One holiday trip down - and one to go! I'm back, digging my way out of office e-mail after four days in the fun and sun of Southern California. The weather was beautiful, the friends were wonderful, and I'd be much more perky, but I didn't get back to Austin until about midnight last night. Weather in San Francisco delayed both my planes and now I can tell you more than you'd ever want to know about American Airlines Terminal 4 in the Los Angeles airport. Small area + four hours of layover = know it like the back of my hand.

I rarely used to travel much for work or pleasure, but that seems to be changing. I found myself looking around the LAX terminal at about 6 PM last night thinking, 'I might have been here before. Was that here? Or another airport? No. I'm pretty sure I fell asleep against that wall...'

On a downside, I completely forgot to call Bruce for dinner the day I was in San Diego. However, considering we ended up in an IHOP with a five-year-old in the midst of advanced nap-deprived grumpiness, I expect he'll not only forgive me, but possibly thank me.

Thwarted by technology. Sigh.

Roughly once every five years, I come up with the perfect Christmas gift idea for someone in my life. This year, I decided to bring my parents up to speed. Broadband, that is. They have one phone line, a dial-up connection, and I got them both addicted to Text Twist. So not only do they have cruddy Internet access that allows only one to be online at a time, but every time I try to call them, the phone is busy.

I figured I'd surprise them by having a cable access installed and have the bill sent to me every month. So I looked around on the web. And made some calls.

So then I figured that since cable access isn't available in their area, I'd have DSL installed.

So I looked around on the web. And made some calls.

No cable. No DSL. And now, despite my deep and overwhelming love for my parents, I have this strong urge to call them up and ask if they were aware that they retired to 1974.

It just isn't as cool if I just get them a second phone line. Hrmph.

Chet is currently comatose and upside down on the chaise lounge, his body strategically placed in front of the space heater. Dante is off in his happy place (AKA the bedroom closet) recovering from an embarrassing Looney Toons moment a few hours ago in which a Blue Jay on the patio so excited him that in his brave leap to kill the bird he forgot not only the existence of the windows, but the wood blinds as well. The living room is soft and warm and a few candles are making it smell like vanilla and coffee. I've got a steaming mug of tea at my side, big fluffy socks on my feet, and clean sheets waiting on the bed.

Lately I've been waffling back and forth over whether I want another person in my life. Some days I do, some days I don't. Some nights I do, and some nights - like tonight - are absolutely perfect just by myself.