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The following two songs, Albreda's Balm and Redeemer's Pride, will no longer give out exp unless you are in combat. This was after what I felt was a very good suggestion from some other bards. If you find they still are handing out exp outside combat, or if you find they aren't handing out any at all, please contact me at dr-rowan@play.net Or post something here :) Rowan Reply |
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Okay, I will disagree :) And I think I did goof. Rage of the Clans should probably be the other combat-only one. The major reason I did this is because the Balm was never intended to be sung while you were sitting on your bottom in the guild. I don't like walking into the guild and seeing half the members calmed and the other half resisting. Sorry. The change is going to stay. It was thought out, and it's sound to me. Rowan Reply |
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<<Anybody ever tried asking a bard-related question on Prodigy?>> I could never get onto prodigy from work, and the software didn't work on my computer at home. In addition, at the time I was wrangling the AOL boards and the Genie boards as well as working on just about everything in DR, not to mention restoring characters and answering the mail. You could have written me at any time and I (might have depending on what kind of day I was having and the nature of your letter ;) answered -- you can still write me now ;) But the point of all this griping is -- I had to cut corners somewhere :) Agraynel has pretty much said everything I would have liked to say on the matter. Also, I did make an error -- it's the Balm and the Rage that have been changed to combat-only, not the Balm and the Pride. As for the spellsong suddenly becoming "useless" -- funny, I don't remember taking the calming effects out when I altered the exp. And now that we have the new machine in, I can start entertaining implementing the Wanderlust stuff. Which reminds me.... Changes coming up: The changes to bard skills will be coming up very soon. The way it will work is that if you are a bard without the second weapons requirement, you have a choice. You can choose to either raise them yourself, OR, at a cost to your lore skills, have one weapon skill boosted to the ranks necessary for your level. Survival skill will be boosted without any subtraction from your lores. Rowan Reply |
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Okay, here's a thought. How about I put something in so that you can choose whether or not to calm players (past a certain level of experience ;). I figure, you're the bards, it's your song, you know how to control it. ;) If that would help turn the Balm into a "more useful song" then I'm all for it. Nice to see you over here, btw, Dream. <peers at Gabriel> Are you into my sugar stash again? ;) Rowan Reply |
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The forthcoming skill changes will work like this (assuming Zoha approves 'em -- I haven't gotten that part done yet ;). First off, survival skills, if they're lacking, will be adjusted automagically. No cost to anything. Then you get checked over to see if you have the necessary ranks for a second weapon skill. If you do, then you get marked as such and you don't lose anything because you don't have anything to adjust. If, however, you're lacking, you're given the option. If you have a skills within 2-3 ranks of the req, you have to choose one of those. If not, then if you have any that are 1/2 of the way to the rank then you gotta choose one of those. Otherwise, if you don't have >any< of that, you simply choose anything. Note that if you are less than level 2, you get to choose anything anyway with no lore deduction. If you're more than that, however, and you choose the weapon boost, then you get ranks shaved off scholarship, mech lore, and teaching according to how many ranks of each of those skills were previously required.... Confused yet? :) I'm bad at explaining this. Rowan Reply |
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Oh, forgot. You can, of course, choose not to change anything and just raise your weapon skill up yourself. Rowan Reply |
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But Rowan had said she was going to be gone until the fourth, and she would implement ASAP when she got back... so how is it going? Enjoy your trip? Everyone involved safe and all that? Where's our stuff? ::grins innocently:: Wyrdscope Not that I'm trying to rush you... Reply |
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Bard changes are in! You all should be notified on login of this fact, check out news 5 for more info. There is a small survival skill req for level > 10 bards...I shaved off too much lore and had to compensate. I apologize, but I can't compensate for this requirement, however, I think it's going to be small enough that you won't notice. It should be something you earn naturally in the course of hunting. I would make the compensation for this automatic, but the time and effort it would take IMO is not worth it. Not to mention that I think you'd all would rather see me do more creative things with the profession. I hope you all enjoy the changes. Rowan Reply |
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Yup Wanderlust is in. Lore loss from a weapons boost is distributed evenly over a set of lores. Scholarship, mech lore, teaching, and underwater pillow weaving. Rowan Reply |
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The board monitors recently received their monitoring tools, and I've been going through the "Guild Guru" topics to remove posts by non-gurus. Due to the volume of posts here :) I've basically removed any non-guru post since August 1, which amounts to about 20 posts removed. Please in the future reserve this topic for posts only by the guild gurus. All questions and comments should be directed to other folders. Thanks, Tiraat DR Board Monitor Reply |
