A Very Twilight Birthday

This year, my daughter's birthday happened to fall on the same day as the opening of the movie "Twilight" which is her favorite book series at the moment - along with millions of other tweens, teens and moms across America, etc. For those of you who have no idea what this new "Twilight" craze is, it's over a series of books about a girl who falls in love with a vampire who doesn't drink human blood. Many of the tweens who were hooked on Harry Potter are now hooked on "Twilight," like B. B is a Twihard: meaning, she's not just into "Twilight" like Twilighters, or a few books like the Fanpires, but she's into all four of the books, the movie, and all things "Twilight" related.

Wanting to be a good mom, I thought it was important to know what my daughter was into, so I read the whole series, too. Since I liked them, I guess that makes me a Twimom. Well, I suppose that in and of itself wouldn't make me a full Twimom, but the rest of the activities I participated in with my daughter last week certainly qualify me for the status. (I've been informed by B that I'm not an official "Twilight Mom" until I register at their website. That's OK, I'm happy with my 'unofficial' Twimom status.)

See, a Twihard and a Twimom!

We started out with the Twilight pre-movie party at our local bookstore. There B and a bunch of her friends (accompanied by their moms) met to play Twilight-related games. I got into it at one point when they were playing a quote game and I realized I knew the answers to who said all the quotes. The girls running the party seemed impressed that I would jump in with a group of 20 or more Twihards - some of them in full costume to look like their favorite character. And I had a great time helping the girls dress B's friend D up in a toilet-paper version of "Bella's" prom dress, too. She liked it so much, she didn't want to take it off! Alas, we came in second.

On the 18th, we had a great opportunity for me to rack up some 'rock' points with my daughter. The Hot Topic stores are selling Twilight merchandise, and in true corporate synergy fashion, they had a cross-promotional tour going with the band Paramore (which has two songs on the movie soundtrack) and some of the teen stars from the movie. If you schlepped down to the Hot Topic store on Hollywood and Highland to buy a $30 tour shirt, you got a wristband entitling you to meet either the band or the movie stars at a poster signing following a mini-concert and a Q&A with the stars. One of B's friend's moms volunteered to go buy the shirts, and I volunteered to take the girls to the actual concert.

Now, this is the same tour that's been going to malls all around the country - begining with the fiasco in San Francisco where over 3,000 tweens and their moms mobbed the Hot Topic, requiring riot police to step in, etc. However, I didn't realize this until after we'd plopped down our money and I was committed to escorting my daughter and her two friends to the concert.

Paramore rocking the Kodak Theater Complex at Hollywood & Highland!

Thankfully, the Hot Topic team had learned a lot during their cross-country tour, so, as this was the final concert, they had the whole thing dialed in. We couldn't have asked for a better experience! One of B's friends has a physical disability, so when we arrived - all of us in our matching tour shirts - asking about their handicapped accommodations, the Hot Topic Team swooped in and gave us a spectacular place from which to watch the concert: they placed us at the head of the line for the poster signing, which happened to be just off the side of the stage.

The 3 Twihards, in our spot just off stage!

Not only did we wind up having a great view of the concert, but the team chatted us up and made sure the girls felt like V.I.P.s themselves. They took the girls to get glimpses of the female lead, Kristen Stewart, who played Bella, as well as taking them over to see the other stars who were being interviewed for Fox and T.V. Guide. (For those of you who are interested, that included the actors who played Jacob, Alice, Jasper, Rosalie & Emmett.) When the Hot Topic team realized the kids wouldn't be able to see the Q&A because of the screens that were erected for the stars to stand in front of, one of the guys volunteered to take the kids down to a place where they could see them but still get back to head up the line.

So can you imagine how happy these three girls were??? And B had never been to a rock concert before, much less had the opportunity to star gaze at her teen idols. I was really glad that I didn't lose my hearing, what with all the screeching that was going on!

Just a little happy??

We were so thankful for the extra opportunities the Hot Topic team gave the girls. As it was, the poster signing went by so quickly, the girls hardly had the chance to get out a 'hi' before we were being rushed out the door. Instead, they'd already had ample time to oogle the stars before we even headed to the signing. Being at the head of the line, the girls were having their picture taken by the local newspaper and they were even interviewed by the Fox morning news as they came out of the signing. They were so gobsmacked, they didn't say much, but one of B's friends made it onto Good Day LA the following morning, gushing about how she 'almost had a heart attack' when Taylor Lautner said hi to her.

