"curmudgeon" Hey Linda - I thoroughly enjoyed your story, even though I have no idea what that word means, so it haunted me as I finished the story. I loved the trivia about the tuna ice cream, something I'd never try, though oddly enough, I swear we had tuna casserole last night, and ice cream for dessert! As for your thoughts about comments, I agree with most of your valid points, though I must admit, I'm actually one of those people who tends to use the word "actually" perhaps a bit too much (but not actually in a condescending way :-). Thanks for sharing (oops!)