Magazines are heavy on the visual elements. A story without a picture? No sirree. Back when I was writing my column on honeymoons (set to appear in the January Weddings in Style issue), I had to trawl through endless websites of stunning and gorgeous locations—poor me. Now I'm tracking down the photos to go along with the column, often soliciting them from the tourism bureaus associated with my locations.
I find myself trying to pick the vista or the scene that will most appeal to someone planning a romantic getaway. Is it the cozy veranda with two glasses of wine catching a sparkle from the sunset? A stretch of beach inviting two lovers to frolic barefoot through the surf? The trick is to get a good variety, so at least something will appeal to the reader.
The only picture on which I remain undecided has been photobombed by a middle aged man's bare and unseemly leg. This inspires neither enchantment nor romance. Men, please, sit with decorum in horse-drawn carriages. You never know when you may be part of a photo-op.
Setting that colorful business aside, I delved into some more fact checking in a realm I barely understand: technology. Thankfully the Internet is full of information on every topic for every experience level. How did people check facts before the Internet? I'm honestly boggled. No, don't tell me—I'll just feel guilty. It's sort of amusing that I'm using technology to try to make sense of technology. I'm in some kind of technology vortex with no idea how I got here. A technology column in LVS is definitely called for!
