My index finger was poised over my laptop's enter key, trembling and sweaty.
I hovered over that key longer than Jon Stewart's monologue at the opening
of this year's Oscars.

And what was with that boring monologue? I mean, the opening of the Academy
Awards used to be fun, creative and unique. Like the year Billy Crystal was
inserted by computer software into scenes from each best picture nomination.
Or the time Ellen DeGeneres was vacuuming the floor prior to the show
opening. Now that's entertainment

Speaking of the movies, although I only saw two of the five nominated films,
how did Juno not get the best picture Oscar? Juno is an amazing, empowering
story of a young girl's journey through her teen pregnancy. It is poignant,
powerful and so real. I laughed. I cried. A movie about old men won? I see
plenty of old men each time I get together with my golf buddies.

As long as we are talking about things that are poignant, I must say I that
I am so pleased that our new Eden Prairie mayor has not called a press
conference to announce that he gets lost trying to find the EP mall because
of our winding and confusing roadways. It is quite refreshing to have an
elected official who can actually drive to, park and walk into the mall for
shopping, a movie or dining. It really is not that tough. We probably don't
need Wayfinders or GPS to locate a building the size of a runway right next
to a busy highway in the heart of town.

Speaking of runways, there continues to be quite a bit of hand wringing over
what will be the eventual size and scope of the Flying Cloud airport. It
seems almost each week there is a letter to the editor or a full opinion
piece on this contentious issue. In my opinion, the airport is much like
having hemorrhoids. You have them, you know you have them, and they aren't
particularly enjoyable. But you have to live with them because, well, you
just do.

And speaking of hemorrhoids, I would guess it is no fun being on a long
plane ride when you have them, not that I would know. But this brings us
back to my trembling, sweaty finger poised over the "Enter" key of my
beloved Sony Vaio laptop computer.

Even though Eden Prairie spring break is five or six weeks away, plans for
the vacation have already been made, or with a punch of a button, will be
made. This is my situation. I sit quietly trying to calculate all that which
Expedia and Priceline cannot.

The flight to Orlando for the family will be $1,200, not bad. Hotel for five
nights a reasonable $200 a night. So there you have it. A family spring
break trip for just over $2,000. A bargain when, like me, you have a child
who only has one year of school left, and thus limited opportunities for a
bonding, family vacation.

But wait a minute, I thought to myself. What about the incidentals, meals,
car rental, park fees and the inevitable Mickey Mouse sweatshirt and limited
edition Snow White bottle opener. As I quickly calculate these items it
strikes me that daughter number two is going to want her own car this
summer, bringing our total number of cars to four. And that car will need to
be paid for (no, I won't steal it) and insured, maintained and fueled.

And didn't Minnesota just increase the gas tax to raise 6.6 billion dollars
for statewide transit projects?

If you are wondering where I am this weekend, I will be poised over my
"Enter" key, trembling and sweaty.