Members' News

So far I've found myself feeling less than pleased about my sophomore year. School has been a lot harder this year -- except for the English classes -- I could do this Shakespeare course in my sleep!
So yes, waking up to work at 8 AM is starting to destroy me, but I need to go to work so I can make enough money to go to Oxford next summer. I'm thinking about dropping those hours and taking on a second job...

All I know is, right now I'm exhausted, I have a history test to take today, and I want nothing more than to go back to bed and sleep until the end of the month...

In other news, on Saturday I get to DM for the first time ever -- well, co-DM actually, with my boyfriend. I'm excited. It's a pirates campaign. D&D seems to be the only thing keeping me sane these days. Reminds me that not everything sucks...

Tyrone is his middle name, John is his first name, but I call him Ty. J T Hampton is the name on the cover of his book "Inferno". He is a DM and we are hoping to do some of that when he moves in with me. We decided to make it official, we have a relationship, we are in love, and we are very very lucky to have found each other.
His second book is coming out this summer and there is going to be a book release party at CONvergence. If I thought I had a good time there last year I can't imagine how much fun it is going to be this coming year. He is going to be dressed as the main character in the new book, a female vampire named Nikki, yes indeed, life is way more interesting nowadays. He's 6'2" and a big guy, makes me feel tiny in a good way. He's been practising Buddhism for 30 years but is okay with me having my own faith.
The cd party was fun, we met up with some of the guys I've been talking to at karaoke and Ty had a good time meeting them, I think there is every reason to think we can make a good life together. The only problem I can see is, he doesn't drive. He was in a bad accident when he was 7 and the thought of driving is hard for him. But I'm sure if he wants to defeat that phobia we can do it much easier out here in the country then down in the cities. Mean while we will figure out a way to get him to where he needs to go.

I will be in England from October 23rd to October 30th and from there I'll leave for America, where I will be staying till December 17nth.

Barricade yourselves accordingly.

What part of the US are you going to be visiting? Work is starting to slow down for us and I need a vacation. I haven't had one in the past... I think six years. We could try to try to get up a Novembercon here in the states for the unlucky ones that can't make it to Europe every time someone special comes through.

Here here. I'm very much without car or money at the moment, but if it's a con somewhere close to Nebraska I'd definitely be interested.

Woo hoo for Americon! We need one of those!

His book sounds cool Tamyra!

Oh yes, Ty is very very interesting. He and I just decided when he comes Friday he'll be staying at least a week. He is going to be job hunting here and should the god's smile on us my next days off we can go down and pick his stuff up and begin life together. I ordered the first book yesterday, he is re-releasing it in an uncut version along with the second installment this summer. I know its fast and all but, we are both in our middle years and we don't want to waste any more of the few we have left. He told me about the days when he did Drag queen wrestling today, he did it for the free liquor, but he sewed his own outfits, too. I am well aware that he is interesting.

I can understand why the guy writes books !! :lol: Good for you girl, he sounds great, have fun, you deserve it.

::Follows Ba's suit and googles JT Hampton::

Oh my! :smile: (and the man can sew, to boot!) Good for you, Tamyra - lots of love and happiness, ::knocking on wood::


If an AmeriCon is happening, don't forget Brad and me - we're on the border of Delaware and Pennsylvania, and are within reach of Philadelphia, Wilmington, New York, Washington DC, and Baltimore. (Oh and New Jersey too, if case someone ends up there, for some strange reason!)

Dave and I move into our new house tomorrow. Oh the stress! Oh the mortgage! Oh the fabulous new kitchen!

Yau for the Fabulous New Kitchen, and dang to the Mortgage and the Stress. But hey, what can they do against the power of the FNK ? Good for you two, spiky !

Does anybody here know how many members this site has? This is leading up to a question I have.

The members list says 159...

I got my half way 'projec't score back, which isn't due to be completed until March of next year. I wasn't expecting anything great, from what I believe anything between 55% and 65% is a pretty good half way score. So as you can imagine 32% did not fill me with happiness. I suppose I need to knuckle down now and bump it up. Either that or carry on drinking and hope everything works itself out like the Simpsons.

Ok.It just seems to me there are only a handful of people here who post every day and that it's pretty futile to try to get to know you guys. I remember browsing through some old posts when I first joined and I seem to recall somebody saying something on the lines of "damn,we need to keep this board from newbies". Am I entirely wrong?

