Checklist

Getting ready for the long trip to the US. Lots of little things to do:

1. Medicine. Must have enough drugs to ensure my lifestyle choices don't kill me. The good news is the doctor looks at my lab work and wonders if I'm still diabetic because my glucose is so low. She takes a blood pressure pill off the list because my bp is so low. And she marvels that my cholesterol rivals that of most Olympic athletes.

She is so impressed that she forgets to tell me I need to lose weight, cut back on the grog and exercise more. "Keep doing whatever you're doing," she says. "OK," I respond.

Her one concern is slightly low numbers for the thyroid test. "Even if we need to adjust that, it's not a serious problem," she says, adding that this could explain why I have so much trouble losing weight. For years I have raised a metaphorical eyebrow at overweight people who blame their metabolism, figuring that their metabolism wouldn't be put to the test if they skipped that bag of Doritos and tub of salsa. But now I have a doctor who is on the cusp of giving me precisely that excuse. Life just keeps getting better.

2. Money. If we buy our US currency at the Post Office here, they don't charge a fee so it makes sense to pick up some. The problem is that buying US dollars right now is like driving a new car off the lot. No sooner do you pay for it than it loses much of its value.

On the plus side, we will be getting the equivalent of a 10 percent discount on everything we spend in the US. On the negative side, LK knows this.

3. Haircut. I try to get my hair cut every six months whether I need it or not. It seemed about time, especially when Caroline made references to it last week in Sydney - something about my "windswept look". I had suggested I was beginning to look like a televangelist, but the consensus seemed to be I was closer to Jeff Bridges in True Grit.

No matter, back to Whitey's Shearing Shed for a cut. I think of myself as a regular customer, since I get all my haircuts there now. However, they don't seem to remember me since I have only been there once before. Either way, the woman who cut my hair gave me an odd look when I told her that even at my age I had to get my haircut so my mother wouldn't be disappointed in me when I visited. I forgot that most people here don't get my jokes - in fact, don't even know they are jokes.

A bit more to do today and tomorrow. We need to choose some of the stuff for the bathroom renovation which will start almost as soon as we return. Have to notify the security company that if the alarm goes off, they need to send the cops since it won't be me forgetting the code.

And I have to call the credit card companies so they will approve overseas purchases. Although I can think of a few good reasons to forget doing that one.

Just a few more sleeps now.