The OpalCat Appreciation Thread

[neuro-trash grrrl]

After seeing you present and execute the idea for SDMB awards, and seeing the shit you had thrown at you as a result, and now seeing your decision to take down the homepage entirely, I felt the need to say a few words. I do not have the knowledge to create a site with all of the nifty features that yours had, nor do I have the time, but I can appreciate the amount of effort you have invested on our behalf in this extension of the SDMB community. I am certain that all those represented in the member profiles feel the same way. There was no particular reason for you to do the "awards thingy", other than the fact that some people thought it would be a good idea, but you did it, and most of us are conscious of this fact. So, I say to you, Opal, the fact that some people are complaining about all of this should be considered in this light. Why concentrate on the negative criticism of a few vocal board denizens, when you could see the quiet appreciation of a much greater number? The problems with the administrators? They can complain about what you do here all they want, but they have no jurisdiction over your personal webpages. Perhaps they were right about posting in the proper forums, but all they have to do is close the offending threads. It doesn't do anything to change the perceptions the rest of us have of your activities, and rest assured, my perceptions are positive ones. I'm not going to ask you to put the page back up, or to resume voting, that is your prerogative and your choice, but I did want to express some gratitude for the things you've accomplished, and not sit here in front of my computer, in silent appreciation that you will never see.

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An infinite number of rednecks in an infinite number of pickup trucks shooting an infinite number of shotguns at an infinite number of road signs will eventually produce all the world's great works of literature in Braille.

[Arnold Winkelried]

Opal, you put in a lot of work on the Teeming Millions Page, and I for one enjoyed seeing the pictures of the posters to put a face behind the screen name. Thank you.

[ChrisCTP]

Well said, Lady de Garbage. I totally agree.

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"...being normal is not necessarily a virtue. It rather denotes a lack of courage."

[Byzantine]

Here here! Tell the Negative Nancys to "Lick your butt and call it ice-cream"...

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Best!
Byz

[Ukulele Ike]

The Teeming Millions Homepage is closed?

No, it's not, I just went there and admired the attractive new photo of Alphagene.

(I love the Page and think Opal is the bee's knees, even though I made a really stupid joke a couple weeks ago and she popped by to point out exactly how stupid it was.)

(All right, "admired" is too strong a word.)

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Uke

[Coldfire]

Yeah, she put a lot of effort into the Teeming Millions homepage. Which I admire.

Yeah, the Awards Thingie was a nice idea, and the voting pages looked well designed.

If she pulled down the entire Teeming Millions homepage because some people criticized either the Award contest in itself or the promotion thereof in in inapproproate threads, that was a VERY childish and ridiculously dramatic thing to do.

She has a RIGHT to do it, of course: I am not here to dispute her intellectual property.

But there is no way in hell I will start kissing up to her in order to get that fucking Teeming Millions Homepage back online.

I'm sorry. Some people just take this shit WAY to seriously.

And pardon my French, while I'm at it.


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Coldfire
________________________________
"You know how complex women are"
- Neil Peart, Rush (1993)

[okatym]

Well said, to all of the above...

-Katy

[OpalCat]

Thanks, but you realize that everyone is now going to accuse me of doing everything "just to get attention" and all that bullshit. I really don't need all this crap in my life right now. Thanks though.

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--
O p a l C a t
www.opalcat.com (http://www.opalcat.com)

[OpalCat]

Coldfire, you stupid fuck, the TM homepage was only offline for a FEW FUCKING HOURS while I decided what to do with it. I never asked you to kiss my ass, but I'll do it now. KISS MY ASS you fuck.

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--
O p a l C a t
www.opalcat.com (http://www.opalcat.com)

[ChrisCTP]

Coldfire, I'm sure you're aware that there are plenty of threads available in the Pit for Opal-bashing.

I wouldn't so much call this kissing ass...the people who didn't like the awards or whatever were vocal about their feelings. I think that the people who appreciate her work have a right to be vocal as well.


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"...being normal is not necessarily a virtue. It rather denotes a lack of courage."

[OpalCat]

Oh, and aside from your stupidity in thinking the TM site was down, thanks for shitting in the one thread where people were being nice to me. If I could see you face to face I'd spit in yours.

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--
O p a l C a t
www.opalcat.com (http://www.opalcat.com)

[okatym]

THAT IS...I agree with the above EXCEPT COLDFIRE...

