believe me, i've taken breaks from pc, too. and i know it's not necessary to announce it unless i want to. i've also done it because i had gotten too busy with other things i had to do. lately, i haven't been here as much as usual because i was surfing at quitnet.com, since it's an online support group for those who quit smoking. i quit smoking on november, the 16th. quitnet is a very good website for support in quitting smoking. of course, i love pc, too, for mental health support.