At 10:44 AM 12/9/99 -0500, you wrote: >Hi Karen, > > Sorry for the delays. I've been playing surrogate parent for a friend >who is on a business trip to China. I've been chauffeuring his son back >and forth to nursery school, taking his daughter to school to pick up the >fruit she sold to benefit the school, delivering the fruit and finding a >dentist for grandma, who is visiting from India. Got her to the dentist >and waited in line for her prescription, etc. Sounds pretty routine to a >parent of young kids but quite an eye opener for an ol' bachelor like me. Good for you! It doesn't matter whether you're a parent or not, taking care of someone _else's_ family is always more difficult! You're a good friend. Karen