Great Tides that Ebb and Flow: Apbarog (A) vs Walker (J) DBB-B Scen 28

[Walker84]

May 18, 1942

Major redeployments of Japanese fighters have taken place and Singapore, Palembang and Balikpapan are now heavily CAP'd. Fortunately KB was able to transfer its Zeroes to these locations as a temporary measure to avoid having to withdraw units facing the Allies in India. No 4e attacks happen this turn and when I check the recon report, the bombers have already departed so I guess my opponent was perhaps spooked by the high DL I had on his bombers and realised the element of surprise had been lost. Either way its a useful lesson and I will need to redouble my efforts to take the rest of Java in order to secure the surrounding bases.

FOOTNOTE: While Zuikaku is in dry dock I have been keeping the rump of the KB disbanded in a 'secret' location. The last time KB was in action was in the Bay of Bengal so in the intervening period it could easily have steamed as far as Australia or the Pacific theatre; this should act as a useful deterrent as my opponent does not know where it might emerge next.


Bataan

The last attack showed that the Allies are out of supply and heavy losses were inflicted, although hampered by fatigue and stacking limits, my forces are still not able to achieve the decisive push. I elect for a bombardment today in order to rest my troops.

[Walker84]

May 19, 1942

DEI

I am landing more troops at Tjepoe in an attempt to speed up matters with the plucky Dutch defenders of Java. An Allied sub tries to interfere but takes two ASW hits.

Bataan

I get into a friendly conversation with my opponent about the game mechanics when I observe that the AV adjustment below seems a bit extreme, although I make it clear that in no way am I complaining, given the losses inflicted during the attack are very much in my favour. Clearly I still don't understand the combat system in this game well enough.

Roger suggests I should bring in an extra division and rest my troops more between attacks. While I can't do the former due to SLs ,the latter makes good sense. He also suggests that although out of supply his units are numerous and contain a lot of devices which may affect the outcome a little, plus the terrain of course. We have developed a very good mutual understanding as this game has progressed which contributes greatly to enjoyment of the game and we like to pick over points like this one from time to time. I'll be a bit more patient and rest my troops more between attacks.

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 29589 troops, 354 guns, 315 vehicles, Assault Value = 803

Defending force 23347 troops, 248 guns, 31 vehicles, Assault Value = 69

Japanese adjusted assault: 141

Allied adjusted defense: 131

Japanese assault odds: 1 to 1 (fort level 0)

Japanese Assault reduces fortifications to 0

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), leaders(+), fatigue(-), experience(-)
supply(-)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
231 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 11 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 4 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 5 disabled
Vehicles lost 3 (2 destroyed, 1 disabled)

Allied ground losses:
2626 casualties reported
Squads: 78 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 37 destroyed, 87 disabled
Engineers: 5 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 23 (21 destroyed, 2 disabled)
Vehicles lost 5 (3 destroyed, 2 disabled)
Units destroyed 1

[Walker84]

May 20, 1942

The reduction of Bataan continues (did I say last post I was going to rest my troops?)[8|].

Without stacking limits, the outcome would have been decided by now, however we agreed to them in the full knowledge that this would prevent "death star"-style land attacks taking place and I have to say that the results seem more consistent with our preferred style of play. I know there will be afficionados of both approaches out there...

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 29520 troops, 355 guns, 315 vehicles, Assault Value = 799

Defending force 21231 troops, 226 guns, 27 vehicles, Assault Value = 34

Japanese adjusted assault: 112

Allied adjusted defense: 121

Japanese assault odds: 1 to 2 (fort level 0)

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), leaders(+), preparation(-), experience(-)
supply(-)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
173 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 6 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 19 disabled
Guns lost 1 (1 destroyed, 0 disabled)

Allied ground losses:
1412 casualties reported
Squads: 10 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 61 destroyed, 44 disabled
Engineers: 2 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 16 (15 destroyed, 1 disabled)
Vehicles lost 6 (6 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Units destroyed 3

[Walker84]

May 21, 1942

Dutch go on the offense!

