Celebrating A Year in the Sassosphere: Part Two

Yesterday the Sassistas!^TM began a two-part celebration of the first full year of the sassosphere which opened one year ago today.

Part One of our celebration began with a look back at the sass that made us laugh over the past year.  Today in Part Two of our celebration, we will look back at the sass that made us think . . . and sometimes cry.  To read a highlighted post, just click on its red URL.

The Sassistas!^TM first opened the sassosphere to, as our tagline says, "dish on the social soup," with a specific focus on what we called "the weird and wonderful incongruities in life."  As depicted in the cartoon featured in this post, we liked the idea of throwing out (or up) our opinions on a regular basis.  Who knew where it might lead . . . perhaps a book deal!  It did, in fact, lead to something, but something much more valuable than a book deal.  It led to a community comprised of beautiful, fragile beating hearts which meant that sometimes, the community was messy.  However, at all times, the community was life-giving.

These life-giving moments were fueled by the posts such as the following by barista about the toll of the Iraq War and the long journey to Obama's inauguration by Selma, Alabama high school students:

http://www.sassistas.com/sassistas_our_dish_on_the/2008/03/human-nature.html

http://www.sassistas.com/sassistas_our_dish_on_the/2009/01/the-long-journey-from-selma.html

PEACEsista educated us about the crisis in Tibet (with her own photos) and a life crisis when she took a terrible fall in August and broke her back:

http://www.sassistas.com/sassistas_our_dish_on_the/2008/03/tibet-crisisnot.html

http://www.sassistas.com/sassistas_our_dish_on_the/2008/09/wanted-healing.html

One of the Sassistas!^TM most popular posts was written by Westsista, an honest look at obesity, followed later in the year by the launch of her very own monthly Sassistas!^TM gig, "Meet the Sass":

http://www.sassistas.com/sassistas_our_dish_on_the/2008/06/confessions-of.html

http://www.sassistas.com/sassistas_our_dish_on_the/2009/02/black-is-the-new-black.html

Half-a-sista never flinched from inviting us to look at injustice in his posts, represented by these two: his bold look at prison reform and gay and lesbian rights:

http://www.sassistas.com/sassistas_our_dish_on_the/2008/05/lock-the-door-a.html

http://www.sassistas.com/sassistas_our_dish_on_the/2008/06/with-liberty-an.html

What to say about Jerseysista?  Our Darwinist scientist, who made us both think and gasp with these respective posts about her beloved grandmother and what she learned from a John Donne sonnet/aria in John Adams' new opera, "Doctor Atomic":

http://www.sassistas.com/sassistas_our_dish_on_the/2008/10/i-made-it.html

http://www.sassistas.com/sassistas_our_dish_on_the/2008/12/batter-my-heart.html

We would all be ready to open a vein about our economic catastrophe if it wasn't for the sane advice of of the sassosphere's very own financial expert -- nowayasista -- in posts such as the following:

http://www.sassistas.com/sassistas_our_dish_on_the/2009/02/the-fix-on-the-big-fix.html

Chrysosistah reminded us all of the difficulty and joy of parenting in this honest post:

http://www.sassistas.com/sassistas_our_dish_on_the/2008/07/help-i-want-my.html

And how can we forget the inimitable voice of Carolyn in her post about her visit home to Mississippi?:

http://www.sassistas.com/sassistas_our_dish_on_the/2008/10/cowbell-for-sal.html

The Sassistas!^TM would be remiss if we didn't mention babysis who submitted a post about Santa Land that was never published due to the December passing of Flannista's beloved cat, Isaac.  Nevertheless, she has faithfully commented both in and out of the sassosphere, offering her own brand of encouragement.  Thank you.

We also want to thank treesta and DCsistah, who began to dish with us toward the end of the year . . . treesta offering unforgettably luminous comments about the last days of her mother, Julia.  And what can we say about DCsistah except we want her to start a church founded on her brand of "thealogy".

We end this post and our first year together with a quote and two images.  The quote is from An Altar in the World: A Geography of Faith by Barbara Brown Taylor:

. . . the hardest spiritual work in the world is to love the neighbor as the self -- to encounter another human being not as someone you can use, change, fix, help, save, enroll, convince, or control, but simply as someone who can spring you from the prison of yourself, if you will allow it.  All you have to do is recognize another you 'out there' -- your other self in the world -- for whom you may care instinctively as you care for yourself.  To become that person, even for a moment, is to understand what it means to die to your self.  This can be as frightening as it is liberating.  It may be the only real spiritual discipline there is (p. 93). 

