Liftoff

I am leaving in the next few hours to Japan. I have packed--almost--all of my stuff including my presents (candles, books, decorated stationary kits, Minnesota Twins baseball hats, and candy). I have video tapes to capture all of my experiences there too. I also had to stock up on some of the essentials: bathroom things. I really need to just start closing my suitcase and checking things of my mental checklist. I can't forget my passport, wallet--plenty of Japanese Yen, my study materials...what else? I'll probably forget something. I just want to try to pack as lightly as possible but with a suit and a jacket in mind I just feel that I will end up pretty crammed.
I have also decided to grab a few pictures of my family to show to my grandparents in Japan: cousins, aunts, uncles, etc. I never found my iPod. I am going to be soooo messed up by the time difference. It's a ten hour flight and a 14-hour time difference from here. That means that I'll basically lose a day, right?
I'm trying to relax but there are a lot of things happening really fast in the next few hours!