(or, how all this shit got started!)

Kimmer's Interview With James "Motor" Merritt!!

Mote's pic circa 1982.

The.....

...is hereby awarded to: MOTOR!! Yay!! Arf arf!!

For nine years, REO Speedwagon drummer Alan Gratzer had a partner in crime: his drum technician, James "Motor" Merritt. When the gig ended shortly before Alan's departure from REO, Motor left the asphalt jungle of L.A. behind (much to his relief), and he set out to pursue his own creative projects. Today he resides waaaaay off the beaten path, enjoying a life of rustic tranquility, where he divides his time between his own landscaping design company and a musical theater project with some buddies from high school, which he describes as "Dr. Suess meets Frank Zappa". A CD will be swiftly forthcoming.

But, lucky for us, Motor was more hat willing to, as he puts it, "dust off the grey matter" and give us a glimpse into what life in the Retro Speedwagon world was like. He is very friendly, with a wicked sense of humor, but chamingly modest; he apologized in advance because he thought we'd be bored with his tales of REO yore! He speaks very fondly of Alan, in spite of such minor inconveniences as having to wrap "those 747's he played with" (drumsticks) with "miles and miles of gaffer tape." His skill for the latter task can be viewed at the beginning of REO's 1981 concert documentary, Live Infidelity.

So sit back, pop a tall cool one, and prepare to get the REO education of a lifetime, from the best teacher of all. And, to all you professional musicians out there, take heed from Motor's candor and be verrrrrrry nice to your crew! You could be next!

(Webmistress note: This interview was originally destined for publication in my volunteer REO newsletter, The Flying Tuna Chronicle, so the questions I asked are attributed to the initials FTC.

All photos included in this interview---except where otherwise noted---belong to REO Speedwagon, but they told me I could use them. Aren't they swell?

--- Kimmers :O)

FLYING TUNA CHRONICLE: For the benefit of all those "REO virgins" out there, you were Alan Gratzer's drum tech from 1979 to 1988. Your real name is James Merritt, but you prefer to be called "Motor". Age-wise, you will only admit to being an "old fart"...yadda yadda yadda. Where are you from originally?

MOTE: I was born in Tucson, Arizona, and was raised by wolves on a nearby mesa. Actually, I was raised in suburban Los Angeles (California). I always hated L.A. Before going to work for REO, I was a one-man production company (sound, lighting, stage/road manager) for a show band out of San Diego, California. We played ski resorts all winter and Hawaii the rest of the time. Rough gig, eh? :O)

FTC: Poor dude! :O) At what age did you learn to play drums, and was "Little Motor" ever in a band?

MOTE: I cut my teeth on The Beatles. They were a huge influence, and the reason I travelled the road I did. I played snare drum in fifth grade band. God, I wanted a drum set! :O) I ended up playing guitar over the next few years (cheaper to buy). Then I switched back to drums after high school.

Yes, I played in a bunch of bands over the years. The first real band was "The Great Apple River Downstream Innertube Float" (1970-71); and "Brumus" (1972-73). Both were L.A. bands. Then I moved to San Diego and formed "The Bowhammy Brothers" from 1973-75, and took this band on the road, playing all over the Midwest. Then later, "Hotel Bill and the Incidentals" (1981-87), and "Hotel Bill: The Next Generation", 1991-93.

(Riveting piece of RetroSpeedwagon trivia #866: During REO's guest VJ gig with MTV circa 1987, K.C. was playfully ragging on "Hotel Bill and the Incidentals" for being a washed up group of has beens. Hehehehe. 'Scuse the interruption...back to Mote's answer!)

Recently (and this is pretty funny), I started playing with a high school punk band called "Socks Over Pants". It is hilarious, and a great sweat! They were the only non-country band that I could find around here (meaning the town he currently lives in).

FTC: How did you get the gig with REO?

MOTE: I stood in the wrong line. I thought it was a flight to Rio. No, seriously...yeah, right. (insert Henny Youngman rimshot here). Back in 1978, while working for the show band out of San Diego, I met the Flying Turkey/Tuna himself, REO's legendary pilot, John Durkin. He was a friend of the guitar player's girlfriend, and he came up to a gig we were playing in Sun Valley, Idaho. I believe it was a Sunday night, and it was a dry state on Sundays, and John asked me if I wanted to fly along with him to Colorado (or somewhere equally as far away) to buy some beer. I thought, "Man, this is a beer run!"

