<When I asked my wife if I could buy one of those, she just laughed, and
laughed, and walked out of the room still laughing. Maybe that means "yes"?>

Never, ever ask. After 25 years of marriage, I've found it is "easier to ask forgiveness than it is to ask permission". Think about it this way, if you do something without asking, most wives will be mad for a day or two. Ask, and she says no but you do it anyway, you're looking at 2-3 weeks of an angry wife. At least that's the way it is with my wife, as they say YMMV. AW damn, sorry, I forgot, everyone is supposed to be deleting anything I post!     Jeff