A WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS GIFT...UNEXPECTEDLY!

When I came home from work yesterday, my son asked me to look at the loveseat. There was a large box, which instantly brought cheer to my holiday. UPS had come through, although I was not expecting it this soon.

It was my main computer, freshly repaired by the good folks at Gateway. They had replaced the motherboard, CD Drive, and hard drive, so it was in worse shape than I had imagined. I had sent it to Gateway's repair support shop in Dallas after reporting what I had believed was further issues with the power supply (which they had already replaced). So now I have all the features which my backup computer --- an IBM Aptiva using Windows 95 --- could not handle. The IBM has been and remains a good backup for online use and e-mail, but the programs it uses are not compatable with many of those offered with the newer machines.

My son had it most of last night after we installed everything, as he hasn't been able to play his games with the IBM. My daughter and her boyfriend gave him a couple of PlayStation games today, so he's enamoured with those while I get the 'puter.

M E R R Y C H R I S T M A S T O E V E R Y O N E !