This will be brief, since I'm pretty tired after spending three hours at my new favorite store, REI. I hoped to have my pack, but I am still undecided. I am considering Eagle Creek's 65L Global Traveler, which feels adequate, and should be fine for hostel hopping. However, I would like to have the option of hiking and camping out, so I had been considering a "proper" pack, the Arc'Teryx Bora 60LT, which is about $100 more expensive. Of course they only had the massive 80L model, but even that was super-comfy. I'm thinking the Arc'Teryx may be worth it. In lieu of buying a pack, I bought some convertible pants (zip off legs), shorts, rain jacket (with zip-open armpits for tropical heat!), and a polyester/spandex shirt for layering. I also bought a bunch of gear from Magellan's the other day. I intend to place an itemized list of all this stuff in the Logistics section eventually.

I've also been running around to try to automate my finances as much as possible. I now have a $2000 line of credit for overdraft protection of my checking account, and am waiting for paperwork to automate my credit card payments. I also found myciti, which will let me access all of my finances from one website.