Anyway, John told me that the band {REO} was getting ready to tour, and gave me the name and contact information for John Baruck Management, and I guess he gave them a description of me. I sent a resume and photo of me & my dog. They called me later while I was working on the island of Maui and said, "Does your dog know how to tune drums?" The rest is history.

FTC: What was your impression of REO (especially Alan) when you first met them?

MOTE: The first rehearsal for the Nine Lives tour was my first with the band. I remember walking into the sound stage thinking, "this is really the big time." I had worked with bands for a while, but this band had the best deli spread I had ever seen! I think they were called "REO Lunch Wagon" by the grocers and caterers of Hollywood. They were regular guys, a bunch of comedians that loved a good gag. After the initial awkwardness of getting to know whose roadie was whose, we soon became family....ala "Adams Family". :O)

Alan is one of the best human beings that I have ever worked with. We were really close for a lot of years. I mean, you can't work night after night with your head beneath a drum throne without developing a cetain "closeness".

FTC: Really now? Hmmmmm....we'll have to talk more about that later on. Had you ever been on a road crew prior to REO? Was it harder than you expected?

MOTE: I was working for several show bands (70's dance club bands) doing sound, lights, stage, and road managing. Sort of a one man crew. Going to work for REO was easier in a lot of ways, but then again when I recieved my job description, "junior road manager" (that's Greek for catering and laundry), and by the way, do you know anything about drums? The drum part of the gig wasn't too time consuming, but chasing spandex pants around San Antonio...that's another story. We eventually added some other tasks, such as security, guest lists, and pyro, to guard against the likelihood of having any free minutes in the day. But hey, we got 'er up and down and out of town.

FTC: Who were the tour managers? Who was the most demanding, and who was the most laid back?

MOTE: This is probably the easiest question in the load: Tom Consolo, Tom Consolo, Tom Consolo, and Tom Consolo. Ooops, I gave one too many Tom Consolos. Hell, he earned it. Tommy put up with quite a bit of wild shit from all angles. He always handled himself like a pro. Always a gentleman, and most importantly (with our bunch of loonies), he managed to keep his sense of humor. He was great. End of story.

(I tweaked these two pics in Photoshop. ---Kimmers).

Mr. C. #2: A road managing legend!!

(K.C. is Mr. C. #1)

(Kim winks at Kevin).

Let's not forget to give props to the boss man!! (Kim kneels reverently at Mr. B.'s feet).

FTC: What are the specific aspects of a drum tech's job?

MOTE: You spend a lot of time on your knees, and sometimes it gets a bit rough with your head directly behind the drum throne. Lovely picture, huh? But seriously, besides setting up, maintaining, changing heads, tuning, working with the drummer during the show, tearing down, and doing it all over again the next day....not much to it.

FTC: Is there any one REO tour that stands out in your mind as being the funniest, hardest, longest, etc.?

MOTE: All the tours had their moments, and we certainly didn't go too long without a good gag, but I would have to say that the mother of all tours was the Hi Infidelity tour of 1981. After the release of Decade of Rock & Roll album, we spent the summer on sort of a weekend warrior tour (mostly festivals and secondary markets) while recording the demos and some of the basic tracks for H.I. We would fly out of L.A. on a Friday, play Saturday and sometimes Sunday, fly back, and go directly into the studio until the next weekend, when we would do it all over again.

By the time we finished Infidelity, the band was near the end of its fiscal rope. We loaded out of dress rehearsals at S.I.R. in Hollywood into one semi and "Manson" (our monitor man at the time) drove a small rider with the leftovers. We really had no idea of what was waiting around the bend. Well, I guess you could call it a rags to riches storry, or as I have put it....the outhouse to the penthouse. The rest is history.

The album went to the top of the charts. We were playing sold out shows in every city. There were huge crowds camped outside the venues and hotels (ala "Beatlemania"). It was very cool! Soon we had three semi's on the road (I think at one time we had five rolling...or was that Good Trouble???) Uh-oh, a possible 'old timer's moment'....let's see, what was I talking about??? Hmmmmmmm????

FTC: Who were the other roadies on your crew, and what did they do? Please include their handles so fans can recognize them from album liner notes.

MOTE: The names have been changed to protect the innocent. What a group of crazies! This crew had more personality than Jim Carrey squared!

Each crew member is posed in front of a wall o' backstage passes.

