Just want to pile on with everyone else and say what an inspiration you (JT) have been over the last two years as I waded through this forum and began to find my own voice and place in the universe.
I will always remember and apply your "shopping cart" theory of dealing with still-in JW's, and I will never forget the vivid image you portrayed of the "cheese and cracker men" who run the congregations.
Having spent my share of time in the "Skybox" with its own bathroom (no lines for OUR wives) and the steady supply of off-the-menu snacks and food and gourmet coffee, I can relate to everything you posted about your past life. While I never did time at Bethel, I know many who did. You are so right when you relate that many on this board were shat on by the organization, but you were in the front row and on the platform, and you just up and left. That took great courage and moral strength, as many of us here are now discovering. We owe much to your leadership, example and "fine counsel" (sorry).
Best of luck, happy birthday (wow, two forbidden phrases in one sentence), and go with God, my friend.