I scurried to the vet as soon as I woke up. Blake was so happy to see me, he didn't do his usual screaming and turning his back punishments, as he did after Indianapolis/Monterey and the Fourth. He scooped himself into my hand and enjoyed several minutes of head-petting before going back into his cage for the drive home. He didn't punish himself, either: his weight averaged between 85 and 87 grams, which is four-plus more than usual.

We spent the day petting buddy's head, doing laundry (except for the sleeping bags), petting buddy's head, airing the tent, petting buddy's head, cleaning the bikes (desiccated bug graveyards), petting buddy's head, and dozing.

I had asked CoolBoss for the extra day before we left, and that was fine. Even after returning to work the very next day after Glacier in 1997 and Connecticut in 1998, completely spent, I felt guilty using this day to settle back in and get the car out of my pores and nerves. Protestant work ethic.

In the evening, RDC suggested a movie. Blake loves movies: both parents on the couch, right close together and taking turns at petting his head. RDC had one constraint: "No chick flicks!" So I went to BB and came home and shamefacedly said, "Well, there's this guy, and he likes this girl, but she's supposed to marry someone else...." He guessed immediately.

One of the previews coming soon to a theatre near me mentioned a young woman sent to live with wealthy relatives--and immediately I flinched. I knew it had to be done; it's the only major novel not yet recently cinematized--but to hear Fanny Price described as a spirited young woman? A major divergence from Mansfield Park, one that overturns the delicate balance of character Austen constructs. And Edmund with a hint of wanting to marry a Price before he knows he can't marry a Crawford? Ha! It's obvious from the second chapter that Fanny will marry Edmund and no other, but Fanny herself does nothing to prevent his falling in love elsewhere, let alone do anything to encourage his falling in love with her, let further alone Edmund having any hint of it. Nevertheless I shall see it. I like both "Emmas" despite their glaring inconsistencies. "Pride and Prejudice" might be the first DVD I own, when and if. "Persuasion" and "Sense and Sensibility" were the best of the most recent versions overall, and when "Persuasion" came out it was obvious a "Mansfield Park" couldn't be long behind. The only reason it could be this far behind the wave of Austens recently screened is that no one could figure out how to make Fanny appealing.

The feature presentation that RDC guessed was "Shakespeare in Love," which remains right up there with "Philadelphia Story" for me.