>I was wondering is there a way to attach yourself to a thread so that you will receive all incoming messages on this thread. I realize that if I follow the thread religiously, I will be able to see all new posts. I want to, without intruding on a topic of which I know little or nothing about, just attach myself.

You can go to the Calendar Button and select the day. It will show all responses for that thread that day.
A search for the thread title will do that also.