Mr. Johnson discreetly asked me why i WASN'T going:

10)  Not enough job time off.
9)  Couldn't face the prospect of wading thru 869 messages from
you folks by the time I return
8)  Don't cherish the prospect of Donner Pass in January
7)  I'm allergic to fresh sea air, warmth, and greenery
6)  I exist only in this virtual cyberspace (I type; therefore I am)
5)  I'd probably see something I'd want to buy out there (like 25 
vans)
4)  Gerry needs help holding down the MN faction of this list
3)  3,600 miles roundtrip in a van with a 2.5 and a 5 year old 
juuussst might get a little nerve-racking
2)  I don't want my virtual picture of you all burst by seeing the 
reality of your faces.  Right now in my mind, you're all still 
good-looking, witty, and generally considered above average 

and finally--
1)  MY VAN WOULDN'T MAKE IT!!!  (gasp, the sacrilege of it all)

Dan (he's wasted enough bandwidth) Houg