Hello Scott: You are too kind and I really appreciate the props and your mistaken impression of me as a genius...idiot savant, maybe, genius, no. It's also been a pleasure reading your posts and I always enjoy your occasional lessons on Japanese garden design. As to the wellspring of my ideas, its neither of the two people you suggested, though in my secret underground lair, consulting with my Number 2 man (his name...Number 2) has proven to be illuminating on occasion. Seriously, if it weren't for Asha's musings, I wouldn't have come up with that plan at all. The "genius" as you call it is self-taught from my seemingly endless reading of gardening/design books, and tours of gardens all over the world. Scott, one thing I neglected to mention is that if you have any ideas, additions/subtractions or suggestions, please share them. And Melanie, no worries...I used Corel Draw to generate the plan, which is a vector-based drawing program similar to Adobe Illustrator. Perhaps we should talk in real time and we can get you up to speed on scanners and available software. Stay warm! spectre

French Bread Pizza would be easy and probably pretty cheap, too. Slice some french bread loaves in half lengthwise, spread with some bottled pizza or pasta sauce, top with grated cheeses, veggies, or some crumbled veggie sausage patties or Boca Burgers, bake until hot through and cheese is melted. Apple juice costs less than cider and can be kept hot in a crock pot - sweetened with brown sugar, add some cinnamon sticks and cloves tied up in cheesecloth. That will warm up those skaters very nicely! Apple slices dipped in a warm caramel sauce would be different. Taco Soup - you could use crumbled Boca Burgers instead of ground beef or add another can of beans or two. This makes a large quantity and freezes well 2 pounds ground round, or veggie burgers, crumbled 1 large onion, diced 1 packet taco seasoning 1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch original dry mix salad dressing 1 can kidney beans (with liquid) 1 can pinto beans with jalapeños (with liquid) 1 can yellow hominy, optional 1 can diced tomatoes and green chilies (Rotel) 2 cans stewed tomatoes (I use Mexican stewed tomatoes) 1 8 oz. can tomato sauce 1 cup of water Cook beef and onion until beef is browned, drain excess grease. Add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes. Penzy's Spicy Cheese Bread 1 cup grated mozzarella, Jack or Swiss cheese 1 cup grated colby or cheddar cheese l loaf french bread sliced in half lengthwise 2 TB butt, soft 1/2 small yellow or red onion minced 1 1/2 t. Italian herbs 1 t. garlic salt 1/2 t. crushed red pepper or sprinkled on cayenne pepper Heat oven to broil. Cover baking sheet with foil. Toss cheeses in a bowl. Butter cut surface of bread and place on sheet. Sprinkle onion on both halves of bread. Sprinkle half of herbs and garlic. Mound cheese on top of bread. Top with rest of herbs and garlic and the red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper, if desired. Boil 5-7 min. until the cheese melts and the bread is crusty. Slice in 3" slices.

igloochick: I haven't answered your last post about me because it's obvious to me you are just scanning what I wrote, rather than actually reading it. Just for the record, I am one of the luckiest people on earth, as I have had the fortune of having people pay me to learn as much as I can about many things, including high finance. I worked for many years in the Financial district of San Francisco, mostly on commodities but also stocks and bonds. So you're right, I don't know the "language" of the mortgage industry, but I know all too well how the owners of banks and mortgage companies work, and how they make sure that no matter what, they get their profit (usually totally focussed on the short-term, of course, which is a big part of the problem). After about 12 years of that, I burned out, took some time off, and to my total surprise found myself working as a remodeling contractor, and for the most part loving it. Imagine this conversation in a typical boardroom: "Let's offer a product that greatly reduces our profits! We will be doing a great service to so many people who cannot afford a conventional mortgage! I'm sure our shareholders would greatly prefer we help these people rather than earn the highest profit that we possibly can." You know that is not the way any business works. For everyone who "saves" by using an ARM, there has to be someone else who spends more, in order to make sure the lending company gets their profits. My point with all this is that our entire financial system is now in trouble because of a complete lack of oversight while all these companies were offering new and untested products. Rogerv said it best: it's great that many are paying less with an ARM now, but what if they can't lock in a fixed rate loan when interest rates start to rise? What if so many companies are going out of business that credit is no longer available, even to those with perfect credit ratings? You can see with the problems that Countrywide announced yesterday that many companies are getting swept up in the overall industry problem, even though they don't even offer the products that are causing the main problem. And I'm sure you know, Countrywide's banking arm is also in trouble, having to lay off more than 450 employees, even though they did not participate in predatory loan practices. Capital One is also laying off. I believe we are headed for a far worse situation than we have now, unless something happens to stop it. I like the proposal I heard yesterday for the mortgage companies to establish a fund that the victims of predatory loan practices could use to refinance. I don't know how much that would help, but at least the industry is starting to talk about this and admitting there is a problem. I guess that's what I worry about most about you igloochick and the other bankers who have posted here: you seem to be saying that there is no problem. That everything is just fine, and no additional oversight or action is needed. Is that what you are saying? Should we do nothing while millions of families lose their homes, lending companies go out of business, and the stock market goes nuts worrying about it all? Like I said before, this problem is spreading rapidly, and causing a huge downturn in my business and many others. We went from having more work than we needed, to now not being able to keep all my guys working, and every single one of them has a family. Finally, do apologize if I give the impression that all in the banking industry are evil. I do not believe that at all, and for the most part I think the banking industry is not nearly as unethical as the contracting industry. We contractors have major challenges in cleaning up our own industry, especially in the residential sector. I am absolutely disgusted by the practices of many of my fellow contractors. But the problems in the mortgage industry are rippling though the entire financial industry, and having far-reaching effects that have not been seen for at least 50 years. And when the financial industry is in trouble, everyone is in trouble.

It must really hurt to have this woman treat you so poorly. I relate with the other people on this thread because my BF's 24-year old has treated me like dirt for the past 4 years and I was always kind and VERY generous to her. On a personal level I would not care if I ever spoke to her again, but because I love her dad I would like us all to get along well. I'd bet my bottom dollar that SD feels the same way about me too. We tolerate each other for him. I think it's great that you stood up to your SM because she was disrespectful to you. Do you feel comfortable inviting her out for lunch or coffee so that you can discuss her petty and rude treatment of you? Without accusing her of anything or putting her on the defense, let her know that you would like the family dynamics to not be so strained or something like that. I'm sure you know the most tactful and appropriate way to approach your SM. I would maybe address the incident your father brought to your attention (he may even know more than he lets on). Tell her how you felt as a 13 year-old; and then explain to her that at the age of 40 what you said here: you now realize how badly they (you folks) were for one another, but at 13 you didn't have enough life experience to understand it, and if you made it difficult for her or made her feel badly, it wasn't personal - just a young kid who didn't know any better. If you honestly feel like she is good for your dad, you can tell her that too. I think that this is the most you can possibly do. Should she still act like an ass, then to hell w/her. You rose to occasion and did your best. Again, I encourage you to speak with her. I wish that BF's D had the maturity to approach me. I tried to resolve our differences with her once and it was like poking a stick in a hornet nest. I wish you the best.