It's not futile, I was a newbie a little over a year ago, and although fitting in is never easy, no matter what group, in real life or online (maybe even more so online) it's up to you to decide if it's worth the effort. Personnally, I have found friends here and enjoy the discussions on the board, that doesn't mean there haven't been arguments, or that I agree with everyone here about everything, but the same is true with my "real life friends".
If someone said something like that, it was probably a joke or irony of some kind, I don't think anyone here really wants to prevent any new people from arriving...

It's possible that was said, but only as a joke.

It is hard to get know everyone, but that's the case everywhere, it's not a quirk of this board. We've all been here for different lengths of time, 99.9% of us were newbies once so it can't be the case that the board hates them. It takes different people different amounts of time to feel accepted, but we all get there in the end! (unless you're Doors)

Without anything more than some vague memory to go by, we can't say anything about a particular instance. But as for us having that as some board principle, it is entirely wrong.

To be honest, Sunna, I don't really get what you're trying to say. I can understand that there are difficulties in integrating yourself in the community - the same is true of anywhere - but to call it futile? In saying that, are you asking something of us, or did you just think we should know?

If we come across as too familiar with each other, or too cliquey, and you're feeling excluded because of this, then by all means feel free to mention it - then we can hopefully reassure you that we don't mean to make you feel that way and maybe try to do something about it. But it irks me just a little bit that you're trying to put it down to some conscious effort on our part to get rid of you. If you came across this supposed thread when you first joined, why are you only deciding to take issue with it now? Are there any examples you can give us of times you've felt we've made an effort to exclude you? As it stands, it feels like an unfair accusation that we can't really do much about until you make it clear exactly what it is you're trying to say. Struggling to fit in is perfectly understandable, but as far as I can tell, the attitude that the whole thing is 'futile' is yours, not ours.

I don't mean to go off on an angry rant. You were becoming a familiar face around here, and I'm hoping we can sort out whatever grievances you have so that you stick around. If you've decided to give up on us, then good luck to you wherever you go instead (maybe somewhere more active, if the 'handful' of us isn't enough). If you're just after some extra effort on our part, then hopefully we can work something out. But please, if you're going to throw claims like that at us, at least take the time to see if the post actually exists first. In the meantime, you're certainly not going to get anyone answering your question with 'No, you're completely right, we hate everybody who isn't us.' (Unless they're just out to prove me wrong.)

Hey Sunna, people aren't maybe as active on this site as they are on others, but at least you can be sure we're all genuine people! And by genuine, I mean telling the truth, and actually caring about what people write/say, not that we are all really robot people pretending to be human. Don't laugh...it could happen...technology these days is quite advanced...I'll shut up now....

And if it makes you feel any better,I still feel like a newbie and I've been here and on the old message board where a lot of current members of this one came from for years. And to this day, I am still pretty sure that I kill threads and people roll their eyes when they read what I write.

Remember, it can take a while to feel comfortable in any kind of environment, be it a new pair of slippers or a web site. True, there are backstories and things that went on pre-you, but that's life as it is. I miss 55% of what goes on because I can usually only access the site from work. Therefore I cannot post very often, and as such cannot interact & make as good a friendship with people here that a lot of others have. It just takes time. Be patient sweetie. And please don't go, I like reading what you have to say.

Oh I didn't mean at ALL to say I felt you were deliberatly trying to exclude me personally at all.I only feel there's so much inside humor going on that I usually never have anything to contribute.Having said that,I do realize that you all are long standing friends.I guess I feel a little like Mazekin,sometimes I post new threads and nobody even comments. I do realize I'm the one that is insecure,but I've tried to reach out individually to a few people and haven't gotten very far. I'll just have to be more resiliant As for that thing about newbies and hiding the board,I'll go on a old threads hunt and try to find it.Thanks for letting me rant

On a totally different subject,can anyone direct me to "what are you reading at the moment" thread?

Also, Sunna, it should be said that this board was created after a "rift" from the "old board", the official terrypratchettbooks.com one, because of trolls and so-on, I wasn't there at the time, so I won't go into details I don't know, but this may have been the reason for the comment you mentioned, the joke about the "Unseen message board" is that it was "hidden" from the trolls...

Lolkat, where did you read that? First I've heard of it, too. Interesting theory, though.

26 billion members and merely 1 million actually posting.

