Maybe I am lucky or my SO is special but we have come to an equilibrium. She has a few pieces of sailing and tennis equipment scattered around the property and I have lots of computer stuff. Last week she was looking for the lawn swings and looked in the attic of the garage. Her first question was "Where did all of that stuff come from?" Luckily I could "honestly" answer that many of the boxes were empty waiting to ship stuff. I seem to collect really good quality computer/medical equipment shipping boxes. It's much easier to send somebody a computer if it's packed right. She has never looked in the little travel trailer which we haven't used in years. Currently full of cables and old tape stuff. I can always point to her tennis racquet stringing machine in the rec room and sails hanging in the garage. I firmly believe and we have discussed this that a computer hobby is a lot cheaper than all of the people around here who go to the gambling boats, football/baseball games, golf, or out at the bars every night. Besides I'm usually not drinking, loosing money, or chasing women just out in the garage fiddling with the computers. The skills from this hobby also means that I can usually fix a dead phone, rewire broken mixer cord, replace furnace fan motor, fix plumbing, fiddle with electrical/electronic devices, take a VCR apart and sometimes even get it back together and working. I have an old house which means all these skills are survival skills. I also get called by neighbors to look at their computers and this nets me a few old machines/components. Mike My thoughts right now, nobody else's. mmcfadden(a)cmh.edu