Happy Birthday, Kathy!

my kathy bates turns 60 today.... ganesha help me, i just adore her.

some of my favorite performances:

misery (naturally)
primary colors (she's hilarious & heartbreaking)
the late shift (she's foul & brilliant)
fried green tomatoes (just a delight. she should've been nominated, not bette midler for for the boys(for the record))

happy birthday, kathy!

e.

Et tu, TCM?

so i was flipping the channels and, as always, i immediately check out my favorite station: turner classic movies.

they're playing fucking rush hour 2. rush hour 2! not even fucking rush hour 1.

yes...with jackie chan and chris tucker.

are you fucking kidding me...?

and, yes, i understand that you're highlighting films with asian themes this month.... but rush hour 2?

this is turner classic movies, man! sure, you occassionaly play films like sense & sensibility with emma thompson... more contemporary movies with merit.

but rush hour 2...?

i swear to vishnu....if TCM goes the way of AMC (american movie classics), i may have to slit my wrists.

i mean...AMC used to have class. but now? commercials! and later tonight... i shit you not... they're playing missing in action 2: the beginning with huckabee supporter chuck norris.

but even AMC...that shithole of a network...is currently playing million dollar baby.

and i'll fucking take that movie WITH commericials over rush hour 2 any day.

TCM...ya done me wrong.

e.

Could You Please Use It In A Sentence...?

i wish i had a better vocabulary.... as a writer, i feel ashamed that my vocabulary sometimes feels so limited.

mind you... i don't think my word stock is severely lacking. i just realize the limitation and i'm always trying to beef it up a bit.

i think part of my problem stems from my desire to write dialogue in the vernacular of "the people" and - thus - i keep it simple. (and i love short, incomplete thoughts and sentences.)

but i heard a delicious word yesterday i just had to look up:

deleterious

isn't it fabulous? just the sound of the word... deleterious. and the meaning only increases my affection for the adjective.

from dictionary.com:

del·e·te·ri·ous (děl'ĭ-tîr'ē-əs) adj.
Having a harmful effect; injurious: the deleterious effects of smoking.

[From Greek dēlētērios, from dēlētēr, destroyer, from dēleisthai, to harm.]

i really do love coming across new words. i found this one particularly interesting and thought i'd share.

i guarantee you.... sister epiphenita of the boundless vocabulary knew what it meant.

(she makes me feel like such a schmendrick.)

schmendrick (noun)
"stupid person," 1944, from Yiddish shmendrik, from the name of a character in an operetta by Avrom Goldfaden (1840-1908), “Father of Yiddish Theater.”

oy vey.

e.

Janesville Update II

the rock river has crested. but as the janesville gazette notes, it appears to be in no hurry to recede:

Floodwaters have receded an infinitesimal amount since cresting Saturday.

At Newville, floodwaters have gone down 0.15 of a foot, that's 1.8 inches; at Indianford, 0.12 foot, that is 1.44 inches ; and at Afton, 0.09 foot, that is 1.08 inches.

Want some perspective on those numbers?

The river at Afton, which remains more than 4 feet over flood stage, has gone down the width of a fork tine.

The river at Indianford has gone down the width of two toothpicks.

At Newville, it’s down the width of a No. 2 pencil eraser.

If you’ve got 2 feet of water in your kitchen, those numbers aren’t very promising

as of this morning, here is where the river water stands:

-- Newville: 14.97 feet after cresting at 15.12 feet. Flood stage is 10 feet.

-- Indianford: 18.21 feet after cresting at 18.33 feet. Flood stage is 15 feet.

-- Afton: 13.42 feet after cresting at 13.51 feet. Flood stage is 9 feet.

so while the national news continues to focus on the mississippi river and iowa and missouri, remember those other town in the midwest that have not fared well.

of course, the biggest impact beyond the millions of dollars with of damage that will hit these towns is the millions it will cost everyone else once the full impact on the corn crop comes into focus. remember all the corn now used for ethanol gas...? and gas prices already remain around $4 a gallon.

and don't look for any great price cuts on fresh corn this summer. what shall everyone do this Independence day?

not to mention the feed for animals which will increase in cost which will increase the cost of eating the dead animals everyone seems to insist on eating day after day.

so what i'm trying to say is, it's a mess people. and while i'm almost certain the bush administration had something to do with this whole flooding mess (i mean, they've fucked up everything else, right? surely they're involved) - i can't prove it quite yet... but this will not help an already flagging economy and a war overseas that continues to increase our national deficit.

