To all of you that I owe e-mails, my sincere apologies. The last few weeks have been so busy, I've been tempted to roll up the door mat, lock the door, unplug the phone and hide.

To the programmer who mutated the netsky virus so fast on Wednesday that our software maker couldn't keep up, despite updates that were coming in every twenty minutes or so, I wish boils, hives and for your feet to hit every puddle you near for the rest of your life. We only had one computer infected but it sent me and the server over four thousand virus messages each in only thirty minutes.

For Old Man Winter who just has to always remind us that we are living in Minnesota and who decided to play a little prank on those of us who happened to be out and about St. Paul late this morning - oh why do I even bother... Hey, if you can't put twenty years of winter driving experience to good use why even have it? Those of you with snow and ice know the drill: pump those brakes, turn into a skid, turn into a skid, turn into a skid (when the skid turns into a fishtail), repeat "please stop, please stop, please stop" over and over again (try to stop saying this once you have stopped), repeat "please stop, please stop, please stop" over and over again while watching the car behind you, beside you, perpendicular to you slide closer and closer, avoid bridges (right) and be careful on exit and entry ramps and hills. I just wish my hands would stop shaking.