No autographs, please.

The local Chronicle ran a story last week about the work my husband is presently involved in... we knew the story was going to be printed, but we didn't know exactly when. We kept checking the paper every day, getting up at five o'clock in the morning when the paper is delivered here and looking for the photo and the article.

We were disappointed on all those mornings when we didn't find it, thinking they had decided not to run it, but then we were elated when it was finally printed... front page of the business section. Our neighbors saw it in the paper and saved their copies for us, and I mailed them to friends and family.

The following week, a business journal ran a similar story with a different photograph. The second photo and story was much better than the first... a nicer photo, better writing style for the article.

A couple of days later, my husband found out that "USA Today" picked up the story and ran it in their paper. We didn't expect that, and we didn't see it printed, but my husband found it on line.

Our next-door neighbor V is calling my husband the neighborhood celebrity. My husband updated his web-site to show the three articles, and there's a big "Congratulations!" balloon hovering above his desk in his office here at home. I surprised him with the balloon when the first article came out, but didn't get another balloon for the second printing.

Of course, I told my husband that his timing for buying all those new clothes couldn't have been more perfect. Those older shirts and out-of-style ties just wouldn't have made as big an impact in the publications. Timing may be everything, but good style is a bonus.