"My house was the best investment I ever made"

RG- sounds like a one person operation to me. You know, for someone that has a habit of giving out subtle "shots" on a fairly regular basis you sure hate it when things get directed your way. Jealous? Of what?

Tim, I have no idea what you are thinking. By the way you react to everything I say you'd think I'd pissed in your beer or something.

I still wonder what your original question has to do with ANYTHING on this thread aside from picking a statement apart is such a silly manner. This thread got derailed enough but you just can't resist finding a post made days ago and picking it apart. Geez and Peez.

Subtle shots? I have no idea what you are talking about, at least in regards to this thread. If I want to shoot I'm not so subtle most of the time, lol. I think your deep hostility towards me (where ever that came from)colors what you read from me. There are times I can't say boo without you coming down on me like a ton of bricks. By the way, calling me out on an idiotic point is not subtle, lol, lol, LOL.

Would you prefer I said "we"? Fine. OUR house was the best investment WE ever made? Happy now? (Probably not, you sound simply miserable in general - how's that for sublety?

...its too bad this thread went the way it did. It WAS a good discussion.)

"I drive a 99 Saturn that belonged to my deceased son"
I just want to say that I feel for you, to have one of your children die is one of the absolutely utmost devastation that can happen to a person in their lifetime. I am sincerely sorry you had to go through that experience and it must have been an utmost despair for months, type of experience.

Thank you Macy and Sharleen for getting this discussion back on track so sweetly...agreeing 100% with what Sharleen said, three families in our extended families lost children to car accidents - it just never gets "right".

At the risk of repeating myself: "Life is short...trip hard."

Peace to all.

((suzengrace)) So sorry for your loss......

Likkle Red I can not believe it was that long ago that your son passed away. And sorry to hear that the father of your children is gone. May you have a peaceful day. (((hugs)))

A real BIG HUG to you Likkle Red......

"She was initially going to NYU but was in 12th grade when 9/11 happened and most of the NYU housing was contaminated and neither my (ex) husband or I wanted her to be in New York City. "
Wow, really? I had no idea NYU had housing in and around the Battery Park area - all the housing I knew of was in the East Village, (extending into Ave.s A, B and C, yikesville when I lived there!) some in the West Village. GREAT school but SPENDY - one of the top ten spendiest in the country. Sounds like she did great none the less, you must be so proud!

As far as credit cards it seems they are almost a "rite of passage". Some of us (and I include myself in "us" have had credit card meltdown at some point, swearing them off forever. When I started flying a lot for business I bit the bullet and got my first AA Mastercard. My reason for living sometimes is to pay that thing OFF every month. I refuse to carry a balance. My rewards come in the mileage I get - my purchases account for roughly 75% of the miles I rack up.

My crew and assistant have an Amex Gold card each - so what they put on there for the business racks up in those points. Its not that much but I'm sporting around 45,000 at the moment. I generally use those for emergencies (if I need to get out of town quick due to a death or illness and the compassion airfares are just not that compassionate) or if a friend needs them (I gave 30,000 to a friend to get out of JA to go home to her dying mother).

I think I'm signing up for Southwest miles now. Its crazy how American can't get me to Denver without going to Dallas or Chicago first and for a sh*tload of money. SW is the airline we choose now to send our photographers to anywhere on the West Coast (when reasonable) since they have a GREAT policy regarding boarding and professional media.

"It will be 9 years this July and it seems like just yesterday. Chad died at home from a severe asthma attack..."

My oldest daughter Justine had mild asthma, two (? or three?) years ago she contacted the H one/N one virus (H1 N1) looks too much like Heiny... She was admitted to the hospital and in the middle of the night they called and said she was in extremely critical condition and that I should go there immediately. Several other people in my area had died the day before, after being admitted to, and then released from the hospital with pneumonia like symptoms.

I had her twin sons at my house ... asthma can be SERIOUS for sure... there were several other people in the isolated unit that she was kept in who died, I had to wear a zooT SUIT to go into her room. Some of these new virus type of infections can be deadly for people who even have on and off asthmatic conditions.

I am very sorry for your great loss, I had no idea you have suffered so and feel badly for you.

(((hugs))) Likkle Red have a great day.