[neuro-trash grrrl]

Whoops! It's back. Uh, sorry for jumping the gun, but I read other posters' comments, and they seemed to think the site was down for good, so I assumed... You'd think I'd have learned not to do that by now...

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An infinite number of rednecks in an infinite number of pickup trucks shooting an infinite number of shotguns at an infinite number of road signs will eventually produce all the world's great works of literature in Braille.

[neuro-trash grrrl]

Oh, and Coldfire? I like you, but... There's a nifty little invention called "tact". You might like to try it sometime.

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An infinite number of rednecks in an infinite number of pickup trucks shooting an infinite number of shotguns at an infinite number of road signs will eventually produce all the world's great works of literature in Braille.

[OpalCat]

thanks neuro
:*

[missdavis102]

Hows about we just continue being nice on this thread and disregard the meannie. OpalCat, you do a great job with your page. It sucks that everyone doesn't see the awards thing as fun, which it really is (even though I wasn't nominated for anything). I'm sure it was a lot of work for you to put up and maintain, and obviously not many of us would go through the hassle. Add my name to the Appreciative list.

[Minxsmom]

My turn to add $0.02 (Opal, I'd watch out if I were you. All these two cents add up - you're gonna be a rich woman :)).

Because I'm cranky that I haven't been nominated for anything, I think that popularity contests are juvenile and high schoolish (this opinion will, of course change if I get nominated ;)). Ok, put the tomatoes away - it was a joke. The amount of time and effort and knowledge of HTML (or whatever it is you use to get all that stuff to work) is boggling to my mind. And, you can add me to the list of "People who appreciate all the hard work Opal puts into her site for our enjoyment".

As for the rest of the TMHP, as I've already said, it's kickin' and I enjoy it very much.
Don't change a thing just 'cause there's some crabby people out there.



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Princess of the Time and Space Continuum since 1969 (upgraded to Goddess 01/07/00)

OK, we have enough youth. How about a fountain of smart. =^..^=

[AHunter3]

Me2...

Because she makes a great web site.

Because among her posts are many of wisdom and which come from a great depth of experience.

Because say what you will about her flash point, those on the receiving end of her temper have tended to deserve it.

Because she's our Opal.



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Designated Optional Signature at Bottom of Post

[John Corrado]

Geez. I show up late and all of the niceties I was gonna say have been used up already.

Opal? Take your favorite statements from everyone else on this thread, and consider me to have seconded them. Or thirded them, in some cases.

(And NTG- you rock).

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JMCJ

I would never amend my sig line as a way of reminding people to nominate or vote for me in any way. That would be just tacky.

www.fathom.org/teemingmillions/vote.adp (http://www.fathom.org/teemingmillions/vote.adp)

[Coldfire]

Originally posted by Coldfire:
If she pulled down the entire Teeming Millions homepage because some people criticized either the Award contest in itself or the promotion thereof in in inapproproate threads, that was a VERY childish and ridiculously dramatic thing to do.

She has a RIGHT to do it, of course: I am not here to dispute her intellectual property.

But there is no way in hell I will start kissing up to her in order to get that fucking Teeming Millions Homepage back online.

I'm sorry. Some people just take this shit WAY to seriously.

Notice the if.
Also, please bear in mind that I did not know the reason of the TMHP being offline. I was assuming (hence the if), and I had no idea what the real reason was. It could have been a technical problem for all I knew.

Secondly, I posted this prior to the point when all Hell broke loose in the Pit. Had I known what was about to happen there, I would NEVER have posted in this manner. Although, quite frankly, I do not think that would have mattered. Just like PunditLisas "joke", it was obviously a trigger that revealed a bigger problem.

For which NONE OF THE POSTERS ON THESE BOARDS are responsible. This is a message board, and it is very hard to read the true emotions and motivations behind a piece of text. Add a slight language barrier, and a misunderstanding is born.

I did not mean to push Opal over whatever threshold there was. Nor did I intentionally try to piss her or anybody off. I said that IF she pulled the page down permanently because of negative criticism, I would label that childish.

A judgement I still support - it just turned out to be an untrue assumption. Ironically, my final quoted point proved to be all too accurate.

And the results are something noone hoped for. Please do not hold the above statements against me, as they were made with insufficient knowledge. I apologize to anyone who was offended.

I'd like to think that most people on this board know me better than to think I'd piss people off deliberately.

OpalCat, I wish you all the best in coping with your problems and I hope to see you back in good health and similar humour.

