In my own half-assed way, I started car shopping today. I'm a little over my head with this project, because I don't even know if I want fog lamps or side air bags, and those seem to be the kinds of decisions I have to make before I get a price.

As for fog lamps, I'm guessing they're useful if you drive in foggy conditions a lot, and that they'd be standard equipment if they were really necessary. Same with side air bags, I suppose. If they're an option, I probably don't need them. That's logic based on the least information it's possible for a sentient entity to possess.

So I've been messing around with a few models in the price range I might be able to afford. I just don't know whether I'm doing it right, or where to go from here. But I'll soldier on, fumbling in the dark until I get somewhere, the way I always do.

Blindly or not, I always get somewhere. I don't always get where I thought I was heading, or where I wanted to be, but I always get somewhere, and that's better than nowhere. It's definitely better than where I've been, which is stranded and nervous and half-afraid to turn the key in the old Honda. I don't plan to stay in that place any longer than I have to, but I'm also nervous about moving ahead too fast in the dark.

Apparently this is going to take some time, while I get used to the idea of making a commitment, and while I learn a little more about what I'm doing. There isn't a class I can take in this, is there? One that isn't taught by a car salesman?

Shall I share the exciting news? I can't believe it, but I think I'm going on a cruise. This will be the first one I've ever been on, but it's not happening until November. That's probably why it hasn't sunk in yet. It's a long time to get used to the idea, and maybe even enough time to save the money.

This will be for John's birthday, which is in October. He wants family and friends to share a cruise with him, and we've found one that we think we can afford. (And when I say "we," obviously I'm pretending I had something to do with it. Which I didn't, but I fully endorse the idea and the efforts of others.)

Suzanne and I talked about this yesterday when we went to lunch. They've been on a lot of cruises over the years, so she knows what to expect. She also knows me, and knows that I'll obsess over the details between now and the time we leave. She's nursing me through the process, for which I'm grateful.

It's a week, with stops at three Mexican ports and three full days at sea, and that's pretty much what I know so far. I know what I've heard, but I have a hard time imagining myself on a cruise. That doesn't mean I'm not excited about going, because I am. Even if it were only a week on the open ocean, I'd be looking forward to it. With so much going on that I've never done before, I'm on sensory overload just thinking about it.

A day of football when I don't really care who wins or loses is just the thing to help me get some work done. It's easy to work and watch football, because there's so much time when nothing is happening (except endless replays). It's not like baseball, where every twitch and every pitch has a nuance all its own, and you don't dare look away. I don't get nearly as much work done during a baseball game as I do during football. Besides, with TiVo I can always replay anything I missed.

This was a pretty productive day, actually, and the games were even entertaining (for football games, that is).