Good Sunday Morning to all the Dish!I am so delighted to hear that the early Christmas with all the kids (adult and minor) is fun. Alane, I feel your pain since I am sure you are the only adult carrying on with normal duties.

(In a call back to an earlier post, all the whistles at our house mysteriously lost their little noise maker balls soon after their arrival at the house. The kids would blow and blow and I would admit to no tampering but wonder aloud about how that could happen. If you can't pop the ball out with a nail file, pull the two halves apart and superglue them back together after children have gone to sleep for the night. Old age and treachery overcomes youth and enthusiasm.)

Tarka and I enjoyed a leisurely breakfast after a midnight call from a panic-filled friend sent me out until nearly 2 AM repairing a computer and educating a user. It was a PEBCAP error but it went kernel-deep. I spent many hours while diabetic cat sitting this last week updating a PII and tricking it out to think it could run AOL 9.0 and a new printer. I left it in hibernate mode with a note that said, "Call Me FIRST." The aforementioned person saw the blank screen and pulled the plug on the computer instead of wiggling, jiggling, jostling or otherwise waking computer out of it's slumber or calling me. SO. . .at 11PM CT I received a phone call asking me to drive in to Omaha to fix it because she is a power seller on eBay. . .and has sniping to do, things to sell and money to make. . .Three hours later the computer was returned to working order my friend had a large lesson in disgraceful shutdowns and how to use the new software. . .she inconvenienced a few electrons to say the least.

I actually was happy to do it although I had already spent the evening doing one of my least favorite things: Christmas shopping. And not even for family! I shopped for Joe's HAM radio club's Christmas party. Said club president and I will be heading out here in a few minutes to take advantage of a 25% off coupon Airport Guy's college buddy shared with us. . .I am a much better geekette than girlie girl so last night's shopping was filled with 'Yeah, that's really cute. Oh, I bet that will look great on your mantle along with the six you bought already and told me about over salad at Applebee's.' I don't fake sincerity well, so she finally suggested I go home and rest because I was looking like I was in pain. I was. Mental pain. But I volunteered to subject myself to another day of said. Airport Guy, if that isn't true love, I don't know what is. . .

Have lots of fun on the country's right-hand coast and enjoy the gaming. May I suggest a spot of limoncello for breakfast as the hair of the dog that bit both John and yourself. . .and an anesthesia before visiting the castle. . .