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Coldfire
________________________________
"You know how complex women are"
- Neil Peart, Rush (1993)

[Milossarian]

Didn't we do the 'What is a Diva?' thread in GQ a week or so ago?

But seriously, I visited the Web Page for the first time this weekend, and I was quite impressed. Looks like a lot of work went into it, and into the awards thing too.

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"In much wisdom is much grief; and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow." - Ecclesiastes 1:18

[Neobican]

At first glance, way back when I registered, I thought Opals teeming millions homepage was basically the "people" part of the Straight Dope website! You know, thinking she was on their payroll and all, but I was wrong of course... its all her project and her time and her great effort that makes it what it is. I truly salute you Opal, your site is exactly the kind of "sister site" the SD site lacked. I don't know where you came up with all those great ideas (member bios, polls, even a chat!) but it seems to me that your site has helped all of us be more familiar and even friends with each other in a tremendous way. That makes this board more personal, therefore the best one to be at, exchanging messages with people you can get to know instead of strangers with aliases.

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"Wow! Spider-Man! Are you really friends with the X-men?"
"Not since Cyclops tried to use my viewmaster."
(Marvel Team Up #1)

[Gaudere]

I am amazed by just how freakin' big the TMHP site is. I'm way too lazy to do that much work; I don't know how she does it. Opal, it's a kick-ass site, but it's your site and you can do whatever the hell you want with it; if it's too much trouble for you just let it go. I hope things start looking up for you.

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"It's like I always said....there's nothing an agnostic can't do if he really doesn't know whether he believes in anything or not" --Monty Python, "The Meaning of Life"

[ChiefScott]

Opal, I love the homepage.
And, even though it goes against every belief I have, here: :)

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He thrusts his fists against the posts and still insists he sees the ghosts.

But no smilies.

[Minxsmom]

Holy Shit! Chief used a smiley! I think I'm gonna faint ::clunk::

[elelle]

Opal, I've enjoyed the TMHP,as well as your own WDHQ page. They're fantastic looking, fun to wander through, and held together with your considerable talent and spirit. I've never figured out how you could keep it up at that level. And the effort to implement the Awards...well, I'm just learning all this HTML stuff, and it boggles my mind what you can do.

If it's too much to do, Opal, put the TMHP on hold. I'll miss it, but would miss your voice much more. Take a break from it. Even beautiful wild minds need to rest once in a while.

[Lauralee]

Holy Shit! Chief used a smiley! I think I'm gonna faint ::clunk:: I second that emotion. If nothing else, that endorsment should mean the world!!

[kellibelli]

Jeeessss, scott smilied!

Man, thats hard to follow.

We luv yoooou Opaaaal,
oh yesss we dooooo!
We luv yoooou Opaaaal....
um..violets are bloooo? (blue)

That concludes todays rendition.

[ChrisCTP]

Now that we know that Opal is resting and being taken care of by her husband and that there are going to be some (hopefully happy) adjustments in her medication...

I JUST WANT TO KNOW WHO WON WHAT????!!!!

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"...being normal is not necessarily a virtue. It rather denotes a lack of courage."

[Falcon]

Chris -

Assuming you can longer vote, the totals are visible on the voting page.

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"You are sweet, kind, and considerate... Like a grown up boy scout with tits!"
- Brian, aka SDMB's one and only Satan.

[Surgoshan]

We love you Opal!!

It's the best I can do, what with everybody else already taking the good stuff. Shucks.

*kicks the ground*

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I sold my soul to Satan for a dollar. I got it in the mail.

[Sealemon88]

Thank you Opal.

Your page is one of the better sites on the web.

Count me in as one of those who really appreciate the work you've done for the Dope.

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You say "cheesy" like that's a BAD thing.

[Chef Troy]

I'll add my appreciation for your hard work to the above, Opal. It would be a shame for us if we didn't have you to foster that sense of community that the TMHP provides, but I totally understand that sometimes you have to say "enough" and take a breather. We don't want you to drown in caterpillars just to keep US happy.



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Live a Lush Life
Da Chef

[Troy McClure SF]

Well, holy crap! I'm off the boards for a while, and I come back to this?! Can someone give me a link?

As for Opal, I've told her many times that she rocks and I appreciate all the work she puts into the site. And I want to reiterate that. Opal's a great person, she makes it her hobby to provide something for the enjoyment of others, and does a damn good job of doing it. Opal, the Internet is your bitch; Good job!

