I love it when a plan comes together!

Despite my worry wart tendencies, my trip is all working out according to plan!
I sold my car.
I have my passport back (ulcer inducing visa included! [See the last post for the back story on that drama.]).
My plane ticket is all set.
I have a hotel room booked for my house hunting.
Someone from school will meet me at the airport to take me to the hotel & help me house hunt.
I'll already have a cell phone waiting for me.
Friends will soon visit. (Shout out to Mark Lewis!)
Who can ask for anything more?? Now I just have to pack...
That's always the tragic flaw in my plan. I hate packing, ok, hate's too strong. I don't like packing. I'm a notorious over packer. My grandmother, Bessie, always said that it was better to have it, and not need it than to need it, and not have it. I pack as if preparing for nuclear fallout. There's clothing, food, miscellaneous items for diversion and recreation. You name it, it packed it. That's why it takes me forever to do. Not to mention the fact that I'm also a packing procrastinator, so I just started packing yesterday. Not to worry, I'll be done by the time my flight leaves! (Thank God for night flights!)
To add to my packing woes, my job sent me the world's most arbitrary list of things to bring. This list included thing I NEVER would have thought of packing. See excerpts below and my italicized annotations:

• Secure original (official) copies of birth certificates, marriage licenses, and divorce records. Why wouldn't I have these already? I just needed them for my passport, visa, work permit, and just about everything else related to making this move. I'd be a nut not to bring them with me.
• Obtain 10 to 20 passport type photos to be used for formal documentation, membership applications, etc. Is it me, or does the number 20 seem excessive? I feel like 10 was reasonable, but 20? Really? 20?
• Include extra photocopies of passport, certificates, contracts, household inventories, and driver’s licenses in a records binder for convenience. So I need originals AND copies? Must they be in a binder?
• We advise a good comforter/blanket. However, don’t bring flat or fitted sheets since the sizes of the mattresses are different here. So how will a comforter fit if the sheets won't? Don't they sell comforters in the UK?
• Clothes, shoes, etc. (clothes are very expensive here so bring as many as you can from your country of residence.) Isn't this one obvious?
• Bulletin board materials, stickers, and holiday pencils (They don’t have teacher stores here.) So you're saying that the school doesn't provide this either... I thought private schools were better equipped than public schools. This is some crap!
• Bring towels, measuring cups, and large kitchen spoons. Large kitchen spoons? What? And they must not sell towels either, huh?
• Bring photocopies of the last 6 months of bank statements. What am I? Under financial investigation????
• Bring multiple passport photos. Didn't we cover this already? I got it, 20 photos, ok!
• Contact respective consulate/embassies and inquire about customs duties and special restrictions. To avoid customs duty, you may need to bring receipts to prove that your goods are used. If it's used, chances are that I no longer have a receipts. How do you prove something is used? Should I pack dirty things?

What a crazy list! I feel more settled about this whole endeavor now. Excitement is starting to creep in now that my departure date is getting closer and the move is starting to feel real to me. Hey, wow, I'm moving to another country to live and work for 2 years- cool!
Alright, enough with the dilly dallying...back to packing... :(