Okay, well, Alvin and The Other Brother Darryl moved out, as I've said, a few weeks ago.

Then Keyless Joe left us for the hedonistic pleasures of Pittsburgh.

Now I hear that Brother Darryl has had enough of Bernie's abuse and he's going to be leaving us. (Bernie is, in fact, very abusive. I wouldn't work for him. Having spent years working for abusive bosses, my gift to myself is that I will never again force myself to do that.) Once he got over not speaking to me because I was new and he didn't really know me (a stage that lasted about a year), Brother Darryl turned out to be a very nice guy.

Also, one of the Stooges will be exiting. Having discovered that his wife is pregnant and his current benefits won't cover the medical expenses, Larry is getting a real job. Working for a seat-of-your-pants software start-up is not a job for a family man.

Moe's departure, on the other hand, is temporary. He's taking a month off to backpack around Thailand or Tibet or something*.

Moe is a fascinating person. He's lived all over world and had the most amazing adventures, from hitching truck rides with guerilla troops in Mexico to spending a few years living in Japan. (Yes, he speaks Japanese.)

This guy is Blair Sandburg with computers instead of anthropology. He's tall, dark, and reasonably handsome, frighteningly intelligent, and very personable. Those of you who know me know how unusual it is for me to let anyone else get a word in edgewise, but I could sit and listen to this guy talk for hours. He's also Ralph Nader's wet dream since he lives in a totally eco-friendly house and drives a car fueled entirely by corn oil or something. He's the most eco-aware person I ever met in my life.

He just returned from taking his mother and her best friend skydiving for her 60th birthday. I've never met his mother, of course, but I'd like to. She must be amazing.

I like to think if I'd been born a guy, I wouldn't be such a coward about trying new things, but the truth is, I probably would be. I had a conservative upbringing by parents who were struggling to raise themselves firmly into the middle-class and, not being adventurous by nature, I've always remained timid.

The biggest adventure of my life was one time when I took a job I didn't think I was really qualified for.

Life is wasted on some of us, isn't it?

(*Okay, so as it turns out, he's taking two weeks off to do some mountain climbing and surfing, but with him, it could just as easily been the Himalayas.)

I did some stuff on the story last night but I'm not telling you about it.