Quiet before the storm

It was a dark and stormy night...well, not exactly, as it is still daytime as I write this but it will be a dark story night as a significant storm is apparently headed this way. There is even the possibility of a thunderstorm in all of this. Well, tonight I will be thousands of miles away in Spain via the San Francisco Opera's production of Carmen at the War Memorial Opera House. At the moment, however it seems eerily quiet in my apartment building. I probably shouldn't jinx myself but I am wondering where my noisy neighbors are at the moment. Ha! One good thing about these storms, our temperatures have moderated considerably from a few weeks ago when it actually felt like winter was coming on.

My Christmas shopping is almost complete except for adding some small items to two "care packages" I am creating for friends. I should be able to complete those things during the next two days I hope as one gift will be delivered on the 21st and the other sometime just before the weekend of the 23rd/24th. I know there is a fair amount of time left but I do not like leaving things to the last minute especially when I am subject to change the contents of a gift.

I still have not solved the sound problems with this computer since my upgrade to Windows XP. Even Arlen Specter at PC World Magazine apparently can't come up with an answer. Oh, I have sound, in some things but most of my Windows system sounds such as mail notify for example, do not work. Nor can I view a website with an imbedded news story and hear the sound from the news clip. The video is fine however. Also, if people send me e-greeting cards, the graphics work but the sound that is supposed to accompany the cards does not play. I have uninstalled and re-instaled the sound card drivers several times but nothing has helped. This is an annoying little problem which is driving me up the wall. It is also driving me to drink. (BURP!) Oh, excuse me. Gotta run now... See ya...