Our soundman for most of the time that I was on board was Bubba. He also became crew chief after Mike the Mangler departed in the summer from hell tour (Decade). K.C. and Bruce had several techs over the years. When I first walked on the scene, Sluggo was handling K.C. and Bruce, and Matt (the guy too dull for a nickname, and travelling president of the REO chapter of the Dull Men's Club) was with Gary. Then they switched. Sluggo stayed with Gary for the duration. Then Matt became a production manager for the Beach Boys, and Porque joined the team and stayed with K.C. Rollo was doing keyboards and taking care of Bruce. He also handled the carpenter duties and served as stage manager. Then Rollo retired and we found Fumi in Japan on our first tour there, and we sort of adopted him. He was on the Japanese crew for the tour and told us he wanted to become an American roadie. After I taught him to talk like a sailor, he came on board and today is one of the best technicians in the business. Fumi was Trout's guy up until I left.

Lizard, of course, was the wardrobe mistress, catering goddess, and all around band mom and crew nanny. She was very good at what she did! Slim was the longest running monitor man after Manson peeled the top off the rider truck and walked into a gig with his cowboy hat peeled back like the top of the truck. He was singing a song called "Dead Bugs On My Windshield" that he had composed while driving through the desert on acid. Manson drove off into the sunset, and Slim became the piano player in Hotel Bill and the Incidentals.

We had several production managers over the years, but the one that stands out was Bobby G. He was a great guy, but was for some reason was the brunt of all our practical jokes. I remember one show: he was reaming out a couple of the lighting crew for being late for stage call. Not real late, just a few minutes late. That night, in the hotel, Sluggo, Lizard, and I gaffer taped him in his room. It took two rolls, and hotel security over an hour to get him out. He walked into the load-in an hour and a half late, to a cheerful chorus of "Good morning Bob!" and some healthy snickers from the stage crew.

There were some great guys on the various sound and lighting crew that toured with us, as well as riggers, truck drivers, and bus drivers. We were a big family. I am still in touch with a few of them, but often wonder how the others are doing. We were good, we were large, sometimes TOO large (if you know what I mean). It was fun!

FTC: How did your job on the road differ from your job in the studio?

MOTE: Live is the best. You have one shot to get it right. The lights go down, and it's showtime. You don't stop until it is over. I don't care how many shows you have under your belt. When the crowd goes nuts, you get a rush of adrenaline that's hard to describe. Mistakes are made during shows, but the mark of a real pro is not letting them show (sort of camoufage). You just keep going.

The studio on the other hand is a process of repetition. Staying on it until it is perfect (sometimes TOO perfect). We would be locked up in windowless rooms for 20 hours at a stretch, and when we finally emerged---feeling like Dracula on a bad date---we would race home, sleep for four hours, and do it again. We would watch a lot of MTV (still rock and roll back then) and cook awesome meals (see REO Lunch Wagon). The guys had ping pong and the G.B.A. to keep them from getting any crazier (The Gag Basketball Association). The end result of the studio time was very cool, but getting to that point was often times very boring. Yes, live is the best!

FTC: How did you get the nickname "Motor", and how did Alan get his name, "The Big Stick"? (provided you can repeat either story in polite company).

MOTE: I think that I had mentioned my first band, "The Great Apple River Downstream Innertube Float". Well, we were heavily influenced by Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention (talk about biting off more than can be chewed!). Anyway, we played high school dances and really confused a lot of people. One of the Mothers at the time was James "Motorhead" Sherwood. I was named in his honor. I shortened the handle around the time I hooked up to the "wagon".

Now, "Big Stick" on the other hand is something along the line of the legend of Bigfoot. Few have actually seen it, and like most legend and lore, it leaves much to the imagination. Now clean it up! Actually, I think that was in reference to the "clubs" that Alan used to play with.

FTC: You once referred to Alan's drumsticks as, quote, "747's", a.k.a. the super huge commercial airplane. How much gaffer tape did you go through wrapping them every night, and how fast did he go through them?

MOTE: When I first began working with the Gratzman, he was using Ludwig 5A's, or something equally unremarkable. What was different was that he used them backwards. I would run a layer of gaffer tape around the last 4 to 5 inches of the shaft, then wrap about an inch ball around the tip (this is sounding pretty strange....these are drumsticks we are talking about!) Anyway, I would make sure that the stick bag was full, because he would toss a few out to the audience every show. I normally would wrap a dozen or so a night. We would carry cases of gaffer tape just for the sticks. Later, a product came out called "grip tape", which was originally used on tennis rackets.

