Random notes from the road

Hey everyone! I'm out on an in-laws-visiting trip in the Monterey, CA area. The weather here is crisp and cool and not humid at all, and makes me want to go outside and run around in excited little circles.

I have several things on my ereader - I meant to bring the rest of Joanna Bourne's Forbidden Rose, but it was SO goddamn exciting, I decided I shouldn't read it the night before we left, because we had to get up so early, and I forgot it! Characters were left in such dire and dramatic circumstances. Nooooo!

Onto the random items:
1. What is UP with self flushing toilets? They are always at these airports now, and they seem to be gaining in popularity. Who thinks this is a good idea? It really steams me when the toilet flushes like five times for every once I use it. Isn't water getting scarce? Wait, is this TMI? Sometimes my judgement isn't as crisp on vacay.

2. Here is a picture of the lodge we are at, up the road from the in-laws. It is called Los Laureles, and it used to be the Vanderbilts' horse stables. It's pretty nice, except there is no coffee availability until 8 am California time, which is a major problem for an early rising, crabby-in-the-morning girl from Minnesota. And no, there are no coffeemakers in the room. This time around, I brought Starbucks instant coffee packets, and made my own damn coffee with hot tapwater. I like the idea that horses used to have the room.

3. You know how, on hotel bedside light fixtures, they have those little metal on-and-off knobs that you turn? And they give this super crisp snick? I love those. I find it satisfying to work them.

4. New findings! I have discovered that, if I have an annoying song lodged into my head, the song Benny and the Jets totally knocks it out. An evil-song-dislodgement powerhouse! Which is surprising, being that I don't even know the words, beyond the chorus. I think it has to do wth the strange beat. Also, what a great song, anyways.

5. There is a rooster that crows here, but it does not say cock-a-doodle-doo? Who ever thought a rooster says that? Mr. Crane and I had a whole conversation about this, and he pointed out that a rooster really says arr-arr-arr-arr-arr. I think cats also say that, or more, rawr, rather than meow, but he feels cats do sometimes enunciate meow. This is the sort of conversation we would never have if not on vacation, in these weird limited-time limbos between in-law whirlwinds of activity.

6. Reading The Warlord Wants Forever by Kresley Cole. The set-up she creates in this story, which I have only just started, is quite surprising. I'm excited to see what happens, and impressed anew by her as an author. Oh, Kresley, you are just the supreme master of the fabulous set up.