Friends, With a heavy heart, I find I must take my leave of this community. The reasons are financial in nature. Over the last year my 'real world' business has been failing. It's now obvious that I can no longer deceive myself into thinking that it will pick up. The last couple of months have particularly bad and I've even had to borrow money to pay my rent and utilities. The result of these downturns is that I can no longer afford to pay for my virtual server site and the subscription for the bushi3d.com URL. As such, both will be going away the middle of next month. The eviction process on my apartment will soon start so it seems that I will be out on the street in the next week or so. With the economy the way it is right now and the massive lay-offs of tech workers, it's going to be some time before I'll be gainfully employed again. This gray cloud has no silver lining. Let me say thanks for a very interesting 3+ years. It's been a blast being involved in pushing this program to the limit with such a group of people as the Poser community. At this point, it doesn't look like I'll be back this way for quite awhile, if ever, so everyone take care. Yours, C. Payton aka bushi

We'll miss you, thank you for giving so much to us all and for helping to make this community a little more interesting and fun. :) Best of luck to you; I really hope things improve for you soon! Take care! SnowS

Don't let things pull you down, eventually things get better. Hopefully things will get better, i know the pinch your in and just keep your friends close you'll never know when they help you out more then you would ever expect. But Good luck. Evo

sorry to hear that bushi :( thanks for all your EXCELLENT freestuff - yours is one of my favourite collections. hope to see you on this road again soon.

That really sucks...all the best and hoping for the future to brighten for you bushi. Thanks for all you've done to help this community and develop Poser. Regards Eshal

Godspeed, bushi... it's for similar reasons I am leaving this country, myself. May everything work out for you! Heike

Bushi, I'm really sorry to hear that. One of my closest friends was just laid off from HP after 29 years. The cuts are going pretty deeply all over. But nothing stays down forever... and the need for technology won't go away. Thank you, and I hope that when things turn around for you, that you'll slip back in. Carolly

Bushi, I'm very sorry to hear of the situation you're in, and I really wish there were more that I could do to help. However, I can offer you this, if you're so inclined: If you would like your site to continue despite your current financial state, I will gladly host it on my own website, Nexus, which has no restrictions on webspace or bandwidth. I can't support the actual domain name, but I can make sure that your wonderful site at least stays alive during your 'recovery'. All I would need you to do is email me a ZIP file of the site (including directory structure), and I can import it as a sub-site of Nexus. Include any downloadables you'd want to remain available, and i can put them in Nexus' FTP space, and make sure the links remain active and correct. As I said, I wish I could do more. I've been where you are heading, and it's never easy. But hopefully your bumpy road will be fairly short, and you'll get help you need from folks who give a damn. Let me know how you want to proceed (or if at all), either here or via email, at chrometgr@telefragged.com Best wishes for a fast return, David 'ChromeTiger' Hebbe Webmaster/Creative Director Nexus http://nexus.telefragged.com

bushi - I don't know if this helps, and I don't know where you are, but I do know they are always looking for technical people in NY state, USA. Maybe you should think about relocating. Sharen

bushi, i'm sure you'll be back sooner then you think... good luck!

I'm sorry to hear your news Bushi. Things are really quite bad but they won't remain that way forever. I just wish there was more we could do to help you at this time. I'm sure things will turn around very quickly for you and you'll be on your feet again in no time. Best wishes Graham

I am so saddened with this news...You were the first of only two people who answered my pleas for help when I first started in Poser...Your situation is a familiar one to myself as well...I know things look bleak, but every door that closes, another one opens, trite, but so true... May you walk with an angel's kiss upon your brow. And thanks so much for being there when I needed you... Looking forwards to your return to us soon.

Oh now this is sad... You were and have been and are inspirational to me.. I wish there were something I could do to help :( Your going will leave a huge void in this community..

I'm sure this will be only a bad digression in your life and you will be able to come back soon. All my whishes and... See you, Master..! Serge

Bushi: Where do you live and what kinds of work can you do? I'd like to be able to help if I can. Lord knows, you've helped me enough.

Bushi, don't leave....yet...I am sure if all of us pull together, we can find you something...yes, what work do you do and where can you live? Sharen

Hi Folks! Bushi, please take some inspiration from the story of Job, who lost all that he had, but because he successfully endured his test of faith, regained it many times over. I've been where you're going. As long you you have life and health you will be all right. Also please take my best wishes and prayers with you. Peter (Dr Zik)

DAMN - I'm sure that with you talents, Bushi, you won't be away for long. But that's easy to say, and you've got some hard work ahead of you, so I'll simply say good luck, and be back soon. Won't be the same while you're not here with us.

:o( - that's all what I can say to that ... I don't know if it helps - but my prayers are with you to end this situation soon - thip is right - with your talents it should be possible to find a new job. Please don't hesitate to contact me via mail (if you've still the possibility), if you need someone to speak with, or just need some help in another way - damned you helped everyone here soooo much - now it's up to this community to help YOU.

