Observations

French toast made with next-day french bread (i.e., stale) is the best. It's, like, in bite-sized pieces. Almost. Next-day french bread soaks up the egg and milk mixture very, very well without losing consistency. When it's done, the inside is like bread custard. I like my slices of french toast extra eggy. It also tastes better if you put a bit of cinnamon (just a bit) into the egg-milk mixture. Not enough that it'd be obnoxious with the maple syrup, but just a bit to make the soaked slices spotty before you put them on the grill.

Waking up with a bloody nose every morning is not fun. Except for blowing bloody snot and boogers into that first tissue. For some reason, that's kind of neat. The headaches which follow are not.

Cats make excellent feet and leg warmers when you are sitting or lying down. Only as long as they're willing to stay still. Otherwise, they can be annoying and must be replaced with a pillow.

Getting up before dawn and watching the sun rise ain't what it's cracked up to be. Sunsets are more dramatic and generally use the same palate as a sunrise, only with more color.

Finishing all of your Christmas shopping by mid-December makes that last week before Christmas kind of boring. Also, eveyone else who is still doing that last-minute shopping will hate you, though they'll refuse to admit it, as hating the well-prepared doesn't seem very much in the spirit of the season.

Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and Lord of the Ring: The Two Towers both stand up to repeat viewings on a cable network over a weekend. Thank you, Starz! network.