You know, I was just looking at the total number of messages, and there are just over 5,000 total messages in all of Flyertalk (that's a rough estimate, I did not use a calculator, maybe someone who has more spare time than I could add them up ...). Of those 5,000 messages Catman has 661 and Rudi has 878 ... that 25% of the total between them (over 10% each)! I knew you guys talked a lot ... but I didn't realize it was that much!

I did not count how many messages I had on
FLyerTalk but thanks for the heads up Beckles.

Don't know about Rudi, but I see myself
as the "cat court jester" of FLyerTalk (But
I do provide relevent information... unless
the first winner from the ad hoc meeting!)
CATMAN

I am Rudi and Catman! I just love talking to myself, don't you agree? Yes, I agree.

Sour grapes, PremEx? Still rankling that your posts weren't considered irrelevant enough to win the emmett_nancy_roberto award?

.sdrawkcab gnihtyreve gnipyt yrt dluoc uoY

Cat types really fast, so I am surprised that the Ol' Tom has only posted 600+. How do he do it?

I must confess here (I can't sleep without this confession first) - the NYC meeting with CatMan (and the "side-car"-drink and beers) had only one real purpose - to avoid CatMan of taking profit from my Internet-absence during my journey ...

ok - after this confession I feel now much better (sorry CatMan).

Hmmm. I see this could develop into quite a competition. You "rookies" better count your fingers before leaving your keyboards!

That's ok, Rudi. To me you are the champ.

All I want is to get some good tips here and
make some great friends. And I have already.

That's my reward! (Sounds like a Hallmark
card, doesn't it.)

And I guess I can type faster with 10 fingers
and eight paws at work! CATMAN

Since Rudi and I have been crowned "kings
of FlyerTalk" by Beckles, then maybe we should hold elections for members of our
"royal court."

I guess there can't be two kings so I give
Rudi the title and I'll be "Chair-purrson of the Board." to take over when Rudi has to
go on the road.

Any suggestions on cabinet positions?

And I thought about the Flag for our little
"nation:" An open suitcase with a plane
flying overboard (for added touch, one cat
popping out of the suitcase while the other
cat sits on the top of the plane. This is my
own suggestion!)

OK GUYS, the campaign is on!!! CATMAN

I should clarify... we are taking ideas for
the titles of the various members of our
Royal court, so I'll leave it to your folks!

We haven't decided how big our court should
be.

But there will be soft blue carpet for when
Merry FLyer pays a visit! CATMAn

Catman, we gotta talk about this flag thing that you mentioned. I think having a flag is wonderful, however, it has to have a LONE STAR and be red, white, & blue, and be flown over the Alamo before it is legal. Now, instead of suitcases, we need to use saddlebags and have a silhouette of a Longhorn Steer on them.

now I have several problems

1) we Swiss killed all (austrian and german) emperors and kings in 1291

2) our constitution (REALLY) still nowadays does not allow any Swiss to accept royal titles (or any honors) from royalities (and being a king is excluded anyway) - for the nobel-prize our governement had to give these Nobel-exceptions-rules for a general vote before Einstein was allowed to accept (as the first swiss holder of a nobel prize).

3) kings wouldn't be allowed to eat anything before it hasn't been tasted by the "Chair-purrson of the Board" - but I am not willing to share my swiss chocolate with anybody.

4) the flag: when I first did some skiing in the US I couldn't believe how friendly people did great me with my national emblem (till I found out that it was the sign of the ski-patrol).

Rudi, Sorry for the flag stuff. So, in honour of "Rudi the Great" we can put a Rolex in the saddlebags and have a picture of a Swiss Army Knife engraved on the saddlebags.

TRUE stories about the "Swiss army knive".

1) the Swiss army (officers included) could (and did) never afford such knives (nor the so called "Swiss army watches") but they (the so called "genuine" ones are produced at two sides in Switzerland by "Victorinox" and (as a "swiss-french-version" by "Wenger").

2) in latin, arabian and islamic countries giving/showing a knive is a rudeness and declaration of war (never give our knives as a gift there).

3) My Swiss "army knives" I had as gifts with me (before I changed to chocolates) were confiscated as arms at several airports (Baghdad, Cairo, Teheran, Jeddah).

true story about the "Swiss" Rolex: the geneva-based company belongs to Mr. Jamany - the former Saudi-Arab leader of OPEC.