Jim McManus writes about the World Series of Poker for Harper’s Magazine and decides he can tell the story best if he actually competes — and he makes it to the final round!

It’s nice to have vacation time to sit and read.

I am three chapters into this article from Edmunds.com (the car people) by a reporter who went undercover to work sales at a new car lot, and then later at a used car lot. It’s a long piece (for a web article…or even a magazine article) but supposedly he gets into the inner workings of the whole she-bang.

??The process begins by asking the customer how much they want for a monthly payment. Usually, they say, about $300. “Then, you just say, ‘$300… up to?’ And they’ll say, ‘Well, $350.’ Now they’ve just bumped themselves $50 a month. That’s huge.” You then fill in $350 under the monthly payment box. … I later found out this little phrase “Up to?” was a joke around the dealership. When salesmen or women passed each other in the hallways, they would say, “Up to?” and break out laughing.??

My mother always traveled with a pillow and she swore it’s absence would prevent her sleeping. Early into my travels this week I have identified an item that would be detrimental had I not brought it along: my Oral B Battery Toothbrush . This little gem has turned my dental visits into a walk in the park and on vacation it’s a portable clean teeth machine. The difference between this device and a standard unpowered toothbrush is the difference between candlelight and electric light. And if you’re using another brand of powered toothbrush, the difference between those and Oral B is the difference between Yugo and BMW. (I’ve been through 3 other powered toothbrush brands.) It is a tad more expensive, but you won’t regret this purchase when your dental hygenist comments on how clean your teeth are.