For the past 5 1/2 years, I've been seeing an 80s cover band almost every week. I just found out today that the bass player drowned in a park very close to his house. He was missing for over 36 hours before his body was recovered Friday morning beside a creek.

Although I knew him only professionally, he was a vital part of the band. He and the singer would play off of each other constantly, and their chemistry is what made the band so successful. Matt was so funny and entertaining,...

I'm not sure how to feel about that. I resigned voluntarily; I can't log on from work (darned firewalls!), and it felt too much like "work" to monitor things from home. I'd keep forgetting to check the forum, etc. Since I wasn't doing C-D any good, I resigned.

I had been a moderator here for 2 1/2 years, and I was asked to be one after only two months, so you can imagine how weird this is! I can't even remember what the non-mod screens looked like! Well, I guess...

Of course, you realize that this means I'm no longer the parent of a teenager. It also means that I can no longer pretend (not that I was, but you get the idea!) that I'm not middle-aged, that my crow's feet aren't deepening, that my hair isn't showing more more gray, and that life is endless.

I love my son dearly, but the boy (sorry, young man!) is now sporting a respectable looking mustache and beard! How can this be possible? When did he turn into a man?

Life...

I'm 44 years old (45 in October! ), and all of a sudden it seems like I'm experiencing more aches and pains. Nothing serious or life-threatening, but annoying. They're just twinges here and there, like background noise right now.

You know how you start hearing those weird squeaks and rattles in your car as it starts to get older? And then the engine starts sounding funny, and you soon realize it's time for a new car? Well, I'm starting to feel that way about my body.
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