My opponent launches a speculative attack on my beachhead at Tjepoe. Fortunately, plenty of troops and armour are disembarking, although some still in strategic mode.

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 899 troops, 7 guns, 60 vehicles, Assault Value = 52

Defending force 7609 troops, 90 guns, 184 vehicles, Assault Value = 199

Allied adjusted assault: 16

Japanese adjusted defense: 71

Allied assault odds: 1 to 4 (fort level 1)

Combat modifiers
Defender: op mode(-), preparation(-), experience(-)
Attacker: leaders(-)

Japanese ground losses:
30 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 4 disabled

Allied ground losses:
62 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 7 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Assaulting units:
Mobiele Battalion

Defending units:
2nd Engineer Regiment
9th Tank Regiment
5th Tank Regiment
5th Ind Engineer Regiment
29th Ind Engineer Regiment
6th JAAF AF Coy
44th Field AA Battalion
2nd Field Artillery Regiment
85th JAAF AF Bn
17th Port Unit
18th Port Unit
50th Field AA Battalion
2nd Hvy.Artillery Rgt /1

Elsewhere, I mount a small amphibious assault at Taberfane to secure a useful island base between Darwin and Boela.

[Walker84]

May 22, 1942

Allied invasion TF spotted in the New Hebrides

With my delayed base build-up in S PAC, I have been relying on a combination of picket subs as well as long-range naval air search to alert me to any Allied offensive movements.

At the same time as Shortlands-based Mavis's pick up multiple Allied TF sightings near Torres Islands, SS I-7 evades the escorts to torpedo a troop-carrying AMC. That skipper is due for a promotion.

ASW attack near Torres Islands at 121,147

Japanese Ships
SS I-7

Allied Ships
CA Chester
DD Smith
DD Drayton
DD Cummings

SS I-7 is sighted by escort
DD Drayton fails to find sub and abandons search
DD Cummings fails to find sub, continues to search...
DD Cummings fails to find sub, continues to search...
Escort abandons search for sub


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sub attack near Torres Islands at 121,147

Japanese Ships
SS I-7

Allied Ships
AMC Hector, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
xAP Haleakala
xAP Baranof
xAP St. Mihel
DD Maury

Allied ground losses:
14 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

SS I-7 launches 2 torpedoes at AMC Hector

Sub attack near Torres Islands at 121,147

Japanese Ships
SS I-7

Allied Ships
DM Gamble
DM Sicard
DM Montgomery
DM Ramsay

SS I-7 launches 2 torpedoes at DM Gamble
I-7 diving deep ....

The location and size of the TFs suggests that this is more than a mission to secure Ndeni and its environs, so is my opponent mounting an early recapture of Lunga and Tulagi or he is going somewhere else entirely?

If Roger wants to take any bases south of Shortlands he undoubtedly can, given that I have solitary SNLF in place at Tulagi with no forts built yet. However, he will be in range of significant LBA flying from Buin (level 3), and Rabaul (Level 6). Shortlands is about to become a level 2 airfield so will continue to focus on CAP and naval search capability.

I also have an undisclosed number of carriers to the east of Kavieng and these will make a deliberate show now by moving down to a base near Shortlands in the hope that the DL will indicate that the KB might be present in the area.

I have also landed at small unit at Woodlark Island today to secure a base midway between Buna and Shortlands, although it will be some time before it is developed and ready to make a contribution to the war effort.

[Walker84]

May 23, 1942

Coral Sea and its environs

SS I-7 sustains an ASW attack near Utupua and two Allied xAPs are identified, Princess Charlotte and Princess Elizabeth.

The Allied TFs now seem to have converged on Ndeni. Are they regrouping for a further sudden push northwards? At the same time, an Allied cruiser TF is spotted further to the west in the Coral Sea. One of my carriers near Shortlands has a DL today so I hope this might act as a bit of a deterrent.

