Preparations- 3 weeks until Dublin!

Hello folks! I hope some people are starting to tune in to the blog, even though I haven't posted much. Hopefully from here on out I'll be more consistent in bringing new material.
I'm only three weeks away from arriving in Dublin and beginning to piece the trip together in more detail.
Here's the rough plan so far:
Fly into Dublin on the 17th of August with John. We'll probably drag our gear outside or (if we're lucky) to somewhere in the airport and begin assembling the bike. Of course, we may be force to drag the crap onto a metro or something and go elsewhere to assemble. Regardless, once we get the bikes together, we'll have to head out and scout for a hostel and a bike shop. We'll pitch our story to whatever shop seems most sympathetic and try to store the majority of our crap there for the next week. Maybe there are lockers near the airport or public transport...i don't know.
Tuesday my parents will arrive. We'll spend the next week touring around Ireland (probably the SW) with them. After they fly out of Dublin the following week, John and I will strike eastward, ferrying over to Wales and then onwards to France. That is about as far out as I'm willing to guess right now.

I've got almost all the gear I need...a few odds and ends left. The bike is getting pretty heavy- around 65 pounds without food. The bike itself weighs in at a hefty 36 pounds so I'll really have to see where I can shave weight on the gear. Of course there are a few items I'm including right now which John and I can actually share.

Physically, I don't quite have it all together yet. I've been doing some training rides fully loaded and that hasn't been much of a problem (the NC summer heat and mugginess is quite the crucible). However, recently my right knee had been feeling a bit funny. Not downright pain, just discomfort and stiffness. I'm hoping more stretching, training and maybe talking to some folks who know more about these things will have that problem smoothed out before I leave.
I never got to finish my vaccinations because UNC healthcare is a bunch of morons and would never answer my phone calls. Frustrating, but at least I'll be in less at-risk areas for the first stretch of the trip now that my plan has altered to start in the EU. The last area of concern is the fact that I haven't had a dental checkup in like 3 years. This wouldn't normally bother me since I've never had any issues before but I am slightly worried that I'll end up in Malaysia and have to knock my wisdom teeth out with an ice skate à la Castaway.

Emotionally, I suppose I'm ready. I'm still wrapping my mind around how long it may be until I see famaliar faces again. This doesn't seem to bother me all that much, which makes me wonder if its just going to come crashing down upon my head and settle in once I'm out there. I think maybe right now the excitement of a new adventure is more powerful than any bittersweet feelings. I can't stop dreaming of all the fantastic places I'll see, cultures I'll experience and friends I'll make. However, if I've learned anything so far its that the grass always seems greener on the other side, so I'm trying to keep it all in perspective and enjoy the places, culture and people around me.

Okay, I think I'm starting to ramble here and there will be plenty of time for that later. I just wanted to get a new post up and let everyone know that I'm super excited to have readers traveling along with me. I hope that you are as excited to take part in this trip as I am...one of my largest hopes for the endeavor is that somehow I'll be able to provide entertainment and enlightenment to those of you who read along with my adventures. Cheers (or as my friend Mike taught me recently, and is more applicable to Ireland,"Go n-éirí an bóthar leat")!