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Okay, so I only have five hundred posts, not a thousand. So sue me. There are a few reasons I wanted to write this post right now instead of in three years or so when I actually get to a thousand. If I ever get there . . .
First off, for those of you who don't want to read the rest of my post, please read this:
I am retiring the name Diosmel Duda. I should have done it long ago--in fact, I should have registered under the name I'm switching to, Brinestone, in the first place. I was Brinestone on the Young Writers' Forum way back in the day (three years ago), and I didn't want to be recognized here. I was in a transitional point in my life where I couldn't decide whether I was a kid or an adult, and I had made some dumb decisions on the YWF that I didn't want to be linked to here. However, now that I'm older, I guess I don't care so much when I act like a dumb version of myself. I've owned up to the fact that I'm not as cool as I'd like to be. Brinestone is who I am; DD was a mask.
I'm also Brinestone on AIM and email, so I might as well be consistent, right?
Okay, so now that that's settled, I'd like to talk a little bit about what Hatrack means to me. I think what I get from Hatrack is a bit different from what all of you get, but that's okay with me too.
When I first emigrated over here, it was because the YWF Open Discussions board had been closed. I was as much a regular over there as anyone; I had accumulated 750 posts in about eight months. This side seemed old, fast, and somewhat dry, so I posted to the Original Poetry thread (no, not the Orginal Potry thread; there were two back then) and dipped out again. Someone posted a very flattering response to my poem that kept me here. I don't remember who it was or what they said, but I remember gaining a little confidence from that response. Somehow, over the course of the year, I started spending more and more time here. I mostly lurked, since every time I opened my mouth, my foot seemed to lodge itself in it.
Irami was a friend through this time, and he and I had some very interesting AIM discussions that I still remember. He made me challenge my worldview over and over again. The times when I disagreed with him most also taught me most what I do hold to be True. Thanks, Irami, for that.
By about May 2002, I was spending several hours a day on Hatrack, and I resented myself for it. I wished I could spend that time writing or doing something useful, since I was mostly reading and responding to fluff threads anyway. I didn't feel that Hatrack was giving me anything and that it was taking too much, so I quit cold turkey. I fully intended to never come back.
To my credit, I stuck with it. I didn't even look at the thread titles for eight months. After that, I decided that it wasn't Hatrack that was bad so much as my addiction to it, so I started back, but in moderation. At first I only looked in the Begging the Question thread. Then, once I proved to myself that I could do that without getting out of control, I started reading a thread or two that interested me, once a week or so. I still wasn't really involved.
In February, I attended the BYU SF/F convention, Life, the Universe, and Everything. OSC was the opening speaker, so of course I attended. To be honest, his speech wasn't all that exciting compared to other speeches of his that I've attended, but it was OSC, so of course it was interesting. I attended another class that was a huge disappointment to me, and I gave up on the rest of the seminar. I decided that the reason I had wanted to go was to get me to write, and I wanted to write. I went to the computer lab in the BYU library for that purpose.
I sat for a minute, my mind still too unfocused to write anything. I decided to check Hatrack to see if anyone else had attended the OSC speech, just out of idle curiousity. Jon Boy's thread about meeting OSC already had several replies: Amka, Dante, hansenj, and I can't remember who else. I was intrigued. How strange that all of us had been there together, not knowing who the others were. What if I knew some of these people in real life? I posted something to that effect, and before I knew it, we were planning a get-together.
And, for some reason, I wanted to go. I knew no one. I wasn't attached to Hatrack at all. I hadn't posted anywhere but on the BTQ thread in over a year. Maybe it was idle curiousity. Maybe it was fate. I don't know; I never believed in fate before. I don't think I do now.
I started reading the Bachelor thread, trying to get an idea of the people I was thinking of meeting. I'll admit that Jon Boy impressed me almost immediately, and his ridiculously cute picture of himself with "manly stubble" (still debatable), well, also impressed me. The only thing I was worried about was that he was too cool for a mousy, quiet girl like me. I posted to the Bachelorette thread because I wanted him to know something about me when he met me besides my name and my sn *hides head in shame*.
