Natasha asks where we are going...again.

When you prepare for a trip with your cat and dog keeping tabs on things, you notice the differences between them, cats-and-dogs.

 Bridget, our dog, is "highly food motivated" according to her DNA testing profile which I had done for Caroline's birthday a couple of years ago. If there is even a crumb that trickles to the floor, she gets mighty interested. As you may suspect, this character feature/flaw has her oblivious to the actual nature of the day's events: getting ready for two weeks traveling abroad.

Our cat Natasha on the other hand seems tuned in to the whole thing. And she's seen it all before, or so it seems as she leaps to the desk to rub against the laptop screen and generally make a nuisance while I attend to websurfing and such (the need to get everything ready is quite an automatic pattern of neurons firing, my "IT" off on its automatic way, downloading gobs of data on Australia).

I've been excited by a new purchase, picking up an iPod Touch (not an iTouch as Zach intones, "that's just not a cool way to say it").  But the iPod is Way Cool!  As I'm sure all you iPhone users know so well.  So part of the day has been loading it up with apps and docs so there's lots to read on the flight and make use of down-undah.

By the time near-midnight rolls around, Natasha pretty well knows what's up and has that aloof look in her eye that conveys her complete disinterest in where we are going and her slight worry about how her water bowl on our second floor will be refilled.

In the know, and no doubt feeling superior to we weary humans, she agrees to pose by some of our pre-trip paraphernalia: books to browse, the new iPod Touch, and a couple of Australia plugs with the plug-ends turned out 45-degrees.  Gotta have the plugs or all our electronic gadgets--phones, cameras, videocameras, laptop--will glide slowly into quiet stillness.  The iPod however needs no Aussie plug!  Kind of the "dog" on the trip, it depends utterly on the laptop for its electricity.

Cats and dogs, dogs and cats.  They are looking at the same thing, but dog just gets it, or doesn't, thinks "nice...is there something to eat?" and keeps going on.  Cat knows everything about it, is clearly superior to you and me, and likes to have the last word one way or another..... If you have cats-and-dogs in your house, or a significant other, you'll get what I'm talking about.