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Another message has been removed for posting by a non-GM in this guild guru folder. For the person who asked, a 'guild guru' is a GameMaster that has as one of his or her primary responsibilities development of a particular guild. Tiraat DR Board Monitor Reply |
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One post was removed for posting in this folder by a non-GM. Please limit player questions to the other topics. Thanks, Tiraat DR Board Monitor Reply |
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Since teaching a student effectively has become a bit more challenging, I have doubled the bonus that Faenella's Grace brings to your teaching efforts. Go forth and teach! Lasca Reply |
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A message has been hidden for posting in the guild guru folder by a non-guru. Tiraat - DR Board Monitor Reply |
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The observation portion of this Category is underway. The restructuring will begin after this process is complete. Topics will be monitored for content, traffic, and other factors and then at the end of the week I'll begin to move, remove, rename, etc etc. Just a note to you all to let you know in advance :) Board Monitor Stryge and Otis the Topic Penguin Reply |
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You're bards. I'm Elanthia's librarian, and the guy who wrote 10 of its books. Let's talk. :) Basically, I'm looking for books from you literate drink-swilling types who snap out a sonnet, laugh out a lyric and create couplets as easy as barbarians walk and chew gum. Easier. What sort of books, I hear you ask. Well, we are looking for IC stuff: good, lengthy poetry, short stories about Elanthia's people and its past, how-to's, etc. (Not biographies, and not major histories-- we don't use the former, and the latter are written by staff.) All books accepted for publication in Elanthia will net their writers roleplaying awards. Submissions should follow these guidelines: set your left margin to flush left, and your right margin to 64. Use an ASCII-based text editor, and avoid using any characters like umlauts, tildes, or other, similar accents which will make our system roll over and die. Send the results to me, DR-CZARRA@AOL.COM. I will then get in touch with you. GM Czarra Reply |
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I'm informed that the connection to DR-CZARRA@AOL.COM doesn't always work. If that's the case for you, try GM-CZARRA@AOL.COM. That one should. If the mail daemon still returns your message, stand in a pentagram at midnight, sacrifice a goblin, and call upon my name. Hey, it might just work. GM Czarra Reply |
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Message eaten for posting by a non-guru in this topic. Please, GM's and Board Monitors here only. Board Monitor Tiraat Reply |
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Hello all! Fyremelody and my trusty goat Gertie here. I am going to be finishing up the organization that Styrge began, consolidating and all. It may mean things will seem disorgnized for about a week but be patient it won't stay that way. In the meantime, Gertie loves to eat improper messages so if you see her munching on something, dont be shocked. Board Monitor Fyremelody Reply |
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"slips into her Lasca look-alike disquise and continues: For some reason I can't get into the General Discussion secion and figure a post here will get everyones attention. Lasca is unable to access the Message Boards (a problem that will hopefully fixed soon), so she has asked that this request be posted for her. She would like us to send to her what song spells we feel we need and the a wish list of new spells we would like implemented. Also, she wants to remind everyone to submit their works for consideration as new song scrolls. Her address is: DR-LASCA@play.net. Fandella. Reply |
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The Song verb will no longer pull you from hiding when you use it. :)
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See my message in the Enchante folder dated 7/1/98 for some information on changes to the enchante system. Lasca Reply |
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Minor change to Playact: Due to the number of concerts and singoffs going on and a few complaints about the restrictions to how many rounds of Playact you can perform, I've lifted all preset limits on it. The only thing that will limit the number of Playacts you may do are your natural abilities and stats. (And to forestall the obvious questions, yes, charisma is the prime one.) Hope this helps in your performances. Lasca Reply |
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Oddly enough, the supposedly most literate guild in Elanthia is the only one that hasn't yet furnished our libraries with books. Even the barbarians have sent in one. I've gotten 5 in the last 2 months from paladins, and 3 from the moonmages. Traders have stopped sweeping in those coins to write 2. But bards...? Nada. I can use your stories, your poems, your guild guides, your notes about travels across the lands. Check for formatting requirements under General Discussions/Publishing Your Book in DragonRealms, bards, and let's do away with this stain on your escucheon which can't be dry-cleaned. GM Czarra Reply |
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It is dead.