And these final two images (below):  Jerseysista's beloved grandmother and our beloved Isaac.  Both taught us much about springing ourselves from the prison of ourselves.  To recognize another you "out there."  And then the ensuing terror and joy that comes from being in community.  Risking love.  Standing firm.  Holding gently in our open hands those beautiful, fragile beating hearts.  Knowing one day they will stop beating.

Continue to rest in peace, dear ones. 

Again, much love and many thanks to all.

Comments

[Flannista]

The posts featured in today's Sassistas! retrospective highlight the best of this community.

For those of you interested in numbers: during our first year, Matissta and I published a total of 331 posts (26 by guest "dishers") and logged nearly 6,800 comments. That's a whopping average of 20 comments per post. In most cases, the comments were as cogent and brilliant or as goofy and hysterical as the original posts themselves . . . sometimes more so.

In addition to topics mentioned in this post, we posted about the Presidential election and inauguration, the SilverDocs documentary film festival, the Summer Olympics and many, many topics about current affairs. Toward the end of the year, Sassistas! morphed into a more personal blog when Isaac left this sweet world. During that heart-breaking time, the sassosphere was so supportive and patient. Thank you again.

By the way, the same deal goes today as yesterday. For every comment we receive to today's post, the Sassistas! will donate $10 to Somos Bones, Natalie Goldberg's foundation that enables people of color to attend her writing workshops.

What topics didn't we cover that we should have? Is the balance between humor and serious stuff right or too much one way or the other? If Flannista exercised her emerging voice a bit more and posted more original stories, would you run away and never come back? Would you be willing to post some of your own stories?

What posts stick in your heart and mind over the course of the past year? The sassosphere is open is open for your wise and thoughtful feedback.

[Flannista]

One of the weaknesses of Sassistas! -- which may also be a strength -- is that we don't fit concisely into any internet search category. Matissta and I have discussed many times what we are in order for internet search engines to more readily pick us up: social commentary? Books? Movies? Political commentary? Humor? We don't fit neatly anywhere.

Also, based on visiting other blogs, Sassistas! does feel more like a community -- clearly a strength -- but I worry at times that others who may want to join in the sass on a regular basis may feel like they missed out by not being with us since the beginning . . . though treesta and DCsistah have thrown themselves into the 'sphere full throttle and heart.

Another thing -- our demographic. I have more friends who are intimidated by technology than who are not. Or, like me until about three years ago, simply can't abide dealing with technology, preferring more human (sometimes meant to imply, "authentic") connections. It's a source of some sadness to me that many of my closest friends do not read Sassistas! Whenever they ask me how I am, I often refer them to the blog, but I usually hear, "I just don't want to go there." I get it on one level. On another, I'm hurt as I would always check their blog if they were posting regularly.

Anyhoo, we don't appeal to many folks in our age group who are uncomfortable with technology, and we're not "hip" enough, I think, for the generations behind us, the members of which spend their entire day on the internet.

So we're in between a lot of worlds. Any suggestions on what to do about that? It really fries my sass, for example, when those DABA girls start a blog in September 2008, publish not even 40 posts and already have a book deal. You know a movie deal is just around the corner.

BUT -- and this is a big BUT -- I don't think there's a whole lotta love among the DABs like there is here. Also growth. You know what I'm talkin' about. Over the past year, we have witnessed the growth of many of us in the 'sphere . . . from complainers to healers, from preachers to servants. From showing up only to be heard to showing up to listen, and listen in a deeper way.

Sweet Jesus, this past year so many of us have learned to see the person standing right in front of us, who has no substitute, who can never be replaced, whose heart holds things for which there is no language, whose life is an unsolved mystery.

As DC has said, "god's love is extravagant."

[babysis]

Thanks for all the great memories. I think I know what you mean and all, but I'd say another option is to "stay on the ride," as someone sang. Wait and see. If you really wanted a book or movie deal, you could clearly do that, but it would drive the bus. I love the lack of commercial appeal here, and think it is truly a strength. Just keep your day jobs, okay? You're both famous in our hearts already.

[half-a-sista]

I agree with babysis, except for one thing. Flan, ditch your day job as soon as possible. It's eating your soul alive. You have so much to give to to the world of real, loving people. Quit wasting it on The Man.

