Looks like my assessment of the situation was hasty, and my way of handling it was immature and innapropriate. Obviously, my tendency to shoot my mouth off is not appreciated. I appologize, which is all a man can do.

Rick is the most deserving of my apology, and I offer it to him first. But I also owe everyone here an apology.

I've been staying clear of this board lately, and sticking to forums where more heated debates are the norm, and where they're less likely to offend. This is a far too civil environment for my late nite posts, and I should have stuck to my instinct and remained elsewhere when in that mood.

The turth is that I often shoot my mouth off and get into nasty fights with people whom I later consider firends. My late-night screaming matches on this very board with Chuck will bear witness to that. Some have referred to "rock culture." Maybe that's fair. I don't know, I just know that shouting and cursing at people with whom you eventually see eye-to-eye are the norm in my world. The Internet makes that easier.

As I've written before -- I don't take much of what is said on-line seriously. So if I can meet a stranger in a bar and get into a foul-mouthed debate, and end the night with his/her phone number, I suppose it primes me to be even worse online. On other boards on which I post, that's accepted. In fact, getting around the censor programs is often a fun challenge.

That is not an excuse -- simply an explanation. I should know by now that it's not accepted here, and I was way out of line. If I could remember my password I would delte my mesages -- and I've e-mailed Greg in an effort to do so.

This is a great group of people and a great hobby. This board is open to us while we are in our homes, and for that reason I often forget the public nature -- and treat it more like private communication. It's the curse of the Internet, and I'm one of its worst offenders. I was wrong, and will atempt to refstrain myself in the future. No, scratch that. I WILL restrain myself.

For those of you who think that I take this apology lightly, I want you to know I don't. It's 8:30 AM, and I have a lot better things to do so I can get off early on my birthday. I'm writing this because, for all my faults, i believe in living up to my mistakes, taking responsibility for them, and trying to make things right. It would be very easy for me to blow this off, ignore the board for a month, and come back as if nothing ever happened. I don't take the opinions of the folks on this board that lightly.

In my career, I tend to judge my effectiveness as a writer by the number of people I've offended. On this board, the people I offend represent my failures. I turned 35 today, and am hoping to acquire some wisdom before I hit the big 4-0. You folks have already provided me with a fair amount, and I'm sure I'll continue to learn from you.

I guess I've made my point.

I was wrong. I am sorry. I will not repeat my mistakes.