
In-Flight Entertainment
I recently took an American Airlines flight from Dallas to Rome. Whoa. It's been ten years since I've flown internationally. A LOT has changed. For starters, each seat now has its own entertainment unit. The last time I was on a flight long enough to warrant a movie and meal service, we were all forced to watch the one movie playing on the drop-down TVs all over the plane, which was most likely the edited version of "My Cousin Vinny." These days, you have choices. And o

Part I: The Vacation
I recently went on vacation. I don’t mean a family trip; I mean an honest-to-God vacation. Like, “in the movies” vacation. My husband and I flew into Rome, rented a car, drove up the coast and then into Tuscany, where we spent three glorious days with friends on a Tuscan farm and in the surrounding area. From there, we flew from Florence to Paris, where we stayed in another friend’s flat for the weekend before heading back to the States, our kids, and our lives. It sounds