Tony,
You are on the right track with AppleCare however you will need to wait until tomorrow, they're open M-Saturdays. Don't wait for the call back, call them tomorrow morning. I suspect your machien has suffered a Kernel Panic, this can be difficult to track down. One common cause is RAM related, this can be:
1. Failed RAM (yes RAM can and does fail)
2. Incorrect RAM (did you upgrade it?)
3. Unseated RAM, try removing yours and reseating it per your manual.
You can also try some basic resets like restarting in Safe Mode. You can also try doing a SMC and PRAM resets. Please follow the instructions carefully.
SMC RESET
- Shut down the computer.
- Unplug the computer's power cord and all peripherals.
- Press and hold the power button for 5 seconds.
- Release the power button.
- Attach the computers power cable.
- Press the power button to turn on the computer.
PRAM RESET
- Shut down the computer.
- Locate the following keys on the keyboard: Command, Option, P, and R. You will need to hold these keys down simultaneously in step 4.
- Turn on the computer.
- Press and hold the Command-Option-P-R keys. You must press this key combination before the gray screen appears.
- Hold the keys down until the computer restarts and you hear the startup sound for the second time.
- Release the keys.
