Things to Know XVIII

- My plane tickets arrived in the mail yesterday.

- Plane tickets - something tangible - make things a little more. Makes you realize that you're actually leaving in eight days.

- Some elderly lady today on the lunch cruise bit my head off and stuffed it down my throat because I asked her to keep her fork for her brownie because we didn't have extras. You'd have thought I was asking her to pole dance, instead.

- This was my last Saturday lunch and dinner cruise combo.

- Eight days.

- The trial pair of contacts I currently have in my eyes seem like a winner.

- The only reason I'm wearing trials is because the company that does my current contacts is only going to do them by the pair, not the six-vial box.

- Winner winner chicken dinner.

- I just really wanted to say that last one.

- Pepper has an affinity for a certain piece of yellow tissue paper.

- She also startles easier.

- The bottom is dropping out of the temperature.

- I might have a crash-course in hostessing in the restaurant tomorrow. Or I might not.

- Pepper has spent so much time with me near the computer that she knows to jump over the keyboard and not on it.

- Both my mother and the dog are asleep curled on the little couch. It's absolutely adorable.

- When the cat wants a drink in the middle of night she jumps onto my bedside table, leans over onto the pillow, and bellows directly into whichever ear is up.

- The Russians are on tomorrow morning - before brunch - for sightseeing.

- Thursday was 90210 day. When will there be a Boy Meets World day?

- Watching the local news and the Sports Blitz and gagging at Notre Dame hoisting in the state trophy.

- The last time I played Notre Dame was the memorable game of slide tackling a girl from behind in my own penalty box.

- This was also when my buddy that I ref with - who went to Notre Dame - had nearly the entire guys soccer team cheering/jeering/catcalling in my direction for that game.

- Previously said slide-tackle didn't help.

- I'm impressed I didn't get carded for that.

- Louise has been more fall down go boom lately than crawl into bed and sleep.