At this writing, it is my understanding that the end of TSAT magazine may be near. No one has yet proven willing to take it over, and the editors have made plans to move on to other ventures. Therefore, let me take a moment to thank each and every one of my readers before going any further -- I am very, very grateful to each and every one of you. I am also highly indebted to Andy Hollis and Jeff Mahr, the editors who have given me this space in which to write. When I was a youngster, I used to dream of having a newspaper column of my very own. TSAT has enabled me to make this dream come true, at least in a small way.

Endings can be very sad times, but they are part and parcel of life. Each year the seasons turn full circle, we grow older, and parts of our lives end forever as we move into new phases of existence. The infant must pass to allow the boy to come to be and the boy in turn must yield to the man. Endings are thus oftentimes the direct result of growth and this particular ending is no exception. Andy, Jeff and I are going to attempt to go into publishing in a much bigger way than allowed by the TSAT format. Despite the 'net's long record of ruin we are, all three of us, crazy enough to seriously attempt to make the Internet (and later, hopefully, real paper) publishing pay. We may very well fall flat on our faces in the effort, but what's the point of life if you don't use your years to try and grow strive and succeed? Besides, after having beta-read one of Andy's novels ("Celrin's Quest") I've got a feeling we're all three gonna have a blast, even if we do go down in flames. And that's what life is all about, too.

As an author (minor-leaguer though I am), I've literally written "The End" to more stories than I can remember. Usually, if I've done my job properly, I am very emotional at that point. (I often judge the relative merit of my own work by how hard I was crying at the moment of completion.) This time, however, writing what just may be "The End" of this column, I can't honestly claim that I want to weep. Rather, I feel strong and confident about our future together as publishers and want to smile in glad anticipation instead.

So please, gentle readers, do not look upon the passing of TSAT (should it indeed happen) as a tragedy; rather, see it as growth. Andy and Jeff and I are just plucky enough to want to try playing ball with the big boys and just insane enough (I hope) to maybe actually be able to pull it off. We're not giving up TSAT in despair; far from it! We're growing, growing, growing! And sometimes, the infant simply must pass away so as to give birth to the boy, and then the boy must in turn step aside for the coming of the man.