My new passport just arrived, taking only 13 calendar days to process, which is very impressive. And at the risk of waxing patriotic, each page is beautifully watermarked with an Americana panorama along with an inspiring quotation to match the scene. I don’t exaggerate that these new passports are almost a work of art.

And the best part is that my updated picture has no beard, so I won't get an evil-eyed once-over when traversing immigration.

I just hope that there aren’t any nasty $17 first class European or Asian mistake fares on the horizon, as I’d hate to ugly up the beautiful pages with messy immigration stamps.