lol, robsan. my old friend ozzy used to order his steaks by saying, "just knock the horns off, wipe it's butt, and plate it near the stove..."
thank god no one has mentioned using a meat thermometer. i've mentioned this method before on several cooking sites over the years, and every time the consensus is that it's too difficult to learn and i should be ashamed that i don't have an instant read thermometer on hand at all times.
thanks for the tip, monseiur gauche.