I don't know if it's too late to chime in here. I bought a Toto Drake last week. I bought the eco one that uses only 1.6 gallons. I have had no problems. I am amazed at the powerful flush using so little water. No ahem left behind.. so far. I've only had it a few days, but so far I am thrilled with it. The toilets in the house were orignal (I'm the second owner) and were very ineffienct, to say the least. i would have loved sanigloss, but I couldn't afford the extra cost.

minet - You are correct. Regular Notaries are only allowed to charge $10 per signature. DH was doing the Loan Doc Signings. Since you lved in OC, you're somewhat familiar with the area. DH covered a wide area - parts of north OC, parts of LA county, all the Inland Empire, Parts of Riverside and San Brdo. Counties. He also made occasional trips to the Victor Valley-(High Desert) and Big Bear. It was a lot of driving! Advertising popped up everywhere "Make Big Money - Become a Notary Public!" What happened to that retired guy you knew is also what happened to DH - they were finding people who would do it cheaper. I don't know how anyone made money doing signings for only $50.00. The only way is if one had a few per day and close together - like, in their own neighborhood! Plus, like I mentioned, more and more companies were requiring the Notary to print out the Loan Docs on their own - which took a lot more time and cost. OH, and another thing this one company did...they would just put the assignments up on computer - leaving it "up for grabs" for anyone. So, DH had to sit at computer all day long everyday and refresh every couple of minutes to see if something "popped up". (If he was out on a signing, he'd miss out on any new assignments) It got to the point it wasn't worth it anymore. ----------------- runninginplace - Yes, we are not married. Been together for over 20 years. I refer to him as "hubby" most times. "Significant Other" or "boyfriend" or "life partner" just sound odd to me. I sometimes refer to him as my housemate also. "Hubby" is just easy. Someone in a previous post mentioned my 1/2 should be protected. Not sure what that means...should I get out the chainsaw and cut the house in half? haha j/k! ------------ "DH" saw the attorney. (hubby also was able to get most of the file on this specific trx from the lender) Attorney told him to just keep all the info for now, but to NOT respond to the letters...and just wait to see if anything happens. DH hasn't heard anything since. I don't know what the statute of limitations would be on something like this. (Maybe the other guy's attorney told him he didn't have a case? I donno) -------------- And, yes, I was too busy to read the letter when he first presented it to me. DH had already told me most of the highlights in the letter. By the time I was mentally prepared & calm enough to read the letter, it was gone. He had taken it to attorney. Everyone has their own ways of dealing with things. I guess my way is different.

Wow...someone just gave me the link to this post, and I am both happy and sad at what I've read. How can ANYONE say that humans are *above* animals??? These are not just pets...they are souls. And who is anyone to say or know that animals are "below" us? Just because we can talk and have jobs and blah blah blah? No...that's just plain wrong. Animals are extremely special, and if anything, THEY are more superious than us! As for pets, if someone looks at a dog or cat as "just a pet" that can be easily replaced, then don't get one! Because a time will come when you may have to make a very important decision about healthcare, and that "pet" is better off with someone who will make the right decision. Now, I am in no means a rich person. FAR from it! But my dog (a labrador retriever) was diagnosed with cancer when she was 6 years old (3 years ago). I know most people would not give the dog treatment, and if you don't have the means, then I can completely understand. But for those that say "my dog/cat is part of the family".....would you let your son or daughter suffer and eventually die from cancer without even doing anything to help them, even if it put you in debt?? I don't think so! Then either take out a loan for your dog/cat, or STOP saying they are part of your family. Needless to say, I did the treatment. Yes, I know she wasn't a puppy...but she still had years of life ahead of her, and she deserved those years. She still thanks me every single day for what I did for her...in her own little way. The treatment consisted of spinal surgery to remove the tumor, followed by 3 weeks of radiation treatment. The cost? Altogether it was $12,000. Now, many of you may think I'm crazy, but my dog is still here with me, and she is the most amazing creature I've ever known. There are people that spend that kind of money on materialistic things in a year's time. I mean, who here has more than $12,000 in credit card debt? Who here has that debt from clothes/furniture/etc? Here's my point: Most people don't have to face the decision I had to make. But I hope you can look at what I did and realize that a few hundred dollars for treatment or even just a "check-up" isn't too much if you really love your animal. If you TRULY can't afford treatment for your pet, fine. But really THINK about whether or not you can really *afford* it.....I'll bet you can, you just don't want to, or you can find better things to spend the money on. Thanks for letting me "vent".

Beth, Congrats on getting so-o-o-o close. Your PB should be able to let you know how many gallons you have. Water testing on a salt pool vs a non-salt pool is identical except that you need to do a salt test from time to time to be sure the amount of salt in your pool is correct...basically, you're double-checking your saltwater chlorine generator's (SWCG) read-out. Muriatic acid lowers your water's pH when it gets too high and that happens on a regular basis with a SWCG. MA can be purchased at a Lowe's or Home Depot-type store. It's generally cheaper purchased there rather than at a pool store. A drops-based test kit is the kind to look for, if your PB doesn't supply you with one. Poolforum.com is a great site to go to. Read everything you can there. Unfortunately, registrations have been closed there for some time, so you can't post at the present time. Another site that I've linked below, has many of the same members as PoolForum. You CAN register and post on that site, so it's the way to go. You'll still advice from some of the really knowledgeable people from PoolForum. They also are selling what looks to be a top-notch test kit (a very similar version of the excellent kit PoolForum used to sell - I have one of those and wouldn't have a pool without it!). Here is a link that might be useful: TroubleFreePool site