Thanks, sbctwin. He is the handsomest boy on the planet- I'm missing him- I haven't seen him in 16 hours (ok, I'm crazy, but he's my primary relationship), I'm away on a business trip. He's probably sleeping or tossing his rubber pink elephant up in the air right about now....
Mr. Silver, that thermal thingy is some teeny little 5 inch long skinny wiry part that keeps tabs on the water temp, according to the water heater guy and my gas company, if you don't have an old water heater, and your pilot light won't stay lit, that's the probable culprit.