After the Ludwig Drum Company was purchased by the Selmer Corporation, one of the engineers retired, moved to Florida, and founded "Silver Fox Percussion". They made these very cool, RED, laminated maple sticks. They were very consistent in weight (HEAVY!) and they would get kinda rubbery before they would break, giving him time to drop it and pick up a new one at his convenience. I have to hand it to Gratz: to swing that lumber with the extra tape weight for an hour and a half at a time was serious work! Not recommended for your average weenie drummer!

FTC: What kind of boss was Alan? Easy going? Was he a perfectionist? Moody? What were his biggest pet peeves with his equipment? Did he ever have a drum kit that was more elaborate than the rest, and what year did he use it?

MOTE: Whoa...let's see. THE BEST!! Alan was, as I think that I had said earlier, the best person I have ever worked for. He was very easy going, but always had an eye on the business at hand. One of the things that I miss the most about him was his great sense of humor. We had a lot of laughs up on the riser.

I guess his biggest pet peeve was getting hit in the shnoz with the mic when I brought in up for his vocals. We were in sync most of the time, but every now and then, I would tag him, and get a bit of stink eye for the effort.

{Webmistress note: If you recall during both of REO's commercially released concert videos, just before Alan sings background vocals, a microphone miraculously appears from out of camera range, then disappears again after his vocals are done. This "miracle" can be attributed to a hand-held mic, moved into place by Mote}.

After the Hi Infidelity tour, I went to Chicago and visited the Ludwig factory. We put a new kit together for Alan and the upcoming Good Trouble tour. They made some custom-thin 4 ply maple shells for a better resonance, stained them with a beautiful cherry mahogany inside and out, and fitted them with polished brass hardware (there wasn't a speck of chrome on the kit). We were using overhead suspension crash cymbals that looked pretty cool. All red and gold...it was a killer set!

FTC: Wow! So tell me, Motor...is the tour bus really a den of sin as some rumors contend? (wink)

MOTE: I guess it depends on whose bus you are talking about. Amy Grant's? I don't think so. For the most part, a bus is just a bus. I remember one incident where the crew bus may have sinned. We were at a 'holy roller' truck stop somewhere in Arkansas or Alabama, and the good folks inside took exception to our appearance. This began a rapid slide downward in the friendliness meter, ending up in accusations of tableware theft (like we really needed rusty forks).

Anyway, we cut the meal short and left before it got out of hand. But, as a token of our appreciation for their hospitality, we pulled the bus up to the front door and dumped the holding (toilet) tank, releasing about fifty gallons of sh---- (our tip). So yes, the bus has sinned, but I think that it was forgiven later that tour.

FTC: Well that's a relief! :O) During the '81 tour, there was a very special addition to the REO family. A stray mouse named Rochester.

MOTE: Lizard and I found Rochester in a hotel in Rochester, New York. Not wanting to see the little fella meet the exterminator, we rigged up an impromptu carrier until we could get to a pet store the next day and buy a cage.

Rochester---named for the city of his origin---was a male, and what a stud he turned out to be (more on this later)! He travelled with us the rest of the tour, and his official dressing room spot was on top of one of the wardrobe cases. Rochester would ride with us (the crew) on our bus. There was a standing order that Rochester did not party, and anyone crossing this line would be dealt with accordingly. We ended one leg of the tour on the east coast, and all flew back to L.A. for the break. We taped Rochester's cage to the table in the front lounge, and Dudley (our driver) chauffered him 3,000 miles west to Los Angeles, where he rejoined the entourage.

"Rochester....phone home!!" :O)

FTC: Far out!! Talk about your rock and roll excesses! LOL! Unfortunately, Rochester perished shortly thereafter.

MOTE: As we found out, mice don't live that long. But this guy pressed the envelope. He lived to a ripe old age.

