Mine isn't new-new; it's a 2nd-hander that was a much-appreciated gift from some friends when they upgraded. It's a MacBook, probably circa 2006, and after having the battery replaced it runs like a dream. It seems miraculous to me after years with my old G3 (which I still love, but geez...there was a lot of stuff that I just couldn't do on it at all.) A friend of mine has an Air, and she says there are issues with the DVD drive sometimes...it might be just too skinny.

Oh man, American elms. I remember in the 70s when the elm trees around my grandparents' house in the Baltimore suburbs started dying. That was sad - we all loved those trees. I'm glad your mom got to see the ones in Central Park. Tompkins Square Park has them too. And they're making a cautious comeback in Chicago.