So, I'm in Minnesota. Everything "they" say about the winter here is true. It's cold. And when I asked if this was typical I was told "no, this is great. we're in a hot spell". Thanks.

On my way I flew from Mendoza to Minneapolis via Santiago (Chile), Dallas, and St. Louis. The wine made it safe including not even paying to import 12 bottles. In 2000 when I was a grubby looking young person they gave me the full checkdown when I declared I was bringing in only 6 bottles. Was it my new style of wearing collared shirts? My baldness? Good luck? I may never know...

In Santiago I stopped at a German themed brewhaus. I've been craving a good beer and figured this would be a good intermediate point before hitting the delicious beers of the USA. In fact, the "rule of no hay" was in full effect and a place that only sells 3 beers was out of 2 of them! On top of that they misunderstood "hot dog chacarero" as "lomito chacarero" even though I pointed at the menu item. Oh well.

I got my two favorite pieces of airplane reading material - the economist and WIRED. WIRED had an article on how to get through the airport security check quickly which I loved. It was full of well thought out tips that could save you a ton of time, especially for frequent travelers. Since I've written about this before... the one new thing I learned was about putting your items through the x-ray machine in a strategic order. They suggested coat and shoes first so you can put them on, then bag (with the top open, ready to be refilled), then computer. This way you can get your stuff, reassemble it as quickly as possible, and get out of that space quickly. They recommended only re-assembling as much as is really necessary and then getting yourself completely together after you leave the checkpoint - especially true in Denver where you'll spend the next 10 minutes on a train which is perfect re-assembly time. Really brilliant.

Last night I had my first chipotle of 2008 which was also the first in 5 months. Longest burrito withdrawal to date. I also attended some strategy meetings for Ash Madia. While I disagree with a fair amount of his perspective politically (that's just how it is) I do think that in this race he is a great candidate for the district he would represent. It was also amazingly interesting to watch the strategy sessions and see how the campaign team communicates and, in general, how the machine works.