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After a few hours of squinting and the selfless sacrifice of a few dozen granite gargoyle lives, the annoying bug with DRAW and enchantes is now fixed. Draw should now work properly in combat regardless of the enchante you are using. Also, the great and powerful Ezruh should now answer to his earned title of "Leader" if you want to ask him about something. And, though you've probably already noticed, the SPELL verb has been fixed so that it works properly with bards by our friends in the WM guild. Be well! Lasca Reply |
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This is old news to those of you who were at the meeting tonight and new news to those who are not: I'm pleased, tickled, proud, happy, <insert adjective of choice>, to announce the addition of GM Melodia to the Bard family. Melodia will be the GM handling the CE side of the Bard Guild. Welcome her warmly! Melodia comes to us with fantastic ideas, two brains and a large stick. So, I can hear you all murmering (at least I think that's murmering. Louder than most murmering I've heard. And put that pitchfork down!) "What does that mean to us?" I'm going to leave Melodia to most fully explain her job as she gains insight from her boss, Solomon, but I can tell you that my mandate and Melodia's is to work extremely closely on the Bard Guild. She'll be the face you see most often. She'll be the one that makes sure I'm on the right page in my dark little coding cave as to what the Guild needs and wants. She will be as fully informed as possible without me actually deeding half my brain to her. She will be the one going "You know what would be really, really cool?" We'll both be posting more as we work this out and catch up with each other. I do ask that you go easy on her for a bit and let her catch her breath and gain her equilibrium. To quote the immortal Martha Stewart, "This is a good thing!" Best Lasca Reply |
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Greetings, Bards and Bardlings! I will be posting on various subjects over the next few days, as I rush to catch everyone up on all that's going on. But first let me say that I'm happy and excited to be here! I'm looking forward to working with each and every one of you to make our guild the best it can be. This will take time, yes, but it is my (and Lasca's too!) ultimate goal. This post is dedicated to the subject of THE BOARDS. I will be reading the BARD boards diligently. I have been reading them for quite a while, but have been unable to post until now. I want to share with you what I'll be looking for, and what I will be responding to in this forum. What I'll be looking for: Clear, concise posts with Bardic problems, suggestions, concerns, etc. If it pertains to being a Bard in Elanthia, I want to hear about it! What I'll be posting: Just about anything I can, within the limits imposed upon me by our policy. I doubt I can give you all the information you want, but I will give you as much as I can. Things will be a bit slow at first (no, don't expect a 20-page dissertation about the state of the Bard's guild right now <g>) but as I settle in a bit more, and find out what interests you, this will become a good place to find current information. What I won't respond to: Rants, raves and just plain ol' complaining. Does this mean you shouldn't post those things? Absolutely not! You are free to post those (in the appropriate folders), as long as you stay within the message board guidelines. It just means that if you have a wonderful suggestion in the middle of a rant, more than likely, I won't see it. How often I'll post: NOT every day. <g> Well, you want things done, don't you? I will try to post on a weekly basis, even if it's only to say, "Yes, I'm still here, I'm still listening." There will be times I'll be able to post a lot. Other times will be just a line or two. I will not necessarily respond to each and every one of you. But you can be sure that the main issues of the guild will be dealt with. Now that we have HTML message boards, everyone should be able to read them without the technical problems of the old formats. For those Bards that don't read them, give them a nudge in this direction. I think they'll be pleasantly surprised. As I hope you will all be. Until next time, fare thee well! Melodia Reply |
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For those of you who have read NEWS 102 or made it to last Friday's State of Elanthia Meeting, you know about the changes that are going on with the staff. I know there are logs of the meeting floating around out there, so I'm relinquished from hashing through all of that here. But what does it all mean to you, as Bards? For one, you found out about me. I've been lurking about in the background with Lasca, waiting for the moment when I can come out and meet all of you. We didn't know I would be introduced at the meeting, until it happened. Before that, we had to work out who was going to do what - i.e., which side would I work on, Customer Service or Production/Development? It was a difficult decision for Lasca and I, as these changes are new to all of us, and we wanted what was best for the Bard guild, and the people in it. As you now know, we chose the Customer Service side for myself. Lasca will work on the Production side of things. I think this best fits what is needed and what we both want to do, and will accomplish two things for the guild: 1) give Lasca the time she needs to delve into all those mechanics which sorely need work, and 2) provide that crucial link between you, the players, and us, the GM's (or whatever we'll end up being called <g>). But don't start calling me the 'missing link' or I'm going to have to borrow Lasca's gerbil