What a treat to see your treatise on this subject, though I must confess that I do still feel compelled to use that comma after the Hi. (I always want to correct it if I see someone going without it.) That said, I am a big advocate of using that exclamation point after the recipient’s name so it’s clear all is well and the recipient need not fear that some diss will follow. You’re right, though… you can almost feel that you need to steel yourself for what may follow! I, too, worry about stuff like this (okay, let’s call it muse and contemplate and perhaps even percolate a bit). Great job! Nancy