That sounds sweet! Congrats on the save!

But it left me wondering...what would happen if the tooth faerie went on strike? What would be the fallout, i.e., who would be affected by the sudden shortage of baby teeth on the "supply" end? And just what *is* it that they do with all those teeth?

I smell the makings of a fun children's story...

I know a little too well first hand how hard some of this stuff can be to get going!

Speaking of which...I'm having a hard time getting any of the spiffy freeware animation and/or video editing software to work on either my Ubuntu- *or* XP-based machines. I'm beginning to fear that the problem is the dual x2-64 CPUs that are common to both of them! :^(

Can you recommend any place/forum/diety that helped you cut through the mustard, so to speak?

This must set a new speed record for the distance between "OMIGOSH, CAN I *GET* THIS?!" and "Oh. That's funny!"

Personally, I'd often wondered if there was something to that old theory about the vibrations of the instrument and their proximity to...things...on the cellist. Especially given the expressions I've seen on the faces of a few cellists as they were...at it. X^o

*Oooooohhhhhh*!!! I get it now! Thanks!

Though I have to admit, the idea of a level 400 'Animator' sounds Really *&#$in' KEWL!

It sounds waaaaay beyond my level 12 Paladin... :^b

I have two stories to share:

A long time ago, I wanted to get into (computer video) animation, and got a supportive email from a big hero of mine (who was basically running animation on all the major sci-fi stuff of the time, including B-5, most of the Trek stuff, and other programs). He basically said I could take classes and they'd be a good investment, but if I *really* wanted to get into it, I should get a really good PC, a copy of [software _____] and just start '...learning [my] ass off'.

It sounds an awful lot like what you're doing.

I did some following down the same path, but then veered off as I realized it wasn't such a good fit for me. But some time later, I was making some candies for a good friend-- ironically, it was more at her insistence that I should be doing it than any major desire on my part. Somewhere in the middle of that, at about 3pm on a Saturday afternoon, I watched some melted chocolate "click" as it achieved *perfect* temper right in front of my eyes. I touched a part of that chocolate to my chin (just under my lip) and "learned" the feeling of the right temperature where that happens. Then I melted my next batch and did it again. Then I whipped out a marble slab and just "eyeballed" that temper.

The next hour was a blur, but it ended up in some of the most amazing stuff I'd ever made (up to that time). I rushed it off and bumped into a friend of mine, who remarked on how I was *glowing* (and pointed out that I had a streak of brown on one cheek-- chocolate as it turned out).

I'm still looking for that kind of stuff-- there doesn't seem to be just one thing-- but that "toe-curling feeling" I get every time I make some caramel or melt chocolate for truffles-- it's a love-hate feeling of things I've mastered combined with all I have yet to learn (and how they both just...burn in me)... ...I think that burn is the stuff of life, and it sounds like the path you're on. All I can say is trust your feelings and damn them torpedoes as HARD AS YOU CAN (and keep at it no matter what).

Hey! Don't blame the code monkeys! Blame the monkey-managers who impose the impossible deadlines, after the sales-monkeys tack on extra promises of stuff we can't deliver to close sales!

Although this does remind me immensely of a funny interlude sometime back...we were working late hours once on a deadline, and somebody tossed a koosh (it was always either a koosh, rubber bands, or that set of ping-pong-ball guns we got a while back, we were always throwing something around). Anyway, our boss walks by...

Boss: Get back to work and quit throwing shit at each other!

Guy 1: But we're code-monkeys! We're *supposed* to throw shit at each other!

Guy 2: No, that's supposed to be throwing your OWN shit at each other!

Guy 1: Well, it's MY koosh!

Guy 3: Have you seen [Guy 1]'s code? It pretty much is shit...

::Guy 3 get nailed solidly with a koosh::

Boss, laughing hysterically: QUIT THROWING SHIT AT EACH OTHER!

(more accurately http://wtfcnn.blogspot.com/)

They feature headlines by CNN that are really boneheaded.

And yes, I see tantamount used for paramount all the time, though never the converse...

A.K.A., the Vampire Catfish.

They're little-known outside of their region (the Amazon), but in that region, they're feared more than pirahna (with good reason!). There are stories of their draining all the blood out of cattle crossing the wrong stream, which are possibly exaggerated; however, there are also documented cases of which I'm not going to even mention the details here. I'm just providing a link and a warning that just the TEXT of it may well give you nightmares, or at the very least make any man-- or woman-- suddenly cross their legs and vow never to swim in any river near the Amazon...ever. You have been warned...

http://www.angelfire.com/mo2/animals1/catfish/candiru.html

and here's another, with some pictures(!), and double the above warning:

http://www.angelfire.com/biz/piranha038/candiru.html

Either way, I think this one would be a top contender, for its fit (no pun intended) as well as exotic nature. Plus it's innocuous-looking enough that it won't raise any eyebrows on first sight. :^)

Congrats! Isn't it great to feel that kind of great fit when it's happening?

I've noticed that once one finds one's path as you describe, everything seems to just flow together beautifully. I have known it before and I'd like to know it again, and now I shall wish that the same fortune may smile upon me, as I have wandered quite long enough, thank you!

In the meantime, luck and godspeed for your remaining preparations!