Now, I am really NOT a person that endorses heavy drinking. People that know me, see an occasional drinker, usually beer, two or three times a month. So imagine what this vodka/gin fest did to me. Ouch. But it was all in the name of science, (cough, cough), and fun. As six mature adults, for this rare occasion, we decided that maturity wasn’t all that important on this particular night, and off we went. Read the story for a good chuckle. P.S. Never again, never, never, never.

The OTHER underlying theme in this month’s issue is technology, and be sure to read the interview with Dan Harple. He’s a millionaire (now), from Mechanicsburg, that wrote a software package that was good enough for Netscape to buy. I was extremely impressed. The other piece is neat stuff about innovative technologies that can help small businesses. And finally, don’t forget part two in our three-part series on Preparing Your Taxes.

Now let’s talk about professional trade among businesses. You know what I mean. You advertise in my magazine, and I get some of your products or services in return. It’s been around for centuries. Okay, now look across the page (left) at the ad that starts with "A World of Opportunity Awaits You!" Please read that ad. Not because I want to especially promote that business, but because it’s such a good service, and BXI needs businesses in the Harrisburg area. I’m not going to go into the "sound business" reasons of why you should really get involved with this organization, I’m just going to tell you something neat. I have a few businesses that pay for their ads with BXI trade. Recently I used some of my accumulated BXI trade to buy office equipment, specifically a desk, two file cabinets, and an oak credenza. We also just got a commercial grade Ricoh copier with (get this) an automatic document feeder, duplexer, ten bin sorter, and the cabinet/stand, all for 100% trade. The neat part is that I didn’t get the copier from a business in Harrisburg, I got it from a BXI member in Ohio. Think about it, if you’ve got surplus product, or an empty table at lunch, trade dollars are better than no dollars. That’s all I’m going to say.

So, now I have to apologize (again) to a few people who’s pictures appear in the MODE@LARGE candids section. I made up some pretty outlandish captions, a few total lies, and I just wanted to let those folks know that it was in one of my sleepless, all-nighter kind of moods. Sorry. (They’re funny though.)

Last, but not least, I need some help from the graphic and communications professionals of Harrisburg. I was recently named the Chair of the Susquehanna Alliance’s Communications Committee. It’s a volunteer portion of the Alliance that assists the Alliance divisions in preparing their communications pieces. This is a request for volunteers to join the Communications Committee, and help me help the Alliance promote better business and increased commerce in the greater Harrisburg region. Please call or e-mail (Publisher@MODEweekly.com) me if you’re interested. I will only consider people who are genuinely interested in helping Harrisburg grow. I look forward to hearing from YOU.

I hope you enjoy reading this issue as much as we did publishing it. Thanks.

P.P.S. For those of you who don’t already know, I always write this publisher’s note as the very last thing that goes into the issue. All the negatives are done, and I’m typing this right into my notebook computer, at a desk in a back corner of our printer Press Enterprise, in Bloomsburg, PA. Are there any Procrastinator’s Anonymous groups, or do they just keep putting off their meetings too? :-)