Well, the rest is history. We met at Brick Oven on March 1, and we liked each other right away. Our first date was the best date I'd been on up to that point (I totally whooped him at Scrabble, for the record ), and whenever he'd call, we'd end up talking for hours. Pretty soon we were spending every moment we could together. He was quickly becoming my best friend, and I felt more myself with him than with anyone else in the world. He always treated me like a lady, and he was there for me through some very tough times. I still am amazed at his patience.
I started hanging out on Hatrack more often just so I could read his posts. Pretty soon, I started coming out of my shell here too. I'm still not a big poster, simply because I'm not online much and I prefer to listen and think than to hear myself talk. But I feel comfortable here, so I'm still around.
Hatrack isn't my home away from home. It isn't where my closest friends are. It isn't even really all that important to me, except that it's fun, you're all fun, and I met the most wonderful man in the world here. So, here's to you, Hatrack, and here's to my wonderful husband.
Posts: 537 | Registered: Jul 2001
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All I can say is this: Boy, am I glad you came back to Hatrack.
You know, it's been a couple weeks since we've played Scrabble. Are you up for a game?
I seriously don't know why I'm asking this on Hatrack. You're sitting about a foot and a half away from me right this instant. Maybe it's fun to talk to people in very indirect ways when you're in the same room with them.
Posts: 100 | Registered: Apr 2003
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Can we play Scrabble online? I know that if you buy the actual CD-ROM game, you can, but I wonder if there are any internet sites where you can.
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Yes, Jon Boy it must be that. Damander and I have had many an IM conversation while sitting in the same tiny, little bedroom. (Those were some of the funniest conversations, by the way.)
Ruth, I'm glad you came back too, and I actually share some similar views with you about Hatrack. Welcome, Brinestone!
Oh, and I did a landmark at 500, too.
Posts: 1635 | Registered: Aug 2002
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quote: Maybe it's fun to talk to people in very indirect ways when you're in the same room with them.
One of my very favorite college experiences so far was when one of my roommates invited the other one and me to a chatroom just for the three of us, even though we were all home at the time.
Posts: 3801 | Registered: Jan 2000
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DD, I've really enjoyed you on this forum. You and Jon are one of those fun success stories that we can all tell our friends about online meetings. But chatting and reading your posts has been great. You're a sweetie and I hope you stay around!! Posts: 6415 | Registered: Jul 2000
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We totally need to play literati sometime. I mean, it might be difficult for all of us to play at once (or would it be? I've never played). But be prepared to have your trash kicked.
Posts: 1903 | Registered: Sep 2003
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Did somebody say scrabble?? The one word guaranteed to catch my attention... As far as online scrabble sites, I recommend www.isc.ro very highly. It is free, needs no CD, and has a good mix of players from novice to world champions (seriously, the world champs play there). You can play or watch games; lists of the short words are available for those who haven't played tournament scrabble. It's FAIRLY userfriendly, but not perfectly so. Feel free to message me there for help if you decide to try it out; my name there is Marsh and I practically live there.
Also, if you like scrabble, check out scrabble-assoc.com; you can get a list of clubs for real life play. Let's see, I also recommend the book "Word Freak" by Stefan Fatsis... I could go on and on, but I won't.
Posts: 628 | Registered: Nov 1999
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I think you're using a very odd definition of the word "stalk." If thinking someone is cute and wanting to meet them constitutes stalking, then I think everyone in the world has been a stalker at some point.
And what the heck do you mean when you say you have no idea who Brinestone is?
Posts: 100 | Registered: Apr 2003
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1) Congratz. On 500, on coming more out of your shell, on whomping JonBoy at Scrabble, on finding such a great friend, on coming back. Just--COngratz!
2) The problem with you going to your old name, your initials DD will now be BS. If we start commenting on all the BS posts in Hatrack, we'll never stop.
3) Literati on Yahoo is fun. My wife plays often, and I've whomped her several times from the computer 3 feet away.
Posts: 11895 | Registered: Apr 2002
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meaning, i was never a part of ywf, i have never heard talk of that sn from ywf, i can make no association to that admission.
