It's a dizzying travel schedule...but I had to accommodate my husband, who is part car and was most likely a travel agent or a cruise director in a former lifetime. I could just see him shaking his head over those damned argonauts back in the day, who didn't take his advice on some sort of shortcut and it got 'em into serious trouble.

Driving, driving. New Orleans to Alexandria to see friends. Stay the night in Shreveport. On to Oklahoma City to see my parents and make sure our car stays out of the way of any of the cars my dad is driving (you think I'm kidding). OKC to Hannibal, MO, to see some of Dan's ancestral digs. Hannibal to Springfield, Illinois. Advice to you all: stay far, far away from the coffee at the Signature Inn in Springfield. Truly the worst ever, even if it was complimentary. Champaign-Urbana, to visit Dan's alma mater. Indianapolis, to the Children's Museum. Stay in Muncie at another Signature Inn. Try the in-room coffee AND the complimentary coffee just to make sure the godawful Springfield coffee isn't a Signature Inn signature. Schlep all the way to Washington D.C. for a partly-business detour. Make our way to Knoxville, where I-40 is going through a major overhaul, forcing us to take a dark, narrow country road near the Tennessee River to reach my granddaddy's house. Wake up and drive to Atlanta, where we hop on a plane and head to the Left Coast to stay for nearly a week.

And so, here I am. In San Jose.

Gee, are you tired yet?

I should have gotten ahold of one of these characters while my son was learning about infectious diseases at this museum. That way, if I do come down with the common cold after all of this schlepping around, I can at least burn it in effigy.

Awww, such a cute microbe. Die common cold, die!!!!!!!