Where's Ray?

[lindajay]

I'm a fine one to be asking this, since my time on the forum has been cut drastically in the past couple months, but . . . I can't remember hearing from Ray (Carbone) in a long time. Maybe he's just been posting in the threads I haven't read. Ray, are you there? :confused:

[Inspeqtor]

I had not missed Ray until you mentioned him, but I have been wondering about Jodi Frye! I have not seen anything from her in quite some time either. :confused:

[bayhli]

Actually, I've noticed Ray's absence and wondered where he is, as well. I haven't been on much this summer either so I kind of dismissed it until I'm back regularly.

Hmmm Jodi too, now that you mention it.

Two very missed presences...

[GaryK]

I'm not 100% sure, but I think they are hanging out at either the newish Illustrator site or at the Painter site. I seem to recall Pauline saying that she had seen them over there.
Plus Ray got that new job a while ago, it might be a different work load for him.

[kimi_boo]

I MISS RAY!! :(

I was thinking of him the other day. He always added so much to the forum. :)

Seems like we are loosing quite a few people. It's lonely with Robyn and Nancy spending all there time away....

[NMarti]

Kimi
I'm still here - just not as much. I was wondering about Ray too and even mentioned Jodi in another post. Grant doesn't stop in much either. It was so fun when they all were here and doing their good-natured "sparring" over Nikon/Canon and their cars.

[G. OReilly]

I missed Ray,Pauline,and others also,my computer has been down for over a wk now,and I am useing a laptop AH !!!!!can,t get used to it .
Anyway hope that everone has had a busy summer and hopeing to be back on line real soon.:)

George:eek:

[Wendy]

Hi ...

I have sent Ray an email ... so will let you know when I hear from him :)

Wendy

[lindajay]

Thanks, Wendy. I sure miss him!

I should just let everyone know that I'm only able to drop in for a moment or two each day, myself. I've taken up so many things that I just can't stay on the forum for ages, like I used to. One thing I've added to my plate is a blog - ha! Really! I used to do a lot of writing, and then along came photography and Elements. I decided I need to go back to some writing, and am using my blog as a platform for that. I'll be happy to give anyone the address, if you PM me. Don't want to just put it out here for any ole' soul.

I'll be waiting to hear what you learn from Ray, Wendy.

[kimi_boo]

Even Byron is not here very much. :(

Sure hope everyone will come back once the cold weather sets in.

Wendy, thanks for checking on Ray. He always had just the right answers.



Ray... you are missed!

[Byron Gale]

Even Byron is not here very much...Kimi,

Clearly, you have not been talking with my wife - who thinks I spend too much time, here, as it is!! :rolleyes:

Byron

[kimi_boo]

Kimi,

Clearly, you have not been talking with my wife - who thinks I spend too much time, here, as it is!! :rolleyes:

Byron

I have to admit. I have been trying to stay off most evening so I can spend some quality time with hubby. :p He made the comment that all he sees of me is the back of my head. :eek:

[NMarti]

Kimi
My hubby says all he sees of me is the "bathroom walk"! The computer is in my office and the tv room is next to it and I get up long enough to go to the bathroom but usually wait almost too long so he sees me pass through in a hurry!:D:D

[kimi_boo]

Oh Nancy... "the bathroom walk" :eek: :eek:

That is too funny! :D

[Pauline]

I haven't heard from Ray in a very long time. The last time he was on the Painter forum was just after they started up and his last post asked about where to direct an address change. Haven't seen him since and no reply to the e-mail I sent.

This summer has not been a good one for me personally which is why I have not been on. My husband decided to have a mid life crisis and has left me. It's been very devasting personally for not only myself but for our 3 kids. My eldest daughter left for college yesterday which has added to my sadness and stress. :(

[kimi_boo]

Oh Pauline... I am so very sorry.

You need people to bond with. Please check in more often.

[Wendy]

Hi Pauline ...

Oh I am so sorry to hear that ... do hope that you are OK

Wendy :)

[Inspeqtor]

Pauline,

I am really saddened to hear this bad news. I do hope you can get some encouragement from someone close to you.

[jazzfisher]

Pauline,
My heart goes out to you....

[NMarti]

Pauline
You know you can find a friend here if you need one. Best of luck to you.

[Shari]

Ohh Pauline, I am so sorry. You need the comfort from all our friends on this forum. I too miss the 'ol group. I can't talk because some days I am too tired to even think while going through this chemo. But, I keep checking in when I can and I hope everyone else will too - this is a very special group and family.
Shari

[Pauline]

Thank you all for your kind words. It has been a very difficult summer and I just couldn't come on here. I was so lost. I'm starting to heal now though and talking about it with lots of people has helped me tremendously. I've had a fantastic support group in this little town I live in. I don't know where I would have been without it. One thing I did find out about myself is that I just can't do my art when I'm depressed so of course this summer not much of anything was accomplished except for the PET tutorial. It was a real blessing when Annie asked if I could do it as it forced me to think of something else.