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JMcC, San Francisco, JJM's page from the Bay (http://members.tripod.com/~weirdstuff/index.html)
If I were beaned with a fastball, fling my limp, lifeless body to first, cause, dammit, I earned it!

[tenspeedjohn]

Even though I'm new to SDMB, I spent some time surfing Opal's site. I was looking for a picture of Michelle, I don't remember why. I have some idea of the amount of time and creativity that goes into a quality site and I really enjoyed myself there. Keep up the great work, Opal. You are appreciated.

John

[psycat90]

The TMHP is an amazing site. I surf that sight as much, and on somedays even more, than the actual message board. Opal, you are an extremely talented woman and a very generous one to take on such a task for the sheer joy of it. If it is no longer a joy, then be done with it. Your happiness and well being should be priority. Thank you for all you have done. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

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Always be ready to speak your mind and a base man will avoid you.
-William Blake

[WallyM7]

I don't have much to add except to say Opal's a sweetheart and I hope she's back to her old self soon.

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A seminar on time travel will be held two weeks ago.

[TVeblen]

Echoing all the above, and personal thanks for all the good times you've given me here and on the TM page. Though you've never asked for thanks, all your hard work is appreciated.

But above all, look after yourself first. Nothing, and no one here is more important to you than your peace of mind, for you and your family.

If you ever had any doubt, just reflect on the fact that you wrung a smilie out of Chief Scott! Now that is a tribute paid to damned few. In fact, you're the first and probably the last.

Rest up, be well, and all the best.

Veb

[Daniel]

okay, I've been hosting a speech tournament all weekend and missed out on what's been going on here; I've spent more than a few minutes looking around and still haven't figured it out; but I gotta say that no matter what it is that's going on here, I think Opal is awesome. On top of your other wonderful contributions to this community, Opal, I am especially grateful for your letting me into the wonderful world of fathom.org when I needed it. I also hope the USPS didn't eat your chocolate bar ;)

I don't like participating in conflicts on the board, much less taking sides, but after what she's done for me I can't keep my mouth shut here. Opal, you're great, thank you.

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Mayor of Snerdville (http://fathom.org/snerdville), the home of Mortimer Snerd

"I'm just too much for human existence -- I should be animated."
--Wayne Knight

[Rysdad]

Opal, I just wanted to add my words of admiration. I love the TMHP.

Please, please take care of yourself. We need you, but most of all, your family needs you.

Consider yourself hugged, Opal.

[Kat]

I'd just like to second, third and fourth what everyone else has said. I'm amazed that, even with all that she was going through, OpalCat still took the time to put the TM pages back up. I think that shows how dedicated she is to the people who use that site and this one, and, yes, the least we should do is let her know we appreciate her hard work and that we're all hoping everything comes out okay with her.

[Anti Pro]

Be gentle with yourself Opalcat, and while people criticized the contest, most of it has to do with 'old baggage' still being lugged around. I thought it was fun, and you were a wonderful sport in doing it, especially the time you had to put into it.Thanks for all your hard work, take care of yourself.
----
Judy

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"Consider it a challenge.."

[Babar714]

We love you, Opal!

[evilbeth]

Opal, I don't even have a profile on the Teeming Millions page but I have been to it numerous times. You do a wonderful job and don't get as much credit as you deserve (except for this thread!)

We all know how it feels to put tremendous amounts of energy into doing something for people and then have them turn around and criticize you for it. You, however, have put up with more than your fair share.

Even though you probably want to throw a huge "Bite me" out to the whole SDMB right now, I hope that you will see that you are really appreciated here not just for your site but as a witty, intelligent, and valuable poster.

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The dumber people think you are, the more surprised they're going to be when you kill them.

[Cabbage]

Just wanted to add my comments as well. I check out the TMHP quite often, and have always appreciated and respected the work Opal has put into it. Not only that, but I've always had a lot of respect for her as a poster and a person.

Thanks, Good Luck, and Best Wishes, Opal :)

Take no crap, Opal! You and your webpage ROCK. And yeah, I got nominated for stuff and it's really nice to know you guys think enough of me to do that - but it's not so much about being "popular." It's more about getting it, which most of the time, we ALL do.

I'd like to nominate MPSIMS as the forum with the hoopiest bunch of froods. Can't even see your own feet, yer all so damned hip.



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StoryTyler
"Not everybody does it, but everybody should."
I Spy Ty. (http://sites.netscape.net/storytyler/homepage)

[Ruffian]

I'm a bit tardy coming into this whole thing...I went in the chat room looking to ask you a simple question about updating my profile, to rather be given a clue that you weren't feeling well. I read the Pit thread and skimmed this one, so I feel caught-up-ish enough to post.

