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Let it die.

Well said.

Thank you, Tom. I appreciate the comment. I think we found our comradeship finally and I was quite glad we did. I came to truly appreciate you as a real human being and not the evil clown among some of the threads regarding Catholocism, where I was not a participant, but read with real interest (as a not quite converted Catholic thrown out by the priest and nuns after a semester of catechism classes where I asked too many awkward questions). While I did not participate, I learned to take you seriously, but also only where that was what you intended.

The only one-dimensional persons around here were Harpo and Gumby. Harpo couldn't help being only a set of pictures and Gumby can't help that he was born green and made one dimensional by a rolling pin of clay. The rest of the folks here are complex multi-dimensional people. I can't think of one I don't like in some significant way. Will Rogers' comment that "I never met a man I didn't like" has come to mind more than once over my years here when I suddenly found myself liking someone I did not expect to like.

My experience here has been one I wouldn't trade for anything. Prior to coming here, I never would have known how close one can come to feel to so many through the arcane method of exchanging ideas in a written format. I've come to appreciate the medium much because of that facility of the Coffee Room. I count many pixel friends as every bit as important as my flesh and blood variety. (And like Jodi mentioned some time back, even my flesh and blood variety and family know who many of you are.) Your impact in this medium is that profound.

Our single failing here is perhaps that we have not always born that thought in mind before speaking. For the instances where I did myself, I am truly sorry. For all those who've reached out in this medium, I am forever grateful.

The truth is that I came to this place at a critical crossroads of my life. I'd just ended a 25-year and emotionally-draining career. The last few years were accompanied by waking dread of overwork each day and being at the end of someone else's agenda always with no time for personal life or any pleasure and a piano that had collected only dust for 20 years. At the time I quit that job, I'd actually even seriously contemplated suicide as one method out of that rat race. I decided to spend my first weeks of going off the clock paying off all my debts and settling my affairs in the case that was the last remaining desire, to simply be gone, if personal happiness and dreams were all lost.

In about the fourth week, I began to question that perhaps there was still some dream, some thing I could do for myself that would *still* at this late stage of life make me happy when money hadn't done it and relationships had left me unable to even cry. Through a simple twist of fate, I found myself with unexpected time on my hands to fill in another city and wondering what to do with myself. "Piano shopping" sprang to mind. I found my first prospect and within 24 hours I had found and purchased one small grand and my pride and joy concert grand and found this place through a Google search. The piano has become my most valued possession, bringing me joy each day (and the only thing that made me cry after years too sad for tears,--when the hammers got broken, I cried like a baby. And it was to my spiritual family here that I turned for comfort and understanding and emotional support then, and that got me through those days of waiting for hammers to resume that joy each day.)

But that joy has been accompanied every single day by the joys I've found through the comeraderie with the people here. I have truthfully shared more of my thoughts and personal history here with the denizens in this community than with any living flesh and blood person. It suited my style to have some of those thing shared in such a community centered around that arcane instrument, the piano. Between the the piano and this comradeship, I have become a very optimistic person where my personal happiness is concerned. I think I can ease into old age with many reasons to be happy, come what may. So this place and the people in it have meant more to me than any might have imagined. And I am grateful to all of them and to Frank for making this experience possible.

Even at this hour, I still think "piano people are a cut above the rest", a point I have stated in "real life" many times.

Many greetings, apple!! Sorry I didn't see you come in before. I wonder who else I didn't get to say hi to - I meam of people right in the room. Kathy for one, I'm afraid, I get flustered when I'm writing posts. I have to conof concern! centrate or I make too many typos...so I can't look at the screen while I'm doing it. Well, I wrote to you and katie recently anyhow.

And jodie, many apologies for your unanswered email (s?) too. There was actually a good reason which I will discuss at another time. Meanwhile, I really appreciated your expressions of concern.

Amanda

Bravo!

Hi, Ariel!! Hope we meet in one of the other forums now. Aside from physically printing out old threads, I don't think these threads will remain. Maybe just as well.

It's Frank's site to do with as he wishes, but I don't think he really knows the value of what he is dropping here. A shame. Best to all, again. - Jeffrey

Chick, you are wonderful. Thanks for sharing your story. You are a friend. I would have loved to have heard your comments as the priests and nuns were cutting off your brass buttons and breaking your sword as you were being drummed out of your Cathoic prep class.

Nice to have met you here.

Tom

that was nice Rick.. so eloquent.

Chick,

I'm crying my eyes out ... (and you know why too).

Thank you so much for sharing this, and especially now.

It's quite obvious how the people here in the Coffee Room came to help shape your life, and how important the piano is to you.

I really hope Frank reads your post before sending off our Coffee Room 'Community' into cyberspace.

We are much more than pixels here. Each and everyone of us.

God Bless You Chick. I'm so glad you posted this.

Chickgrand, you are definately one of my favorite posters. I've not been one to want to meet any of the other posters, as the words written here have always been enough for me(the longtime lurker), but I always thought that if I ever was in OkieLand...

It's ok, Ariel - I wasn't trying to make you feel guilty - I just wanted gryphon to know that your really HAD disappeared for quite awhile!

Jodi

Mine? Hard to imagine but it will be empty NOW.

jf

Can you do it...say between now and ...tomorrow!

jf

Thank, Zymtil. Your own posts have had me wondering where is "CS" in Texas. I should know. As an Okie-born but Texas-raised redneck, I *know* I *should* know, but in these last couple of years, I still have not figured it out. I figure one of the Dallas gatherings sometime would be a good place for us in this region to meet up.

College Station, Texas A&M

Thanks, Gryphon. I think that actually came to mind after a year of pondering, but disappeared again in my middle-aged mind so that I could again ponder it for another year.

Say, does anyone hav jgoo's forum URL. I have been meaning to take a look.

Hope it's not down again.

Thx much

Amandiel

Amandiel... I've missed you

http://s10.invisionfree.com/The_New_Coffee_Room/index.php?showforum=1

Precisely (Gryphon, at time you remind me of the postal worker on 'Cheers', not intended in a negative light, you always seem to have the answer to those obscure, yet, simple questions (among other things)), though I would probably not fit into the stereotypical "Aggie" persona (some of the traditions that go on here are just weird). I currently live in Aggieland, hence the Okieland moniker (if that's the right word) I assigned to you (consistent with typical football rivalries). Anywhoo, I live close enough to Dallas that perhaps's a PW gathering is "do-able", though my schedule tends to dictate otherwise...Perhaps in the near future...

Thank you, malum!!