Acknowledgments (Java & XML, 2nd Edition)

0.6. Acknowledgments

Well, here I am writing acknowledgments again. It's no easier to remember everybody this time than it was the first. My editor, Mike Loukides, keeps me up at night stressing out about getting things done, which is exactly what a good editor does! Kyle Hart, marketing superwoman, keeps things going and reminds me that there's light at the end of the tunnel. Tim O'Reilly and Frank Willison are patient, yet pushy, just what good bosses should be. And Bob Eckstein and Marc Loy were there for me for pesky Swing GUI problems. (Besides, Bob's just funny. Face it.) O'Reilly is as good as it gets, all around. I'm honored to be associated with them.

I also want to think the incredible team of reviewers for this book. Many times, these folks turned a chapter around in less than 24 hours, yet still managed to give honest technical feedback. These guys are a large part of why this book stayed technical. Robert Sese, Philip Nelson, and Victor Brilon, you guys are amazing. Of course, I've always got to thank my partner in crime, Jason Hunter, for being annoyingly dedicated to JDOM and other technical issues (take a night off, man!). Finally, my company, Lutris Technologies, is about as good a place as you could hope to work for. They let me work long hours on this book, with never a complaint. In particular, Yancy Lind, Paul Morgan, David Young, and Keith Bigelow are simply the best at what they do. Thanks, guys!

To my parents, Larry and Judy McLaughlin, thanks again. I love you both for putting up with your rather ambitious and driven son (you realize, of course, those characteristics also make for a terribly obnoxious child!). Sarah Jane, my aunt, and my grandparents, Dean and Gladys McLaughlin, don't ever think that because I don't see you often I don't think about you all the time. Granddad, I'm more thankful than you'll ever know that you're getting to see a second edition. I love you all.

To my second set of parents (my wife's folks), Gary and Shirley Greathouse, you're just the best. One day I'll learn to take these writing skills and explain what you both mean to me, but it might take a whole book on its own. I love you both, for your humor and your wisdom. To Quinn and Joni for providing such levity at Sunday lunches. To Lonnie and Laura, can't wait to see Baby J. To Bill and Terri for being friends, and very wise ones at that, and to Bill for being a pastor like no other.

The laughter in my life comes from several hilarious characters, and I just can't pass up mentioning them here: Kendra, Brittany, Lisette, Janay, Rocky, Dustin, Tony, Stephanie, Robbie, Erin, Angela, Mike, Matt, Carlos, and John. I'll see you all Sunday, and can we please stop going to Mazzio's? And to the nonhuman part of my life, my dogs: Seth, Charlie, Jake, Moses, Molly, and Daisy. You haven't lived until the cold tongue of a basset hound wakes you up in the morning.

Finally, to the two people that mean more to me than anyone; my grandfather, Robert Earl Burden, who one day I'll see again. I think about you every day, and my children will hear about you soon. Most of all, to my wife, Leigh. Words just don't cut it. One day all the songs and tears that have come to me because of what you mean to me will come out, and you'll finally understand how much you mean to me.

And to the Lord who got me this far. Even so, come Lord Jesus.