Right now, Julie and I are on an Amtrak train to Baltimore, Maryland. It is 9:07pm and we are expected to arrive in Baltimore at 10:45pm. Tomorrow, we are going to the Maryland Renaissance Festival – where we will dress up in costumes and have a day of fun, food and drink…

…and so begins the week from hell.

The reason I say this is because while tomorrow will be a blast – tonight begins a week for me that will burn me out, consume all my energy – or put me in an insane asylum.

Let me break it down for you:

• Friday, September 25 – We leave, after I worked all day, for Baltimore, where we will arrive at 10:45pm and not get to Julie’s parents house until 11:30pm.
• Saturday, September 26 – We head to the Maryland Renaissance Festival and walk around for eight hours.
• Sunday, September 27 – We wake up at five in the morning, catch a bus to New York City, then take a train back to New Jersey – and move to a new apartment which will take all day and night with moving and unpacking.
• Monday, September 28 – I somehow go to work for a full day after the above mentioned travel and exertion of energy.
• Tuesday, September 29 – I fly to Wisconsin for work.
• Wednesday, September 30 – I cover an event in the morning and fly back to New Jersey from Wisconsin – and will not get home until at least 1:00am.
• Thursday, October 1 – I somehow go to work for a full day after the above mentioned travel and exertion of energy.

To be honest, we are on the first leg of my week from hell and I still have no idea how I will be – both physically and mentally – when it is all over. I have told many of my friends and colleagues of the week I am about to endure and they have all asked me the same question, “How are you going to get through it?” Each time I was asked, my answer was always the same…

…”I wish I knew.”

To give some background as to how this week from hell came to be:

• I have no more time off from work due to a personal family situation that happened two months ago, so I have no choice but to move on a weekend since I can not take another day off until January 2, 2010.
• We booked the trip to the Maryland Renaissance Festival before we received word that we got the apartment.
• My trip to Wisconsin was approved after both the Maryland trip and move were planned.
• If I had my way – I would have never booked all of these things at the same time – because if you count my layover in Chicago on the way to Wisconsin – I will be in five states in five days (New Jersey, Maryland, New York, Chicago and Wisconsin).

As we inch closer and closer to the first leg of this seven day journey that will drain every drop of blood, sweat, tears – and sanity from my mind, body and soul – I hope that I will make it through this by seeing the positive aspects of this week from hell. The fact that we will have a great time tomorrow, save money from this move – and that I will be visiting another state I have never been to in Wisconsin. So for now, I will cling to that positive outlook…

…but don’t remind me of that on Friday, October 2.