Because New Year's Day fell on a Saturday, we have today as a company holiday. It looks to be a busy day. I'll spend time with Mike and Lynn's computers, the one at their home and the one at Mike's office. Mike is looking for ideas about setting up a web site for his business. As with most things, we rarely have to choose between good and bad options; those choices are easy. With computers anyway, we have many, many good choices, including choices that didn't matter to you until you knew you had the choice. (For example, these keychain USB drives are extremely handy.) It's not unlike the first time you walk into Starbuck's and say, "I want a cup of coffee." The person behind the counter points at the menu board and the blood drains from your face.

The pain that Sandra's mother was experiencing appears to be gone. She and Woody went for a walk on the rail trail yesterday afternoon.

Sandra and I had a great time in Boston. We had lunch at Quincy Market. While we were waiting for our order at a Mexican restaurant, a woman came up to the counter and looked with interest at the array of side side dishes on display. Sandra urged the woman to step closer so that the restuarant staff could see her. She did so. The man behind the counter came over. They talked in brief, low tones. The man served a large plate of rice, much more than just a side order. The woman put a dollar on the counter. "That was nice of you," Sandra said. "She comes in here every day and gets the same thing. We try to help."

The Lion King at The Opera House. Both the show and the venue are stunningly wonderful. On our way out of the city, I got a bit lost, giving Sandra and me more time to talk enthusiastically about the music, visuals, and athleticism in the show. Eventually we found our way to the Mass Pike and home.

In an audience of 3,000 who were attending a show set in Africa with lyrics in Swahili and a predominantly black cast, I counted three black people in the audience.