I both love and hate the blog. I want to talk to Flan and Matiss intimately and not always on the blog about their lives and my life. I want to hear their voices, see their handwriting, look into their eyes, talk face to face.

I would like to do that with some of the rest of the sistas, too. Alas, any blog is about connecting with words, not people, no matter how intimate the conversations. I love even the most contrary of the mistas and sistas. I hate that our relationship is reduced to types words in cyberspace. I want more personal communication between us. I want to sit down with you all and talk about things. I think about that everyday.

The impersonal quality of the web doesn't satisfy my need for human contact face-to-face or voice-to-voice or handwritten note to handwritten note. I live alone. And, although I do go out daily to various places and have contact with other humans, it isn't the same as having contact with my family of choice. Imagine being raised in a situation where you never saw anyone in the family. They emailed you or blogged you every so often. How sterile and unfulfilling would that be? Very, in my opinion.

The physical impracticality of flying off to Florida to see Carolyn or to DC to see Treesta and dcsistah or Sassistaville to see Flan and Matis keeps me on the blog. That and having good laughs and raising my blood pressure.

[half-a-sista]

I like the mix of the serious with the absurd. It appeals to my senses.

Some of the topics raise a lot of issues for us and it is good to have a day or two where we comment on the weirdness of life in the 21st century. The juxtaposition of women's urinary-assistive devices and the political campaign reminded me of how different and yet how similar those subjects are.

[Jerseysista]

The sassosphere truly has become a community. I hesitate to make presumptions about what the others may think, but I think I am safe to say we recognize each other’s voices. As we read each post we start to anticipate who will respond and what their perspective is likely to be. We smile when we read a comment not just because of its content or how we relate to it but because we feel like we know the person; we understand more than just the words on the page.

I think this only happens because this blog is a dialogue. When we comment, we are not just throwing comments out into cyberspace; we are directing the comments to Flannista and Matissta and to the ‘sphere. We know we are really being heard because each comment is acknowledged -- sometimes by others in the ‘sphere but always by Flann or Matiss. This blog is circular. It is not just a repository of comments. Can that be maintained as participants grow?

[barista]

I resonate with what everyone is saying, but esp. half-a . . . in recent years I have been at my computer more and more, writing and writing, which is good, but I miss the human contact, too. I certainly don't want the sassosphere to be a substitute for real flesh and blood connection. And sorry, Flan, I do not want to find out "how you are" by reading about it on a blog. Just doesn't do it for me. For me, there is a real down side to all these electronic means of connecting . . . I want more.

Maybe we should have an annual retreat?

[Flannista]

Well, what could be better than being famous in the hearts of the sistas and mistas, as babysis assures us? Thank you. We'll stay on the ride and hope everyone stays on the bus and welcomes other on board. . .

. . . which brings me to Jerseysista's question: can the "dialogue," the "circularity" of Sassistas! be maintained as participants grow? I have the luxury of acknowledging comments because the gig with The Man does not require all of my professional time. I have chosen not to supplement that gig with other work because Sassistas! became my full-time job. What would happen if the opportunity to do a short documentary came up with another client? Or a serious illness that would take me or Matiss away from the sassosphere for an extended period of time? In many ways, I was "absent" in the 'sphere after Isaac died. I showed up here, but was only going through the motions. At the same time, I don't think I could have gone through that grief . . . or given the I-Man the send-off he had earned if I didn't have this community of witnesses.

You are right, Jersey. Both Matiss and I can pretty much predict how a sista and mista will respond and to what kind of post. I also have to say that in the last month or so it has become less predictable as some of us have been willing to grow. For example, Jerseysista: at one time you came to the 'sphere to make what I would call a "declaration." During the course of the year, you've allowed the child and the poet in you to emerge. Witnessing it has been an honor.

half-a-sista has demonstrated the ability to dish both serious, informed sass and really hysterically funny sass. That's a tough thing to do. His comment about the similarity between women's urinary-assistive devices and the political campaign is a case in point. If he doesn't comment on a post I begin to wonder what wasn't working about the post -- his comments are a kind of a Sassistas! gauge.

And half-a: I hear you about The Man, but The Man pays the bills and in many ways, enables the sassosphere to stay open. For that, I'm grateful to The Man.

I want to think a bit more before commenting about human connections which are, of course, more meaningful than cyber-connections. Still, there is something important about our connections here . . . connections that I'm not certain could be replicated face-to-face.