One thing that surprises me a little is that my opponent hasn't really bothered building up bases in the New Hebrides. Luganville only recently reached level 1 so if he is planning any invasions in the Solomans he will have no LBA support and will have to rely solely on naval air until the engineers have done their stuff. Still, it makes for a tense and interesting situation.

[Walker84]

May 23, 1942

India

Two Allied DDs pound SS I-124 in an ASW attack near Madras, the first Allied surface ships to show their face up here in a long time.

I mounted a bombardment attack at Calcutta to find out who was there and the results reveal that the best British divisions and armoured units have left. I wonder where to? I will probably pull one division back to Diamond Harbour to make sure that I am not about to be flank attacked.

Japanese Bombardment attack

Attacking force 44167 troops, 509 guns, 232 vehicles, Assault Value = 1435

Defending force 57450 troops, 765 guns, 723 vehicles, Assault Value = 1448

Japanese ground losses:
131 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 18 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Vehicles lost 2 (1 destroyed, 1 disabled)

Allied ground losses:
47 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 4 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Guns lost 1 (1 destroyed, 0 disabled)

Assaulting units:
15th Ind Engineer Regiment
14th Division
18th Division
4th Ind Engineer Regiment
5th Division
6th Tank Regiment
18th Medium Field Artillery Regiment
3rd Ind. Mountain Gun Regiment
3rd Mortar Battalion
3rd Medium Field Artillery Regiment
25th Army
10th RF Gun Battalion
11th RF Gun Battalion

Defending units:
11th Indian Division
16th Australian Brigade
43rd Cavalry Regiment
7th Indian Division
9th Indian Division
Fort William
20th Indian Division
Waziristan Division
2/9th Fld RAA Regiment
3rd Indian Coastal Artillery Regiment
43rd Construction Regiment
224 Group Base Force
21st Light AA Regiment
85th British AT Gun Regiment
2/11th Fld RAA Regiment
Eastern Command
AHQ Bengal
6th Heavy AA Regiment
1st Bombay Construction Battalion

[Walker84]

May 24, 1942

Coral Sea

Four B-17s launch a desultory port attack at Woodlark Island but the ships have gone.

So far, Allied TFs are not moving northwards. Up to five CVs are sitting in the cluster south of Vanikoro. There are transports at Ndeni, perhaps unloading troops. There are also transports at Luganville. I can't imagine that this armada has been assembled purely to take a couple of dot bases around Ndeni. I guess they could still head north but at least my opponent should have picked up by now that I have carriers in the vicinity of Shortlands. In addition, there are 45 Betties and 27 Zeroes at Buin, which hasn't been recce'd as far as I can tell. Another 45 Zeroes and 36 Nells at Buna; 40 Zeros at Pt Moresby; 30 Oscars, 27 Betties and 24 Vals at Rabaul.

[Walker84]

Bataan...

...falls at last as the odds move significantly in my favour. DMS will sweep the harbour and Manila's repair yard will soon receive its first customers, being safe from any LBA threat that I can think of.

Japanese Deliberate attack

Attacking force 34036 troops, 372 guns, 315 vehicles, Assault Value = 978

Defending force 19009 troops, 168 guns, 19 vehicles, Assault Value = 31

Japanese adjusted assault: 655

Allied adjusted defense: 79

Japanese assault odds: 8 to 1 (fort level 0)

Japanese forces CAPTURE Bataan !!!

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), experience(-), supply(-)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
278 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 11 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 2 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 4 disabled

Allied ground losses:
20315 casualties reported
Squads: 54 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 1776 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 12 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 189 (189 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Vehicles lost 22 (22 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Units destroyed 31

Burma / India

A small AK, part of a larger TF, is torpedoed on the supply route to Rangoon but could survive if it makes Phuket, two hexes away. I once holidayed on Phuket come to think of it.[8D]

The Allies reply to my Calcutta bombardment last turn with their own bombardment.

