For those of you who have been under a rock for the past few days, I'm now officially on vacation.

For those of you who just can't live without knowing…I am getting up at a frighteningly early hour to start driving. I will have driven for quite some time before the sun even rises.I will arrive in Decatur, Illinois sometime on Friday afternoon. (Hi, Aaron.) I will sleep there for a night, then drive to Chicago the next day. I will stay in Chicago on Saturday night with another friend. (Hi, Matthew.) The next day I will drive back to Decatur and remain there until Tuesday. On that day I shall pack up and drive to Champaign. (Hello, Joy. Hello, Andrew.) I shall remain in Champaign until Friday morning, when I shall pack up my goodies and make the drive back to Huntsvegas.

At which point I will arrive at my own home, which will have been decorated for the holidays by other people, and which will be currently hosting a Christmas party for my friends.

Yes, the friends will invade my house before I even get home.

Plans include art films, used bookstores, historical/architectural sightseeing, kitty-spoiling, a vat of amaretto sours. Oh, and probably a game or two of scrabble, which I fully expect to lose in disastrous fashion.

I shall cook for my keep and wish for more sleep. I might or might not write entries for cat.net. Don't be offended if nothing is posted; the idea of a vacation is to refresh not just the body, but the mind.

…and if you happen to see a Sundance on I-65, don't honk. I'll think you're a stalker.

See you next week.