Road trip

I haven't been to the Grand Canyon since I was a kid, and while I seem to have missed out on the falling mules, I can clearly remember my Dad yelling [from way back at the parking lot, practically] to my Mom: Erma! Get those kids away from there!! every time my brother and I tried to look over the edge.

So now I've got a trip planned for Christmas vacation 2007 to AZ: the Grand Canyon, coupla other spots, and maybe a side trip to Sedona [which somehow I've also missed]. If I spend my money wisely and well, and get lost on the way home, maybe I can even end up homeless and destitute on the streets of Denver.

Speaking of the Commonwealth Fund [I like that: common wealth], they've also put this report out recently: Mirror, Mirror on the Wall: An International Update on the Comparative Performance of American Health Care [warning: 40-page PDF] comparing the health care systems of the United Kingdom [leading the pack], Germany [2], Australia and New Zealand [tied for 3.5], Canada [5], and the US [dead last].

Consolation prize: We're first in spending.