FTC: Supposedly the mouse had---how can I put this delicately?---an overactive love life, and there was speculation that this led to his demise. Dare I elaborate? (wink)

MOTE: After the tour, Liz and I bought him a companion, a female by the name of Caroline, named for one of Gary's songs, "Lost In Carolina." We figured that after a long and grueling tour that Rochester deserved to be 'lost in Caroline.' He went on to father over 300 kids. I never knew that mice litters were so huge and so quick in coming! We had a 'habitat' system of tubes running through the apartment, and before we knew it, we were overrun with mice. About this time, Gary was having the wedding of the decade on the grounds of his Malibu hills ranch. We hadn't figured out what to do with our exploding population of rodents. So we decided to do a Free Willy thing and release "the kids" at the ranch.

Well, the rest is a matter of speculation. Quite possibly, the entire rodent population of southern California may now be Rochester and Caroline's offspring. Rochester and Caroline went on to produce more offspring, and both died at a ripe old age with smiles on their faces. Cause of death.....?

FTC: Speaking of "randy"...let's switch gears and talk about the band. For starters, are there any juicy backstage secrets you'd care to share?

MOTE: Much of the backstage antics were like a UFO experience: I saw it, but I had no idea what exactly it was that I was looking at. At this point, I evoke my right to the fifth amendment as dictated by the Tour Code of Honor. I have been suffering from amnesia for the last twenty years in all matters of this nature. What was the question? Their favorite juice?? Orange, I think, or was it passion fruit guava? That's it!! Hmmmmmmm???

FTC: Did you and the crew ever work with the band on video shoots (as in song videos)? How different was that from touring and studio work?

MOTE: Yes, the L.A. crew (the studio/rehearsal full timers, a.k.a. Lizard, myself, & Sluggo) were at every one. However, for the first couple of years that I was with the band, the closest thing that we did to video was our appearances on Don Kirshner's Rock Concert and The Midnight Special. MTV was still a gleam in its daddy's eye.

One of the cooler things we did in the form of television was our appearance on the short-lived ABC television show, "Fridays". Michael Richards, a.k.a. Kramer from "Seinfeld", was one of the cast members and was as hilarious then as he is today. I had a hat that I made up from a plastic space helmet (purchased at Toys R Us) with a three foot long inflatable airplane gaffer taped to the top.

After the show, he {Michael Richards} commented that he thought that the hat was pretty cool, and I said, it's yours. The next year, I was watching the opening of the show, and there he was, wearing that stupid hat, flying across the screen. Hey!! That's my hat!! How cool was that?

Sometime around 1980-81, we began including video shoots in the album release process. The production shoots were interesting, but trying at times. The "I Do Wanna Know" shoot that we did at the vacant Bethlehem Steel Plant in L.A. was one of the more memorable ones. Seeing them dressed up in drag and as the devil was pretty funny! And those dopey angel wings! The crew was hiding in the bushes, pulling the strings to make them flap. Now THAT'S entertainment!

Then there was the "That Ain't Love" shoot from the Life As We Know It album. You know, the one in the revival tent, the dust, the antique cars, and the entire band, crew, and production staff freezing their asses off in the California desert. We kept a bonfire going off set, and that became the hangout for anyone needing to defrost. Did I mention the dust?

The video shoots had their moments, but TV people think a bit different from live stage people. As I said before, live is a one shot deal. No retakes. That is the difference, and the reason I like live best.

July 1987 cover of Song Hits magazine.

FTC: Tell us about the incident in the Boston Hyatt on the 1981 tour. And don't leave anything out.

MOTE: Hmmmm. I do believe that the statute of limitations has run out on this one, so I guess I can feel somewhat comfortable in telling this.

We were in Boston playing two sold out shows in the famous Boston Garden. We had a day off, and some of the crew decided to venture down to the Commons to take in the sights and do a bit of shopping. We found this great magic shop that carried all kinds of practical joke stuff, and left with a bag of tricks that included several bottles of "Morning Breeze Stink Perfume", whoopee cushions, and some other great stuff.

{Webmistress note: That sounds like my kind o' store!}

We were staying at the Hyatt in Cambridge, and had met the chef the night before. Let's just say that he had something that we were interested in, and the problem was, he didn't get off work until half past impatience.

The hotel was an open-air atrium building. Across from the room doors was a rail and a multi-story drop down to the restaurant/lounge area below. It was a Sunday, and the chef was busy preparing the seafood buffet, which was a rather grand affair, table after table of lobster and crab and a zillion other delicacies. We snuck a few drops of the potent perfume over the rail, then stealthily moved to the opposite hallway and repeated the process.

