Chris,

I think I've been here for about 5 years and it has been one heck of a journey. In perusing the archives recently I learned that you and I seem to have our greatest degree of difficulty every single January. Isn't that interesting? We are like clockwork in the disagreeable department every year. Talk about predictable! Could be we both wish to make something out of the new year and it is much like the ice breaking in the Yukon.

I think you're asking for someone to moderate us, but honestly, I don't think we need it. We go along at our own little pace, bring up new information, talk about it, some foo-foo it, others agree and then we move on to the next topic. It's these little lulls when it gets kind of quiet when we tend to think to much.

These would be great times for you to talk about your fault study in Southern, California so we could learn more about what you do and how you do it. We can't really appreciate you unless we know more about what you do. So feel free to hop in here and give us a lesson or two on fault study. I know we can read it someplace, but better here than there.

And as for other scientific visitors, many of them came here because Don or I invited them. May you have a friend or two who might want to sit in on this round table?

Unfortunately, or possibly fortunately I'm not a scientist, but I do try to keep current with any issues having to do with prediction and earthquake safety. There is always something new on the horizon that is worthy of learning about, appreciating, understanding and coming to terms with whether this new item has any real value.

And going a little backward in time and toward the future, may I say I am greatly impressed with Tom Jordan's willingness to open his shop and ask everyone to come by and put their ideas on the table. The is the first hands across the sea event ever. He is curious, he wants to know and I hope there is a flood of participation. I'm hopeful too that some who have been around for a long time and have a lot of strong opinions will put their theories to the test. It's very easy to issue the commentary on someone's prediction method, but the one who wears the shoes and delivers it comes from a whole different perspective. You can't imagine what it feels like until you do it. It is an experience not many would wish to have. So let's hope for a stellar turn out with some very promising prediction methods.

Where to afterwards though? Have you thought about it? I have. I've spent some very quality time thinking about his next step and my own.

Petra