Katherine in Seattle

There is a lovely little throw pillow in our house embroidered with the words: "Paris is always a good idea."

It's this quote, and some required work travel (rough, I know!), that inspired my husband and I to visit France this spring. Armed with travel guides from Rick Steves, we ventured from the City of Lights, down to Provence and then Bordeaux.

The majority of our vacation in France was impromptu, from where to stay, what to see a ...

My hubby received major points this week when he returned from a work trip to Portland with a wonderful gift -- a laptop bag from Queen Bee Creations. This Pacific NW company was founded by Rebecca Pearcy. They produce messenger bags, purses, wallets, diaper bags and a number of accessories in a Portland studio they call "the hive."

My new messenger bag rocks in a number of ways; let me count them:

After two days of rain-soaked geekery at SXSW Interactive, my belly is full of tacos and the pages of my notebook are covered with new ideas. Here are some highlights, from mind-hacks to sparkler flash-mobs.

The orgasmatron is coming

Speakers at a panel called "Hack your brain for peak performance" gave us a glimpse into the world of mind-hacking, which involves improv ...