Hmm. I see you've thought this through!

... :shock: You mean it isn't ? How did that make its way into my brain then ? ... I kind of remember seeing or hearing it somewhere, but maybe I just assumed it...

Well, I guess that shows Sunna isn't the only one... :razz:

I think the joke Sunna was refering too is one of the jokes that inevitably gets made when someone new comes in, starts rearranging the chairs and then takes offence when the people who were here before them don't appreciate it. Usually it is someone's job to "scare off the newbits".

This is not the easiest board in the world to become a part of. There is a tight knit group of people that make up the core group. Besides that, most here are extremely intelligent or wellspoken, (and in lots of cases both...) so they don't like bullshit and aren't afraid to call people out on it.

I have to disagree there slightly. I found everyone really welcoming and friendly from the beginning, and no one seems to mind my bad spelling and grammer! Pretty lucky you were all so nice since some of my best friends and my partner came from here in the end.

I think if the newbies are prepared to make the effort and join in every so often, then everyone is happy to let them in to the "close knitness" I'm glad i was.

Exactly my point: When they are prepared to make the effort they get welcomed in.

Unfortunately sometimes they witness "the bashing of the newbit*" and get all scared...

*see description of said newbit above

I think not just the newbits have to make an effort.

We know that, Sunna. As has been said already, we're more than willing to make a more conscious effort for as long as you're not declaring the whole thing futile.

Just keep being yourself Sunna. That's the only way. I know I don't post as much as I used to now due, to heavy work commitments and spreading myself thinly across the whole WWW. But I still feel part of the whole community, I think it was due to an accident thou. Someone pushed me in through the door rather than out of it and once I was in I handcuffed myself to a pipe.

I've been on other message boards for non discworld related stuff and I've seen alot of backbiting and predjudice. It was that backbiting that threw my G/F and myself together because I won't join in in that sort of stuff. I don't see any of that stuff on this board, maybe I'm looking in the wrong place, so if someone wants to point me to that place I'll be most obliged.

Sorry, I'm going on a bit here. Not like me at all.

**bites Stercus's back, and gives Sunna a sucker-punch so she feels included** Come on newbies, cheer up and join the party :wink:

Before you do that to someone you really should check to see if they enjoy that sort of thing. :wink:

I'm not adverse to the occasional sucker punch!!I'm cheering up as ordered....just one of those days...winter in Iceland getting to me.
Just watched a documentary about a film being made here in Iceland a couple of years ago,and when the Scottish lead actor was actually cursing the weather,I knew it was bad. But hey,so was the film

What film was it? Did it actually get made?

Yes,sadly it did. It was Beowulf and Grendel,starring Gerald Butler.He was good in it,nothing else was.

Hoot... is that the one with Angelina Jolie? I keep seeing advertisements for it, but it's not due out here until November, I think!

Midterms are almost over! I had two exams last week, but this week has been horrible and I only had one class to study for. In mineralogy we had our 2nd quiz, a lab exam, and a lecture exam all in one week. The professor looks for really detailed answers and I have many pages of notes written out, and typed up and three different study guides to look at plus alot of memorizing that needs to be done. The lab exam wasn't really bad as long as my guesses as to what mineral I was supposed to be identifying are right. I have lecture tomorrow morning and I'm more prepared than I thought I was going to be. On Friday I have a calculus exam. We get to use our books and our notes though which is something no other class gets to do, but they get calculators and we don't. I will be happy when the weekend starts, exams will be done and I have a hockey game and a football game to go to for pep band. They also have $2 movies every weekend and this weekend is Harry Potter 5, which I haven't seen yet.

Go see it!! I thoroughly enjoyed that movie,but I AM a HP geek,even at the tender age of 33

Don't feel bad about that Sunna I'm a huge HP geek and I'm almost 48, and I was up until way past midnight last night playing a boardgame version of World of Warcraft with eight guys at the laundrymat. I actually killed one monster even though it cost me all my sanity, we did win too!! They do it every Wednesday, play board games there that is, a couple of other nights they play D&D. I'm planning on doing some candid drawings of the guys and Scott's wife and baby daughter. I think it was good to start out by actually playing though. There was one player that I was familiar with besides Scott, James ,and Eric (they are old enough to drink so I've seen them at the bar), Mike from work. He hardly ever says anything at work, but there with his buddies he was just a chatterbox! I brought an angelfood cake because it was James birthday yesterday and he'd done me a huge favor the night before. He'd rode with me and Ty to the trainstation and kept me awake on the trip back to town. I have been very lucky to have found friends like that since I've been on my own.