Back in a bit.

[Jerseysista]

Here’s what I think this space has over face-to-face. When I meet people face-to-face there are many with whom, for one reason or another, I cannot have the conversations I do here.

I may read their reactions and body language in real time which causes me to adjust or edit my thoughts (and they theirs). The distance of cyberspace gives me the freedom to lay it out there.

Some people, face-to-face, may not be listening or I may not be listening to them and the moment goes by before conversation gets going. This blog gives us all the opportunity to give the conversation our full attention as a time that permits.

I generally do not pursue otherwise brief conversations with people I do not like but in cyberspace I can connect on common ground before first impressions and snap judgments can abort the process.

[Flannista]

Uh-ho, Jersey . . . you used the verb "abort" . . . you know that opens a whole other can of sass . . . .

Just kidding. But you hit the sass of the head for me about what this space has over face-to-face connections. I can't remember the last time I stayed "present" for a conversation about politics like I do here . . . or to have a conversation about having conversations! Of course, we all prefer face-to-face communication, but often we don't feel free to "lay it out there." And when we blow it face-to-face, we can immediately make amends. Say our mea culpas.

Not so in the sassosphere. Once words hit a page, they become indelible. We can't immediately look at the person who posted the comment and/or whose comment we responded to. I'm been embarrassed a couple of times to see my insensitive words staring back at me on the monitor. At the same time, I've been the recipient of some stinging comments . . . comments that made me cry and arrange another appointment with my therapist. As 'sphere monitors, Matiss and I don't really have the option of leaving for a while until we feel safe or leaving altogether (though we do have the power to pull the plug on this thing). The sassosphere has become bigger than the two of us. It is a breathing, living organic MESSY thing that comes with the good and the bad. The terror and the joy. The bullshit and the art. I can't and don't want to abort it. I have learned too much about myself. I have heard too much of my own voice -- not to mention, the voices of others -- to shut this down.

Over the past year, I've had to use a tremendous amount of discipline not only to post every day, but to listen every day, even when it hurts or is tedious. Early on, I sensed there was something important about showing up . . . not only to opine, but also to listen and to grow. The sassosphere is one of the most important relationships I've ever had.

[PEACEsista]

It's the opposite for me, Jersey. I censor myself more here in the sassophere than in person, because, as others have cited, I have begun to predict the response of others. I am more likely to measure my words here than in face-to-face conversation, where I can gauge a person's response, or bewilderment, while I am speaking.

I agree with half-a that a blog is much less personal than face-to-face conversation. Blogging is stimulating and fun, but it is also the least nourishing communication I practice. I can learn a ton from reading a blog or a book, but it does not create a personal relationship between me and the author. Mind you, I may love authors, but I don't actually know most of them. What I know is their words.

For the growth and vitality of the Sassistas! blog, I would suggest keeping it an open and inviting forum for new voices to jump in, a welcoming place to pop-in and comment on topics of interest. Of course, another perfect choice is to have the blog be a forum for Flann & Matissta's friends and acquaintances to visit on the sass of the day.

It has been an interesting and entertaining year here in the sphere. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to post and to jump-in and sasspond on a regular basis. I appreciate the monumental effort which it takes (yes, a full-time job for Flannista) to put up 331 posts in a year AND to contribute sassponses to all of them.

Congratulations on your first birthday, SASSISTAS! May there be many, many more and thank you, Flann and Matiss, for your whole-hearted efforts.

[Flannista]

Back from walking the dawg.

While out in the woods pondering things with Huckleberry, it occurred to me that it may seem that I dismissed barista's and half-a's comments about needing face-to-face communication. That was not my intent, of course, but I understand that you may not have felt heard. Matissta and I have had a couple serious conversations about a Sassistas! get-together, perhaps in different regions of the country. We do think it would be wonderful if at some point down the road, we all had an opportunity to meet each other. That was what occurred to me when I was walking the dawg.

Then I open the 'sphere to PEACEsista's generous comment. I guess that I too tend to censor myself a bit, but it's different for me as the "hostess" of this party; or the "parent" at the head of the table . . . I'm not certain what analogy works . . . but you catch my drift. A written rebuke from me might be more stinging than a written rebuke from someone else . . . not to lessen the impact of any one rebuke. I'm still figuring this all out. Continue to bear with me.

I would like to have new voices join in. How do we best do that?

