I thought for a second you meant Xavier in New Orleans, and I was prepared to be very surprised.

I think there is actually only one Catholic university in the world, Loyola Mount Mary Xavier, and all the others are branches that just pick a piece or two of the name at random, hence all the confusion.

And it's time for everyone to play "What did Dana forget to pack?"

tickets! money! passport!

Good toilet tissue to replace the shreddy molecule-thick wood pulp the hotel will provide!

Good toilet tissue to replace the shreddy molecule-thick wood pulp the hotel will provide!

Wow, you're a committed traveler.

It's a pet peeve. I bought a four-pack of Charmin for our room in Atlanta.

Hey, does anyone have suggestions for how to prepare shallots to go with chicken Kiev or oven-roasted fish? I impulse bought a few last week, but ti doesn't look like I can justify buying a roast anytime soon.

Wow, you're a committed traveler.

See, I'm a contingency planner, and I don't even bring toilet paper unless I'm going somewhere that might not have any.

Hey, does anyone have suggestions for how to prepare shallots to go with chicken Kiev or oven-roasted fish?

Matt - check Mark Bittman on the NYTimes site. I've done one of his recipes that could be good with fish - cut the shallots in half, sautee in olive oil with garlic (and eggplant, I think - but you could skip that). I'm pretty sure you could also halve them and pan roast them face down in some olive oil and sea salt.

There's no point in buying something monogrammed for a couple with different last names, right? I mean, putting each of their initials is weird -- looks like someone else's initials -- and just putting one initial on a "household" gift is shitty, too, I think.

Vortex thinks more like I do. I check for phone, tickets, ID and money, and the rest can go hang.

Jesse. You could do each of their last initials, interlocking.

My friend is doing this for her friend's wedding invitations. K and J in gold, interlocking over a red fleur-de-lis.