Emerging from the abyss ...

Finally! I knew the day would come that I would finally complete my part of the many projects on my desk. It almost broke me this time, but I survived - with the help of a great many people who love me and put up with much. Everytime I prayed for strength, endurance, perspective and patience, I would get a call from someone in my church family, or a visit, or some dinner ... It's a beautiful thing.

During the course of this craziness that has been life, I have discovered a few things that I want to share:

1. Although I always complete what I start and do it to the best of my ability and talent, I really can't do it all alone. My supporting cast is awesome.

2. Easter Eggs are not just for little kids. What? What's that all about? My friends, did you know that programmers are sick sort of people? I have been working with Adobe products since 1993 - and Quark XPress is the main program that I use for page layout. 2 weeks ago, during the course of finishing the very last page on a 40 page publication - yes, the last page - A little martian came marching from the side of the page, aimed his gun at the photo I was placing, fired it into a beautimous rainbow of colors then disappeared. Along with my freak out of some sort of alien invasion - aka some unknown Mac virus - I immediately turned off the Mac and began throwing up. Over the course of the years, the Mac operating system is fairly impervious to most of the known viruses, but the ones that do work are pretty vicious. I was certain untold damage had been done to the 3 workstations and the data on my server. After rebooting, crying, cursing and stomping - jumped down, turned around and picked a bale of cotton - The file would not reopen. It was permanently damaged. No amount of chicken sacrifice was going to work. I called my client, who called his clients and the printer to tell them I was going to have to start over with everybody doing approval one more time on the ads. I turned a week long job in 2 days, 3 hours of sleep and a lot coffee.

So, what was this virus? Not a virus. My reaction to what is lovingly called an Easter Egg by the geeks I have spoken to was what corrupted the file. Had I left it alone to complete its deed, the file would have been fine. My eye! Indeed, though, I have researched this more fully and almost all programs have embedded Easter Eggs - the right key sequence while squenching your eyes, jumping on one leg with your hair on fire begins the program. Honestly. Look it up. I just quite by accident hit the right key sequence.Dang those geeks.

3. The seasons completely changed while I wasn't looking. On the up side, I'm pretty much "on vacation" until January! Yeah, Me!

4. Shiloh Primitive Baptist is a sanctuary for me. 'Nough said.

5. It is time for me to upgade my equipment. Throughout the "Easter Egg Fiasco" of 2006, it was very hard to react with any sort of authority or download any sort of programs for support because I am working on an old Operating System. I must now learn all of these programs over. I'm too old for that.

6. A diet of fast food will make even Waffle House look like home cooking.

7. And speaking of dinner, my kids would starve if Zaxby's were not in Grayson.

8. And speaking of fast food, I now know you cannot eat a taco in the car.

9. Throughout all of this production season, even with the craziness of deadlines, I still enjoy my chosen field of work.

10. The hours from 11 p.m. - 2 a.m. are not really hours. More like minutes and that's where I think the aging process and "time flies" is catching up with us old folks. It's from 11 p.m. until 2 - And that's why when I say "I'll be home in just a few ..." I don't specify a few whats.