Please to consider this a general "my pleasure".

Also reminding both Amy and Fay that we have multiple cats. Luckily, we also have hard floors rather than carpets, air purifiers up the wazoo, and Robbie the Robot (I love the Dyson suckmonster with a stone passion) and I'm fierce about minimising the cat hair deal. Remember to bring allergy meds, just in case, though. And I usually have some in the house.

How are you around things like hairspray?

Nic hates but, but since I've been known to use it, he sucks it up. But if you mean just wearing it, rather than applying it in our bathroom? No problem at all. It's the mist that gets to him.

I will attest to the lack of cathair tumbleweeds in Deb's multicat household, plus the lack of attack-allergens for the mildly cat-allergic. In fact, my one-cat household has more visible cat hair on any given day than hers does.

I'm arriving on the same flight as Ginger, and hoping for a chance to hang out and kibbitz at least, if more hands-on help isn't needed. If you're not mired in prep, could we beg a pickup at SFO mid-afternoon Thursday? Gas money eagerly provided, as always.

Bev, thanks for reminding me - those needing pickup please email me? I can't do Oakland or San Jose pickups, but both of those have easy connectors to the City, and BART stops at the corner of 8th and Market, thirty seconds' walk to the HICC.

I can never remember to wear perfume, Deb, and truthfully, much as I love it, too much makes me wheeze. So I never wear it anymore.

Also, will bring Claritin or something -- I'm cat allergic, but we had Puck for fourteen years anyway, because I wanted him. I know not to touch my eyes, or face, really, if I've touched a cat.

Saturday sounds like it might be better for Winchester House, but it's up to whomever's driving because I will be carless. And if I don't get to go, it's no big. I really want people, not sites.

Deb's house has the least cat hair I've seen in any house with cats, much less a gang of cats.

I've been trying to figure out if I can bring something like cheese straws or cookies, but the whole flying across the country thing makes it awkward.

Hmmm. Wondering about the WInchester House expedition - it's actually in San Jose, a good 50 miles south of the City. Since it's essentially on the way out of town for ND, I'm not sure how you're going to a) fit it in, and b) get AmyLiz and others back up to the City, unless there are two or more vehicles going. Saturday morning might actually work best for that particular expedition; less timecrunched for people. Just sayin'...

This was kinda my thinking/concern. If it's doable on Saturday that might be the day to go.

Deb, insent.

If it's doable on Saturday that might be the day to go.

I'm easy. I'm getting in Friday night, so Saturday works for me.

Ginger, nah - no need to bring stuff cross-country. Raq and Fay, that's different - they're bringing goodies from places requiring passports.

Reminds me, just before arrivals, I'll empty out decent chunk of the closet in the dining room/office; neither Fay nor Amy has been here, but it's the big open two-room area Nic calls the Bowling Alley; your futons - with nice foam toppers to make sure they're comfortable - will be set up in there, and you get to share closet space. Each room has an air purifier - a Holmes in one and and Ionic Breeze in the other - so the cat fur should be completely minimised. And we'll take the Dyson to it before bed every night; that's my usual practice anyway. Plus, the cats are kept out of that end of the house at night, so again with the minimising.

ND, yep - if you can arrange the Winchester thing Saturday morning, I think you'll find yourself way less rushed. It's also very close to Santana Row, which is an entire little thing modeled after Bev Hills/Rodeo Drive, and is a fun, fun wander.

Cats NO problem (presently The Cat Daniel is determinedly trying to lie across the keyboard, and moulting like crazy while he does so). Perfume thing taken on board, sadly - would it be viable to bring perfume and put it on when I'm out and about, or would the remnants of perfume that lingered at the end of the day be problematic? (Am still monstrously in love with the locally-produced Orange & Vanilla body splash, and do indeed wear it as automatically as contacts. But if it will make you an unhappy bunny even in the tiniest doses, I'll leave it here.)