It is Mary Anne that I REALLY want to avoid pissing off.... In all these years I have yet to see anyone win an argument with her- she doesnt really flame, she stomps, and stomps hard!

( : Well, she always has! We learned early never to pick a fight unless we could defend properly. She was part of the "I'll change the rule if you can hold your own in debate" school of parenting.

It comes in useful at times...I had a boyfriend when I was 16 who turned out to be a jerkus maximus, and she gave me some of the best lines to use in my "you die now" letter. It apparently turned out to be so effective that shortly afterwards, this pensive, French-lit-loving, sword-collecting, gothy boy:

1. cut his hair and dyed it blonde
3. stopped doing creative writing
4. started driving a pick-up truck
5. dated a series of cheerleaders

I was only looking for an apology...yikes. And you should have heard some of the things she said to the school board in public meetings. Yowza! So don't worry, it's not just "the anonymity of the internet." All the same, I doubt she has a special, personal loathing for any of you. She does chat fondly about these boards over coffee, after all. ( :

Beth