Where's your resume posted? You have a houseful of references here

Bushi, I am so sorry to hear of your situation, I only hope there is a light at the end of your tunnel. My mom always says, God doesn't close one door, without another one opening. So may God lead you to the open door. God Bless and Thank you for all you have given. :)

I feverently hope that things clear up for you soon Bushi. We will miss you. :o(

Bushi, I am very sorry to hear of your present situation. I know from personal experience how much it hurts. I know I felt like it was a personal failure on my part, something inately wrong with me. A friend told me of her own troubles years previously which were far worse than mine and over time she bounced back and I have begun to also. In fact, in most ways, except perhaps my bank account, I'm better off now. You are an intelligent and creative individual, no bank manager can "reposess" that. If you will allow me to pass on some wise words; Acknowledge any mistakes you made, don't believe that you are a failure, accept the help of your friends, continue to use the talents that you have and start building again. My best wishes for your future, and I sincerely hope we continue to see you in the Community. IsaacNewton

Hi, Personally I'm more inclined to believe in the Heinlein version of "Job" (Alexander Hergenshiemer to his friends) where he gets dicked about by God a lot, and finally finds happiness in a "Mom & Pop" cafe, on a grassy knoll in Hell with a Swedish woman called Margarethe that he meets on his travels... The part about bitchy angels, humans and plumbing is especially funny, as is the part where St. Pete appolgises for the lack of winged escort, (Job is a saint) on his acsension to Heaven, then introduces him to his wife, (not the Swede he was expecting :) then says "she'd try the patience of..." Not the most reverent of books, but funny! :) As for the economy, as a man who reads the Financial Times every day, and works at a bank as an IT bod, I can tell you that the economy, both US and globally isn't going to pick up untill at least Q2 2002, and that is looking more and more remote as the earnings confessions continue. Tough break on your business going sour man, but don't make the mistake of trying to finance stuff on credit cards. Credit may be cheap at the moment, but low inflation means you have to pay it all back, (instead of letting inflation errode it) not a smart move the way the world is looking at present. Consult a lawyer before you do anything else. Hope to see you back again soon. later jb

A sad day for us all. Your works have been an inspiration to me from the very beginning. Thanks for all your help over these years. As one of the "founding fathers" the entire community owes you a debt of gratitude. Hopefully you will be able to take advantage of ChromeTiger's offer and stay with us. Wishing you the best of luck and quick change of fortune. -floydd Nance

bushi, I've been going to your site since returning from a two week trip, trying to buy your FaceShaper. It was at the top of my list for my first check from my MikePlus, and I plugged it in the user's guide. Have you considered putting it up for sale here? As a new vendor, I can assure it's been really easy (and fast) getting set up, and the services are terrific. I'm betting they would give you any extra help you might need under the circumstances. Meanwhile, I'll gladly send you a check so you can email me the program. It's not much, but may come in handy. After years working successfully in Hollywood, my brother got caught in the slump - month after month of struggling to get things turned around, never knowing what was going to happen from day to day, he decided to call it quits. Moved his family out of state to teach. He misses the work and people, but is having a wonderful time, and loving those regular paychecks. I hope as happy a door opens for you.

I appreciate all the things you have done for this community and you will be missed. I hope things will pick up for you and that you will be back. Claire

Best of luck

Have you sent a resume to Curious Labs? I'm sure they could use your immense talents in future Poser development.

Hey man I wish you the best, I've been there and done that.

Good luck , and hopefully you wont be gone too long.

You are one of the handfull of gifted artists who I dearly hold responsible for inspiring me to delve into the realm of 3D art and animation a couple of long years ago. (Remember my clutzy "Faerie and Her Wand" Poser animation?) As many other posts above have stated, you will be missed so very much. I know it's not much consolation, but my chosen profession has proved very cyclic for the past couple of decades. I have been unemployed (and near destitute) so many times that I can't bear to recall them all. What got me through each time is the sincere belief every day that I woke up that "This too shall pass" and the resulting instinctive feeling that something good was waiting around the next corner. And you know what? It was. Admittedly a bit of a s**tty pain getting there, but I always came out better than where I had left off. Bushi, please do not hesitate to email me and let me know if you believe there is ANYTHING that I might be able to do to get you around that next corner. God bless.

Bushi, sorry to hear about your dreadful situation. Thanks for your enormous contribution to this comunity and my very best wishes. Chris

bushi, Words fail me. I endorse everything everybody else has said. I only wish there were something constructive I could do to help. Surely with your mixture of artistic and technical skills you should be able to find enough work to pay the rent, even if it won't keep you in the standard to which you are accustomed. Don't give up, hang in there. Even if we can't do anything to help directly, rest assured we're thinking of you. Good luck, Maz. Looking forward to the day when you return.

Hello Bushi I do not know if it is appropriate as of now but instead of leaving this community why you do not sell more of your products here or at DAZ3D? I bought your Face Shaper and I am sure that you can sell more items that may help you to stay with us. Thanks for your great work and help. Claude

One of the first sites I visited when I came here, and I was amazed by what you were doing with your RealEyes. I too have been where you are, and you will be able to pick your life up again. Choose your fight well and save your strength for it as these times are hard for a lot of people out there in your situation, and not all fight fair. Whatever you do don't give up, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Keep well. Marque

How ever long it takes for you to take care of your needs. If you still have your artistic interests and intersts in this community then it's never fare thee well. I hope for a silver lining how ever you need it. Good luck.