Whatever all this crap amounts to, you're a impressively skilled web-designer, intelligent, honest (and frankly so, a refreshing trait), real person, unafraid to bare your raw self with us. That is both admirable, brave, and very risky, as it opens you up to the (frankly) silly personal attacks you've received. You've done nothing worth attacking; few people on this board truly have.

So, in conclusion:
OpalCat!
OpalCat!
Rah rah rah!
OpalCat!
OpalCat!
Rah rah rah!

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formerly known as LauraRae

I'm a Raggety Ann in a Barbie Doll world.

Laura's Stuff and Things (http://members.aol.com/lrconaway)

I said it before and I'll say it again:
Opalcat kicks ass!!! She rules, she rules!
She was the official first person to be nice to me when I first started posting. You go, girl and make whatever website you want. Even though I hate cats, you I can tolerate, cuz you're a bad-ass poster, and I think you rock!
Even anyone wants to give you shit, tell them to kiss your ass right in the crack.


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Fat Guy in a Little Coat,
SDMB Self-Righteous Clique
"And on the eighth day, God Created beer
to prevent the Irish from taking over
the Earth."

[Gr8Kat]

I just want to add my 2 cents--I think Opal's pages are really cool. I appreciate her efforts to make the SDMB regs a community with the Teeming Millions pages and the regs webring. They're the perfect complement to the MB. I'll definitely miss seeing updates to the pages of flames, funnies, and fools. It is a shame that the administrators (and some of the regs) are unable to appreciate her devotion to the SDMB.

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"I hope life isn't a big joke, because I don't get it," Jack Handy

The Kat House (http://members.aol.com/gr8kat1/KatGen/home.htm)
Join the FSH Muscular Dystrophy Webring (http://members.aol.com/gr8kat1/KatGen/fshwebring.htm)

[techchick68]

FWIW, I think OpalCat is a pretty cool lady.

Hey OpalCat....some of us do care about you and want to know that you are okay, please let us know you are okay!

[Cowboy Greg]

Opal, it'd be a real shame to lose your voice here and on the TM homepage. The love and dedication you've lavished on the site shows.

Please take care of yourself first... even if there are some pissy humorless people here who wouldn't understand the concept of "a fun thing" if it came up and bit 'em on the ass, there are a lot of us here who really appreciate that you hang out with us.

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Shared pain is lessened; shared joy is increased.

Hey Opal -

Take care of Opal first.
Take care of Nicky & Undead Dude next.

Take care of any million of other things you want to do next.

Then, and only then, IF there's time & energy left over, your talent blows me away, and if you choose to spend some of it here, you will never want for an appreciative audience. I love the TMHP & the Voting is fun, but only if everything's really really OK in your life.

I truly hope all the other weirdness has blown over by then. Take care.


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Sue from El Paso

Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted.

[Nutty Bunny]

Opal, I feel for you. I can't compare my own depression with yours, but I have an idea of what you're going through. My best wishes go out to you.

That being said, I want to echo everyone's sentiments about the hard work you put into the website. I just added my profile a couple of days ago after discovering TM and I'm truly amazed at all of the work you've done. Everything I've read so far has been entertaining and worthwhile. I'm just sorry I've been a member since Nov. and I just now discovered it.

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Neil, Neil, orange peel!

[TwistofFate]

Stay well Opal, its good to have someone like you around on the boards.

Opal, You Rock. I'm going to sink a Cold one in your Honour.

Your work IS appreciated. Do what you love. never let anyone discourage you from what ever gives you pleasure. TMHP kicks ass, but the SD would be a lot less without you.

Best Wishes from Ireland,
John

[phouka]

Okay, I'm late, and I'm lame, which admittedly happens all the time, but still . . .

Opal, you are the cat's meow. Your web design skills and hard work make the Internet and this board a warmer, friendlier, prettier place.

I wish I could give you a great big hug (and a back rub, and a batch of cookies, and some better neurotransmitters, and . . . and . . . and . . . )

Let your husband take good care of you, rest and recover, pamper yourself. Do what you want and remember: don't let the bastards grind you down.

[smilingjaws]

Well, can't add much here except "mega dittos!"
I think everyone is sending prayers and good thoughts your way.


P.S. Please do not assume that I am a Rush Limbaugh Fan!!!!!!!