Asking how somebody’s vacation was, Miss Manners tell us, is in a category with questions about a new baby or home improvement: Nobody really wants to know. So when you get back home and someone asks about your vacation, the proper response (and I paraphrase) is, "Great. Have you had one yet?" Your friend may follow up with a question about the weather, to which you should respond, "Wonderful, but I bet it was hot here."
It is only by practicing such self-restraint that the returned vacationer is able to identify potential listeners who have some genuine interest. These are the ones who insist on setting a time when such a conversation can be held, and who say raptly and rashly, "Okay, now tell me from the beginning, and I hope you brought pictures."
It is toward this latter category of people that I will be directing some anecdotes and pictures from my trip to Mexico, which I plan to post here over the next couple weeks. I don’t imagine any reasonable person is eager to learn about my whereabouts at any given moment, but you might want to know more about Mexico, as it is a nice place.
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