Not long ago, I got an email from a Faithful Reader, begging me to make his Pard stop snapping her cards, as it was driving him slowly insane. "Maybe she'll listen to you," he pleaded. (Note: NOBODY listens to me, not even my dogs.) I told him I'd help him out as soon as his check cleared.

BUT!! This got me thinking, and then at the doc's office I serendipitously found an old copy of "Current Biology," with an article entitled "Recognizing Misophonia." (C'mon, admit it. You wouldn't be able to resist reading that, either.)

It seems there is a neurological reason why some people are crazed by tapping feet, rapping pencils, popping chewing gum and other sharp, repetitive sounds. Brain scans show these poor pathetic people have more myelin (insulation) protecting the prefrontal cortex. Who knew? So show mercy, and stop snapping those cards. You're making these poor people nuts.

And speaking of things that drive us nuts... today we're going to explore opening bids. Should we? Shouldn't we?