Ready for the poster signing!

Of course, our Twilight birthday had to include the movie itself. B didn't want a traditional party. Instead she asked to be allowed to see the midnight showing of the movie - thus spending her first two hours of her birthday in the movie theater. I couldn't very well ask any of her friends parents to allow their kid go with us and miss a day of school, so I asked my niece instead. Although it meant spending hours sitting in line on a concrete walkway, we had a really good night together. As an added bonus since we were spending the next day at Disneyland, we stayed at the Disneyland Hotel since it was only 50 yards or so from the movie theater in Downtown Disney. What convenience!

Cousins killing time in line for the midnight showing of Twilight!

All I can hope is that I earned enough 'cool mom' points to last for a while! In any case, it was a lot of fun, and it was a great experience to share with B. Of course, B's already excited they've announced they're making "New Moon" - the next book in the series. So we get to do it all over again!! Woo hoo!!

Next year I'll buy one...

... a pumpkin pie, that is.

This year, as things played out, we're having the smallest Thanksgiving Day gathering ever for our fam. Just the four of us. So I decided to take on making the pie myself. Normally, there's pumpkin pie, apple pie, my French silk pie, and even some birthday cake (when you're having a group of 20+, that's not too much.) So everybody gets a little of whatever they want, and it's all good. But this year, seeing as how we had two b-days occur just before T-day, I knew we'd have leftover birthday cake to eat, which meant even a single pie would be more than we probably needed.

However, pumpkin pie is a requirement for Thanksgiving. Not having it would be like not having turkey. Yet I couldn't bring myself to buy one, which meant taking on the task of baking one, which I'd never done before. My big sis Judy is the baker in the family - famous for her pies and cheesecakes. But I never bothered to learn from her.

I love pumpkin pie, and so do the kids; however, M doesn't always. Supposedly it's a texture thing. So I found this recipe in my favorite T-day cookbook for a pie made with creme fraise which makes it more of a cross between a pie and a cheesecake. So I went for it. But as the evening wore on, I began to hate the line, "Set over hot but not boiling water (in a double boiler) and cook, stirring, until the mixture is hot and thick." That's all it said. No time given, like in the cranberry recipe where it said, "Stir constantly for about ten minutes over medium-high heat until the berries begin to pop and the liquid begins to thicken." Those were specific directions which resulted in cranberries so amazing that even my son couldn't get enough of them (when the only fruit he likes to eat are grapes or apples.) However, with the pumpkin pie, B and I took turns stirring for over a half hour with no noticeable change in thickness! I was hot, tired, and ready for bed, but I still had to make the meringue mixture, fold it in, and then bake the darn thing!!

I finally gave up on the 'thickening' requirement and decided that 40+ minutes was plenty. I finished up the mixture and poured it into my beautifully golden pie shell. That's when I realized I had way more mixture than I should. Thankfully, I'd gotten some mini tart shells (thinking I'd try to send some pumpkin pie to my nephew who is serving in Afghanistan). So I had those to fill with the extra mix. I threw them in the oven, did some chores while they baked, and reported back to the hot kitchen once the timer went off.

I peered at the pies. They didn't look done to me, but the toothpick came out clean. I guess that's because they aren't the usual thick, dense consistency that can crack. Also, the creme fraise made it a lot lighter color than usual.

Hmmm.... I guess we'll just have to see tomorrow. I sure hope it was worth it. All I know is it's after 11:30 and I'm exhausted! I hope they've cooled enough, because I have to go to bed!!

P.S. I tried one of my tartlets just after it cooled, and I was decidedly unimpressed. It was NOT a cross between a traditional pumpkin pie and a cheesecake. However, after Thanksgiving dinner, we simply were too stuffed to break into the full pie and decided to eat the last three tartlets instead for a 'small morsel'. I never understood how essential the chilling process was to pumpkin pies. There is definintely a reason they're refrigerated! It really made them set up nicely and gave them the promised cheesecake-consisency. I'm feeling much better about my first foray into pumpin-pie making and plan on serving the full-sized pie when we have relatives over on Sunday.

Identity Box

Recently, as an assignment for his Life Skills class, my son had to create an Identity Box. The concept was simple: wrap up a shoebox, put pictures on the outside which represent how people see you, and then put pictures on the inside which show the person you are that people don't see.