launcher! <glances about, trying to look stern> Lasca and I will continue to work together as a TEAM on the guild. There are a lot of things out there that need fixed; there are a lot of things that need to be done; there are just a lot of things, period. It will take time. <winces at all the groans> But you will see things start to happen very shortly. It may not be everything you want, and we realize that, but know that we're trying. Something else I want to reiterate: While both Lasca and I will be working hard to get things done for you, we both have full time jobs besides what we do here in DR. And, for some odd reason, our respective bosses expect us to show up for those jobs and do that work for which they are paying us. That is true of most of the GM's that are here. What we do, we do because we love the game, and the guild. I know this has been explained before, but I wanted to be sure it was said again. But wait a minute, you say. Great, we've got a Customer Service person now, you say, but where's Lasca's assistant?? <Melodia grins slyly and raises her hand.> Here I am! I do other things besides make sure you guys get paid attention to. Fairly soon, you'll see the results of that. There are several things I'm working on that I think you'll like. While I won't spend all my time developing, like Lasca will now be doing, I will have time to work on things for you . . . . that is, if you let me. <winks> And you haven't lost contact with Lasca. What I know, Lasca knows. What Lasca knows...well, I'm working on that! <g> That's part of my job now, to make sure she's well informed about the happenings and such with the guild. So we can make a better guild for you, and you'll be proud to say, "Why, YES! I AM a Bard!!" Until next time, fare thee well! Melodia Reply |
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This is the post that most of you have been waiting for. Part of it, anyway. That said, let's get down to business! Some of the things that I'll be mentioning you may already know. But it never hurts to be reminded of what you've gotten, or will get. What has been done fairly recently: **A fix went in that corrected the SLICE when you typed DRAW in combat. This actually was not an enchante bug. Most of you use the Rage of the Clans when hunting - so it was a logical step to assume that it was the enchante that was the issue. It was definitely a Bard issue, though - and would occur if you were doing anything Bardly while trying to slice at a critter. You shouldn't see this anymore; you should SLICE when you type SLICE and DRAW when you type DRAW. **Someone kindly pointed out that for some strange reason, one could use the SONG verb while you were dead. See? I told you I was reading! This was fixed. You should no longer be able to do this while you are not of the living. Thank you! **Lasca nagged the person in charge of the SPELL verb to get that fixed after, as many of you pointed out, the last fix didn't fix it. We have received word that this has been corrected for sure now. Let me know if you have any more problems with it. **For a while, Ezruh seemed to have lost his standing as the LEADER of the Haven Guild. He has found it again (Simon probably hid it from him), and will respond to you now if you choose to call him by that name. Another issue from the boards - thanks! TO BE CONTINUED . . . . Until next time, Melodia Reply |
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>>**For a while, Ezruh seemed to have lost his standing as the LEADER of the Haven Guild. He >>has found it again (Simon probably hid it from him), and will respond to you now if you >>choose to call him by that name. >Ratha's Guild Leader, name slips me right now, also has that problem. I have given Yaziyi a stern talking-to, and he will now answer to his rightful title of LEADER. Thanks for bringing that to my attention. <mutters something about Guild Leaders with an inferiority complex and meanders back to work> Melodia Reply |
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<CONTINUED> What is being worked on for release as soon as we can get it out there: *A BRAND new ENCHANTE! Yeah! Particulars are still being worked out, but it's in testing. This is the first project that Lasca and I worked on together, and we're looking forward to releasing it! *You've heard rumors . . . that HINDSIGHT is 20/20 . . . pretty soon, you'll be able to find out for yourself exactly what this means! A unique BARD-only ability! And one that will grow as time goes by. . . *Ever wanted to do more than WHISTLE at someone? Ever wanted to whistle happily? Sadly? Coming soon, emotes for whistling! *After several futile attempts to negotiate with the old tenant of the RiverHaven Bard Shop, he was evicted from the premises. Ezruh discovered that he had no intention of ever opening a shop, and was using the building as his living quarters. Unfortunately, he left the place a mess, and it will have to be cleaned up before any new tenants can move in. But, take heart! Ezruh is currently in negotiations with some potential shopkeepers, and the situation looks very promising! *A nifty new system, one that will facilitate role-playing and performing! (Sorry, that's the only hint I'm giving on this one!) As we get closer to releasing these things, you'll be hearing more about them. So stay tuned! TO BE CONTINUED . . . . Until next time, Melodia Reply |
