Wow, thanks! 
The competition is getting tougher and tougher each week. Starting at week one and progressing it's amazing to see how much everyone's skills have improved.
If anyone is interested, I use an adaptation of a technique I learned here
to do my levels and curves masks. It's an interesting, if not incredibly long process and you really can't tell that you've changed the image unless you compare your work as you go to the original. You work in just 5-15% opacities and build the image slowly. It also works nicely with filters (Nik, LucisArt, Virtual Photographer [free]). The tutorials are quasi-advertisement for the LucisArt filter. I have it but rarely find use just because it requires a little too much work sometimes. The effects are just so very intense unless you do some precise masking.
Anywho, I shall have the next one up once I find an image.
