MORE ON THANK YOU NOTES The Hampton Roads, VA-based Daily Press has some sound advice about writing thank you notes:

When writing your note, use detail to describe what it is you are thankful for, such as, "I really appreciated you listening to me complain about my job for three hours on Tuesday." Elaborate and be enthusiastic, but don't go crazy. "I realize it must have been annoying to hear me talk on and on about my obnoxious coworkers, but you really did make me feel much better about my situation by the time we hung up the phone." End the letter by saying something somewhat unrelated to the instance but still appreciative to the reader. "You are a great listener; I hope someday I can give you as good advice as you always give me."