MADE IT BACK FROM D.C. Our departure was a bit later than we had planned, as we were rousted out of bed by the fire alarms in the middle of the night, which led to the hotel being evacuated, and us standing outside for quite a while before they let us back in. (There was a real fire, but sprinklers extinguished it almost immediately, we were told) Unlike many people, I was dressed (“Keep clothes and weapons where you can find them in the dark” — Robert Heinlein) but it was the InstaWife who was fastest off the mark in getting everyone up and out. Despite being on the 5th floor, we were among the very first people out of the building. She’s pretty good in an emergency.

Driving home, she took my place at the wheel for a couple of hours, and I sat in the backseat with our daughter, watching Agent Cody Banks on the in-car video. A spy thriller with nanobots! Not bad, actually. And heroine Hillary Duff is no shrinking violet, arranging for the bad guy to get eaten alive from the inside out by weaponized nano-disassemblers. She doesn’t seem at all sad about his gruesome end, either. More Bellicose Women stuff, I guess. I think that a Teen Heroine from years past would have exhibited more signs of reluctance or remorse after gruesomely offing the bad guy.

Watched some Rocky and Bullwinkle, too. And it was an interesting experience sitting in the back seat of the Passat. I’ve owned it for over four years and I’m sure that the time I spent sitting back there today exceeded the accrued time up to that point. It was roomy and comfy. And what I wouldn’t have given to be able to watch movies and cartoons in the backseat when I was a kid. . . .

Tired now. Back later.