What was cool about it was the paper that went along with it. The students had to explain not only what the pictures were and why they chose them, but they had to conclude with a paragraph about what they learned from the experience of creating the box. I thought it was amazing that my son, a freshman, was able to see that people perceive him very differently from how he perceives himself, and he was OK with that. He realized it didn't matter how others saw him.

I mean, how often do we, even as adults, chafe against that? We either seem to try to conform to the 'roles' we've been assigned, or we try to prove that we're not what we seem to be.

I was telling one of my friends about the assignment, and was asked what I'd put on my box, and why. It was an interesting thing to consider.

Of course, Mary Poppins and Bree Van De Kamp (from Desperate Housewives) immediately came to mind. I think for a long time, as a mother I've idealized that role by trying to be very like the world's favorite nanny - Practically Perfect in Every Way. And I've been described by my friends as being Bree, but not just for my red hair. It's not that I'm a perfectionists so much as a planner. I tend to think through events, etc, and take the Girl Scout motto "Be Prepared" to heart. I never travel light, just ask Al! Both of these women are beautiful, smart, strong, and they always seem to have their acts together. They know what they're doing, yet are the penultimate caregivers - with never a hair out of place.

However, if you look at either of those women, they also have their down-sides. They are prim and proper without fail, they can seem to put protocol and etiquette before their emotional needs - almost to a fault. Do they ever let their hair down?

Think of Mary Poppins: she went to Uncle Albert's and had a tea party on the ceiling, singing along, without cracking a smile the entire time. Granted, when she thought it was appropriate, she popped through the chalk picture painting with the children and Bert, singing Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious all the while. But you still get the impression that she was more of a spectator, facilitating the fun for others, rather than actually experiencing the fun herself. She let go for a while after winning the horse race, but only for a little bit. Then she was back to business.

The same can be said for Bree, but with a slightly sadder twist. In the past few years that the show has been on the air, we've seen Bree be so proper, always with her gift-baskets of fresh-baked muffins, her perfect dinner parties, or with her secret recipe for her lemon meringue pie. Yet, what the outside world didn't see was the inner turmoil of her household, with her unruly children and the family's deep, dark secrets. I'm not saying that I'll cover up for my family; I've been touted as the herald in my extended-family which suffers from what I like to call Three Monkey's Syndrome. If they hear no evil, see no evil, and speak no evil, then it doesn't exist. Whereas I'm so tired of secrets, at times I seem to air our dirty laundry regardless of who is around. Overcompensating, I guess.

Yet Bree can throw a shindig like no other. That's why I have to be so careful now about what I volunteer to do. Because when I commit, I jump in fully with both feet. I don't do anything halfway. Heck, even going to Disneyland, I put on my Tour Guide Barbie hat and plan out the day so that it runs as smoothly and as perfectly as possible. Like I said, I'm a planner, I'm a helper, and I'm always willing to help out and do more than my share. It's just my nature; I learned it from my mom. In fact, often when I'm involved with an event, it's mom I'll call on to help me out, and there she'll be, doing whatever needs doing, without being asked. See a need, fill a need. Generous to a fault at times.

When it comes to the inside of the box, my first impulse was to say Tinkerbell. She's a cute, fun-loving, impulsive, devil-may-care, mischievous pixie. She's possessive and a bit vain, but also self-conscious (think of her measuring her lovely curvy hips while standing on the hand-mirror.) Besides, I've been known to stomp my foot in frustration on occasion, especially when being teased. Not to mention that she can fly, and with a little bit of her dust, she can help you to fly, too!

I think she represents Fun Me - the Me I'm trying harder and harder to let out for all to see. She's the Glamour Pi who does the Vacation Dance, who laughs so loudly that people turn and look, and who just loves to have fun. She's the one I let out when I went to Disneyland with Al for our birthdays last year. While Tour Guide Barbie had planned things out, she wasn't invited along. I fully participated in the experience, running and laughing all over the Happiest Place on Earth as if I was a kid. No spectator role for me; it was all about embracing the fun in the moment with both arms. We found joy in everything - from growling like bears at Grizzly Peak, laughing until our sides hurt at the picture from the Tower of Terror, clapping like a little girl when the submarine captain wished us Happy Birthday, working the water pump like crazy on Pirate's Lair, singing along on Pirates of the Caribbean, not to mention shouting with glee at the birthday balloons, chocolates and buttons left for us by the housekeeping staff. On that trip, we didn't derive happiness from the experiences in life, but how we experienced life.

