Sorry I haven't responded sooner... it took a
while for me to get my brain back in gear.  But
I'm sitting here now with a purring Steve in my
lap, and Clive downstairs kvetching about the lack
of anything fancier than kibble in his kibble
bowl, and everything just seems so NORMAL.  So
I'll take this opportunity to log in and express
my deep gratitude to everyone for their empathy
and good wishes and, above all, understanding.  I
know I've said it before, but the best thing about
this hobby isn't the cels or sketches or even the
anime from which they all come, but the people
I've met in it.

Over the last few years, this forum has seen a lot
of ups and downs, both as a community and in the
lives of its members.  New jobs, layoffs, house
hunting, home repairs, marriages, babies, midterms
and finals, new pets and pets lost, and of course
the eternal pursuit of that perfect cel -- every
week there seems something to celebrate and
something else to commiserate over.  And through
it all, the most important thing is that we're all
there to either cheer with or cheer-up each other.
 Your empathy and support helped me get through a
parental health crisis early in the year, and your
congratulations were one of the high points of
landing my recent contract at Microsoft.  No
matter what the situation, everything is better
with friends.

And I just wanted to thank you all for being those
friends.

I'll post more information on the boys' condition
when I hear from the vet on Monday.  Meanwhile,
they're getting all the attention they care to
wheedle, and all the roasted chicken they can eat.
 As far as they're concerned, this is a darn good
weekend indeed.

Here's hoping they get a lot more weekends
to enjoy, and to boss their monkeys around.  ^_^