2009 can't get here fast enough....

obama '08.

e.

p.s. parents are still fine... my dad could even golf the other night. go fig.

Successful Saturday

saturday i had a reading for my new full-length play. i'm very fortunate to have a friend who regularly opens his home to afternoon readings and believes strongly in supporting and encouraging local artists.

i'd say there were about 25-30 individuals for the reading... this may include the actors.

i confess to some quibbles with the reading itself... too slow for my taste. a larger display of emotion than i intended for my characters... and a shocking lack of emphasis on the humor in the play.

but overall....the reading went well and the audience was responsive.

i had several people stop me at intermission and provide a list of theatres where i must submit the piece or how well they thought the dialogue and the play were constructed.

one gentleman couldn't believe how polished the play was... (i didn't have the heart to tell him i considered it a very rough first draft that (despite the first 14 pages) only took me four days to write.)

but i've had this play in my head for eight years... cutting characters, adding characters. reworking scenes and plot. i went back and looked at dialogue i had outlined years ago and now deemed too emotional. too sentimental.

i tried hard to steer clear of my usual pitfall of melodrama. (although one person complained at the lack of a "twist" - honestly, i don't understand writers' need for a twist - this is meant as a character study... a look at a relationship. i don't need faye dunaway slapped around: "my sister! my daughter! my daughter! my sister!")

my lack of knowledge regarding cancer became apparent and i wish i had not let my director talk me into keeping the cancer named in the play. as the line was read i scribbled down the phrase "cut the specific cancer." a couple of people confirmed my instinct.

i also realize this is the weakest part of the play... is the cancer treatment i outlined too generic? is it too obvious? too cliche'?

but during the talkback after the reading... i realized i had connected with the audience. i had accomplished several of the things i had set out to do. one audience member gave me the ultimate compliment: i had made her think.

cast members were asking me to "up the ages" of characters so that they could play them "when" (not "if") it was produced and everyone wanted to know where it would go next.

my friends were so supportive and provided some of the best feedback of the afternoon.

it was just a marvelous day for me.... the opportunity to once again hear my words performed in front of an audience and the ability to spend time with good friends, discuss theatre and art and have some good wine...

someday... i hope most days can be spent like this.

just a good day.

i'll keep you posted..... i can't wait to start the rewrites.

and for those wondering: yes, i do have plans for this piece.

e.

Mid-Night Creep Fest

so last night i was in the midst of an actual good night's sleep. when, suddenly, at about 3:15-3:30.... i hear somebody wailing. high-pitched, dreamlike wailing.

someone was calling out "help me" and "leave me alone."

at first - i thought i was dreaming.... it was all so creepy and surreal. "heeeelp me. heeeelp me." the cries themselves were dreamlike.

then i suddenly realized i wasn't sleeping.

i got up to see what was going on... ready to call 9-1-1 and maybe, possibly, run outside to assist.

i looked out all my windows - couldn't see anything.

three windows in the bedroom. two windows in the dining room... nothing (which made it all the more creepy).

finally i saw some guy rush out of nowhere calling after someone... "where are you going?"

but i never saw the woman. only an abandoned pillow in the middle of the road.

which is all just a bit too 1960's french cinema for me...

it reminded me of a new years eve several years back where i was walking around the gayborhood sometime after 2am looking for another friend who was drunker than i... i heard parties in the distance and creeping out of the surrounding houses... and i came across a half-deflated, forgotten balloon bobbing down the middle of the street. i passed and grabbed the string of the balloon, absently trailing the sad little orb behind me.... stopping off to talk with street hustlers and other new years revelers along the way.

looking back, it too felt very 1960's french cinema....

anyway.... it took about an hour and half to fall back to sleep... i was a little creeped out by the non-existent wailer and never fell back into a good sleep after that.

so i wake up this morning...exhausted. and i'm fasting for bloodwork until 9:30am.... arriving at work shortly after 8am, my thermos of lola savannah spring trifle coffee mocking me as it stands before me on my desk. (you can't drink coffee while you're fasting, right?)

god, i'm tired....

e.

p.s. this morning... the discarded pillow lay neglected on the side of the road. twas not a dream, my lovelies.

