Cat Worry

Off to pick up cat from the vet's office as soon as Lawnchair is out of the shower. I've got a headache, so I'd appreciate someone else to drive, but I'm worried enough I want to see my Bearcat as soon as possible (note - when checking cat in, tell the receptionist his full name, not the nickname I actually call him).

Apparently I was worried enough I dreamed about him. Well, dreamed he was getting into trouble when we toured a ruined Japanese castle that had been the home of Columbian drug smugglers. Well, the rest of the dream is probably the BBC I was listening to.

Missouri - Not that Big

So I'm reading this new steampunk novel, set roughly 1880. The main character is taking a train west. It is a super advanced train, with steam and diesel power. Yet it takes a week for the train to get from St. Louis to Kansas City (roughly 250 miles). As Lawnchair says, it doesn't even take a week to bike that distance, he knows from personal experience. Oh, and despite the steam engine, there is never mention of stopping for water (rule of thumb I learned as a kid was every 10 miles).

Oh, and the steam/diesel riverboat moves upriver at 35 knots. That's faster than the official speed of my old destroyer.

Author has never lived in the midwest. I can tell. Otherwise, good book.