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<CONTINUED> NOTE: For those of you who are posting about priorities or lack thereof, let me just make this comment. So far, **I have not listed any priorities**. Nor will I. And there's a very good reason for that. Lasca and I have one priority, and one priority only: to make this guild the best it can be. Period. Many, many things are involved with doing that. Too many to ever list here, or anywhere else. I will tell you what we've done, what we're working on, the progress (or lack of progress) we're making, what we're trying to do, what we have planned. I will take your feedback, ideas and suggestions and run back to Lasca in her cave and see what we can do. Some of it, we'll be able to do. Some of it, we may not. Some of what you've already suggested we'd LOVE to do, but cannot, for reasons that I will not post here. ALL of this is a priority to us. Not everyone will agree with everything that's done or not done. And that's ok. Regardless, we will continue to try to do everything we can to work for our #1 priority - the Bard Guild. Now . . . on to Part 3. --Some-- of the items that are on THE LIST (yes, we have one . . . and it's LONG): * Complete and total rewrite of the instrument system. This is huge. We're scoping it out now, making sure that when it's done, it'll allow us to put in all the neat things we want to put in now, but can't. So what does this mean? Well, the instrument system effects several things: **One of the main reasons you haven't seen "new" instruments (i.e., bagpipes, harps, fangledoodles, etc.) is because in the current system there is no room for it. The rewrite would allow us to expand our horizons a bit in this area. **Tired of the same old PLAY messages that don't seem to get any better as you do? So are we! This is another component of the instrument system that we hope to greatly improve upon, and that cannot be done until the rewrite. **Instrument making - a system that cannot be done with the current instrument system. **Sentience - <glances at Lasca> I can't say anything further on this one. Lasca threatened to hide my chocolate if I did. **Instrument damage, repair, etc. - all to be improved and expanded upon with the new system. * Complete and total rewrite of the enchante system. This is also huge. And necessary, in order to make them better, enable them to change <hums> and layer with other enchantes for new effects. Again, unable to do any of that with the current system. Also, down the road a bit, Bard's might rediscover an ancient magic that they used to practice, long, long ago. You just never know about those things. * Development and building of the Aesry Surlaenis'a Bard Tower. Another big one! I literally stole this out of Lasca's grasp the moment I started working with the Guild. <winks> The Tower will be more than a guild - <glances about nervously> But I'd better not say too much about it yet. There are some that wish to never see it open again . . . . So . . . is that all there is on THE LIST? No! Our list will grow and change as Bards grow and change. These last three are the BIG ones, though - big in development, big in coding, big in the time it takes to accomplish them. Periodically I will go through THE LIST with all of you here on the boards - rearranging it, adding new things, reminding you of the things we have done. Until next time, fare thee well! Melodia Reply |
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It has come to our attention that there was a bug in the spell scrolls that allowed Bards to use the scrolls even when their harness has dropped below the minimum amount required. This has now been fixed. As always, if you see any problems, let me know. Melodia Reply |
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>>Since you brought up the use of spells by bards, though I'd just ask >>if you could check into the possibility of bards being able to check >>their known songs via the SONG verb while in roundtime. Mages can >>check their spell books while in roundtime. Thought it'd be nice if >>we could check our songs as well. This is now corrected. You should be able to check your SONGs while in RT. Melodia Reply |
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A change was made to playact this evening that will now allow Bards to practice their performances in privacy, should you so desire. This came about after much shaking of my big stick at Lasca, so please don't abuse it. I think she has a bigger stick somewhere . . . Enjoy! Melodia Reply |
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Some fixes have gone in to the following enchantes, as of this afternoon: Albreda's Balm - Reduced the amount of time that it takes for the Balm to start effecting those around you, once you start chanting it. However, in order for this to work, there are some costs involved. You may find that you cannot sing it as long as you used to, as it takes a bit more of your power to make it cycle quicker at the start. Nexus - There has been a post or two about possible problems with this enchante. After extensive testing and staring at the code, we found that it is extremely unlikely that power could ever be reduced, but did discover one or two specific places in the game where it might happen. This will no longer occur. Also, I did some groveling before Faenella, and convinced her to allow bards to be of more use to those users of Holy and Life magics, through the Nexus enchante. I think you will see a definite difference here. As always, let me know if you see any problems. Melodia Reply |
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Hello, all! I just wanted to say that I am so pleased and excited to see such wonderful, positive posts on these boards once again! And I'd like to thank those of you who have posted with ideas and suggestions. It's obvious to me that a lot of thought has gone into them, and I've seen some wonderful things! Keep up the good work! Melodia <wanders back over to her hard drive where she's collecting all the suggestions and ideas for later use> Reply |
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