Hurry up and wait turns into get up and go

Anyone in the military will tell you that there is a period of administrative aggrevation that precedes a deployment. Mine has blessedly come to an end. I have orders in hand, gear packed and a weapon issued. For the past two days I've found myself in the middle of a "leapex" getting everything in order. The cat has been deposited at my Mom's in Pennsylvania, friends have been engaged to water the plants and turn the car on occassionally, cell phone service temporarily suspended and bills paid. All that's left to do is clean the house and put out the "gone to fight the indians" sign.

Hurricane Ophelia may complicate things by pushing the flight out of North Carolina back a few days, but other than that the adventure begins.