Now *that's* funny. I had a friend who drove a Pacer back in the early 80's. I thought the curvy windows around the back were kind of futuristic, but I can't say the same for the car's performance.

And I saw a carrying case full of 8-tracks at an auction on Monday. Now, I didn't pop for it, since I didn't have a player. But I know a guy who used to have a *4*-track player! (It was mono, and 8-tracks were stereo.)

Packing begins in earnest on Friday. Today I got Emma (age 7) what she calls a "big girl booster seat" for the trip. Also got the cruise control on the Ford (not Centuri) Taurus fixed last week. My wife Kathryn bought chili-flavored Fritos today, while I picked up four 12-pack boxes of Coca-Cola related beverages for 10 bucks.

(old timer voice) "We could be settin' in fer a spell, so's we got to be *ready!*"