I know I have a long way to go and looking for a job will be on the list to since I've been home for 18.5 years!! That's a scary thought. I'm hoping to get something relating to PS which would be nice.

[kayser]

Oh, Pauline, I'm so sorry to hear your news. With all of your artistic talent, I'm sure you'll find something that uses your skills. Maybe it will even allow you to work from home? Good luck.

[jayegirl]

I'm sorry too Pauline.

[Ellen]

Pauline, I'm sorry too. To lose a partner by any means just sucks. Your talent and artistic eye ought to serve you well in your next stage.

[Diana]

Pauline, so sorry to hear of the pain and stress I'm sure you and your kids are going through. My heart goes out to you. Sure hope you can find some type of work to use the great talent that you have. Your forum family is here for you.

Diana

[lindajay]

Pauline, I just can't imagine how hard it's been! Do know that you can PM any of us, if you need to talk. I'd be happy to give you my email, or even a phone number, if you'd like them. And I'll put you on my prayer list.

[Wags374]

So sorry to hear you have had a rough summer Pauline. We will be praying for you.

[Kathy]

Pauline,

How devastating for you and your children !

I am happy to hear that you have a great support group ... it does make things a lot easier when you know there are people you can share with. And even though you can not believe it now ...... things will get better ... I know. Take care of yourself and reach out when the going gets tough.

My heart goes out to you.

Kathy

[Pauline]

Thank you everyone. Your kind words mean so much to me. It really has been terrifying for me to go through this but I'm getting stronger and know that it will all end up okay. I've been warned by many that it takes a good year (going through all occassions) I also know there are various stages that you go through when dealing with this. Disbelief, grief, anger........I've felt so lost and mixed up and it's been hard to concentrate on anything but things are getting better. Since all this happened I've heard a lot of stories and a lot of people have gone through much worse situations........I'm not homeless, we have our health.....we'll be okay. The big thing is to focus on the positive now. It does help to know I have all these wonderful friends here. My pain has healed enough that I could share with you.

[G. OReilly]

Pauline....So sorry to hear about the bad news....

Just remember this..."When a door closes..another door will open"

You are a very talented lady...and I sure that door will open soon.

Take care

George

[Kathy]

Pauline,

I was just visiting your Painter Gallery.

Belated congratulations on your Image of the Week back in March. Well deserved !

Kathy

[Pauline]

Thanks George.......that's what I keep telling myself. I'm rethinking my career choice of general office work and thinking I'd like to find something that I can use photoshop and painter in. At this point in my life I'd rather do something I love that some drugery job.

Kathy, I was honoured to also win a contest on that site for the painting I did of the girl and the horse on the easel. It was the Corel Paint can challenge and 30 entries were picked. The prize was the newest version of Corel Painter in the limited edition can with training dvd, book etc. I have yet to install it. Waiting for the right frame of mind for playing.

[Carbone]

Pauline, I'm sorry to hear about your situation. It's never an happy thing when you're living it, but the outcomes might be much brighter than you can imagine just now. Have faith :)

As for me, a lot has happened. I had (and still have) health issues, amongst other things, which required a dramatic decrease in time spent online helping. But nothing really serious, just plainly annoying (asthma and heart problems, all stress related). Going outside breathing fresh air helped a lot and spending more time reading, taking pictures, playing with my Nintendo Wii, meeting real friends (I mean in real life as opposed to online), etc. Because my job involves internet-ing for all day long (including many evenings too), it became less fun to go online as time passed.

I also had to decrease my daily intake of coffee... Of all the things, that ought to be the worst! Or was it the almost-an-eternity-like 37 seconds I considered buying a Nikon P5000 two weeks ago.. ? Or the 4.16 seconds I actually held one in my left hand ??? You see my judgement is now impaired.. coffee depravation is terrible... ;)

Note for Grant : Finally bought a Canon S5 iS instead. Phew, that was a close call.. hehe!

Also, after years of helping with PSE, it was time for me to broaden my horizons a bit and possibly move elsewhere too. I've got my first PSE licence in November 2001 and started to help the year after that. It's been almost 5 years now. Not to say I don't like PSE or PS anymore. Au contraire, I sill like it a lot and not a week goes by without me launching anyone of these apps at least twice or more to fix or create something. But...

