Hi, Damon...

 DG@>   Wasn't aware that chicken pox could do that, actually.  That's kind
 DG@> of a shame.  :(  Well, I mean I think it is, anyway.  I know that
 DG@> having my son goaded a change and a level of responsibility/maturity

  First, any childhood disease is MUCH WORSE in an adult. Second, I've seen
several posts on Facebook where they wish they waited to have kids, so they
could "have a life" first. I have a very weak gag reflex...not to mention
having a "bad experience" with an unsupervised child awhile back at a local
bowling alley (he destroyed my umbrella, and the parents denied their son
did it). Plus, the way the world is going, I'm glad I'm not having kids.

 DG@>   Absolutely.  I knew I was in for a bad stretch in life when I was a
 DG@> kid and I saw that the dog I got my mother actually trained her instead
 DG@> of her being able to train it.  ;)

  Of course...the pet is the most important creature in the home. 

 DG@>   Seriously, though, that happened.  I've written extensively about the
 DG@> mistakes of my parents, and how I've managed to do fairly well-- at
 DG@> least _I_ think-- learning from primarily negative examples.  I really
 DG@> should've caught my mom's dog training her on video the last time I
 DG@> spent time there, before the dementia made a relationship with her
 DG@> completely impossible.

  My Mom is doing remarkably well at 87. She has macular dengeration starting
in her eyes, so I'm doing most of the driving for her. Both of us are fully
disabled (some days, she's in better shape than I am), and I'm only 20
minutes away from her, if she needs me.

 DG@>   Ack.  I dunno, I just moved out of the projects here; it was terrible
 DG@> there, much worse, like you're saying, than when I was a kid.  I'm
 DG@> really hoping that it's not quite as severe now that I'm in a better
 DG@> area of town, though.  Gonna keep my fingers crossed on that one.

  Don't hold your breath...it is RARE to find "well behaved children" in this
day and age. The one EXCEPTION I've seen is with the Duggar family of
northwest Arkansas. Jim Bob, and his wife, Michelle, have at least 19
kids, and also have some grandkids. But, when he becomes impotent, or she
goes into menopause, she's going to be a basket case!! The family lives
debt free (both of them are licensed real estate agents, and at one time, 
he was also a state senator in Arkansas), and their huge home has (count
them) NINE bathrooms!! I'm sure they run up a huge bill at the grocery store
each month, not to mention the supply of toilet paper they get. But, each 
of the kids have supervisory roles in bringing up the younger brothers and
sisters. I do not know what "religion" they are, but I want to say they're
Pentecostal. But, as noted, the kids are VERY WELL BEHAVED.

 DG@>   Tell me about it.  I'm still licking wounds from my last
 DG@> relationship.  She taught me a hell of a lot about how to be a much
 DG@> better human being, how not to judge on stupid superficial qualities,

  If I've said this before, I apologize...memory is an issue after a severe
concussion and suffering 2 indirect lightning strikes growing up.
 
  The first woman I was engaged to ALWAYS wanted me to take her to the
most expensive place...ALWAYS wanted me to pick up the tab...and ALWAYS
wanted me to forsake everything outside of work, and spend every waking
moment with her. Basically, I was to do all the GIVING, and she was to
do all the TAKING. That kind of a relationship does NOT work. At least
my late wife offered to pay for things...a lot more than I could say
for my first fiance' -- I broke that engagement just before Christmas
almost 30 years ago now.

 DG@>   Best wishes and a happy new year to ye!

  I hope so.

Daryl

... 3 things fail with age. Memory is 1st; forgot the other 2
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