So I’m back in Seattle, and I’ve been taking today to regroup. It was sort of a tactic of last resort; I was so wiped out from the cross-country travel and I came home to … to … so much stuff, that I hardly knew where to begin. So I didn’t begin anything. I just took a day to take down all the Christmas paraphernalia, unpack all my stuff, catch up on all my mail, do some grocery shopping, clean the apartment, charge all my electronics, pay some bills, water some plants, and the like. And now, from this afternoon vantage point, tomorrow is looking a whole lot more manageable.

The holidays were great, by the way. I went to my dad/stepmom’s place in Kentucky (Leitchfield, about 30 miles from Elizabethtown) – where my little brother likewise joined us, fresh from his Copenhagen adventures (read all about ‘em on his webpage – Edit: down for maintenance, as he prepares to move hosts.). Several sets of friends came and went, including (but not limited to) such fine folks as the Wygants and the Banks, as well as Meggo and Camron – the auxiliary son, to be deployed in case of emergency.

We played Catch Phrase for several hours. We ate lots of food, all of which was superlative. I went on a tour of Kentucky housepets – visiting such exemplary critters as this kitty in a tee shirt, the intractable Blaze, this 4-week-old puppy, as well as its siblings, and my brother’s cat, Mr. Peanut. Strangely enough, I seem to have no photos of me with any actual, yanno. People. But if you know me, you probably don’t find that terribly surprising.

And now I’m back in Seattle, with my lap currently occupied by Spain the Cat – who seems pretty happy with my return.

Speaking of the wee black monster, as I was going through the Christmas cards that had accumulated in my absence, I found one from the Pet Placement Center – which had apparently gotten my address from the paypal donation I sent them before Christmas. It was a sweet card, written by someone who seems to (possibly?) remember Spainy from her time there, back in 2001-2002.* It also mentions that in addition to all their usual full-house issues, the facilities are in rather dire need of repair – so all donations are more exceptionally welcome than usual.

Therefore, just in case any of you have leftover holiday cheer burning a hole in your digital pockets, I’m going to post a link to the donation page again. It’s right here. And remember that every little bit helps.

Anyway. Christmas was grand, but now it’s back to the grind for me. I hope everyone had a most excellent holiday season, and that the New Year holds many marvelous things in store for the lot of you.