So It's January

The new year is here (been here... a while, actually) and you know I'm still writing 2012 on documents. I blame it on the fact that I went to bed early on New Year's Eve and didn't ring it in in the usual manner. Totally lame of me, yes, but I had a valid reason -- I had to catch a plane at 5 in the morning. So a 10 pm bedtime was had. When midnight struck, the cheers and fireworks outside did wake me up, but I fell back asleep easily. Happy flipping new year to me!

Zzzzzz....

The plane trip in question was to Nebraska, which I guess is a strange place to go in the dead of winter, considering the midwest is not exactly known for its warm weather and sunny beaches this time of year. Or... ever. Okay, I guess they get the summer heatwaves, but WHY THE HECK AM I DISCUSSING THE WEATHER? So as I was saying, I went to Nebraska and I went to the zoo.

The Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha is far superior to the Oregon Zoo; I AM SORRY to be a traitor to my homezoo, but those are the facts. I had been to the HD Zoo once before, three years ago during the summer, and I stand by my opinion today. There are more animals, they are more interestingly presented, you can get closer to them, and all around the scenery is just prettier.

I've tried telling this to fellow Oregonians, and it's crazy how defensive they get. "Our zoo is awesome!" they say. And I'm like, but have you BEEN to Nebraska?

And usually, the answer is no. People don't seem to go to Nebraska. Which is a shame, because it really is a spectacular zoo.

But the zoo is not the reason I went to that fine state. I have family there, including three grade-school-aged cousinettes, one of whom made me this:

And who wrote about my impending arrival on her kittycat wall calendar:

So, you know... heart melting, etc. 

But then I had to come home and go back to work, which was painful. Every time I come back from a break, I feel so erihjewthiffsdfhh. I forget passwords, I can't find anything, and I start coveting sleep. Oh, fluffy bed... shut up, alarm clock, who needs you? Warm covers... just five more minutes....

And so this week has been tough. But the weekend approaches. Adventures await.