Dennis, I'm glad to see you back. It greatly pained me to see you unravel back in the day. I'm actually almost choked up to see you step up the plate, of your own accord, and attempt to put things right even when you have a giant battle on the home-front. If I had sent you tons of $ for a build and been hosed I might feel differently, but I doubt it.
Here's my personal take on stress as it influences behavior if anyone cares: In the last two years I watched my project house go from an expected profit of 80-100k to a loss of $120,00 plus six months of working for free. I watched helplessly as another investment of 75k in real cash vanished and the expected 1000-2000 a week turn into nothing but a 75k debt which in turn required me to re-finance my house (all equity now gone). Everything I had worked for and saved over 10 years was very suddenly gone. During that two year period I became VERY unlike my normal happy go lucky self. I was at times a jerk, a dick, insensitive, I yelled, I swore, and I gave up. I highly doubt that anybody who met me in that two year period was very impressed with my "typical" behavior. I lost most of my financial cushion, lost my house flipping business, lost my turbo bike (couldn't afford the rebuild) and lost my peace of mind. I drank more for a while, but that "more" was just two beers or so every so often. If I had ever been into drugs and had access I may have 'self medicated', and that would have been the final nail in the coffin. I'm safe now, the bleeding has stopped and the storm has passed. Looking back I can only think "what the fu$% was that about!", but it does give me a unique perspective on how stress can unravel one's life. In short Dennis, I know haw stress can break stuff, I feel for your situation and admire you for applying your energies here, as doing so is over and above that which is REQUIRED for survival. I made it through, survived, and I'm relatively happy and back on a path which allows for fun extras like housing, heat etc. I even picked up an 08 w/400miles for 7600.00 (the only wonderful thing about horrible economies is the deals you can get).
All that really happened to me was a bad real estate market and one small total World economic collapse (ha ha). I still have the good stuff: the same loving family, the same friends, and the same small business that has put food on the table through all of the ups and downs. The "good stuff" means more to me than ever. You lost some of that "good stuff" and you're still kicking. The fact that your even back here at all to make restitution shows your metal. GOOD ON YA!!! No pity, just admiration. Now find someone who wants to make the World"s first 800 hp street Busa and get to work. Also, does anyone have that pic of Dennis on the Salt Flats with a trumpet in his butt? Now THAT was funny.