Jay Maynard

From CNN:

NEW YORK (AP) -- Margaret Johnson might have looked like an easy target.

But when a mugger tried to grab a chain off her neck Friday, the wheelchair-bound 56-year-old pulled out her licensed .357 pistol and shot him, police said.

That needs to happen more often.

The real surprise: Someone who isn't very well-connected could get a permit for a handgun in NYC?!

I got home from two weeks on the road, only to get to do it again. This time it's two weeks in Little Rock, with a trip to beautiful downtown Nodaway, IA for the Nodaway Corn Carnival Renaissance Faire on the weekend in between. (No, I am not making that up.)

One thing I've learned over the years of traveling is to be prepared before departing. I just got finished printing a travel package: air itinerary, boarding pass for the first leg of the trip, hotel reservations (four of them), maps to the hotel from the airport (three of them, since I'm staying in one hotel twice), car rental reservations (three of those), and directions to the faire. I don't have to refer to a lot of those very often, but it's a lot better to have them than not.

I've done most of the packing, though a few items will have to be packed tomorrow morning just before departure. It'll be good to get back home when it's done, though.