Janesville Update

just some updates on the flooding in janesville. they're estimating at least $25 million in damages. and while they've dropped the estimated level at which the rock river will crest, it's still spilling over.

the above picture is looking over what was a walkway and the downtown dam in the background. the walkway is actually lower than where you see the carp flopping about at the bottom of the picture.

remember the picture of the library? the water is making its way there, too.


and just some other photos that show how the flooding is affecting downtown janesville.


so far...my parents remain okay.

e.

Veepstakes: Interesting Developments

i find the race for the second spot on the ticket offering up some interesting nuggets lately.

the cryptkeeper is in texas today delivering several speeches on his energy policy. his policy includes a new caveat... mccain now endorses offshore drilling in states like california and florida. bush supports this idea but even when baby brother jeb was governor of florida - he did not.

my understanding is it's practically political suicide to support offshore drilling in these states. and yet...in another reversal...governor charlie crist of florida has now endorsed ole johnny boy's plan to drill off florida!

is someone positioning himself for the vice presidency by becoming a nodding "yes" man?

meanwhile.... barack obama has hired patti solis doyle, previously of the hillary clinton campaign. for those of you who may not remember....patti was hillary's campaign manager before hill axed her.

well, obama has hired patti to act as chief of staff to his yet-to-be-named veep.

does anyone else think that patti may steer obama away from making hillary her boss once again? is this a subtle sign from the obama camp that hillary will not be holding up in the number two spot?

mull this over while i once again offer my current rankings for the vice presidential choice of the two campaigns.

republican running-mate:

1. crist
2. romney
3. pawlenty *
4. sanford *
5. petraeus

* new editions to the veepstakes: tim pawlenty is the governor of minnesota (first elected in 2002) and won reelection in 2006 when most elections across the country went to democrats (including a minnesota senate seat). mark sanford is the governor of south carolina... and wouldn't losing south carolina put a wrench in obama's electoral map?

democratic running-mate:

1. strickland
2. rendell
3. the virginians *
4. sebelius
5. mccaskell

* new to the veepstakes: after clinching the nomination, obama's first stop was virginia. i could easily see him pick either the current governor (tim kaine) or ex-governor (mark warner). senator jim webb is still mentioned in almost every conversation but i really believe obama needs a governor and i'm afraid of losing a democratic senate seat in virginia.

** i still say hillary could be the ultimate spoiler...but it looks more and more doubtful - and i'm not sure it's the best choice for the ticket.

and i keep waiting for input from people, but so far: nothing. what do you think, my lovelies?

e.

Sandbaggin' the Midwest

i realize much of the coverage of the midwest flooding has focused on iowa and indiana lately... but wisconsin has not been doing well either.

the above picture is a very familiar sight to me... it's a bridge that runs over the rock river in downtown janesville, wisconsin.

that's right: where my parents live.

if you notice the steps on the far side of the bridge... there's a walkway along the river (currently covered with water) that i love to stroll along. off to the left is a beautiful dam that's usually the only hard-running water.

the river is expected to crest in janesville tomorrow and stay out of its banks until friday.

i'm not worried about my parents... they live a good distance from the river. but it's a beautiful, picturesque town that i'd hate to see destroyed.

residents are sandbagging to protect the library pictured below... but some of these buildings will be flooded. (my parents' neighbor has water in his basement, by the way. glad my parent's basement was tiled well.)


it's crazy, man.

first GM and now the flood... the midwest is having a hard time of it!

e.

Open Letter to Hillary Supporters

okay, my lovelies.... it's time we have a heart-to-heart talk.

i realize we all have some hurt feelings. i understand the disappointment when hillary officially dropped out of the race just over a week ago. i agree with charges of sexism and media bias.

i understand all of this....

but people! john mccain...? seriously? i mean, you gotta be fucking kidding me!

i heard the woman on msnbc who volunteered for months on the hillary campaign but swore she would not "follow" hillary in her support of barack obama for president.

i saw the 'mo on the daily show who swore he was as "gay as the day is long" but would never vote for obama and will now vote for mccain.

i think, possibly, my head might explode.

are you all fucking idiots?!?! you were obviously smart enough to support hillary in the primary season...so you must have some semblance of intelligence... how can you suddenly switch to john "the cryptkeeper" mccain?

