Belated Friday five.

Five reasons I desperately needed a vacation, in no particular order...

• It's been 40 degrees and rainy since about January. (Oddly, that didn't bother me too much, until I spent the last three days in 90 degree weather lounging by the ocean only to return to 30 degrees and snowing this morning.)

• If I'm not going to support the U.S.'s economy, I might as well support some country's economy.

• Taking care of a very sick (but beloved) cat is probably much like taking care of a sick (but beloved) parent, although at least the parent might be able to tell you exactly what's wrong or where they hurt, and if they don't take their meds you can just put it in their IV without their knowledge instead of having to wrap them tightly in a towel, sit on top of them, hold their head back, pry their mouth open and force-feed them. The night before I left, I was so freaked out about getting all four pages (!) of Her Majesty's instructions written up and emailed to the catsitter that in addition to sending it to her, I also sent it erroneously to 1) the coordinator at the travel company, 2) my parents, 3) my friend in Pasadena who is not at all involved in any of this and 4) my local friend who was to be my petsitter's spare key contact. (You know how gmail generates a drop down list when you start typing in a few of the letters in an address? Yeah, well, I must've somehow chosen all those folks in addition to the catsitter. And none of those folks needed detailed information on my cat's disgusting GI disease.)

• My last interesting vacation (Australia) was almost exactly six years ago. SIX YEARS!! The last time I gave blood in Oaktown before the big move, I realized I no longer had to claim that vacation in the "external US travels" question... and it made me so very sad.

• Monkeys. MONKEYS! 'Nuff said.