It has been an interesting couple of weeks here in the "ask sandy" mail box. For example, one person wrote: "We are coming to the island right after Christmas. We know the bridge is down, so how do we get to the island?" Bless their oblivious little hearts... it gave me great pleasure to be able to inform them that they would have no problems getting to the Island after all. Most of the other questions I have been receiving fall into the "frequently asked" category, specifically: FAQ # 1: "We are coming down for the week between Christmas and New Years... is there anything special to do on the island at that time?" I don't know quite what to make of this one. If they wondering if there is going to be a production of "The Nutcracker Suite" or something here, well... no. We are not hosting the superbowl here this year, either. If you are looking for pro-wrestling, horse races or a Garth Brooks concert - you are looking in the wrong place at the wrong time. However, we do have a big old beach out there, ideal for building sand castles, horseback riding, shell hunting, jogging, or meditation. We have dolphin cruises, fishing expeditions, big band and other flavors of live music and fun places to shop. We have great places to eat, friendly bartenders and weather that is going to get warmer any day now, just you wait and see. And I think that is pretty special.... don't you? FAQ #2: "Is there anything special happening here on New Year's Eve?" I got so many of these that I decided I better break down and do some actual (shudder) research. So, if you are still at loose ends trying to decide how and where to celebrate the last night of 2001, stop by SPIonline.com and see what some of the local clubs have to offer. FAQ #3: "My husband and I would like to go out on New Year's Eve without the kids. Do you know any babysitters?" Over the past few years I have repeated this request in this column multiple times with no response. No, I do not know of any babysitters but I want to! and I am certain there is someone in the area who wouldn't mind staying in and charging big bucks for it. If you are that person, please contact me and together we can make those big bucks materialize. FAQ #4: Me and my buddies are coming down to SPI for spring break this year for the first time. We want to know where is a good place to stay/to eat/to party; where the special deals are; what musicians are coming and when; etc. etc. Uh-Oh. Looks like another one of those "research-required" thingies.... Of course, these questions pop up every year, but this is the first time I have decided to take the bull by its proverbial horns and really try to answer them. To that end, I have posted a form giving the breakers an opportunity to sign up for the Sons of the Beach Spring Break Newsletter, and the response has been --- quite gratifying. Starting Jan. 1st, I will be e-mailing out any and all detailed spring break info I can get my hands on, with a new edition coming out approximately once every other week through March. If you have something you would like to say to hundreds if not thousands of spring breakers, this is the perfect place for you to do so -- and me being the nice person I am, I'm not even going to charge you to do it (some restrictions apply.) To find out how you can participate in this mission, please visit www.spionline.com/springbreak/newsletter.html and get ready to get your message out to the people who are hungry to hear it. Now, don't make me beg... Sandy asks: I got some really good answers to the questions I posed in the last issue of the Parade - but my (very large) box of valuable prizes has yet to diminish by one single pile of fake doggy doo. (What a surprise.) If you are interested in seeing some of the most excellent answers I received, stop by sandyfeet.com/news.html for a chuckle.

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