Two things happened upon my last posting... many people wrote me belated happy birthdays, and people also said "chin up!"

This surprised me, caught me by surprise. I wasn't aware that I've sounded "low," though the last comment about having a rough year might have brought that out. I have had a rough year, it wasn't self-pity or melancholy. Just a statement of fact, and I've been working on turning that around for a good long while. That mention, it was just me reflecting on the great time I had, thanks mainly to what I'll call the "fearsome foursome", on my birthday.

So, while it is often quite a drudge out here and I could DEFINITELY use the kind of email deluge that last post engendered on a semi-regular basis, I'm okay. I appreciate the sentiment, it's very touching. Thanks to everyone.