>I have a solution to the problem of "ever-changing passwords". I just add a number and then increment. MickyMouse1 becomes MickyMouse2. So, if I ever have a problem, I just try the next number.

Yes, that's the sensible way to do it, some sort of incremental. We remember 24 past, so the alphabet is good, or numerics like yours. We just went to using 3 out of 4 types of:

1) Upper alpha
2) Lower alpha
3) Nums
4) Special chars

Lockout after 3rd fail. I've had trouble with missing the Shift key early in the AM, so found a good incremental with no Shift involved, using 2 3, and 4.

I once was at a company that machine-generated weekly passswords of 10 chars, all randome mixed types. It was a total joke, everyone had their password-assignment slips lying around in plain sight, or at best under keyboards :)