10. First Starbucks I’ve visited in California.

9. First time I’ve driven eight hours in one day. That leg wouldn’t have taken so long if I hadn’t tried to give the cats water at every stop. On a related note, you’d think the average Californian had never seen a grown woman in pigtails with a leashed cat climbing her back before.

8. First real live CHP motorcycle officer sighted. They really do dress like that.

7. First road trip with cats. Next time, Ryan gets to drive Miss Evilcat.

6. First time I’ve ever wanted to kill a cat. In my defense, it certainly would have rendered her tranquil.

5. First time sleeping in a room with two cats. And second, and, tonight, third. The pouncing, the kneading…last night Qubit tried to stretch her forepaws into my eyesockets. In a nice way.

4. First time finding British comedy on in the middle of the day on a weekday. I think I’m going to like it here.

3. First time driving in California. I went from ‘zippy’ to ‘slowpoke’ without changing speeds!

2. First time I’ve been told I have a pretty ethnicity. Umm, thanks. It works out.

1. First fifty-point-bonus word on my first turn of Scrabble. (I built ‘STRAINED’ off Grandma’s ‘CORES’, with the ‘D’ on a triple word score.)