OK, I took my remote to the electronics store to have it checked out. The guy in the TV department loaded it with batteries, aimed at a wall full of TVs and VCR's, and voila! The remote worked. Every machine responded properly. So, I bought batteries (and while I was there I bought my wife some NiMH rechargeables and a charger for her digital camera) and headed home.

I was so excited... put the batteries in the remote, took aim and NOTHING. The damn remote wouldn't control the VCR. Not even the POWER button did anything! So you say, it's not the remote, it's the VCR. Well, how do you explain that the other universal remotes that I use for various purposes ALL have the ability to turn the VCR on/off, to change channels, to fast-forward, rewind, play, stop, even record. The only remote that doesn't work is the one that came with the unit. So why do I need it? Because the only way to PROGRAM this VCR to record a program some time in the future is by using the remote. And the universal remotes don't have all the right buttons.

Arrrrggghhhh!

So, I ended up using the other VCR (the one that's upstairs in the common TV room - where anyone could accidentally turn it off, or eject my tape to watch one of their own). I left a note, threatening bodily harm to anyone who screws with my program, then I headed out to work.

Well, you should have seen me drive back from training. It's a good hour to work, that's with traffic being not very heavy. And that's in good weather. It's snowing today, and snowing steadily. I got out of class at 8:19PM. My program was scheduled to start at 9:00PM. At 8:58PM, I arrived home. I just drove 36 miles in 39 minutes, crossed an international border, went through customs, and about 10 miles of that drive was on city streets - while it was snowing.

Yes, there were several close calls, and no, I don't want to talk about them right now. But I got home in time to watch "24". Life could not be better.

Then, finally, after that, I had to take a break to eat. So, I went out for fast food takeout, and returned home by 10:20PM to watch the remainder of "Philly".

Let's see, what else is happening. I called a couple of lawn services today. One has already come to the house and left an estimate. The other will be coming tomorrow. My wife was impressed that I hadn't forgotten. My question is "why was she surprised?". I think I should be insulted.

Tomorrow is my wife's day off. Among the things she wants to accomplish tomorrow is buying a new mattress for the guest room. I guess she's finally had enough of my snoring. Could this be the first step to sleeping in separate rooms permanently? God, I hope not. We only have one alarm clock!