I was also wondering, half-a and barista if you yearn for more face-to-face communication because you work out of your homes? You don't have an "office" community every day. I work out of my home, too, but as PEACEsista said, Sassistas! is a full-time job for me. I've never worked so hard on anything in my life, with the exception of work I've done in therapy and during prayer . . . but again, those are one-on-one settings.

What does it mean that this blog feels more like my church home than my church home?

Also, more like my real family than my real family?

[half-a-sista]

Flan, I understand about The Man and what working for him allows you to do. Still, he is eating your soul. I don't expect you to chuck him. I hope that you know what a treasure chest of abilities you have developed, possess, been given, been blessed with and how those might free you from Him once and for all. I won't say another word about it.

No, I want more face-to-face because I can employ all of my senses in the interaction. Humor and sarcasm and sincerity do not always communicate well in writing (as we know).

I want more voice communication with you because I love you and this typing back and forth doesn't do it when the sound of your voice makes my heart sing. Same for me and Westsista or PEACEsista or barista or Matissta or frida or any of the other sistas that I know but don't know I know them. The sound of the voice of people I love means the world to me. Some of that is related to being alone almost all day, but I can tell you I haven't missed the voices of the people with whom I worked for 10 years at all.

What does it mean that the blog feels more like your church home than your church home? It means that you should change churches (a joke). Maybe this is your spiritual home and not your religious one like your church is.

And the feeling that the blog is more like your real family than your real family. Flan, you have a biological family and a family of choice. Some members of your biological family are also part of your family of choice. You have the opportunity to choose the members of your "real family".

I think new voices will come as more people find there way to Sassistas! Look at the number of new people who have joined during the first year. We have regulars which I count to be about 12 regular people (not counting Flan and Matiss) which is a 600% increase from the two people who started the blog a year ago. That's pretty amazing. We have had new people join in commenting on posts in the recent months. Sassistas! will reach 100,000 hits shortly. In short, you are reaching new people all of the time and someday (like the rest of us) they may become regular posters to the site. All of this in a year, pretty damned amazing if you ask me.

[half-a-sista]

Do I only get $10 for all of my comments? Or do I get $10 to SOMOS Bones for each electrifying, stimulating, and heartfelt comment? If each comment rates $10, I may have to quit including so many in each post.

THAT was a joke.

[Westsista]

Hey guys! Congratulations again to the original Sassistas! and all the other sistas and mistas for the one year anniversary!

I love being part of this community and am very proud to be a contributor. There's something about Sassistas! that makes me keep coming back. It's in my top five destinations, and I'm online a lot of the time both with work and personal.

Flannista, you don't need to check with anyone as to what you should post. Original stories would be great but it really shouldn't matter what I think. I hope you don't think you're locked into particular posts or ways of posting. I'm certainly no expert on being emotionally healthy but this one thing I know: if you take on a volunteer, optional task, you should do it in the way that suits you, that fits with your life and your stuff. The magic of this is that it helps the task be less burdensome and remain maximumly enjoyable over time. My take on it, anyway.

I think becoming a top result in search engines is a whole art in itself and has a lot to do with metatags. People have entire businesses just devoted to this. I don't know exactly how it works but I recently bid on a web project where the prospective client wanted to raise their web presence. Part of my proposal included hiring one of these search geniuses to work their magic.

[Flannista]

"Metatags." Hmmm. I don't even know what that means. Perhaps Matiss will know. I know what a metaphor is but not a metatag.

Westsista -- love your advice about doing something that suits me and fits my life and my stuff, particularly if it is volunteer and optional. Reminds me of a wonderful definition of vocation by Frederick Buechner. Noting that the root word of vocation is "vocare" which means "to call," Buechner says, "The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet." Sassistas! does give me a lot of gladness and actually, it meets my deep hunger to express my voice and be part of a community and create a family of "choice," as half-a-sista said. The other thing that half-a said that is sticking with me is that sometimes humor and sarcasm -- and sincerity -- don't communicate well in writing. It's a tough call for me. For years, it was easier to pick up the phone and call someone, or hop in the car and drive to a friend's house rather than sit here alone and write. It's not easy for me.

I should provide you all with cheerleading outfits because you certainly have cheered on the Sassistas! today. half-a: I love that you did the math about a 600% increase, etc. I don't do math (preferring to write an essay about why my checkbook ought to be balanced rather than actually balancing it), but our numbers are pretty good, no?

