Can you believe it is February already? Well, as Virgil said, tempus fugit and all that. Gazing into my crystal ball I see 8 more weeks of winter (sorry, Punxatawny Phil, I beat you to it!), more terrifying and laughable political shenanigans (or is that terrifyingly laughable?) and more reasons than ever to be curious, educated, and opinionated. With that, here are some random bits of miscellany to get you through Wednesday.

1. TRAVEL – On Tuesday, American Airlines announced it was eliminating seat-back screens and improving WiFi. Huzzah, better WiFi! http://www.travelpulse.com/news/airlines/american-airlines-eliminating-seat-back-screens-improving-wi-fi.html
2. COFFEE – Alpha Dominche, maker of the visually striking immersion-style vacuum brewing Steampunk machine opens public showroom and progressive roastery café in Industry City, Brooklyn, N.Y today! Yay, COFFEE!!! http://dailycoffeenews.com/2017/01/31/alpha-dominche-opening-public-extraction-lab-in-brooklyn/
3. BOOKS – On this day in history  the Oxford English Dictionary debuts in 1884. Be still, my little word nerd heart. ❤️
4. TRAVEL – Norway Wants to Give Finland a Mountain For Its Birthday, because they can. http://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/norway-wants-give-finland-mountain-birthday/
5. TRAVEL – I am planning a road trip with the dog and need ideas on where to go. It should be within 6 hours of Metro Phoenix and be very dog friendly (large dog friendly). If you have any ideas, leave them in the comments and thank you!
6. GETTING THE MOST OUT OF LIFE – In case you need a regular dose of happiness, check out lastlemon.com. A lovely artist partnership that posts “Happiness Is” illustrations to Instagram every few hours here.