There's also the ill me. The one with FM. When I was first diagnosed, I was so happy that, after 17 years of suffering, I finally had a name to what ailed me. I e-mailed my closest friends, and their responses shook me. Some of them were downright shocked, because I'd never, ever shown them anything less than the peppy, 110% energetic, with-it, go-getter. I'd hidden away on the days when the pain hit, or the exhaustion overwhelmed me. When my flare-up occurred in 2005, I couldn't run around like a mad-woman, power-walking all over campus. I struggled to limp across campus, holding back tears as I shopped at Costco. That's the fragile, vulnerable me - the one most people don't see. But it's OK to be weak, to be vulnerable, to need help. To be human instead of Superhuman.

And then there's the yogi. The peaceful me. The calm me. The one who finds that mind-body connection to relax every muscle in my body. The me called upon by my closest friends to reassure them during childbirth, to calm them as they await surgeries. That's the quiet side of me that many don't realize is there, but which gets me through the day.

So what did I learn? Well, I learned that I'm trying to share more of my many sides. Not only do I need to let people see the Mary Poppins and Bree, but I'm trying to expose Tink who is so fun to be with and the FM me who needs help at times. Not to mention sharing the peace, calm and joy that the yogi in me can bring.

Allow me a sappy metaphor:

If we think of ourselves as a precious gemstone with many facets, it's not just one facet that catches the eye, it's the many together which create a dazzling whole, as we catch the light and throw it back into the world.

Be well.

T'is the pirate Cap'n Jack Sparrow! Arrgh!

September 19 is International Talk Like A Pirate Day, so sit back and relax a spell because I'd be havin' a pirate yarn to spin.

(Don't worry, it's too hard to tell the entire story in pirate-speak, so I'll save you the headache of trying to figure out my meaning.)

Before school started, I took the kids on our traditional ‘last summer hurrah’ to Disneyland.

J, D & B

We usually go the Wednesday before Labor Day, as many schools have started back up and the crowds are much smaller. We were lucky and it wasn’t all that hot. We had a great day, as usual. We go to Disneyland a lot, but each time we try to find something special about the trip. This time, it was Captain Jack Sparrow.

Since the Pirates of the Caribbean movies are so popular, they’ve converted Tom Sawyer’s Island into Pirate’s Lair. They’ve added some cool treasure troves, ships and pirate/ghost/skeleton effects all over the island, so it’s even more fun to explore now. Well, the Island’s always been a place for me to take a break; I usually find a place to sit in the shade while the kids run all over the island, checking back in with me every five minutes or so.

B & N in one of the Bone Cages from Pirates 2

On this trip, my daughter B’s friend N and her mom had gone with us. The girls had taken off, and the other mom and I met up with my son D after he’d run around for a bit. We got to the end of the island (or as far as you can go) past the old fort, which is where Jack Sparrow sits among a huge pile of pirate’s treasure. We’d taken turns having our pictures taken with him, and then we were trying to reach the girls on their cell phones so they could come and have their pictures taken, too.

Well, there really wasn’t anyone else around, and Jack was bored, so he came over to us and started chatting us up. He took my camera and started taking pictures of us, himself, and random strangers.

Jack's Self-Portrait

When my son was on the phone with my daughter, Jack asked for the phone, and sure enough, he started talking to B and her friend over the phone. Well, the girls started screaming and screeching, as tween girls will, which Jack thought was funny.

Jack talking to B on D's cell phone.

Upon hearing that shy N wouldn’t come meet him, he asked us where they were. When D said, “At the tree house,” Jack said, “Then off we go!” And before we knew it, we were following Jack Sparrow on a search for my daughter and her friend. It was kind of funny, as he’d have to stop periodically to take a picture or sign an autograph, but he was on a mission and kept pressing on. Before we knew it, we had a small group of people following Jack – not even knowing what he was up to. When we found the girls, N ran away screaming, and Jack chased her down! Which included a rather wild run across the suspended bridge. It was all rather funny (although N was so embarrassed that she didn’t think so), and he took pictures with us and then all of the other folks who had followed him on his chase. I even managed to take some video of the hunt and chase, although I’d turned my phone vertical for some reason, so now I have to put it through some filter so it will show correctly.

