omg do I interpret this correctly? you have programmed for X years and live in Manhattan close enough to CP to ride your bike there and around it? two of my absolute favourite things, programming and NYC, not necessarily the biking part. does life get any better? if only.

when you specified the years and did the math, I realized that I've also been programming for 37 years. I never realized. well, it's not quite as simple as that and I'm not a real programmer anymore and programming comprises only part of my job and that, of a very rudimentary genre, but no need to elaborate, I just need to say that I LOVE programming, I do think it very creative and I soooo appreciate 'elegant' code; if you've ever had to maintain code written by a programmer who likens unto - well, I don't want to diss anybody in particular, who could pick? - let's just say, any of the recipients of the annual Razzies - you would have either given up in despair or buried yourself more deeply into the 'wonderful world of do whiles' - that's the only alliterative phrase I could come up with - with which I could come up - and as I say, programming, alas, is no longer my major responsibility and I'm waaaaay out of the mainstream and now only look on with envy and can't cleverly cite any of the latest terms but my soul is still there and if I could, I too would go on for many years and would never have gone into management even if anybody had ever asked me - which of course nobody ever did. Real programmers who program from the heart are a sadly under-appreciated lot. way more than enough said I'm sure.

my congratulations and best wishes.