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"... distinct traces of bitterness in your comments."
That veiled bitterness is probably due to me anticpating that search on the way into site tomorrow AM 
or that I should have thrown in a couple of more smiley faces.
No, no bitterness. We have both claimed not to be word-smiths and what I wanted to do was acknowledge the efforts you and tst have put in to the Exchange at the time when the "pieces are moving".
Looking back....
I was climbing the ranks of the "Old Exchange" when the Guru left us with a not so good comment as his bio. ON the Old Excahnge, the top 3 contributors were highlighted with #1 getting his icon dispalyed. I made up my mind that I would work to displace the guru myslef if required. I did not have to. DK came along and took care of that issue. But along the line, I got hooked and also realized that I owed a lot of learnin to Greg McKaskle. So I plodded along taking care never to answer more Q's than he did (In the old days you could do this by commenting on others answers. Comments did not count as answers). So I managed to work my way up to #3 (Christian was absent without leave at this time). But then the new Exchange came along and the next thing you know I was #2! Begging did not work and I eventually had to give into Greg McKaskle's claim that he had to focus on LV8. I really felt like I had been following a crowd that suddenly realized there goal was behind them and I was in danger of being run over. 
Well it did not take long to realize that I was indeed going to be run over because there were three excellent contributors that just happened to be behind me in the standings but it was just a matter of time before they would pass me. I think I alluded to this in an early edition of "The List" when people where trying to move up. Well, when you are #2 behind DK and Christian, tst and CC are showing no signs of stopping then I would be a fool to think that I have anywhere to move but down. That does mean my contributions to the Exchange should stop. It just means the nature of my contribution has changed.
There have been some wonderful contributors to the Exchange that (in my minds eye) have established mile stones for all those that have followed.
Gorka - was amazing at the time. Imagine, more than 300 answers!
LV-Guru - stoped just short of 1K. He effectively established one of the checkpoints that we celebrate
Greg McKaskle - stoped just short of 2K. Passing Greg is what is required to earn that third gold bar.
I do not intend to group myself with the like of those contributors. They were/are super-stars in my book. I am coming to accept that maybe I can be the matching book-end, with DK at one end, me at the other and all of the rest of the Proven Enthusiastic Veterans in bewteen. Or another way of looking at what part I can play is that I represent a slow and consistant contributor. Anyone who puts their heart into it can surpass my mark. For some of the ambitious young contributors, a resonable challenge (i.e. Can I pass Ben?) will help get them contributing and learning through the Exchange.
Bitter, no. Proud and pleased with what the Exchange has become, YES, very much so!
So to the rest you "youngin's" I promise to "salute" as you pass by. All you have to do is answer more than 4K questions 
.
Ben