It’s adventures like that which make me love going to Disneyland. I mean, how many people have proof that Jack Sparrow hijacked their camera? You usually just get a standard photo, handshake and an autograph.

A Standard Photo

One after a fun chase.

Although we won't be going to Disneyland to celebrate International Talk Like a Pirate Day this year like we did last (because we've already scheduled to go on the 30th when the kids are out of school for Rosh Hashannah), we'll be there in spirit.

Aarrgh, me mateys! So be havin' a fine time using your pirate-speak, because if ye can't laugh, ye'd better have a pint o' grog and and join in the fun, or ye'll be havin' to walk the plank!

Me and the kido's having a ditch day from school to celebrate
International Talk Like A Pirate Day 2007.

Grrrr... Animals!

Last Sunday, my kids and I had a chance to go to the zoo. It was incredibly hot, but I had a great time. Heck, a baby was involved, so it had to be fun! We went with my big sis, my niece, my niece-in-law, and my great-niece. (That's a lot of nieces, especially for someone who has so many nephews!) Care is 18 months and is quite the independent handful. She's beyond confident; she's fearless!

Usually when we hang out with the babies, I'm the one behind the camera, so I don't really spend all that much time interacting with them. Care loves my daughter though, and on this trip she even asked my son to hold her. He didn't quite know what to do,but when she looks at you and says, "Up, pees?" how can you say no?

I was quite excited when she spontaneously held my hand, but I was beside myself when she asked me to hold her. Apparently, even my wide-brimmed hat wasn't enough to scare her off. (I know the photo isn't all that flattering, but it's the only one I got.)

We looked at the lions, the giraffes, monkeys and elephants together. When I asked her if she wanted to see the lions, she growled. When asked what the monkeys say, she said, "Ooh, ooh, ooh!"

Since she's obviously learning her animal sounds, I made sure to teach her a new one. Elephant. Yep, I can trumpet like a heffalump! The first time I did it, Care looked surprised, but after that she watched me intently to see how I did it. Sure enough, within a few minutes she was at it herself - much to her mother's joy. (I didn't want to take on giraffes. Even I'm stumped by that one!)

My kids say I'm baby crazy - mostly because I change the tone of my voice (it gets more high-pitched), speak excitedly, and smile non-stop when interacting with them. If that makes me baby crazy, well, I guess I am. They're just so darn cute! And to me, nothing can beat the sense of trust a little one has when they grasp as many of your fingers as they can wrap their hand around. Wait, I take that back. They can trump that by snuggling their head onto your shoulder as you hold them. It's pure bliss!

Here's Care (with a very dirty face encrusted with sand and blackberries) giving me a hug of her own volition a few weeks ago when we went to the beach. She just melted my heart!

Love to Laugh!

A couple of days ago, my niece-in-law was talking about a post she'd seen on Sweet Juniper and how it had made her crack up. Always up for a laugh, I took a look. Heck, it was worth it just for the picture of this woman's kids alone! But the post itself was so well-written, I was jealous. Heck, it rambled a bit, including plenty of intelligent references and "SAT words", but she brought it back around to a great punch line. She talked about child prodigies, how she hates them, and how her kids would never be one - especially with her as a parent.

And I respect someone who can laugh at themselves.

In fact, I mistrust anyone who can't!

Anytime I come across something I find extremely amusing, I like to share it with those who are near and dear to me. I sent the link to my husband, but he just didn't get it. True, he was in a bit of a mood, and he finds my sense of humor odd even on good days (my family knows to pause the TV or movie if there's anything involving kids and/or animals because I will laugh so loudly and so hard that no one will be able to hear any dialog until I stop), so I wasn't all that surprised. However, later in the day he tried to return the favor by sending me a link to Cake Wrecks.

I didn't get it.

Well, I got it, but it didn't make me laugh. I felt sorry for the bride who had wanted a beautiful tartan wedding cake and got a mound of melted frosting instead. However, I kept reading the post, including the comments, and found that there were quite a few people who thought the site and its contents were truly amusing.

