10 on Tuesday

10 Vacation Facts

I am excited about my vacation (one week from today I'll be in the Spa at Colonial Williamsburg, getting a reflexology treatment and my spring pedi). So my 10 on Tuesday reflects my current fixation.

1) August is the most popular month for leisure travel

2) Thanksgiving weekend remains the most popular single weekend for travel

3) It's a good thing most of us travel domestically, because 2/3 of Americans do not have a passport

4) For those of us with the proper documentation, Paris is the top international vacation spot for Americans

5) It's no surprise that Orlando is the most popular vacation spot in the country, thanks mostly to a certain mouse and his magic kingdom

6) For families with teenagers, Smugglers' Notch Resort in Vermont is recommended. In winter there's downhill and cross country skiing, airboarding, dog sledding and skating. Summer boasts biking, hiking, and four water slides eight heated pools. And there are adults-only hot tubs and teens-only game rooms.

7) Fisher Island Resort near Miami is this year's hottest spot for a romantic getaway. Once the private estate of the Vanderbilts, it's on an exclusive island that can only be accessed by ferry, boat or helicopter. Once you get to the resort, there are beaches, racquetball/tennis courts, a full spa, restaurants and a piano bar.

8) The Palms Place is the busiest luxury spa in the US. It looks nice enough, but I think it's where people to go to relax after partying, not simply to relax.

9) Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, CA, is considered America's premier shopping destination.

10) New York City is the most popular destination of foreigners coming to the US for leisure travel. Broadway, Times Square and Central Park are the must-sees.

Oh, I don't know

Should we be involved with Libya? I don't know. I really don't. We're fighting a homicidal madman that the world would be better without, that's for sure. But what about Afghanistan and Iraq? How much war can wage at once?

This is too big for this country girl to fathom. Good luck to you, Mr. President. Ever wish you were still Illinois' junior Senator? (There's a famous story about President Lincoln. A citizen demanded to see him in the White House and somehow managed to bully and cajole his way past the guards to see The Man Himself. Since Lincoln was busy -- that pesky Civil War took up a lot of time, after all -- he was surprised to see this visitor. The man explained his presence by saying, "I voted for you. I put you in the White House!" To which Lincoln replied wearily, "I forgive you.")

Anyway, while I don't know how I feel about the conflict, I know I support our troops. Which is why this afternoon I am sneaking down to the post office and mail off a package to Operation Shoebox. A couple of paperbacks, some sample-sized tubes of body lotion, a tube of toothpaste, some handiwipes ... Nothing that feels of much value to me, but stuff I hope will brighten the day of soldiers willing to risk life and limb for us.