Allied Bombardment attack

Attacking force 40471 troops, 685 guns, 497 vehicles, Assault Value = 1446

Defending force 49559 troops, 509 guns, 395 vehicles, Assault Value = 1433

Japanese ground losses:
141 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 7 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 4 disabled

Allied ground losses:
17 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Interestingly, recon shows the 7th Armoured brigade in the hex SE of Diamond Harbour and additional units are moving south apparently, possibly probing a flank attack. I have 689 AV at DH behind level 3 forts currently. The hex is in clear terrain but Roger would have to shock attack across the river if he comes this way. I can always move one or two of the divisions back from Calcutta if I time it right. Under the circumstances, I'd rather risk losing Calcutta than DH!

I noticed that the Allied DDs that damaged my sub near Madras are now moving along the coast. Could this be part of a move to coordinate with a ground attack against DH? Time to put on full air search and prep the local Netties to interdict.

[Walker84]

May 25, 1942


Burma / India

One of my naval task forces heading north from Tavoy runs over SS Trusty, alerting my opponent to the fact that something is being planned. SS Stingray then spots my tankers leaving but misses a TB escort with 4 torpedoes.

I had based a lot of transports, escorts and my AOs at Tavoy thinking it was out of recon range after my shipping was bombed in Rangoon harbour but Roger must have got wise to this as there is now some DL on Tavoy. No matter though as Tavoy is now empty as my shipping departs on its latest Top Secret mission.

A further bombardment attack at Calcutta heralds that the Allies are planning something I reckon.

DEI

SS Permit tries to impede my latest assault on Ambon but takes 7 hits without causing any damage to my naval armada. This time I have brought up BBs Ise and Nagato in an attempt to neutralise those infuriating 180mm and 150mm guns. Last time I lost a couple of AKs getting my troops ashore and the Dutch defences are no less potent this time round:

Pre-Invasion action off Ambon (76,109) - Coastal Guns Fire Back!
Defensive Guns engage approaching landing force

202 Coastal gun shots fired in defense.

Japanese Ships
BB Ise, Shell hits 1
BB Nagato, Shell hits 1
CA Kinugasa
CL Kitakami
DD Yugao
DD Nagatsuki
DD Uzuki
DD Kisaragi
DD Mutsuki, Shell hits 1
xAKL Kikuryu Maru, Shell hits 2, on fire
xAK Sumatra Maru, Shell hits 1
xAKL Tientsin Maru, Shell hits 2, on fire
PB Hokutai Maru
PB Rokko Maru #2
PB Nako Maru #2
PB Shinko Maru #1
xAK Otori Maru
E Uji

Japanese ground losses:
157 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 3 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 10 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled

Allied ground losses:
78 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Non Combat: 2 destroyed, 8 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

I lose more men and take shell hits but the troops get ashore and the reinforcements enable a deliberate attack to drop the forts to 1.

[Walker84]

May 26, 1942

Burma/India

Four separate ASW attacks in the Malacca Strait /Andaman Sea area today - the following Allied subs are identified: Porpoise, Shark, Tarpon and KXIV. Fortunately all waste their torpedoes against destroyer escorts.

Meanwhile my own SS I-160 spots but fails to hit CM Abdiel near Cuttack, likely on its way to mine Diamond Harbour or another likely invasion spot.

A funny thing happens in the air war today: my opponent launches multiple air sweeps of Diamond Harbour at the same time as I decide to sweep his airfield at Jessore. As a result he finds nobody home whereas I manage to down three Hurris at Jessore for the loss on one Zero. In not setting any CAP at DH, I had taken a calculated risk that my airfield would not be bombed today and will restore the CAP again tomorrow.

I also bomb Chittagong for good measure to keep my opponent guessing about my plans;this time the Hurris shoot down a couple of Sallies and Oscars but its a price that has to be paid.

