I am glad the good outweighed the bad. Such days are frequently too rare.

Thank you. Yes. They are to be valued when they come around.

Not because I particularly like phones, but because it does what I need in a way that makes some allowance for my quirky issues with that sort of technology

Mine is flip-open! It has keys. It makes calls and sends texts and that's all it does (it takes very bad pictures). I do not want to have to replace it with an iPhone or a Blackberry or anything shinier; it is archaic and I love it. I am really hoping it keeps on.

I am very envious of you for the lobster, which clearly means it's time to acquire some of my own.

Except in cases of allergy, I always say it's time to acquire lobster.

but I grew up with it, and I still think it expresses the better ideals to which this country has aspired since its inception.

And no one was ever more idealistically cranky than William Daniels' John Adams.