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“IT” (otherwise known as HD 36405.b) isn’t your average “oddball” exo-solar planet made of rock that wobbles on its end & zips around a nearby star in less than 2.46 days.

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“IT” (otherwise known as HD 36405.b) isn’t your average “oddball” exo-solar planet made of rock that wobbles on its end & zips around a nearby star in less than 2.46 days.

Seeking a spot of serenity somewhere in the universe, I recently booked a deep-discount dodgy berth on the ‘White Elephant Express Space Shuttle’, to a little known place in a galaxy far, far away.

If truth be told, (after reading random excerpts from “The Itty Bitty Bunkum Book About Life, the Universe & Practically Everything Under the Sun Not To Mention Stuff Going On In Remote Galaxies), I was basically delirious. According to its noted author, Dr. Jarn Leffer, “IT is a ‘must-see’ for those with little time on their hands & a passionate interest in Innocuous Things.”

Most linear thinkers have a great deal of difficulty even comprehending why on earth someone in their “right mind” would be interested in visiting a planet called “IT”. Not being a linear thinker with an investment in the “right” answer, I didn’t give a hoot. After all, what does one (who walks on water & listens to miffed mortals all day long) do for a frigging night off, now I ask you?

As planets go, “IT” is a ho-hum celestial pit-stop with perhaps one exception. the welcome notice that reads, “Cosmic Cowboys – Welcome to the furthest unexplored outreaches of the Galaxy . Home to the Flop Fairy & Oodles of Gadflies!”

“IT” is populated by colonies of giggling, green grasshoppers . What else would you expect to inhabit a far-flung, fantasy-challenged hellhole like this? But, what made “IT” strictly speaking a strange place was the fact that the inhabitants munch on green, biodegradable garbage bags for fun. Lacking masticating capabilities, the gadflies process their food by vigorously jumping up & down on it. No wonder they have no need for fast-food franchises, strip malls or landfills!

To put “IT” bluntly, life on “IT” is shy of a tittynope*. The jolly green grasshoppers & the carefully manicured green fairways with sand traps as far as the eye can see certainly make for an utterly harmless world. Regrettably, without a pair of golf clubs, a dimpled white ball, & the notion that 19th hole even exists on this planet — “IT” is about as fun as bag of toads!

Anyway, I picked up this picturesque postcard of the blessed ballyhooing buglugs. they look perfectly happy but don’t be deceived. In reality, they are a gang of glad-handing grasshoppers. they don’t play golf, eat burgers, or drink beer — & none can frost a rock! Come to think of it, apart from the company of bugs & the elusive flop fairy, this pathetic planet has precious little going for IT!!

Life Lesson 42: Remember to talk to your travel agent before ever embarking on a flight of fancy to a planet called “IT” in a galaxy named “Have-a-Nice-Day”!!

__________

If you need to know what those green, glad-handing grasshoppers from “IT” look like — ask any four-year old, or failing that request some help from a Flying Saucer Club member.

*”Tittynope” for you whiffling word-peckers means “a small quantity of anything left over”.

cruise, booking, car rental, hotel, reservation, flight, low fare, great service

When it comes to planning your vacation, it’s tempting to go the do-it-yourself route. After all, it’s easy enough to book an airline flight reservation. Why shouldn’t you also do your own booking for a car rental, hotel, or even a cruise? Here are five reasons why you should leave your vacation planning to a professional, full service online travel agent:

1. Terrific Deals

You can do your own booking, but you won’t necessarily get a low far or the best deal. Airlines, hotels, car rental agencies, and cruise ships count on people to make their own reservations and charge higher rates to those who do. Yet they don’t really make a profit until they’re completely booked.

Think of hotel rooms, airplane seats, and cruise ship cabins as perishable commodities. Just like an expired carton of milk has to be pulled off the grocery store shelf, on any given night, an empty hotel room is lost revenue that will never be regained. Similarly, an airplane is going to fly and a cruise ship will embark whether or not the seats and cabins are full. It’s in the best interest of hotels, airlines, and cruise ships to be fully booked. That’s why they offer discounted fares to an online travel agent, who can then pass along the savings to you.

2. Full Packages

A full service online travel agent can put together package vacations to destinations and hotel properties to which you might not otherwise have access. Perhaps you’re a golfer, and want a dream golf vacation. Maybe a Caribbean vacation is on the horizon. Or maybe you are looking for the perfect cruise package. Although it’s sometimes possible to book travel packages with the destination, you often don’t get the options that best meet your needs. An online travel agent can put together packages that work best for you and your family.

3. Great Service

When you go the do-it-yourself route, it’s often difficult to coordinate all aspects of your travel. Making sure that your flights depart and arrive at optimal times, that your hotel reservation is in order, that your car rental will be available, and that you’ll have everything in order to board a cruise ship is no walk in the park. An online travel agent can do all the legwork for you so you can concentrate on preparing for your trip. And, if you have a change in plans, the great service that an online travel agent provides can make the transition a smooth one.

4. Group Travel

Extended families often travel together, and businesses have group travel requirements from time to time. In either case, a full service online travel agent can easily book trips for people who have the same destination but who are traveling from different places. Having a group travel coordinator gives everyone peace of mind and ensures that the group’s needs are met.

5. Honeymoon Registry

If you’re planning your honeymoon, an online travel agent can provide you with the latest trend in wedding gifts: the honeymoon registry. When you register with a full service online travel agent, your guests can contribute funds to your honeymoon, or they can buy specific services (such as a spa treatment or a romantic breakfast in bed) that you have on your wish list.

