(A handfull of unrelated off-topic topics...)

Okay folks, I'm back "on the job" - returned to find over _200_ messages 
in my in box... and almost half of those are FB list messages. Obviously 
the server did _not_ go down again, or if so, not for long. You folks 
have been busy! I'll be reading these & catching up somewhat slowly; I'm 
moving quite slowly on everything this week thanks to a bad cold and ribs 
broken while ice-skating on a frozen lake. <sigh> Us Texans just ain't 
used to that ice stuff!

If anybody broke the rules while I was off playing in the Canadian snow 
and ice, consider yourself "spanked", and when/if I ever get all these 
messages read, I'll probably not bother making it an official "spanking". 
A late Christmas present. Speaking of which, off-topic postings are 
against the rules, but I've never enforced that about Christmas 
messages... within reason!

Just had supper (pizza, of course!) with the fifth list-member I've met 
"in person"; our resident Hawaiian, Derek Smith, is in Dallas/Ft. Worth 
for the holidays. Anyone else coming through here, remember to let me 
know!

Bill