have bad-case scenario things right there with you so that you know if they happen you can help fix it.

[swordage]

Oooh, I never knew about dry shampoo before! (Note to self, Yena linked this.) That is a very excellent idea, thank you!

Heeee first aid kits don't panic me. One of the things about working at Edlund is that I got into the habit of keeping an extremely well-stocked first aid kit at all times. I will definitely be keeping a baggie of first aid stuff - the antihistamines are an excellent idea, I wouldn't have thought of that!

[katarik]

No problem!

Yay! I am never sure what ideas other people have of what goes into a first-aid kit, so it's habit now to do the automatic 101-level explaining. *nuzzles at*

[swordage]

♥ ♥ ♥ I should make a separate list of what to keep in the daypack. Waterproof notebook, field guide, first aid kit, pencils, snacks, lip balm, sunglasses, camera, binoculars, water bottle...

[katarik]

All these things are good!

[darthneko]

Awesome!! Congrats, that sounds fabulous!

[swordage]

Thank you so much! I am so excited it is ridiculous. OCEAN! BIRDS! YES! *flail!*

[katharos]

Eeeee congrats! That sounds super amazing :)

Only suggestion - add the chargers for your electronics to the list. The little bugged can be surprisingly easy to forget...

[swordage]

Oh gosh I know XD Chargers and wires to connect everything! And a spare set of batteries for the alarm clock just to be sure. I would cry if I forgot the battery charger for my camera...

[hellkitty]

Oh congrats!! re: Dry shampoo? You can actually find some nice recipes of how to make your own dry shampoo on the web. They are excellent!

I don't think I have anything to add other than...nail clippers? For some reason I always forget the damn things and then like ten minutes later have some horrible nail related accident that a pair of nail clippers would have fixed!

[swordage]

OH MY GOSH I would never have thought of those but you're right! Nail clippers totally need to come with me. D: If I'm not using them on my actual nails, I'm using them in place of scissors. They are ridiculously handy. Thank you for the suggestion!

HMMM I shall have to look into dry shampoo recipes! Also body wipes. I will be honest, my hair can go a few days without a wash, but I don't want to smell myself if I don't have to. XD

[katarik]

Washcloth? You can't use showering facilities often, you said, but a sponge bath is better than nothing -- washcloth + soap and water to armpits and so forth does a lot to help.

[swordage]

Oh definitely. XD Probably baby wipes too - I keep them around for the cat, so it's not like I'd be going out of my way to get them.

...Sometimes I realize how weird my life is.