I've moved to new grounds, namely video with Final Cut Express (I'm having a blast with that app!), Illustrator and Painter too. Finally decided it was time to say ta-ta to CorelDraw after years of holding on to CD11 for Mac. Illustrator have become a "known individual".. ;) And I blog on a daily basis. This is like a forum, only smaller and less time consuming (it only takes 15 minutes to log in, blog, add pictures and material and post, thanks to iWeb!)

So, for all who wrote, thanks for the good words. For others who did not miss me... keep at it, I'm not due to being back here anytime soon ;) If you have questions you need answered and can't find it here, or simply wanna chat or talk about the Mac, you can contact me personally. I try to answer as time permits. I did receive just last week a call for help for the Windows Meta File (WMF) file import plug-in for PSE2... wow, that was a long time ago!

Ray

[Byron Gale]

Ray,

Good to hear from you!

Byron

[jazzfisher]

I miss you Ray!:(:(:(

[Kathy]

Good to know that you are alive and well Ray ! :)

Kathy

[NMarti]

Ray
It's so great to hear that you are enjoying what you are doing. I do miss you but glad that you are able to get out more. Boy - close call on that Nikon. I was but a mere click away from buying the S3IS a couple of months ago when I heard about the S5 and decided to wait to check it out. I love my Rebel but a carry-around is great to have too.

[Wendy]

Hi Ray ...

So glad to hear that you are OK ... we do miss you :)

Wendy

[lindajay]

Ray, lots of good memories from the early days of this forum. We'll really miss you, but I totally understand. (Blogging has captured my attention as well.) I'd love to take a look at yours, if you'd consider PMing me with the site address.

[nkeevers]

Ray, glad you responded and we all miss you here! Sorry to hear about your health problems (I have asthma too!). But glad you're enjoying your new endeavors! Hope you check in once and a while though!

[nkeevers]

Pauline, so so sorry to hear about your problems. There is a light at the end of the tunnel though and I'm glad to hear that you are doing somewhat better. I've known a few friends who have gone thru the same. It's sad and it affects the whole family. Glad to hear you have such a great support group in your town though and they are helping you thru this tough time.

[Diana]

Hi Ray, I'm among those who have missed you on the forum. Sorry to hear of your health issues, but glad you can manage them with some changes in your life. Good to hear from you. Have fun on your other forums/blog. Stop in once in a while and chat with us.

Diana

[bayhli]

Ray, really good to hear from you!

I've been concerned with your absence because of my awareness of your health issues. I'm glad you have made your own issues a priority and that you are happily plugging along with new interests elsewhere, even if we don't get to "see" you as often as we'd like.

All the very best.....

[Pauline]

Great to see you Ray, but health issues must come first.........and well we all remember how much you love new software and getting so involved in other things.........Still waiting to see a creation of yours on the painter site. :D

[Chuck S.]

Ray, my friend --- it's not the same here without you....

:(:(:(

[billz]

Hey Ray it's good to hear from you. I wish you the best with your new endeavors, and of course your health. Hope you get a chance to drop in here every once in awhile.

Bill

[Mary]

Hi Ray
It was really good to hear from you - I will keep kind thoughts until we hear from you again!

[kimi_boo]

It's Ray!! :D

So glad you checked in. Your health has to be top priority. I too would love the link to your blog. If you could send me a PM I would love to take a look.

This is something I would love to do if anyone has any good starting advice. :o

[quillabee9]

"It really has been terrifying for me to go through this but I'm getting stronger and know that it will all end up okay."

Pauline, You are already recognizing and moving with your own strengths. That's wonderful. To quote a poem I read once by Hugh Prather,

"It takes a lot of slow,
To grow."

As painful as this is and will be for a while, you will learn so much more about yourself, and become who you really are. I had seven years between marriages and needed every minute of them. Give your self as much time as you need. You will do fine. You don't have to be an extension of another person.

[Pauline]

Thanks Gail. You are so right about being an extention of another person. My role has been wife and mother and somewhere along the way I lost myself. :(

[Carbone]

Thanks for everyone who expressed friendship towards me. It's really appreciated :D I will be ok, but will have to spend much time outdoor and away from too involving activities (outside work) for a while. However, feel free to write me anytime. My "e-door" is always open :)

As for my blog, it's in my native language, that is, French. If any of you is still interested, let me know and I'll post the address. Otherwise, I'm afraid it's not gonna be of any use to any of you !!

Ray
P.S. As for the Canon S5 iS, it's a charm to work with. Fast, silent, energy efficient, full featured. To be considered as a high end P&S or as a second camera if you own a dSLR.

[kimi_boo]

Hi Ray... I am still interested in seeing your blog. My 21 year old daughter is fluent in French. I can't speak a word. She is in school to be a French Immersion Teacher here in Louisiana. They are trying very hard to bring the language back. :D

I would love to see your set up and the things you include everyday. If you care to please send me a PM with your link. :)