Speaking of numbers . . . yep, every single comment is worth 10 bucks to Somos Bones, so keep cheering, counseling, critiquing, all you want.

[Flannista]

Is it just me or did TypePad today tweak the way to make comments? It's definitely different for me . . . anyone else?

[half-a-sista]

Yes,TypePad did tweak the way to make comments. It makes you preview your comments before they post. (Thank you, TypePad.) I can correct my misspellings like the time I posted a comment on a roadside attraction on another blog and said, "I saw a giant rubber looming over the road" when I meant to say, "I saw a giant rubber tire looming over the road."

[Westsista]

Oh, but the first way was so much more amusing, half-a!

[Carolyn]

Congratulations on reaching your 1st birthday, Flannista & Matissta. I can only guess at the blood, sweat & tears that giving birth to the 'sphere brought -- do know that it was plenty of all that, plus plenty of work. You're mad genuises, the two of you.

I've grown fond of all the sistas and mistas, and miss a voice when it's not around for a few days. You're right, the process of growth is messy and unpredictable -- we're just a bunch've lovable (most of the time) mutts. Well, I take that back. There might be a pedigree or two in the mix.

I am consistently delighted and amazed at the quality of writing in the 'sphere. Truly good stuff. You people, when you write, you BRING IT, folks. Much applause, here.

I crave a face-to-face with you all. I feel most comfortable, I suppose, writing . . . but there's a bunch lost, too, that emotions just don't parlay. Nuance. The uplifted brow. The twist at the end of a sarcastic comment. A manic laugh. Good stuff. So, perhaps we'll have that meet & greet and I'll get to see if ya'll match my mental snapshots.

I don't know what makes a "successful" blog, what draws people in, or makes the numbers soar. I know that's what you want, Flan, and wish that I could be helpful that way. New blood is good, I suppose, but there'll always be this core, I hope.

[Flannista]

As sass would have it, moments ago, when the mail came, I received a copy of the January/February 2009 Psychotherapy Networker magazine -- a free sample because I signed up to attend one day of their national conference here in the nation's Capitol at the end of March.

Anyhoo, the cover story is: "Face to Face: The Art of Connection in the Age of Screenworld." Yeah, it really is. A pretty compelling argument against virtual reality which is one-dimensional. Here's a quote:

"Your computer program couldn't include the unprogrammed, yet the unprogrammed is generally what happens during the engagement of human beings with each other, and with the world. James Baldwin's truth that 'any human touch can change you' isn't available on your computer."

Interesting, no? And that this article is in my hands today?

[Chrysosistah]

Ah, the synchronicity of life, Flannista! Gotta love it!

I love the blog because I get to read at my leisure - it's a very contemplative time, and I so often find myself in awe of the talent & intelligent, hilarious commentary on here. Without the blog, I would have never become more familiar with all of the wonderful people assembled here for their daily fix of sass! But, it definitely makes me wish that we could get together, at least occasionally! Yes, I'm sure part of my desire for face-to-face is that I work from home, and within a fairly hostile demanding environment. I'd love a laugh with good people - and I think the Sassosphere has some very good people to meet and learn from.

I'm flattered you would pull out one of my posts - but honestly, it wouldn't have ever been written, and certainly would never have come off as well, if it wasn't for Sassistas! I think the other sistas and mistas have it right - do this because it brings you joy - good things will follow!

Love you!

[babysis]

Everyone has made wonderful points today, yet it does raise some questions. I think PEACEsista asked a very important but subtle one in about her 3rd paragraph. Seems there is a choice to be made by the matriarchs here. Only they can decide how many orphans to adopt and care for. Reality dictates that the attention for each child might diminish as the family grows. Are we okay with that? Will we act out? I think the core will remain, but if you want the sphere to broaden, I think it will require loosening up a bit. No right or wrong there, just a choice. And just my two cents. I'm here to stay.

[Chrysosistah]

Half-a, that typo truly made me laugh-out-loud! I'm sure you were chagrined when you realized what happened, but that is a hilarious mental image! Love it!

[Westsista]

Oh Carolyn, you said it so well - "you BRING it." That is what makes it so enjoyable here.

Babysis, you got a very good point, sista. I still have to go back to that classic line from the song . . . "you can't please everyone, so ya, gotta please yourself."

Chryso and Carolyn and everyone else who said it - would be wonderful to see everyone in person. Although I think I'll be embarrassed. Awfully easy to hide behind the screen.