Posts: 3956 | Registered: Jun 2001
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Yes, congrats, Diosmel/Brinestone. I'm embarrassed that I was so focused on the scrabble that I failed to say that in the first post. Posts: 628 | Registered: Nov 1999
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Jon Boy, don't feel too weird about the posting to someone who is in the same room with you. I often had email conversations with my roommates when I was in college. Unless you don't want to be like me, in which case, go ahead and feel weird.
Ruth, great post and congrats on 500. You guys are such a cute couple. Posts: 4534 | Registered: Jan 2003
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Oh, I don't feel weird about computer conversations with people in the same room. I frequently had e-mail conversations with coworkers who were one or two desks down from me. Ah, those were the days.
And now I work at home, all alone.
Posts: 100 | Registered: Apr 2003
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In the past several months that I've been around, you have to be the most talked about and least seen Jatraquero around. Not counting filks who were banned, of course. Unless you and I are some kind of Bizarro/Superman pair so we never post to the same threads. Though if disagreeing with Irami is any indication I would think not. Irami Posts: 11017 | Registered: Apr 2003
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Oh, I don't always disagree with Irami. In fact, I agree with him on quite a few things, and he taught me some others that I had never considered before.
Thanks for all your comments, everyone. I hope I make it to 500 on this name. Posts: 1903 | Registered: Sep 2003
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Brinestone, do you know that your brother IM'd me the other day? It was amusing. I was surprised, and then was all set to be all "How's married life???" and it turned out it wasn't you
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Yeah, he was going through my buddy list and IMing everyone asking who they were. It really bugged Icarus. It confused Jon Boy. I guess you were a target too . . . He was just trying to figure out how it all works, I guess. Sorry about that.
Married life is great. We're busy, what with work, school, no dishwasher, and being married, but that's okay. Jonathon makes me very happy, and I try to do the same for him.
Posts: 1903 | Registered: Sep 2003
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I'm having my problems with Ruth being hitched. You must have been in high school when I was kicked off the YWF, and I can't get out of bed in the time it takes for you to find the love of your life and get married. It's weird. I feel like by the time I'm done brushing my teeth, you're going to have her own brood.
Nice work kid, I'll adjust. I do take some solace in the fact that while it's hard on me, your parents must be equally flummoxed.
Give me another week or two and I'll have a story for you. Keep posting, keep thinking, stop making excuses, and if something smells funny, trust yourself to admit that it is.
Kasie, Hobbes, or Jaiden, you three don't get to marry until you are fifty I meet the spouse in person.
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Sorry to weird you out, Irami (well, not too sorry). I was actually in college when I joined the YWF. I probably shouldn't have been there, but I liked it better than this side then. *dodges rotten fruit*
Posts: 1903 | Registered: Sep 2003
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Hey! I just searched your user number for "jon" to see when you got married (I remember it was recently) and you posted "jon" and "boy" in the infamous deleted "Morbo Unmasked" thread. Did you think I was Jon Boy? HAHAHAHA
If I neglected to say it when you got married, congratulations to the both of you. Posts: 6316 | Registered: Jun 2003
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No, I was replying to someone who guessed Jon Boy, saying you couldn't possibly be him. I know him so well I can almost always tell when he registers a new name, just by his voice. His impeccable grammar gives him away too.
Posts: 1903 | Registered: Sep 2003
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The only thing I was worried about was that he was too cool for a mousy, quiet girl like me. I posted to the Bachelorette thread because I wanted him to know something about me when he met me besides my name and my sn *hides head in shame*. ![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
), and whenever he'd call, we'd end up talking for hours. Pretty soon we were spending every moment we could together. He was quickly becoming my best friend, and I felt more myself with him than with anyone else in the world. He always treated me like a lady, and he was there for me through some very tough times. I still am amazed at his patience.![[Blushing]](graemlins/blushing.gif)
Pretty soon, I started coming out of my shell here too. I'm still not a big poster, simply because I'm not online much and I prefer to listen and think than to hear myself talk. But I feel comfortable here, so I'm still around.
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