Guess what! I found a really well reviewed yet totally affordable (77 euros/night with breakfast included) hotel in the heart of Barcelona: [link]

So I made a reservation and under notes explained I was an English-speaking woman traveling alone and would love a quiet upper floor room and some help getting to know the city. I got a personal email from the manager (in very good English) two hours later welcoming me, assuring me I'd have a quiet, upper-floor room, and saying that they would all be happy to tell me all about the city. I think I chose well! I'm starting to get excited. I'll only have two nights, but I'm going to make the best of it.

I think you shouldn't have a vacation if you can't be bothered to make it different from the others. It's like you don't respect it. Give it its own food, dammit. It can't all be about how amazing America is. Variety variety variety.

I like this better.

I like that one too, ita. Those lips! I'm also very partial to this one: [link]

He's not as cute as he used to be. There's something about the big helpless panda eyes.

I mean, I still love him. But when I look at the baby pictures, at least the ones where he isn't all shriveled up and old man under the grow lamps, I am shocked at how adorable he was.

It's weird because Grace by far is 100 times cuter now. She's just getting her cuteness on.

I wonder if it's because she's pre-verbal?

That's a pretty textbook cupid's bow, and he's working some excellent doe eyes at the same time.

I still think he's pretty cute now. But I find myself staring at random strange babies thinking "Thank god you're cute, man." And then feeling guilty.

I would say Noah is still crazy cute, as is Grace.

We had a good day. Went to the pool. Yay!

I'm starting to get excited. I'll only have two nights, but I'm going to make the best of it.

Yay, Pix! Glad you found a nice place. Let me know if you want any suggestions/tips.

Give it its own food, dammit.

Memorial Day is supposed to be iffy coffee, Cinnabons and then later frozen lemonade and something potentially sketchy off of the grill. All accompanied by the smell of burning tires and fuel. Race weekends at the track, I love them.

But I find myself staring at random strange babies thinking "Thank god you're cute, man." And then feeling guilty.

I've said this to kids I know. Then felt some guilt but it doesn't make it less true.

Time to commandeer a restroom stall and lower your purity test score.

I'm with ita. Then take me for a weekend someplace nice.

I think ita has the right plan, in that situation!

I'm irked--a friend said "Hey, I'm having dinner with someone, and then let's you and I get together, 9ish? and have a drink and then go dancing". OK, great.

At 9 she texted me, and said "get together at 10?" and I wrote back that I'd rather a littel earlier, if I'm going to leave the house and not fall asleep. ...didn't hear from her. Asked where she wanted to meet. ....didn't hear from her.

Finally it's now 9:55 and she just text saying "where should we meet?" Well, we're not meeting at 10, that's for sure!

I've said this to kids I know.

I've said it to my own kids. And felt not one whit of guilt about it.

WRT traditional summer holiday foodstuffs: ita has a point, but summer tends to mean barbeque, so that's probably why so many of the summer holidays default to that. But the 4th has fireworks. And we are going to Catalina again for the 4th. Woot!