A little beetle trivia: we don't have June bugs in Australia, but we do have other scarab beetles that are particularly active in our summer. Given the timing, we call them Christmas beetles.

Used to see them all the time growing up in Canberra. Here in Melbourne, NSM.

I love that my dad stays in the hotel across the street when he visits. He's a very early person and I'm a very late one.

Ugh, tommyrot, how miserable. Try to get some water in you, if you can.

Get better, Buffistas.

Try to get some water in you, if you can.

Yeah, Miriam reminded me to take small sips of water. I've discovered that drinking a big glass of water all at once leads to pukies....

I'm also drinking generic Pedialite, as it's supposed to be better than Gatorade for pukies.

When you feel up to it, bananas.

We had a decent, not great, day here. up and down and up and down. I am ready to be off this ride. At one point I just took a nap when mac wouldn't cooperate.

In an odd Pavlovian thing, bananas (eaten alone) make me feel kind of ill, because I'm so used to eating them when I feel ill.

(I don't so much have that problem when eating them with other things, like mixed in with cereal and milk or whatever)

How did he respond to the fact that you napped?

We skyped relatives tonight, which is always fun. And Grace giggled, which is also fun. We decided she sounds like a dolphin when she laughs.

So, you all may know, there's a pertussis epidemic this year in California. I am feeling the need to have my pertussis vaccine updated and to get Noah and Grace both a booster (Noah has an appointment already and I'll have to take Grace in mid September I think).

I get so pissed at the personal-belief-exemption people. And this epidemic is why.

I fully support the vax.

Actually I need to check and find out when I need to do mine. Really never want to go through that again.

This is the first time in yonks that we have had time with my dad without his wife. I like her, but it is a different dynamic.

Friday night Kelly made snickerdoodles. As my dad watched her, he was flabbergasted at the two sticks of butter. He made comments, not completely negative, but enough to make it clear (I thought) that he wouldn't be eating more than a crumb.

Saturday, he and CJ went exploring the Red Rocks area and then we met up for dinner and went to see Inception (WOW!). Today we went to the Denver Art Museum for the King Tut exhibit. As we were walking around, he asked Kelly what she did with the cookies. When she said they were at home in a zip lock, he said it was a shame we hadn't brought any with us. Dude, how were any of us to know you would eat one? Kelly offered them when we got back home. He ate it along with a half a shot of Amaretto.

His flight isn't until late tomorrow. CJ has school and I have to work, so it is Grandpa and Kelly time. Hope they both survive.

Today has been complicated. I left at 10:30am and didn't get home until 8:30pm, I have a friend crashing on my couch due to car drama, and I got a phone call at 9:30pm from my mom telling me that a bunch of my family members are coming to Chicago tomorrow and can they tour my office and take me to lunch?

And sure, I'm glad to see my family! But I generally like more than 12 hours notice even when I'm meeting people who are local.

I need a glass of wine before I go to bed.