The cats have succeeded in knocking over the Christmas tree. They even managed to do it in the middle of the damned night just as I was drifting off to sleep. When we went downstairs to confirm that neither cat was trapped under the tree or bleeding from a glass injury, they both looked pretty freaked out by the whole thing.
Obviously, we are blaming Mondale as he is the stupid and curious one. Isis is the smart and cautious one. Plus Isis has a clean record where Christmas trees are concerned, whereas Mondale had no record.
I finally bought my tickets home for Christmas. They weren't outrageous really. I land in Columbus at midnight. I offered to either a) take the Greyhound to Cincinnati, b) sleep at the airport until a reasonable hour or c) get myself a hotel room in Columbus at which to hang out until a reasonable hour. My sister insisted she'd rather pick me up in Columbus at midnight than in Cincinnati at four am.
She also seemed rather concerned that I would be flying back out of Columbus.
"That's after I leave. Mom will have to take you."
"I might be able to convince a friend to take me to Columbus. If not, I'm sure Mom or someone will be available to take me to the bus station in Cincinnati and I can take the bus to Columbus. It's less than $20."
"If they're going to take you to the Greyhound station, they might as well just go on to the Columbus airport."
"You think so?"
"Yes."
"How's that?"
"Well, they still have to get into the car and all that... It's like a hundred miles."
"To Columbus, yes. The Cincinnati Greyhound station is... Never mind. I can always take the TANK to the Greyhound. Someone would just have to get me to a bus stop then."
And on and on we went. I don't know what the correct not-inconveinencing-others answer was to the whole Flying Out of Columbus thing was. I mean, I thought the part where I was flying into Columbus at midnight was the inconveinent bit. The departing flight leaves at a reasonable hour. I guess she just thinks we can't get along without her.
