(no subject)

As of 1600 hours today I am officially On Vacation. This is my first "real" vacation in about two years -- this time it's more than just a day or two off that I cobbled together to coincide with a weekend. No, my friends, this is an honest-to-god "I'm burning 40 hours of my 126 accumulated hours of vacation" vacation. I feel weird saying it, but it's true: won't be back to work until next year. My return date for the office is Monday, January 5th 2004.

If all goes according to plan I will be driving up to Minnesota on Monday the 22nd. As roho and genet are going to be out of state for about a week I'll be taking my special-needs cat with me. That's right, I'm taking Ra with me for the 420 mile, 7 hour drive from Illinois to Minnesota. I fully expect the poor animal to torture me for most of the drive with howls and maiowls... after all, the longest he's had to be confined to a carrier in a vehicle was about an hour. Of course, that was back in 2001 when I was taking him to stay in Milwaukee. As I'm sure you've all figured out already a drive to Milwaukee is a lot different from a drive to Minnesota. I'm not sure if I'm making the right choice by doing this but it's about the best option that is available to me.

Tonight I relaxed in a mostly empty apartment (the cats, fish and snake kept me company) and watched some DVDs. I finished Catch Me If You Can, which was remarkably interesting. I also watched Suicide Kings just because it had Christopher Walken in it. To say that I was surprised by Suicide Kings is a bit of an understatement. I haven't seen a film with such excellent plot and acting since Fight Club. I wonder if this was adapted from a novel as well?

It's the season to be jolly and share, and somebody shared with me their winter cold. I wish I could say I was surprised that I contracted a cold, but I'm not. When you factor in the typically arctic condition of my bedroom (damn vaulted ceiling) it's actually surprising that I didn't get sick earlier. What really caught me off-guard is that this cold is exhibiting some extra value: as a bonus to this winter cold it would seem I have garnered an ear infection as well. If it's not an ear infection then the only other explanation that makes any sense is a midget with an icepick sitting in my right ear, occasionally stabbing my eardrum. I really hope this subsides before Monday, because driving with an earache is rather distracting.

My plan for the weekend is simple: I will do laundry and pack it for the two weeks that I'll be spending back on the farm. Presents will be wrapped and stacked neatly in the back of the Expedition. On Monday I will give the remaining two cats a batch of food to tide them over during my absence and then make tracks back to my parents. While I'm up in Minnesota I hope to achieve three things. First, I want to see my cousin Priscilla at the hospital. She was recently moved out of critical condition and just got to imbibe her first fluid this week! Her organ donor (Conway, her half brother) seems to be doing well -- he's actually eating jello. I'm looking forward to seeing them both. Second, I want to spend some time with my grandfather Schep. I don't thing he's going to be much longer for this world and I'm feeling a lot of guilt. I was his first grandchild and he's always doted on me as a result but I've been careless and never have I properly returned that affection. I can never "make up" for that lost time, but I want to ensure that he knows how much I appreciate what he's done for me. I'd hate for him to pass before I got a chance to tell him these things.

My third and final goal is to spend some quality time hanging out with my old friend from the days of Benden Weyr, chebutykin. I really want an official tour of the Asylum, and there's no time like the present to visit, right? If nothing else I can get in a good pub crawl around Minneapolis and pass out in her bathtub.

But that's all for the future. For now I'm feeling sleepy and reluctant to write much about what's going on in my head. I think a trip to the bathroom for a hot shower is in order, and then I'll crawl under the covers and sleep until Ra wakes me up tomorrow morning. If he follows his current schedule that should give me... four hours of sleep before he starts becoming a pest.

Sometimes it's hard to be a daddy.