Just got back from a 5-day getaway at the Riu Hotel in Paradise Island. All you can eat and drink for 5 days, plus an awesome beach, super-clear (and warm) ocean water, and a pool to match. I won't bore you with the mundane details of it all, but there were some blogworthy occurences to mention

-- An 8-yr old Bahamanian kid who sat next my wife on the plane down there told her he'd been on many planes, but never one that crashed. He asked my wife if she'd ever been on one that crashed. It's always great to see kids with goals...

-- If anyone was wondering where all the smokers went after American cities starting banning smoking in public places, fear not - I now know the answer. It seems "all you can drink" also draws the "all you can smoke crowd." Before this weekend, I might have told you it was impossible to smoke a cigarette while swimming, but not anymore...

-- During our stay, a Bahamanian couple got married on the beach. Very beautiful, very romantic, yadda yadda yadda. That night, the groom was sitting at a blackjack table with us, losing $100 a hand. On his wedding night. Without his wife. Prognosis is not good...

-- Speaking of the blackjack tables, and mostly because Jeff will ask, there is no Texas Hold'em in Paradise Island. Just some video poker, slots, and the usual array of table games. I lost some money up front, but got hot at thw blackjack table the last night and walked away with an extra $200 for the weekend. No complaints here...

-- Had lunch in the airport Burger King on the trip home. The french fries came in one of those molded paper containers as per usual, but this one was labeled a "Frypod." Shouldn't someone be suing someone about this?

-- Also on the trip home, our plane flew over a rainbow. Got to see the whole circle - very cool. As the songwriter wrote, "Somewhere over the rainbow, bluebirds fly. Birds fly over the rainbow, why oh why can't I?"