The plane tickets have been purchased, the lease has been electronically submitted, the new Gateway laptop (complete with Power Point for my inevitable presentations) has been ordered, the financial aid has been accepted -- I guess I'm almost ready for my big move to the Big Easy. I'll be leaving on a jet plane (OK, it's really a 30-seat puddle jumper) just before 1 p.m. on August 20th. Dad's driving down with my stuff, and Mom, Reba, and I will meet him at my campus apartment. I think they're staying in town until I go to class on Monday, which makes me happy because then I won't be spending my birthday on Sunday alone.

OK, some of you may be wondering -- how am I getting my van down to NO? I'm not -- for now, anyway. My present van is too worn out to make the trip, and my finances probably can't support a van payment for a little while. Because of state waiting lists, I'll be paying for my attendant care fully out of my own pocket for the time being, so until I get an idea of how much of a burden that is going to be, I'll try not to add more expenses than necessary. Truthfully, the only traveling I do once the semester gets going is to the grocery store, and if I remember correctly there's one within walking distance of campus. I'm going to try relying on public transportation for a semester and see how I manage. Hopefully it won't be a pain the backside.