first....i guess we should dispel some of the rumors perpetuated by the media. it's true that they love john mccain. i'm not sure why but they decided long ago that johnny boy was an independent maverick that was due our respect.

fuck. that. noise.

whoever john mccain may have been back in 2000 he is no longer. he is not a maverick. he is not an independent. he is george fucking bush with a brain...which makes him all the more dangerous.

let's review: he supports the bush tax cut for the wealthiest of americans. he didn't for the first two votes... but when the vultures were circling his campaign last summer with his stance on illegal immigration, mccain rallied the conservative bandwagon and voted for the bush tax cut.

and as robert reich pointed on this weekend on this week, mccain not only wants to continue the bush tax cuts for the wealthiest fuckers in the country...he wants to go one step beyond! mccain also wants tax cuts for the biggest corporations in the country.

so while we're paying $4 at the pump, ole johnny boy wants to help out shell and exxon/mobile with tax breaks... because apparently their record profits just aren't cutting it these days.

secondly, beyond the rhetoric and sound bites...mccain wants to "stay the course" in iraq. ignore the "100 years" and bringing the troops home "isn't important" comments if you like... that's fine.

ignore what you want... but he wants to keep the troops in iraq. he wants to continue the war. i understand that mccain doesn't think bringing the troops home is as important as the number of casualties...but think: "if we bring the troops home...we definitely won't have any more causalities."

i guess this is too big a concept for the cryptkeeper to wrap his 100-year old brain around.

if you want to bring the troops home... if you want to end the war in iraq in a timely and responsible fashion - you must vote for obama.

and finally... let's discuss the latest results from some of the polls out there. the latest WSJ/NBC poll shows a significant number of women will support mccain over obama. this includes all you hillary supporters.

i must once again stress this point: mccain is a conservative. he is pro-life. he does not believe in a woman's right to choose... he does not believe in reproductive rights.

PLEASE stop listening to the media and their love affair with the "maverick war hero."

WOMEN! PLEASE! how can you vote against your own rights as a woman?

mccain has been consistent in one thing: his stance against reproductive rights. he wants to end roe v. wade and he wants to take away your right to choose.

now, i know there's a lot of talk about obama's trouble with white working-class men and white women... but let me be frank: i don't give a fuck about white men. as charlie cook said: the democrats haven't won white men since LBJ - so i'm not concerned.

but women.... in particular my fellow hillary supporters... it's time to lick your wounds and wake up and smell the formaldehyde that keeps mccain looking alive. he is not your friend. he will not protect you.

we need to focus on getting obama elected. he wants to end the war. he is pro-choice. he believes in gay rights.

don't let your anger towards an unfair primary season destroy us for the next four years. we need a democrat in the white house. we need to support barack obama.

just take a moment and think... mccain is not who the media paints him out to be.

he's satan.

he's a third bush term.

think....

you're smart women. i know you'll come to the right decision in november.

obama '08.

e.

If It's Sunday...

the landscape of sunday morning will never be the same...

yesterday afternoon, at the age of 58, tim russert passed away. he was the longest serving moderator of the longest running program on television: meet the press.

those loyal readers will remember when i used to have a "meet the press quote of the week." but then i got a little lazy... and a little burned out on politics.... but i never stopped watching.

meet the press was a highlight of my weekend... and while i know it's odd to mourn someone you never knew... i'm sad all the same.

the bigger a political junkie i became, the more i hung on every word russert said. he was a giant in political journalism...

russert came from modest roots in south buffalo, ny and remained a loyal bills fan to the end...often wishing his team luck before he closed out his show on sunday. his days as a lawyer would surely influence the way he depositioned his guests. he entered politics when he volunteered for senator pat monyhan's senate run... soon, he would move to nbc and head up their washington bureau.

and no one will forget tim and his dry-erase white board on election night 2000. "florida, florida, florida."

a politico like russert was having the time of his life during this once in a lifetime political cycle. during the debates, every sunday... every time he appeared on nbc nightly news or msnbc - you could see the excitement in his eyes, hear it in his voice.

this year is more exciting than anything most political junkies can remember... and russert's absence will be greatly felt.

not many journalists receive condolences from sitting presidents and ex-presidents and senators and rivals....but tim has received them all.

nobody did it like russert... and when tom brokaw broke into msnbc yesterday afternoon (an afternoon i just happened to leave from work early) - i couldn't believe it. i had to call people... everyone was shocked.

i'm not sure who will take over meet the press... david gregory was a regular fill-in. andrea mitchell seems an ideal fit if she weren't a bit uneasy in the anchor chair. i suppose i could hope for one of my favorites and russert protege chuck todd.

but whoever it is.... my sunday will never be the same without hearing tim close the show with:

"if it's sunday...it's meet the press."

e.

