Yesterday morning, I had posted in my journal thread on the UnaBoard, and in my LJ, that I had some serious doubts as to wagimoko’s reaction to my (then-unmade) offer to take her out for her birthday Monday – doubts along the lines of expecting her to say, “You can’t afford it, so don’t bother asking me”.
Yesterday afternoon, I got an IM from Tiburon…to tell me that, thanks to the efforts of the SDMB, UnaBoard, and LJ communities, reservations for us had been made at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse in Berlin, CT, for Monday…and that the bill had been covered. The message associated with the reservations is, “From your SDMB admirers”.
I want to thank all of the Dopers who participated, or who lent their kind words and thoughts to this effort. I am not good with words of praise and thanks (which is why very similar words appear at the UB 
), but I want you all to know how much I appreciate this totally unexpected action, that I am humbled by the goodness and kindness that you have shown wagimoko and me in this.
There can surely be no better communities, on-line or physical, than these, and no better people than you, who make up these communities.
In an e-mail that I sent to an old friend yesterday, I wrote, “It’s amazing how having a reputation worth living up to makes one want to live up to it”. I hope that I may show myself to be to be worthy of the opinion that you all have of me.