I have to install the photo program on my XPS so I can download photos of our trip to the Wild Animal Park today. :) In the rain. Rob and the cherubs thoughtfully brought some of the Seattle rain with them to San Diego, and last night the wind and rain were pretty impressive. One of my lawn chairs blew off my patio to the neighbor's steps. Our whale watching cruise today was cancelled; we hope the weather calms down enough so we can take the cruise tomorrow instead.

Broos met us at the Park and by the time we'd finished viewing the condors and got to the front of the tour train line, the rain had stopped and the sun came out. We finished our tour with the sun going down, loads of animals frolicking (or fornicating, depending on Broos' point of view) all around. As we exited the Park, their "Festival of Lights" was just beginning, with strings of colors, animated animals and carols playing all around. Festive, indeed!

Steph's fruitcake should come with a warning label, "Do Not Eat Before Driving." Not that I drove anywhere. I had a piece as I nestled into my pillows to watch some TV last night, got drunk and passed out cold.

It's goooood stuff. :)

Maggie apparently had a tumor growing inside her. Rob had to take her to the vet today. She was a really beautiful cat person with a gorgeous face and a great personality. She saved me from a large spider within days of my inheriting her. I shall never forget the sight of her prancing out of the bedroom, since I'd shrieked when I saw the spider and fled to the living room, with four legs sticking out each side of her mouth. I had to choke down my terror to praise her, for lord knows, I wanted her to do that again if necessary.

I guess she lived a very long, eventful life for a cat. She was around 8 years old when I got her back in 1996; previously, she'd lived on a farm in Iowa as a barn cat and moved with her owner to Seattle. One day, her old owner's downstairs neighbor brought Maggie home after Maggie tumbled off her own balcony to the one below. She occasionally disliked my or Melani's suitors and her assessment was always accurate. If Maggie hissed at any of them, we knew there was something wrong with them. She liked Rob, though, even though he specialized in teasing her by leaning toward the back door so that she'd start walking that way, then he'd sprint past her to the spot she'd relinquished on the couch. She learned to watch his movements carefully and if he leaned, she'd lean too. It was funny to watch them, like a snake charmer and a cobra, leaning toward the door then toward the couch.

I'll miss her :(

I spent my weekend arranging the spare room to fit the two queen-sized air mattresses I bought for my cherubs' visit. I measured out spaces to make sure folks can still amble around the room with two beds and this lovely dresser-sized unit of flipped boxes covered by upholstery fabric. That meant a lot of pushing and pulling and flipping, stirring up eons of dust, making me sneeze. I went shopping and carried many things up my stairs, and many squished boxes down, making my muscles ache. I need a dumb waiter, if anyone is still trying to find me a perfect gift :)

The room looks rather nice. I will hang some prints and photos up later to make it more lived-in looking.

This morning, the sneezing and muscle aches turned out to be the signs of a possible cold! Curses! At least, I am well-stocked with Zicam and have been snorting it religiously. I am going to lie down now with a cup of ginseng tea and my remote control and relax a bit. How anti-climatic.

I saw my name on an official-looking email so it must be true. I'm going to Las Vegas in January. :) My chaperone is the owner of a Prius, but I'll let him take over the comments section and tell everyone about it. If he so chooses.

Made it home in one piece from the company holiday party, despite being unable to find the entrance to the garage. The mysterious voice answering the "Call Attendant" button at the locked entrance to the parking garage said to walk to the Starbucks and enter the building...but there wasn't a Starbucks on the 3 corners of the building I walked around, since the attendant neglected to say where said coffee establishment is.

Social outings give me anxiety. I keep expecting to do something wrong, or have something awful happen. Nothing awful happened and I suppose the most wrong thing I did was get my hair done before Candice and Anissa got to the salon (Candice had made appointments for all of us to get girled up and I got to there early). Still, that wrong was right since I had to go home and change, then pick up Kevin and make it to the party.

The highlight of the night would be getting complimented by a homeless-type person near the parking garage. He followed me across the street and offered to buy me a cup of coffee, which I declined, but upon reflection should have taken him up on. After all, he apparently knew where the Starbucks is.

The Sims2 have eaten what's left of my life. I am trying to see how generation 2 will be, which means I have to carefully grow up dozens of little Sims, make sure they aren't related somehow and then pair them off two by two. What a time sucker upperer.

Today one of our producery types took me on a long-promised trek to a place that serves Hawaiian food. I have not had Hawaiian food anywhere but Hawaii, so it has been ages. My gosh, the food was so good! I've had laulau where the "meat" is a chunk of pork fat and the fish is non-existent. Wherever these people get their laulaus, they hold a fistful of meat and were ono! I hope I can find this place again sometime because it was so worth it!

Matt just called to remind me to watch House tonight. I have never seen it before but Tivo says it has Hugh Laurie, whom I adore. Go, Tivo, go!