Meanwhile...In the Midwest

between obama clinching the nomination and making history... hillary not conceding then conceding... and mccain proving over and over again how lackluster a candidate he is... a major news story has slipped through the cracks.

GM will close four north american auto plants...those specializing in SUVs and large trucks...over the next two years.

i can't tell you how thrilled i am that the automotive industry has finally realized the destructive impact these vehicles have been making on the environment...now, of course, that people are no longer buying them with gas prices hovering around $4.00 a gallon.

but this does affect me in an odd way....beyond the joy that comes along with the death of the SUV.

my parents live in one of the towns. janesville, wisconsin is home to a very large GM plant and it will close next year or in 2010.

the janesville assembly is the oldest factory still in use by GM...(for now.) it was built in 1919 and employed 7,000 workers in it's heyday. now it employs around 4,000.

4,000 may not seem like a lot for a town nearing 60,000...but it's a big part of janesville.

two months ago my parents put their house on an already slumping market in hopes of moving back down south to be closer to their children and the birth of their first grandchild... name yet to be determined but arriving mid-july in baton rouge, louisiana.

i'm not sure how much luck my parents will have selling their house now with the largest employer in janesville closing its doors. maybe another car manufacturer will move in? maybe they can build something else in the factory?

or maybe janesville will suffer the same fate as so many industrial midwest towns? destined to become a ghost town... it's too bad, really... janesville is a lovely burg just north of the illinois boarder... "the city of parks" and there are a lot of them. downtown still looks like something out of rockwell painting. and a river runs through it...

funny how something that seems so far away...something that would normally be a top story in any less-politicized environment... can surprisingly affect your life and the life of your loved ones.

keep your fingers crossed for my parents.

e.

Exit, Stage Left

for those of you who have not heard... hillary clinton will suspend her candidacy for the democratic nomination on saturday and officially endorse barack obama.

let's bring this party together.

e.

Obama '08

it's official... barack obama is the presumptive democratic nominee for president of the united states.

tonight history has been made.

e.

Last Dance

well, tonight's the night. it's been a long, crazy journey my friends...

when the polls close in just about 30 minutes in south dakota and then in another hour after that in montana... this long, fascinating, ground-breaking primary season will come to an end.

the news networks have been slowly tracking the drip-drip of superdelegates coming out for obama today. the obama campaign (and, indeed, most democratic party leaders) want obama to have the ability to claim the democratic nomination by winning pledged delegates from one of the final two states. they don't want to wait for a press release that another superdelegate has put obama over the edge.

as chuck todd of msnbc says: obama wants his movie moment ending.

the networks have obama within 9 delegates of the 2,118 delegates needed to clinch the nomination. even if he loses both states tonight (which he won't) and only claims 15% threshold (of which he will - and more), obama will have enough delegates to make him the presumptive nominee.

it's funny.... i was reading some coverage of hillary today. early this morning the AP announced she would concede tonight. then reports refuted that fact. it appears she won't concede.

and suddenly...all the networks and all the pundits are willing to admit what a phenomenal fight she has fought. that she is due respect by everyone and that she should decide how she ends her campaign... and that maybe the superdelegates shouldn't come out before the polls close tonight out of respect. it's such a fascinating change in tenor.

and i admit to a moment of teary melancholia earlier today.... i've known hillary had lost a couple of months ago... but today (tonight) it's official. and i'm allowed my moment to mourn.

but i'm also struck by something else. today remains a historic day. an african american... barack obama... will head a major party's ticket as their nominee for president of the united states.

i spoke with my father earlier... a stoic man born in 1939. he told me he never thought he'd see a black man on a presidential ticket in his lifetime. but here it is...

and it is thrilling... it is awesome.

there is a lot of talk about slavery as this country's original sin.... and would most definitely agree. and now - an african american is a presidential nominee.

on august 28th 2008....the last day of the democratic national convention... 45 years to the day of martin luther king, jr.'s "i have a dream" speech... the dream will take another giant leap forward.

