So we’re home again. It’s been a hella fine weekend, but it’s nice to be back in our own house, and a few hours from now, we’ll sleep in our own bed. The thought fills me with contentment. Of course, the fact that I don’t have to go to work until Monday is probably part of this feeling. After learning the harsh lesson of our outbound trip, we made tracks to the airport early and had no problems at all. It truly was “Easy Check-In.” Won’t check in less than 90 minutes prior to departure again, ever. Nope. Joy of…

The party last night… what a good time was had by all! It turned out that most of my cousins (of mine and the next younger generation) were there in addition to a bunch of my niece Sydnee’s friends and in-laws. The food was fabulous – Syd’s husband Eric is fond of Indian food so there were a lot of interesting items to choose from. The house was amazing – stuck up on the mountainside with a creek roaring down a little gully alongside, with several decks and great views of the valley through tall pine trees (kind of a…

We’re visiting in Utah and I won’t have much computer time, but so far we’ve packed a lot of visiting and hanging out time in less than one 24-hour period. Last night we even sampled a little of Salt Lake’s nightlife and went to the Bayou for a casual bachelorette’s party (except that all of the guy friends of my nephew-in-law were there too). It was a fun time, and we particularly enjoyed showing my sister Tudy the benefits of turning her cell phone on to “vibrate” mode and stuffing it down her pants. The look on her face? Priceless.…

Things to do tonight: Laundry Sort out travel bag Pack Remember to throw in contact lenses, sunglasses, hat, hiking shoes Smooch hubby Things to do tomorrow: Leave house by 6AM to make 810AM flight to S**t Lake Settle in at B&B, goof around at Mom’s Need to pick up prezzie for Daniece and Danephewinlaw Dinner with David’s friend Jim and girlfriend (note, several good restaurants in neighborhood Smooch hubby Collapse Things to do Saturday: Leisurely breakfast See what Mom’s up to (prolly do odd jobs) Check out Pop’s old tools for possible liberation (miter box) Sort out prezzie (wrap, yadda)…

Seen at The Adventures of Accordion Guy in the 21st Century :: farther down, there’s a picture of a building described in a quote on the page as “a totemized retro-futuroid coffee table joined umbilically to its Soviet-style predecessor.” No, no, no, no… it’s a giant space Dalmatian attempting to impregnate a Dachsund. Sideways. Arrroooooo!!

In today’s Salt Lake Trib:Sniffles, sneeze? Blame those trees. Oh, joy. David and I both suffer from allergies. And in fact, I always get a sinus infection when I go to Utah in the winter, and often get sinus headaches when I go other times of the year – a combination of the dry, polluted air and local pollens, probably. My mom is really allergic to cottonwood pollen, she’s probably suffering now. I’ve just warned Da Hub that we’d better pack all the allergy junk we’ve got (fortunately, we’ve both got prescription nasal antihistamines in addition to regular presription pills…

A few of my favorite things from the previously mentioned 213 Things Skippy is No Longer Allowed to Do in the U.S. Army 113. There is absolutely no need to emulate the people from ‘Full Monty’ every time I hear the song “Hot Stuff”. 129. The Microsoft ® ‘Dancing Paperclip’ is not authorized to countermand any orders. 131. No dancing in the turret. This especially applies in conjunction with rule #113. 142. ‘Calvin-Ball’ is not authorized PT.

Al Franken, Seriously Need to read later – long, long article takes a while to load.

Avalanche Company: The 213 Things Skippy is No Longer Allowed to Do in the U.S. Army Somewhere, I hope Spc Skippy is happy and loved and getting plenty of magic beans… (note, this link works, the one from Accordion Guy didn’t for some reason). Another link to checkout later: MemeStreams.

Later today we’re getting together with Steve to see “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” with Steve… and boy, this website is truly bizarre, because it looks and sounds so “normal.” What else can you expect, with the same writer as “Being John Malkovich?”