Suzi, Out Of Print Tees has great literary t-shirts.

Consuela, ISTG, I would have stood at her desk and loudly eaten pumpkin bread, complete with open-mouth smacking noises and moans of pleasure. Fuck her.

I am ready for more travel! I'm going to London in two weeks (??!!!!!), we're going to Cardiff and Edinburgh also but not Ireland. I imagine I'll happily go back!

I've been thinking about an Alaska cruise for a while. I want to see Alaska. I wouldn't do a cruise (aka StuckOnABoat) unless I was with some people I knew and liked, though, because you cannot get away. Buffistas cruise sounds great.

Mexico and possibly South America sound good. I missed my chance to go to Mexico with meara this year. *sadface*

Alas, I do not like Texas. Or amusement parks.

I am hoping Irene and the derecho took out all the weak links in my grid.

Me too. At least if I lose power for days this time, it won't be in 90+ degree heat. I almost lost my damn mind.

I would totes eat the pumpkin bread of my nemesis. Because pumpkin bread!

London! Awesome. Sad to say no travel plans here.

Safety wishes for those in the path of the storm. Fill up the tank if you drive. Water. Booze. It is still windy here. We even had a storm surge, but nothing like the stuff to come.

My exciting plan for the weekend is Early Voting! I am really hoping it is as much fun as the early voting line 4 years ago. We went first day last time and it was a blast. Hours in the queue, but fun company.

Cruise ships are big enough that you can get away....from people, at least. In my experience.

Alaskan cruises are amazing! I've been on two (one with my mom and gram back in 2001 and one as a tagalong with ND for work a few years ago), and I had a great time. So completely beautiful, and you get to see a lot. I would recommend flying into Anchorage and cruising all the way south to Vancouver rather than doing a loop out of Seattle, fwiw. You see more ports. But honestly, both routes are excellent.

Oh, also, if possible, I'd definitely spring the extra money for an exterior cabin (window or balcony). There are amazing things to see all the time.

ETA: meara, any chance you'd be willing to wait until the last week of March for your Mexican getaway...?

Do they still dress for dinner on cruises? It strikes me that that would be more fun with buffistas than just about anyone.

I am trying to decide if groceries now and inside all of tomorrow is sensible, or writing off today, because....enh, and try again tomorrow?

At least I get to write a status report that says "You guys are sitting on the next step." Yes, maybe I should have realised the next step would be yours sooner, but...there are only so many ways I can say that the people upgrading to the 2008-compatible version of our software need you to install 2008 on the servers. It's the really obvious part of the project plan. I don't understand why people don't understand this needs to be done.

Okay--I don't watch Scandal so much as I have it on when I'm doing other things, and I AM CONFUSED. Two things--is Olivia in a cabal with the President's wife? Whut??? And Whiskey isn't really whiskey, is it?

Do they still dress for dinner on cruises? It strikes me that that would be more fun with buffistas than just about anyone.

When I went on a cruise a few years ago, sit-down dinner was no jeans, no sneakers, I think. Most people wore sundresses or polo shirts with khakis. There were one or two designated formal nights. If you didn't want to dress for dinner, there was also a casual buffet dining room, where the only rule was you had to be wearing shoes, and if you had on a bathing suit, then you had to be wearing something over it.

The first cruise I went on (with Buffistas!), there was a couple who put on their fancy denim overalls for dinner.

Apparently so and I'm pretty sure Whiskey in that context was killing people.

That's what I thought, sarameg. And I'm not entirely sure whether everyone (or just her) in the room got it too.