Hi! Just a short note to all of those people who normally hear from me routinely. I recented retired from the USMC, and am currently taking a three month vacation from life, in the pursuit of happiness (grin)... actually trying to catch up on all the stuff I postphoned... Here is what the last few weeks have been like: -Had both feet operated on, bunions removed, a 2 week no walking chit, pryed on boots to participate in my retirement parade (paid for that dearly), and just got into shoes (a few hours at a time) this week! -Working 12 hour days, to train the new person who replaced me! WHEW, that is done. And they only called me twice since my parade!!! -Staying up nights to finish the quilt I am entering in the Alaska Dye works competition, due next week. YIKES!!! It is an original design, called "Welcome to MAK's Pad", featuring a frog, second in my series. The first was "MAK's Cats", of course featuring cats. (Am handquilting the top as we speak). -Took two mini-classes, one on stamping (so I can send out Thank you's) and one on quilting, so I can do my third quilt in the series "MAK's Frog Cabin". -Organizing my notes to finish my dissertation before the deadline (so I can graduate next spring). This is NOT going well... -Packing my entire household (19,000 pounds at last move), to move 10 miles down the road to my next home, which is a temporary move until I get a job and buy my retirement home (grin)... -Writing resumes, sending them out, and turning down wonderful jobs in COLD locations, such as NY, NJ, and MD... Nope, not AL yet, but I am wondering what6 will be next. Want to stay in sunny southern CA, but it seems so does everyone else!!! In addition, the USGenConnect Boards and my server had a software glitch, so I couldn't post any of the normal stuff. Have 250 messages to read, edit and get up. Also, have two indexes one for Wood and one for Portage, that are sitting here ready to put up, but waiting on the server. The problem is resolved with the server, so I will do alittle each day to catch it up. Please be patient, there is only one of me, and my fingers and back do get tired. Therefore, I am REALLY behind the power curve. So if you think I was blowing you off by not writing or posting, or doing what I normally do, it ain't true. I am swamped among boxes, papers, and the likes!!! And my perception of normal has changed a great deal. Right now, I am off to run "normal" errands, like take out the trash, get food for cats, frogs, turtles, lizards, and newts, pick up the mail so the bills can be paid before the power is turned off, and the cable cuts off my server, find a new home for a turtle, go to the beach to do my walking, quilt until my fingers drop off, find more boxes for the move, pack up more boxes, hug the cats, eat, and post new entries on the boards... not necessarily in that order. hee hee hee... the list goes on and on. Thanks for understanding. R/S MAK ps The reports of my death are great exaggerated. I am TOO mean to die before I get every dime of my retirement pay... ===== ===== TheStorm http://www.rootsweb.com/~wiwood/TheStorm USC NROTC Alumni http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~uscnrotc/ MAK = "Mar sea ah Ann Keel" ===== __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Kick off your party with Yahoo! Invites. http://invites.yahoo.com/