1 I cried whn I read your piece! It's like the "Trials of Job" for my generation! I'll do my best to get you a national holiday, someday! Or at least The Congressional Medal of Freedom! Now, barring fixing my glasses(which I probably would have done), I might have turned my desk around so that I was sitting at the back, rotated the monitor, and created a little shelf for my keyboard. Or simply detached the monitor from its mooring and moved it forward, adding a little bracket to stabilize the thing(think the back of a picture frame). Heck, in California, you could have claimed multiple chemical sensitivity disorder and had them construct you a hypoallergenic satellite office with an appropriate monitor. Or taunted them with the Americans With Diability Act(I'm sure presbyopia qualifies!). The bottom line is, I know you loved your job and I'm sure you did it extremely well. You just needed to be free for your real dream job, truth be told. It's coming! You can mourn for a little bit, though. And take care of those health issues, while you're at it...

2 My tummy is much better. I think it was stress + middle age. But I will have all the usual tests run, of course.

3 Good to hear!

4 ...But go right ahead and assume that the prayers had nothing to do with it. Don't fret, I'll tell St. Catherine of Alexandria, St. Symphorosa, and the rest that you had no idea. I can't afford to get anyone miffed, if you know what I mean!

5 Um...Someday will you regale us with the actual Firing Words used at this place? We need a good fix of Instant Outrage On LMA's Account from time to time. Ya know. Adrenaline rush, all that. It's good for us.

6 K: It would be pretty funny to share a few excerpts. I'll think about it. Darrell: that's downright sweet. And I had no idea you were Catholic (or is it Orthodox?).

7 It's Catholic. And thanks a lot! That sounds like something that could be used against me on Judgment Day!(So you lived your life so that no one knew you were a Catholic?) I see you don't remember your "I'm a half-assed Catholic..." posting. Or your commenter's. They're just part of my special 'posse' for stomach ailments. Specialists, actually. Before you scoff, how's your health plan?

8 I can't keep the biographical info straight on all my readers. I just recall that they're 90% engineers . . . Actually, I like to tell people that I converted to Catholicism because I found out about St. Anthony. Any faith that has a guy dedicated to helping people find lost things has a leg up on all other religions, if you want to know the truth. I'd rather have saints on my sides than doctors, but I'll take both, thankyouverymuch.