Any time spent away in the cold weather months is time well spent, especially when they’re spent in warmer climes.

Speaking of spending, charging for using the internet has clearly replaced telephones as the new money maker for hotels. Most people don’t need to pay outrageous room phone charges anymore, because they have cell phones. But it’ll cost you to use your laptop in your room. At one place we stayed, it was $25/day. I didn’t need to be in touch THAT badly. At the other place, it was free, when it worked. Which was most often.

Other random thoughts and observations in the course of our travels: on the plane, I looked at the monitor, and saw Richard Lewis, lately of “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”
But it couldn’t have been an episode of “Curb” because, after all, it’s a commercial airline flight. Turned out it was an episode of “7th Heaven.” Richard Lewis on “7th Heaven?” REALLY, RICHARD??? I know it’s a paycheck, but what’s next, James Gandolfini guesting on “Gossip Girl?”

The airport design was ingenious. Perhaps even designed by my wife. You HAD to walk through the duty-free shop after clearing security. She shopped; I browsed. And I couldn’t help but notice that one of the celebrity endorsers for Tag Heuer watches is Steve McQueen. WHO DIED IN 1980.
Steve is in the company of the likes of Tiger, Brad, Uma and others who endorse this brand. I’ve never purchased anything based on a celebrity endorsement, I don’t know anyone who would, but I certainly can’t begin to imagine who would buy a watch based on the image of someone who’s been dead for 27 years!

Finally, I don’t know why, but I can’t seem to shake the thought of a tee shirt some guy was wearing at the airport. It said: “I thought I died and went to heaven at the Harriet Club BBQ. August 4, 2007.”
I will never (in public) wear a tee shirt that invites conversation.
I actually wanted to ask this guy, “What’s the Harriet Club?”…”What did they serve?”…”How was the BBQ sauce?”…but mostly, ”Did you really die, and come back as a moron with a really stupid tee shirt?”