Just a quick comment for all of you who need to send your chips away to be flashed. This will be my second year in DIY and I have already had to reflash most of my chips due to upgrades or compatability issues. I would highly recommend that you invest in a Pickit 2 or 3, probably 3 now that they have the simple flash program available. I'm betting that you WILL have to reflash chips in the future or flash new chips as you continue to build new stuff so bite the bullet now and get it over with. It is just another tool in your tool box and a small investment compared to the total dollars you will spend on this addicting hobby.
