No, thank you, Margaret! You have been most helpful and supportive, and I really appreciate that.
If you wouldn't mind, would you send me your e-mail address so we can discuss some of these issues off line? Mine's posted on this board. If you'd rather keep your privacy, though, I understand.
Some additional thoughts: I now agree that attitude and confidence have a lot to do with learning this system. To me, it's akin to learning to play an instrument. As long as you're stuck with the mechanics of the process, you struggle. As soon as you start to develop some skill, you not only "hear" your progress, you begin to enjoy yourself, too.
This isn't surprising, since music is another whole brain activity combining both calculated technique and emotion. Perhaps that's why I made the "more art than science" comment earlier. That idea seems more positive now. Funny, but I never anticipated discussing these thoughts in the context of a reading course. 
--George