Oh, dont' talk to me about Mrs.Cake....and World of Warcraft. My credit card got hacked a few weeks back.I got this email one day from some online company thanking me for my purchase of 2 months worth of online subscription to WofW..what the...I thought.Apparently my paypal account got hacked,but I got the money back.
It's good to hear you have good friends because I know that makes being alone bearable and worth it even.

Every time a bell rings, an angel has to fart! So let's ring those bells fellas!!

Well, I just found out that I'm going to be playing George Bailey in Corinth Theater Arts production of "It's a Wonderful Life". I was quite surprised to get this role as I wasn't going to try out, but the director gave me a call and asked me to. I was expecting a small role, but now I've got to work my butt off to get all of the lines memorized. I'm excited and a little anxious. I'll let you know how it comes out.

PS- you're all invited to come see the show. Don't worry about the cost, I'll take care of the tickets for the show. Hope to see you there.

Hey Redneck good stuff man thats a great story. Well done.
As far as the George Bailey part goes is it not somehting like this:

1. Fall through ice.
2. Ask if you can drink gin at the school party.
3. Go to school, get married and let down your big brother.
4. Go to war and save a boatload of soldiers.
6. Get a medal.
7. Re-appear at the end.

Love that movie!!

Cheers

R.

p.s. I would come watch the play but plane tickets from Edinburgh to Mississippi are a bit pricey!

how do I unlist myself from that forum. Thanks

Randywine - I think you may be confusing George, the lead character, with his brother Harry, at least on some of your points.

Good luck with it Redneck and show us the reviews afterwards.

Hsing - sounds a gorgeous kitten. Perhaps a flurorescent collar would be handy, or a bell so that you can at least hear which part of the room it's in.

Ohh...my...umm.

Jac - Yup you are 100% correct (smiles foolishly and shakes head) don't know why but I just got the wrong name in my head and started typing away without engaging the brain ('What brain', said Mrs Randywine loading the shotgun*).

Thanks for the correction and an even bigger up to Redneck for getting the lead (as opposed to the leads wee brother...).

Arg. Back to bed methinks.

Randywine

*Again

Yep, get some fluorescent paint and paint the kitten's ears. :biggrin: Kittens are great, Hsing, good for you ! What are you calling it ? (apart from "where the hell are you, you silly Kitten ?")

I am seriously thinking of buying a spade, it'll be usefull to get rid of our squatter. Words don't seem to work properly.

Theres always the option of putting his stuff on the footpath and getting all the locks changed while he's out. I think that would be a big enough hint.

Hsing the kitty sounds cute even if he's named after mutilated confectionery items :smile:

at kitten sounds nice, although its a shame it will grow up to be a cat. Not keen on them.

Well life at work has gone from bad to, well whats the worst thing on earth you can think of? x10 you may just have how its going.

Its been weeks now and nothing has happened except she is more irritating. I now have a new boss. Only her best friend. My life is being made a living hell. All my sick payments have been stopped which is fine as i have had a shed load of time off and they can't pay for ever, but some sympathy would have been appreciated since i'm having to go under the knife in November and will need time off. (i'm so scared of that, but thats a different story for another time) I have asked if i can use my flexi hours (time i have worked and not been paid for) for one of the three days as its my birthday in December and Dave has organised a day trip to Donnanook (sp) to see the Seals that come ashore to give birth at that time. She has refused and has said i can either use it for the two days i had last week for tests or not at all. Shes making me do stuff that isn't part of my job and telling me the job i'm doing isn't good enough even though i have never had any complaints.
The person that was supposedly replacing me in house at Sains has kinda taken a back burner so i'm stuck doing that job with that bitch as a boss for the foreseeable future. I have a meeting with the director on the 9th and have to tell him i know he has done nothing about the man beast i work with and will have to show him the proof i have (silly bint still hasn't cleared off the emails about me that she was supposed to clear 5 months ago)

On the good side though my house in Cov has been sold and i am now debt free. I have a shit credit rating but hey if i don't want any more debt, thats not a problem is it.

Sorry to rant. I'm fed up and wanted to vent at someone other than poor Dave.

x