After about a half hour of what was the equivalent of a shower of rotten eggs, the bus boys began taking down the buffet. To make a long story short, the chef called us, telling us that the weirdest thing happened, the fish must have gone bad, and he had to shut down the buffet. We met downstairs and went off on our quest.

Although it was pretty funny at the time, the thought of wasting all that food when there are hungry people in the world casts a different light on the prank. I think that I would have played it differently today.

FTC: Describe the most outrageous pranks the band used to pull, whether on each other, or unsuspecting managers or opening acts.

MOTE: I remember the guys sending a dead fish wrapped in a newspaper to another well known artist, in response to a nasty remark made in the press. I remember another tour manager from an opening act who spent the afternoon in a road case, courtesy of the crew. Then there were the caterers who refused to get out more drinks for the crew in Spokane. As I remember, they spent the show locked in a storage closet. In Battle Creek, Michigan, we loaded the arial pyrotechnics with breakfast cereal. The bombs went off during Ridin The Storm Out, and the entire arena smelled like Froot Loops.

The last night that a band spent with us on tour was always good for some laughs. Sometimes the crew would moon them from behind the barricade. Sometimes we would all appear onstage for their encore, like the time that we all put on bathrobes and 16 ounce gloves and shadow boxed to "Eye of The Tiger" onstage with Survivor. The gags were so frequent that it is impossible to name them all. Too many gags, not enough time.

FTC: Your last tour with REO was in 1987. Did you or anyone else anticipate that either Alan or Gary were thinking about leaving?

MOTE: Liz and I retired in November 1987 and moved to Hawaii. We found out about Alan's departure later. We didn't have a clue. Gary didn't leave until the following year or so. The band played in Hawaii in 1988, and Gary was still on the bill. I have a great live video of that show that was shot for Japanese TV. Almost as cool as Elvis' last show in the islands!

FTC: Since K.C., Neal, and Bruce will reading this interview, is there anything that you would like to say to them?

MOTE: Those were some of the best days of my life. I just wish that I could remember them! But seriously, those guys were a very large and special part of my life. Thank for including me in yours. I reflect on those times with newly acquired wisdom that comes with middle age, and I know that there were things I would have done a bit differently, knowing what I know now. But the journey was the reward, and I am very glad and proud that I made it.

FTC: Any pearls of Motor wisdom for Dave Amato and Bryan Hitt?

MOTE: Are you kidding? Those guys need nothing from me. They are great! Except: the king is dead...long live the kings! (thirteen years later).

{Webmistress note: I'm not sure what he was referring to, but if he ever tells me, I'll update the info here}.

FTC: Allrighty then! <vbg>. You remembered a lot of cool stuff. I wouldn't worry about 'old timers' just yet.

MOTE: Thanks for including me in your literary endeavors. It was fun dusting off the gray matter. What a long, strange trip it's been!

FTC: Any famous last words before we wrap this project? (God, I sound like an L.A. resident now! Hehehehe).

MOTE: Oh, a bit of blatant commercialism....The Great Apple River Downstream Innertube Float is available on CD (click link for email address to place order).

FTC: OK, people, you heard the man! Let's get shopping!

LEGAL BULLSHIT AND OTHER MISCELLANEOUS INFO

This interview © 2003, by Kimmers Press, Inc., and conducted by Kimberly Tolley. The pictures from the Good Trouble tour book belong to REO Speedwagon, but they gave me permission to use them. Aren't they swell? :O)

For all you other lurkers: questions, comments, words of praise, and positive feedback may be sent to the Kimmers Press public relations office.

And, most importantly, top kudos go to my buddy Motor, for being such a generous and patient interview-ee. We'd been working on completing this interview via email since summer 1999! Hehehehe. Actually, he had a good excuse for dragging ass: he and his wife had their first baby in January, 2000. As Mote so aptly put it, "Babies have a way of setting priorities." But he still found time for lil' ol me! Congrats, guy, and thanks for everything!

SPECIAL NOTE TO THE MOTE MEISTER: If you're lurking, give me a shout, bud! The last time I emailed you, AOL said your screen name was not a known member. I miss yackin' at ya, especially our one---and thus far, only---phone call. Hope everything is okay with you and your family.

P.S. Remember this, from New Year's 2000? I hope you don't mind me sharing it with all my online pals, but I'm still so dadgum proud of it I could bust! You really made me a happy critter that day! ((Mote)))

C'mon...you know you want to....

© 2003, Rent A Geek/Kimberly Tolley

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