kv, I am so sad that you feel you have been ostracized. And I'm sorry for anything I might have done to contribute to that feeling. I personally value your "crankiness"...too much agreement leads to complacency, I think. Unfortunately, one of my issues is that I tend to need a lot of time to formulate a reply to things, and I can easily get discouraged and give up when threads veer off in other directions.

But I would hate to see you leave again, because I really have missed your contribution. So I promise I'm going to work really, really hard to be more conscientious about replying when a post (yours or anyone's) gets my brain working. And I truly hope you don't give up on this site, and keep writing those posts that make me think, and even challenge me a little.

mj