yes, i am a bit sad tonight. i still hope for my girl to be president one day (we'll talk about all the veep chatter another day). but i am ready to move forward. i am ready to support barack obama and my party.

tonight the hillary clinton sign comes down from my window.

but i am very proud of my party... and, oddly, my country. we have put an african american at the top of the ballot. we're growing as a nation.

gender equality...? let's hope it soon follows. (and hopefully we don't have to wait for 50 years!)

obama/clinton 08

e.

p.s. the cryptkeeper is delivering a speech right now from NOLA. it's amazing to look around a crowded room in new orleans and not see a single black person. unless, of course, you count the old men in the band. the GOP, party of inclusion...? it wouldn't appear so.

Holy Shit! Take II

i was accepted into the scriptwriters/houston 10x10 festival of short plays again this year. if you were sitting around me during the announcement, you heard me utter: "ho-ly shit."

i honestly did not expect to be chosen this year.

i submitted a piece i wrote for an afternoon reading series that a friend ask me to take part in. i wrote it over the weekend....with about another hour of some editing/reworking. i didn't even plan to submit anything... some friends told me i should. one friend kept telling me the play was a piece of shit... so i almost didn't.

but i did... and they chose it. i was actually the first winner announced... so it really took me by surprise.

i guess i did what i set out to do.... i've submitted three consecutive years and three consecutive years i've been chosen. it feels good.

oh! and this one is chock full of profanity and man on man intimacy. i can't wait to crack the faces of the old people who attend these plays.

tee-hee.

i'll fill you in on more details later...... right now, i'm enjoying a celebratory glass of wine.

e.

Pitters

as i was driving home from work this evening... the A/C in my car jacked up in hopes of fighting off the houston heat that felt like lucifer's breath down my neck... (really, it's simply too early for 100 degree heat indexes) two groovy granola hippies pulled up next to me on their bikes.

first i thought about how i'm such an awful human being not embracing my inner hippie and biking more... of course, i'd need to purchase a bike first. and i did take my recyling out to the curb this evening....

but upon a second look... i noticed something that shifted my thoughts. the granola chick appeared to have never once shaved her armpits throughout her entire tree-hugging life.

i'm not sure why.... but it made me happy to know there are still women out there bucking convention and not shaving their pitters.

good for her! fuck men and their stereotypical ideas of beauty and conformity.

now if i could only get my window units to cool down my apartment faster... i might know true joy.

e.

9 Fabulous Hours

when was the last time you talked for nine hours with someone and never once experienced a lull in the conversation...?

yesterday i wandered over to have brunch with my good friend sister epiphenita of the sacred sarcasm. i arrived around 10:30am. nine hours later...at 7:30pm.... i headed home.

e2 (as she calls herself with me as i'm e.) and i often claim we are cut from the same cloth. i can only hope that one day i possess a quarter of the vocabulary and wit this amazing woman has to offer.

we spoke with no one else... we never once felt the need to turn on the television or the radio... we talked.

our conversation ranged from reflective moments pulled out of our darker pasts....to whimsical memories of our parents, her children and our friends. we discussed politics: hillary's future and obama's pitfalls. we seemed to cover every subject... even whether or not it's true what they say about black men. (for the record: it's mostly true...from my experience. but sometimes... disappointingly untrue.)

we talked about books and authors... mary gaitskill to michael chabon. dorothy parker to our own forays into writing.

we discussed film and art and new york and the midwest... and my past and her past and our hang-ups and weaknesses and phobias (of which mine are frightfully abundant, we decided). but we also talked about how....beneath our shared cynicism and misanthropic tendencies...we do share moments of hope and joy.

we understand the disappointment in the world around us and yes, VISHNU YES! do we judge... but we also enjoy the ironies of life. and we laugh at ourselves (and others) and generally have a joyous time together.

my emotional gauge has been inching up and slipping down as of late. my writing has become oddly personal over the past several months.... and i've had the opportunity to really examine myself and my walls and my fears and my weaknesses. i think by writing about these things i've been able to open up more about them.

i was surprised at the candor of our conversation yesterday... but e2 and i left no emotional stone unturned. it was almost an anthropological dig into our psyches. and it was one of the best days i've had in some time.

so thank you, e2. we must do it again sometime.

e.