DEI

Ambon falls to a shock attack. Quite a tidy haul of defenders - no wonder it was a tough nut to crack...

Allied ground losses:
3628 casualties reported
Squads: 68 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 110 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 1 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 56 (56 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Vehicles lost 3 (3 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Units destroyed 5

Australia

This has been a dead theatre recently but a flight of B-17Ds show up to bomb Katherine today, putting a couple of tanks belonging to the 3rd Tank Regiment out of action.

SWPAC

I'm pretty sure that, whatever his plans might have been, my opponent is now content to consolidate some bases around Luganville and Ndeni, which is where his armada has been sitting for the last couple of days. I sent a cruiser TF down to occupy a position north of Noumea looking for targets of opportunity and also for the nuisance value as my opponent will now need to decide how to react to it. Given that we have been spotted and the proximity of the Allied carriers I will probably withdraw to the north again.

[Walker84]

May 27, 1942

India / Burma

The day begins with an ASW attack as my SCTF runs over SS Greenling near Akyab.

A bombing raid reveals that Imphal is lightly held - 103rd RN Base Force and 75th Indian Brigade in situ. I have a regiment heading there, but will need to bring up more firepower if I want to open up a new front proper.

Then the Allied fighters sweep Diamond Harbour again; the three defending formations: 3rd Ku S-1, 1st Sentai and 24th Sentai acquit themselves well against the multiple waves of Warhawks and Airacobras thrown at them. It's nice to see the Oscar I-c's performing well in the air superiority role - and relieving the pressure on my navy pilots a little. Here's the loss report for the day:

[Simonsez]

Wrong thread.

[Walker84]

May 28, 1942

Burma/India

Zeroes based at Akyab sweep Chittagong shooting down 7 Hurris for the loss of three. Diamond Harbour is not attacked by Allied fighters this turn and my three fighter units there remain at full strength with high morale and moderate fatigue.

Slightly more worrying is the movement arrow heading towards DH from the land stack directly to the East. Having pulled a division out of Calcutta, I now have AV 1000 plus in position behind level 3 forts and a minor river. Is my opponent really going to go for the shock attack? This will be interesting.

Meanwhile, my transports have taken up position at an undisclosed location, ready to evacuate DH if the opportunity presents itself. First though, I need the Allies to blunt their air strength with a few more fighter sweeps like last turn so that I can CAP my transports more effectively against the LBA threat.

DEI

Djokjakarta falls to my first assault having been softened up by a recent bombing campaign.

SWPAC

Nothing much to report. My SCTF is now sitting to the SW of Tulagi looking for any targets of opportunity. I have decided not to risk a carrier battle at this stage given that I do not have the full KB in theatre and my opponent is sitting too far back for my LBA to tip the balance.

[Walker84]

Simonsez,

Thanks for the comment and , as I am the Japanese player in this AAR, you might also want to address this thought to my opponent, Apbarog?

I have naturally enough been doing a lot of pondering on the present conundrum. Clearly, my assault on India via Calcutta was a failure, and I am now doing my best to extricate as many of my forces as I can intact. This has necessitated building up Cox's Bazaar and Akyab as air bases and the deployment of shipping to DH will proceed as soon as I perceive this to be a viable option rather than a suicide mission.

If my opponent does indeed attack Calcutta and DH, I will be happy as long as he comes off more badly than I do, but I agree that this is a high risk strategy and it may be a case of the Allied player not really having to do anything other than waiting to pick off my shipping when it arrives.

[WriterNotViking]

Just want to say I enjoy your AAR very much and look forward to updates. Great game so far! Are you willing to offer some insight into any further expansion plans before 1943?

[Walker84]

ORIGINAL: WriterNotViking

Just want to say I enjoy your AAR very much and look forward to updates. Great game so far! Are you willing to offer some insight into any further expansion plans before 1943?

