Afternoon, everyone.
Thanks for the welcome back. Chris, I'm not sure about the 21 fist salute but I'll take it as a compliment...and duck.
Ken, sorry, I had a little relapse after we talked. Seems my gut wasn't quite through with me yet. I feel "almost" normal today, or at least as normal as a 64 year old can feel. I'm about to start my taxes too. I'm hoping my stock market losses will offset a slight rise in income. Still, I'd rather pay the IRS than have them keep my money for a year, interest free.
Rybcon, you must have started visiting Flo's in my absence. Following our time-honored tradition, I've transfered all of the exorbitant charges run up by Chris, Rex, and Barry to your tab, since the new guy has to pay.

What part of SoCal do you live in? I lived in the Pomona/Diamond Bar area for 10 years.
Matt, thanks for your welcome back as well. I first went to DC when I was just about your age. It's truly an amazing place. The Smithsonian alone can keep you busy for weeks. Whatever you do, don't miss seeing the Lincoln Monument at night, when it's all lit up. I can still clearly picture that first view of the Monument in mind. It will send chills up and down your spine.
Jeffrey, glad to hear the wound sucker did its job and you're now at least upright, even if you have to drag around that boot. I use latex/acrylic paints all the time and like them better than enamels for most jobs, especially airbrushing.
Tom, you have way too many crisis's. You need to call in sick for a week or so.
David, thank you, I will be trying to take it easy. All this constantly changing weather didn't help things, I'm sure. The arthritis in my neck really flared up in Cleveland. I'm finding cold weather is really starting to affect me adversely.
Bob, building three layouts? That should keep you busy, and in train money, for a good bit. I haven't done anything in O scale since my Lionel days but I've always had the desire for an O scale layout, just not the time, money, or space. Sounds like a fun job ahead.
Mikey, I guess that kiazzan thing must an outgrowth of the black belt fad. I sure am glad I retired just as that weirdness was getting started. I often thought we could do with less thinking and more doing but no one ever asked for my opinion. Since I was an old dinosaur anyway, it was just assumed I couldn't have any original ideas.
Steve, I haven't been able to get through all the threads yet. Are you in NZ on vacation or in the UK? Neat pictures of that lava tube. That Indian food sure sounds good.
Rex, how much snow did you get? It was pretty impressive down here. We had a couple of hours of rain first but once the snow started, it continued all day. Dianna said everything here was closed. I wish she would have called and told me about the airport before I got on that plane though.

Snow three years in a row breaks the record for the Montgomery area. Believe it or not, we have a slight chance for a little more Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. Geez, this is not what I was expecting when I decided to stay in Alabama.
Just got back from the hospital. Dianna had a good bout of acid reflux and her doc wanted to do another upper endoscopy on her. Everything looks fine, just more acid production than normal. He doubled her PPI, which is what I told her to do when she started having the pain. This is a great example of defensive medicine. Rather than ordering a $2,000 procedure, he could have just upped her meds for a few weeks and see if that solved the problem. This is exactly why our health insurance premiums are so high.
Had another gift waiting for me when I got home - jury duty on March 1. I really wouldn't mind jury duty but there's zero chance I'll ever get picked by the defense to sit on a jury. I called and told them I was a retired peace officer and they said I still had to come down and sit around for eight hours.

They started this same crap just before I left California. I used to be able to send them a copy of my ID and get excused but now they want everyone to suffer together. I did tell them I'm deaf in one ear so they'd better have a hearing device for me. Oh, well, maybe I'll take a stack of MR's I've been meaning to read with me. That, plus being a retired cop, should keep me off of any jury.
