Based upon many threads in past months at Yourdon's, and my discussions with other friends in the world and cyberspace, my friend Faith and I were discussing these thoughts this morning:

First, I am delighted to have made the acquaintance of people who seem to be some of the finest I would ever hope to know one-on-one in my life. Bear in mind that I understand that how we all are here may not be exactly the way we are with people we live with,...but I sometimes fancy myself someone who knows BS when she hears it, and doles it out. But I digress...Anyway people, I'm more than glad to have met you here.

Next,...the thing that blows the top of my head into space is when I consider that we are all in many places in the world...and that each of us is part of a chain of people...like the concepts put forth in the play "Six Degrees of Separation"...a long chain of people connecting people... So I put forth, that if this is so...then I am not in despair over "what may come" of human beings. For each of these people I have traded thoughts and laughs and angry words with is part of a discrete chain of others that they value and love, and on and on.

This is my optimism...my hope (and I do not bandy the "hope word" about lightly, dear hearts). If I should bust a major vessel in my brain in the next moments,...I am proud to have seen, heard, and felt you. I am equally confident that my newly adult children will, in my absence, will find wonderful human beings throughout their lives.

All this makes my walk today, my life today more than tolerable...makes it amazing! I breathe. I am calm and alert. I am in good company. I can ask for no more.

-- Donna Barthuley (moment@pacbell.net), November 01, 1998

Answers

AMEN!

I like everybody here, well, almost everyone anyhow. If the net goes down Ill miss you all greatly, or at least most of you. Fine folks reside here, smart ones, funny ones, irritating ones, silly ones, but most of all REAL ONES.

However, to dispel any incorrect assumptions, I will now admit to being, in reality, Ms. Simmons second period social studies class project: Observation of human behavior in a perceived crisis Everyone in the class has contributed, except for Albert, who seems tired all of the time.

-- Uncle Deedah (oncebitten@twiceshy.com), November 01, 1998.

Is that really true, Uncle Deedah? Are you a composite? How interesting! Another project for your class might be "Is sincerety compromised by pretention?" and I have a question for the class. Wouldn't you like to be known as who you truthfully are to these people you have been examining? Msglory (not my real name either but then, no one ever thought it was)

-- Roberta Blackard (roblackard@juno.com), November 01, 1998.

Well okay then...I fess up....

I'm really me...and nobody plays me on TV. And since I hold with theories of multi-mind and personality...that each of us is many...then like Uncle, dear Uncle...I'm many, too

Microcosms of the universe we are....holographs.

Uni...Verse.....literally, One Song..

-- Donna Barthuley (moment@pacbell.net), November 01, 1998.

Uncle D, what crisis did you perceive?

-- Gayla Dunbar (privacy@please.com), November 01, 1998.

Canadian invasion of Cape Canaveral - they want their arm back so they can throw a Canadian peso over the Potomoc River --- oops, wrong fairy tale.

-- Robert A. Cook, P.E. (Kennesaw, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), November 01, 1998.