Preloading (warning OT)

There's this theory that you can beat jetlag by simply readjusting your daily routine to match that of your destination. We are putting this to the test this week, in the interests of science, of course, as well as the interests of stamina, as, well, if we thought this week was hard...basically our whole move up to this point has been focused on the goal of this Sunday, when we get on the plane and arrive in TO on the other end. What we're now realizing is that this purported goal was really more like a halfway point between two states of inertia known as Normal Life.
You know, moving sucks, but really at the moment it's the social life that's killing me. Since my last post I have met with, eaten/drank/drank more with, and bid farewell to approximately 77 people, and while each individual meeting has been very important and meaningful, as a mass the process has been emotionally and physically exhausting. A girl can only withstand so many lunch/patio/dinner/midnight swimming dates in a single day...and yes, I do take full responsibility for each and every one.
Our official going-away party was last weekend, and involved forty-odd happy, beautiful people, a rooftop patio with sauna and grill, and a whole lot of sunshine. I am personally proud of my new cava-marathon record, a whopping seven hours of steady, measured consumption! It was, if I do say so myself, a total blowup, and everyone had too much fun. I had a chance to stuff my friends full of food and drink and kind words and get plenty of same in return. This part of leaving is like a drug, it feels wonderful at the time but ultimately leaves you a bit low.
The last two days have been mad with running around, completing a billion tiny tasks one at a time, like returning library books, returning emails, taking old clothes to the donation box, mailing last-minute boxes (BTW our July 31 boxes arrived in TO Aug 9, a full six days ahead of schedule!), dropping off borrowed dishes, etc, etc, etc. I have mastered the art of round trips, heading out the door with as much as I can carry and hitting two or three spots in one go. Between each round is a coffee/beer/glass of wine with someone I won't be seeing for an indefinite period of time. It is wonderful and terrible and completely exhausting.
What is really causing my vertigo though is the realisation that on the opposite side of this perpetual downhill ride a whole other set of parties, hellos, family, jobs, apartments, furniture, and general mayhem awaits. Both of my parents called me today, reminding me of the world that exists beyond the gate at the airport. I have been so busy here that I completely forgot to inform either of them of our schedule, address in TO, etc.
I would recommend at least a month off on either side of flight day for anyone attempting this kind of transatlantic migration; I finished work last Friday, Aug 3 – ahem – which would make this week the first of my holiday/unemployment. I ate lunch at 4.30 today, and had crackers for dinner. I am too busy to put on sunscreen (and Helsinki is HOT). But despite the exhaustion and melancholy I am deliriously happy.