While it’s possible to book travel yourself, why would you want to? After all, the advantages in using a full service online travel agent are limitless.

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As they drove from Traverse City, illinois to Tucson, Arizona, I wrote a series of letters, & photocopied them to send to relatives & friends. This was the first of the two.

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As they drove from Traverse City, illinois to Tucson, Arizona, I wrote a series of letters, & photocopied them to send to relatives & friends. This was the first of the two.

Travel Letter #1

Saturday, 12/13/03 – nice morning. Welcome to our holiday form letter. we are in Arizona now. The sun is shining & it will be in the sixties today, which should melt the ice on the windows soon. Ana’s foot doesn’t seem to be broken, as they thought, so they took a long walk in the desert last night. they saw a coyote, probably the same two I chased the other day, & there were javelina tracks everywhere.

The library in Safford has books in french, so Ana is enjoying reading now that her eye-patch is off. The doctor promised that the “divet” left by his golf-club-like blade will heal soon. they learned that eyeballs have plenty of nerve endings, & they think the object in her eye may have been a fiber from a yucca plant.

Our uncontrollable coughs are under control now, & they are not among the ten people in Arizona that died from the flu this week. Oh, & the antibiotics from the Safford clinic seem to have helped with Ana’s abcessed tooth.

I should start at the beginning. The first day, after dealing with the usual rudeness of the INS employees in Detroit, they made it to Kansas. they hit a traffic cone there at high speed, & heard a horrible sound coming from under the van. The cone, I discovered, had been dragging along underneath. Nothing was broken, but later the bright light switch stopped working.

In Farmington, New Mexico, they spent a few days resting & coughing. they were about an hour away from buying a house when they discovered it needed new wiring, had a garden hose attached to the natural gas line, & other problems they missed on our first visit. The new bloke begged me to buy it, called our motel room to tell me they needed money for open-heart surgery in two days, & called again to lower the price, but they moved on. By the way, the house was to be a winter project, not a new home.

Fortunately, they drove during daylight after that. In the Colorado mountains they went from 16 to 20 miles-per-gallon, confusing the sensors & causing the “check engine” light to turn on. they successfully ignored it until it changed it is mind.

Steve & Ana

Monument Valley was beautiful, the Christmas parade in Holbrook was cute, & despite various problems & illnesses, we are having a great time. You see, I didn’t need to make you all jealous, so I left out a lot – the constant sun, the beautiful sculptures in Grand Junction, & the nine times we’ve been in hot springs in Colorado, New Mexico, & Arizona. Next week we are going to Mexico for lunch. Hope all is well in arizona. Adios,

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Encontrar pareja es algo muy complicado y a veces engorroso de concretar. Los sitios de Internet especializados en ello han demostrado ser muy exitosos. Aqu?hay una descripción para los interesados.

entretenimiento,amor,parejas,sitios de Internet,arte y entretenimiento,ocio,art,arts,art and entertainment,entertainment,love,relationships,culture,dating,leisure

Encontrar pareja es algo no tan fácil de hacer. Todo depende en las posibilidades y opciones de cada uno. Como buscar departamento por ejemplo, requiere saber como buscar, en que sitios, en que inmobiliarias, etc.

En el caso de una pareja, es importante tener en claro a donde buscar. Los sitios en Internet se han convertido en una de las mejores opciones en los últimos años de su popularidad. Gente como vos y yo que no encuentran al amor de su vida, encuentran en sitios para conocer gente en línea muchas opciones que en la vida cotidiana no pueden o no pretenden buscar.

La ventaja principal de estos sitios es que te permiten dejar atrás muchos prejuicios que llevamos a la hora de encontrarnos con alguien cara a cara. No te importa decir lo que piensas o enfrentar a alguien que quieres porque sabes que no pierdes nada si lo haces, solo puedes ganar.

Los sitios también son divididos en inter-grupos, es decir si eres de alguna religión o origen étnico, nacionalidad, hobbies, preferencias sexuales, etc. Si buscas a alguien que sea como tu, en los sitios de Internet lo puedes encontrar.

Otro de los beneficios de encontrar pareja en línea, es que lo puedes hacer en cualquier momento del día, desde cualquier computadora que desees. Si no puedes dormir, y estas sin nada que hacer, sabes que hay alguien del otro lado del monitor que se encuentra igual que ti. Puede ser en tu ciudad, o en cualquier otro lugar del mundo. Es también una manera muy prometedora para abrir tu mente y conocer otras culturas fuera de la tuya.

He oído muchas historias de parejas amigas que se conocieron por Internet en sitios como JDate, Date.com, y otros. Algunos viven juntos, otros están casados y muy felices, otros por supuesto no funcionaron pero lo intentaron.

Especialmente para aquellos que trabajan hasta tarde, y no tienen tiempo de salir a bares y conoces a alguien hacerlo en línea es ideal. (Especialmente sabiendo que en bares, la mayoría de la gente busca solo encuentros cortos de una noche, y no mas que eso.)

Otra de las ventajas de estos sitios es que la mayoría de los que están alistados realmente buscan pareja y no solo una noche de diversión. Algunos buscan solo diversión, pero encontraran a otros alistados en la misma sección, sin decepcionar a los que buscan pareja. Es todo muy organizado y fácil de llevar a cabo.

Este sistema es desde ya un gran cambio para los mayores de 40, que estaban acostumbrados a otro tipo de interacción para encontrar pareja. Sin embargo, no hay duda que Internet hace este proceso mucho mas fácil y posible para muchos. Pruébalo y veras!