Earlier this week I spent two nights at two different hotels that had exactly the same features. Both rooms were suites, both rooms had the fancy jetted tub, a balcony with a nice view, yadda, yadda, yadda. You get the picture. If you were to compare them, one to one, on a checklist, you'd have exactly the same features. But one of these hotels was so much nicer than the other as to make comparison a little ridiculous. What was it, I wondered, that made the difference? It wasn't the service, because at both places, the staff were great. It was a bunch of little - and not so little things.

Have you made yours? Mine is pretty simple: Get back to Hawaii, ASAP. Though I have this fantasy I'm rolling over in my head that involves going to Ethiopia, drinking coffee, seeing those churches cut out of stone. And oh, I want to go to Gwaii Hanas up in the Queen Charlotte islands to see the totem poles and noodle some more on why the Canadian First Nations people got a better - not perfect - but better deal than the Natives of the US. I wouldn't mind going back to Asia, though yes, this is turning out to be more of a wish list than a resolution sort of thing. Closer to real resolutions?

I'm a sucker for the wrap up. For the last week or so, I've been gathering "year in review" links to share with those who share my enjoyment at reading these things. There are two prevalent themes. Crazy stuff you can't believe happened, and whoa, fares are a roller coaster ride. It's been, it seems, a bad year for service as travelers got stuck with additional fees, cuts to in flight amenities, overworked and underpaid staff... throw in a financial crisis and it's not looking good for next year, either.

This famous Christmas cake is probably made from a combination of chopped and candied fruit, nuts, and spices, and likely soaked in brandy or rum. Fruitcake actually originated in very much the same form we see today way back to ancient Rome (so you could be holding a real historical artifact)!--Fruitcake, Where DOES it Come From?

The snow is piled up an inch deep on my laundry line. It stretches across to the hummingbird feeder post where the little guy sits, slurping down fresh fuel to get him through the next day of our crazy, extreme weather. And the airport, good lord, what a mess. Our The papers are having a field day with this newsworthy event. And if you're traveling, oh, I'm so sorry, it's not good, is it?