Recently I’ve found a bunch of handy uses for snapping digital photos (with my iPhone which is always in my pocket). If anyone reads this, please add yours to my list!

• taking a quick photo of which section I parked in at the airport or a sporting event
• backing up my pilot logbook by taking photos of the pages (my iPhone photos are backed up online so it’s a pretty safe backup)
• photographing clothing items I leave in a secondary residence so the next time I go I can quickly reference what items I already have there
• sending a photo of a grocery item to someone to ask if it’s the correct one
• reverse camera on the iPhone to act as a mirror (any spinach in the teeth?)

My precious friend, Ruthie, isn’t traveling this summer; so she’s decided to take the opportunity to explore the paradise that is right in our backyard in San Diego. She’s going to enjoy the beaches and mountains, acting as a tourist and relishing the local places people travel miles to see. I think that’s the coolest challenge! I’d like to make a list of all of the neat things to do at home, and start making more of a point of savoring those.

Another silly thing that pleases me is the packing checklist I created this past year. It always drives me crazy when I’m getting ready to travel and I stress out over trying to think of everything I need to pack. So, rather than trying to think from scratch each time of all that I need to bring, I created a checklist. Now, each time I travel I print it out and I am sure to remember at least the basics and I don’t have to reinvent the wheel each time. I modified it the first few times I traveled and realized I’d omitted items (like a watch which is something I don’t wear daily but like to have when I’m traveling). Now I’ve added special sections for ski clothes, road trip items, tropical vacations, etc. It’s so basic, but each time I use it I’m so pleased with myself. And I don’t have to worry anymore about what I’m forgetting. Ah, simple pleasures. I love figuring out ways to do things a bit more smoothly.

My silliest triumph of 2008 was determining the EXACT number of seconds to nuke a mini-bag of popcorn in my microwave  to maximize the number of popped kernels without burning it – (2:25). I have no idea why this is so satisfying.

Courtesy of Joey Hernandez- when the condensation on your drink causes it to stick to the cocktail napkin when you try to pick it up to drink, sprinkle a little bit of salt onto the napkin and it no longer sticks – Works like a charm!