thanks for the replies. i greatly appreciate the imput. so far, it still seems i'm heading to the mill. i'm waiting for taxes to cover the bills while i'm there, as i of course won't be receiving wages. in the meantime i'm still going to contact schneider again. and possibly my ex-employers to see whats possible. so far in my experience, the phrase "i just want whats fair to both of us" goes a long way when it is genuine. i shall see what i can accomplish.
if i do indeed go to the mill. i'll probably post my experience and my experiences starting out with the company i go with.
thanks for your time. and any further imput.

TJ