I keep running across adorable things I need to buy NOW just in case they're not available any more by the time I have a kid

I hear ya, Jess. What if I can't find these things when I need them?

Laura, when we drove the cats out to Cali, they mostly stayed in the carriers even when we opened the doors so they could roam about the car. OTOH, my mom's cat yowled the entire time she was in the car on every trip to the vet for 15 years before my mom tried letting her out of the carrier. She curled up in the back window and was peacefully content every time after that. You'll be able to figure out what's best with a little experimentation.

I think you can trust the cat to decide if it's better off inside or outside once you get there, though I always try to make mine stay inside for a day in a new place. Just for my peace of mind. With a pet door, that may not be possible.

I think taking her with you is definitely possible.

Ah, driving straight through and kitty tranqs might be a plan. When we do the straight through drive we only drive for 2-3 hours at a time and switch drivers. That way we don't get too tired.

When I moved from Fort Lauderdale to Delray Beach I moved my cat. (big woop, 25 miles) She was also an outdoor cat, but much more so than this one. When I let her out she took off and I didn't see her for 4 days. I was sure she went back to her old home. (and more than a little freaked) First good hard rain she was crying at the door and hung around the yard after that. I figured she just needed to get the lay of the land.

You just earwormed me with the BoDeans.

Good Things? Hmmm... the lyrics are a teensy bit fitting, no? (Not in a bad way, though.) Unless there's a Yay Yay Yay song of theirs that I haven't heard of.

I'm going to have lots of money right before I die

Jess, is that like winning the lottery and then getting hit by a bus? Eeek! But the rest of the palm reading sounds exciting.

Laura, I've heard (and practiced a few times) that if you put a little bit of butter or margarine on the front paws of your kitty and then place her just outside the door of your new living space, the kitty will take the time to lick the paws clean *and* take in her new surroundings much more slowly. Meaning, she'll be less likely to bolt and get lost the minute she's let outside.

Hec -- I'm so sorry! But you deserve so much better and I hope you get a job where they appreciate you soon.

Yeah, I think it's possible. Easier if she were an indoor kitty, but she does love to cat around town.

This whole going away for the summer thing is complex. The one essential thing that still has to happen is high speed internet. Because while I can go up north for a couple months I sure as hell can't go without being able to work. There is no cable or DSL there and for some strange reason satellite internet doesn't seem to be offered. More research to do there. Apparently if they get enough interest they plan to pull cable in. They were pushing the idea last summer.

The kids get out of school the end of May so I have some time to work out the details. I don't want to go too early because I have unfond memories of Spring that involve black flies and mud in that area. I want picture proof from my family that summer has happened before I head that way.

eta: cool idea with the margarine Nicole, but wondering if she is going to be annoyed enough with me already at that point

Maybe if you give her lots of love and indoor attention the first day and try the margarine the second day, Laura.

Oh! Forgot to mention that my Cafe Press SF2F order arrived today! This pleases me.

Oh that reminds me that I need to order my SF2F swag too! Although consider how much of a challenge it was to type that I better call it a night and order tomorrow.

but wondering if she is going to be annoyed enough with me already at that point

Hec, I'm so sorry. If it makes you feel any better, I'm getting my hair cut right now AIFG!

Always cheering news. You know the best way to get the red out of your hair though, right? hint - it's blonde at the roots.

Thank you all for your invigorating spite. Your malice warms my heart.

billytea, what you have with the wallybee is simply a different story. The big reveals and the comic moments and the romantic clinch will happen in different places at a different pace. You're past the point of playing Romeo & Juliet anyway, but you've still got The Thin Man in front of you. Or, you know, Gordon and his wife in Local Hero. Or Wash and Zoe.

The big reveals and the comic moments and the romantic clinch will happen in different places at a different pace.

Yes, this. Because I had the Epic Big Sweeping Love, and it disintegrated in an appropriately Big Sweeping Dramatic fashion. Now I have Sweet Silly Love, and there are still big reveals and comic moments and romantic clinches, but without the feeling of being overwhelmed or running on the ragged edge.

ETA: Because someone just read this, and made concerned noises at me: for me, the difference between the Epic Big Sweeping Love relationship and what I have now is that I don't feel drug-addled or crazy. With Pete, I feel safe and that things will last. I didn't really have that in any other relationship.