Thanks for writing. I get plenty of hits but most stay silent so I'm not always sure how the AAR is going down.

It's fair to say that I don't have many further aggressive expansion plans at this stage of the war. In mid-42 I have lost the Japanese amphibious bonus, plus, as you will have read, my most aggressive move in India became seriously bogged down at Calcutta. This has tied up 5 good divisions, although it has also clearly given my opponent much to think about, and I am steadily attriting his air power in theatre as a result. At the moment my opponent still has cause to fear the KB which grants me some flexibility, but this will change when the Hellcat comes out and more Allied carriers are added to the mix.

As we are playing the DBB-B variant of Scenario 1 with Stacking Limits, I think that Japan will be hard pressed to make massive gains against a skilled Allied player such as my opponent. Moreover, I am a naturally cautious player (much of the time) and tend to consolidate bases as I advance which has cost a bit of time that a different-style player might have used more productively (or recklessly).

Having said that, I control all of Northern Australia, the Torres Strait and Port Moresby, all of which will help to buttress the defence of DEI (once I finally kick the Dutch out...); and the Allies will have their work cut out to get onto the front foot along the Burmese frontier any time soon. My last consolidation will be Lunga and Tulagi if my opponent doesn't take these islands soon. I rather hope he does come for them as I have a good set-up at Buin and Shortlands now, putting Guadalcanal in range of significant land-based air.

I will still look out for any targets of opportunity but, for the most part, its going to be 'consolidate, consolidate, consolidate' from now on.

[WriterNotViking]

I suppose consolidating would be the safest thing. Then again, it's only a matter of time until sufficient Allied forces become available to defeat your Calcutta and Diamond Harbor forces. Do you intend to evacuate at some point, or are you going to fortify and hold the area as the outer edge of your perimeter? Feel free not to answer if you have security concerns.

I look forward to reading about your plans to defend the Empire. I appreciate the fact that you take the time to post an AAR, because the rest of us just learn so much from reading them. Also, I currently don't have time for even an AI game, but by reading these reports, I sort of feel like I'm playing, too.

[Walker84]

ORIGINAL: WriterNotViking

I suppose consolidating would be the safest thing. Then again, it's only a matter of time until sufficient Allied forces become available to defeat your Calcutta and Diamond Harbor forces. Do you intend to evacuate at some point, or are you going to fortify and hold the area as the outer edge of your perimeter? Feel free not to answer if you have security concerns.

I am fortifying right now as a defensive measure but intend to evacuate when I can. The position is too isolated to form part of my perimeter which will ideally be along the Burmese border making maximum use of the jungle/rough hexes which, combined with SLs, can be quite hard to shift a force once it is dug in.

I look forward to reading about your plans to defend the Empire. I appreciate the fact that you take the time to post an AAR, because the rest of us just learn so much from reading them. Also, I currently don't have time for even an AI game, but by reading these reports, I sort of feel like I'm playing, too.

I have been reading AARs for several years now - they are a fantastic resource for learning about the game, as well as often being an entertaining read in their own right. Despite playing about 5 PBEMs I have only really attempted to write a proper AAR now as the game is time-consuming enough without then having to sit down and post about it on a regular basis. Its a shame you don't have time to play right now but maybe one day...

[WriterNotViking]

ORIGINAL: Walker84
I have been reading AARs for several years now - they are a fantastic resource for learning about the game, as well as often being an entertaining read in their own right. Despite playing about 5 PBEMs I have only really attempted to write a proper AAR now as the game is time-consuming enough without then having to sit down and post about it on a regular basis. Its a shame you don't have time to play right now but maybe one day...

Oh, one day! Part of my problem is that I'm a stranger to moderation in these things, so once I start, it soon takes up every spare moment. I'm juggling two careers right now (well, one more a job now than a career) and once I make the transition, I should have more time available. When that time comes, I might come looking for you! [:D]