It is all so very tragic and heart wrenching - does remind you how powerless we are as humans against some of what mother nature doles out. I too have been very struck by the way the Japanese people have responded to this adversity in comparison to the American victims of Katrina based on the story the media presented on both. Something I saw on TV showed a petite, older couple in their 70's back at their home cleaning the floor on their hands and knees with a rag. My vision of Katrina was of people walking around complaining about their plight and the fact the government hadn't come to their rescue. I also saw images of the sleeping area in a shelter for homeless Japanese that was completely tidy and orderly. Katrina - shelter looked like a garbage dump. Certainly some very significant differences in culture if what the media depicts is accurate. I visited Japan a while back. Before I left I was reading about how little crime they have and how you wouldn't get your purse stolen even if you left it unattended. Well, I didn't mean to but I did leave my purse sitting by a chair in the hotel lobby and walked away. A while later I panicked of course that I didn't have my purse. I knew right where I'd left it - went back - still sitting there untouched. I loved Japan and the people I met there - so sad that the Japanese people are suffering now.

Glad they are okay. I wrote my friend who lives in Tokyo a week ago, hope I hear back from her soon. She was an exchange student when I was in high school and we have kept in touch all these years.

Wow, you take patience and understanding to a new level when you say you were waiting for your contractor to get out of jail for stealing from another client so he could complete yours. I would have fired him on the spot and NEVER let him back in my house. Just MHO but leaving room in a template for mudding doesn't sound good. Everything that could effect the fit of the countertop against the wall should always be done before the template is made. That said, and assuming the countertop has already been cut and is ready for installation, you need to hire someone to finish what he was supposed to do before the countertops go in. I would ask some of the stone people here to tell you what the better option is now. You definitely have to have those cabinets leveled first. Are you sure the contractor paid the for the soapstone, fabrication and installation already? If not you need to find out from them what their arrangement with him was and how much you owe them. I would call, ask them for a list of what he was supposed to do, find out about the finances, and take it from there. You have not paid him in full I assume? Sue

It's great! I opted out of it years and years ago. Much of the family snobs don't like it but I don't care. When I would shop for people, I put a LOT of thought and effort into the gift. I planned for the year on what to get, paid attention to what they needed and wanted and looked for the "perfect" gift. Then they'd go, aw, you can always use another flashlight! Plus the family (friends too for that matter) has changed a lot over the last decade. The kids I used to buy for are now in their 20s. Godmother, aunts, uncles, father and some close friends have died. Some others showed their colors during the estate handling so I don't want anything to do with them (or from them) anyway. And more variables. Years ago my sister and I were both in a tough financial situation at the time and I told her hey, it's silly for both of us, to bother with the gift thing. We both were trying to declutter and didn't need trinkets and more unwanted junk around. So I told her to get herself something and consider it was from me and I'd get myself something and consider it from her. Strange, but it worked. Then we worked within our budget. I think we both chose a food we liked or something, maybe it was we wanted the electric bill paid on time! LOL Since then and since finances have come around for both of us we're still practical and frugal. I started giving gift during the year rather than birthday or Christmas. I just gave her a printer/scanner/copier for her "birthday" present. She needed one badly, wouldn't spend the money on herself and I got it on clearance for a great price! We also often will take the other out to eat for a present. Could just be a spur of the moment thing or a planned out deal. We're both far happier. With others, similar things. I might get them something on occasion or they for me, but we avoid the holiday markups, junk, crowds, hassles and more. That's a bigger gift AFAIC. Often a call or a visit, an invitation to come to dinner, or watch TV or just chat, help with a project or something like this is a far more meaningful gift than a gift certificate for bunion removal (especially to the amputee!)