Not being one to give up easily, I started looking around. I checked out the fan favorites, and before you knew it, I was chuckling along. My daughter heard me and came out of her room to investigate. (She said I was keeping her awake, but she was having a sleep-over, so there was no way she was asleep anyway.) So she, her friend, and I all had fun clicking around the site until I finally came across something that made me laugh so hard I couldn't breathe.

Now, I know everyone's sense of humor differs, and that different things will strike each of us as funny. But I'm dying to know which of the Cake Wrecks other people (especially those I know) will find amusing.

I'm thinking the Naked Mohawk-Baby Carrot Jockeys got me because the humor level had been a gradually building up as I looked around the site. Or maybe that it was just having to do with babies and food. Or perhaps it was because the cake was obviously one of those big sheets from Costco which is already individually portioned and marked with frosting so everyone gets an equal-sized piece with it's own individual frosting-carrot on top. Or maybe it was simply because someone bought said cake for a baby shower and decided that the way to 'theme it up' for the party was to put little plastic babies on top of the carrots. Someone, somewhere, thought that was a good idea!

But then again, looking at the Play It Again Wrecks, someone thought it was good to make a cake shaped like a bride, or a baby, or even like a pregnant woman's belly. But how is it that taking a round cake, attaching legs to it and making it look like a baby's tush (complete with diaper) sounds good to anyone? I for one do NOT want to eat anything from a diaper - topped with frosting or not! And I am not even going to go near the wart-encrusted feet. You're going to eat THAT?!?

I haven't touched on the cakes with spelling and grammar errors. Mare, you should have fun with those. I particularly liked "Time to Par-tay! Cuz it a gril!"

Now, I know it isn't nice to laugh at other people's misfortunes. However, please keep in mind that these same people are the ones who submitted their cake-tastrophies to the site. Thankfully, somehow, they saw their misfortunes for what they were (bad, yes; life-alteringly tragic, no) and shared them with others simply with the hope that we would laugh with them. And I have to give them credit for that.

Because as I've said before, sometimes if we don't laugh, we'll cry, and I'd much rather laugh than cry!

Eddie, In-Laws & a Spelling Bee

Well, the last two weeks have been just chock full! My in-laws came into town, so we had all the frenzy that getting ready for a visit entails, as well as the visit itself. However, we had a lovely time and were really glad it went well. Not that we expected it not to... but you never know with those things.

My son has spent the summer in a theater arts workshop, which culminated with a performance of "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee." What a hilarious play! He played 'Leaf Coneybear', a district runner-up whose technique is to seem completely distracted and scatterbrained until the word comes to him like he's possessed - cross eyed, gruff voice and all. I don't think my son has ever made me laugh so much in his life, and he's usually a pretty funny kid!

But the thing I've been waiting for since February was going to see Eddie Izzard in concert at the Kodak Theater. I've seen him several times, sometimes in rather intimate settings during his work-in-progress, but I've never seen him in a theater as big as that. It was pretty darn amazing.
Here I am in my souvenir t-shirt. In "Dress to Kill," Eddie does a bit about how the Spanish Inquisition never would have worked in Britain. It would have been something like: "Tea and cake or death! Um... cake, please!" So I had to get this shirt.

Of course, to make the evening perfect, Al went with me. I just love having a blast with her! You know it's great when you have a friend you can crack up with, even before the comedy show and without any 'social lubrication.'

After we'd parked the car, we were trying to come up with a mnemonic to remember where we'd parked. Well, it was "3H," so I came up with Hollywood and Highland (where the Kodak is located.) Of course, being downtown Hollywood, it also used to be where 'the ladies of the night' used to work - like in "Pretty Woman." That is, before they cleaned it up and Disney moved into town at the El Capitan Theater across the street. (Yes, Times Square, we Angelenos can sympathize with the Disney sanitizing effect - although I think we like it.) So Al said the only other "H" she could think of was "Ho." We quickly morphed it into "Ho, ho, ho" and went off into peals of laughter. At that very moment, we were approached by some promoter, asking us if we'd been drinking yet that evening. You know, I think he was genuinely surprised when I said "No, I don't drink at all!" He asked, "Really??" To which I replied, "Nope! Not a drop!" I left him standing there with his mouth agape. He didn't know what to say to that! He must have thought we were completely sauced already!

I'm just so lucky to have a friend like Al! We should all be so fortunate to have someone who 'gets us' - laughing at us and with us. Glamour Pi forever!