Yo Yoel! Ho!  And other seasonal sounds.  We have been silent for lo
these many months because (as I think you were informed) we wuz on the
road.  Had a swell time of it too.  See attached.
        Are the Geminids worth watching?  (The August ones are loosely called
the "Pleiades," no?)
        Am seriously seeking employment at present.  if I don't find any, well,
hell, I should come to Hawaii.  there are possible glimmerings on the
horizon that we may be able to leave Texas, but it's really too soon to
tell.  Our house tried to kill us on the first night we were back.  We
had the furnace on for a while then (thankfully) turned it off.  Both
awaoke with SPLITTING headaches (a rarity for me).  Sure enough, it was
pumping out huge quantities of CO.  Am presently duelling with the
"appliance insurance" company (one of those things you can buy at close
of escrow, and worth it in this case) as to how much they will pay for
such a thing. . ..
        Am presently trying to 1. lose Italian fat; 2.Get my ancient 8086 [! --
Ed. note] laptop working;  3.  Find work; 4.  Cope with Xmas, probably
5. Clean my desk (a major task);  6.  Catch up on movies and
correspondence;  7. Read a history of the CIA.  Am hoping to hook up
with Jim and Sarah in Tahoe in February for a spot of skiing (assuming
that I still remember how).  
        We are still wrestling with the Seattle vs. Portland issue should we
leave Texas, and seem to be leaning towards Seattle.  Do you have any
thoughts on the question?
        I never did find that microphone. . .