I'm kinda fed up with having to run the gauntlet all the time, and sick of having to prove that I'm credible. It's been a fun year. I wish all you well. Might be back eventually, but this environment is just too exclusive for my little noggin at present. I'm not storming off in a huff, at all. Just ...

iidb.com, gosh i havent visited that board in a long time. I was an official lurker of that board. Think i posted a couple times. Just ran out of time to keep all these message boards straight. As it stands now, I'm hardly "Here" anymore either. Yeah, I think I PMed you over thattaway, and asked if...

Bob wrote:Unbelievable.

Care to elaborate, Mr. Stahl?

K, if I may speak freely, I don't see you as a moderator. I am glad you're here, and I've greatly enjoyed your enthusiasm and spirit. I just suspect that you're a wee bit too quick to react to make a solid moderator -- at least you are now. It is a learned skill. (I have moderated a couple of now-de...

May I butt in with a few semi-informed observations? Being a moderator on an active board, even in a very limited capacity, is surprisingly challenging. Even if moderators here are not called upon to enforce terms of service and herd discussions along, they'll still have quite a job on their hands. ...

This is so fucking ridiculous.

To be honest, K (can I still call you that?) I think Precip left because the technical aspects of the new eplaya were giving her hives. I don't think it had anything to do with you.

I'm on the Scientology hit list. Seriously. Not because I ever subscribed to such pap but because in the younger days of USENET I was passing out copies of all the OT levels. I still have them all. All $400,000.00 worth which is about what it takes in 'donations' to the Church of Scientology(TM) to...

As with everything on Ye Olde Internet, take it with a fistful of salt. I think Andreas' most convincing evidence comes from the testimonials of former members, and the OT levels and other official literature.

It really is the money issue that chaps my ass the most. I think people can believe any damfool thing they like, but to PAY for it is just plain laughable. The other big problem with Scientology is that it isolates its members from the rest of the world, and convinces them that everyone outside the ...

Scientology basically recycles Freud and Nietzsche, gussies it up with ludicrous quasi-scientific jargon, and charges uneducated people a gajillion dollars to swallow it all. They also use borderline brainwashing techniques and "technology" like the E-meter (basically a primitive lie detector) to du...

Scientology has a lot of stealth businesses around. Beware.

If there is a crosswalk fifteen feet away, USE IT. Don't just meander out into the road like a dipshit. If flakes of primer are being shaken off the driver's-side door of your '88 Cutlass Ciera, your stereo is too goddamn loud. Nobody has ever, in the history of civilization, gotten his wick wet by ...

<quibble> It's BESTIALITY. </quibble>

Oh Lord, not this again... At least it's in General Discussion but hasn't this dead horse been flogged long enough? Gimme a break, there are thousands of other topics worthy of discussion. At first I didn't really think about trolls but it seems we do have some in our midst. They keep popping up to...

Oh Lord, not this again...

precipitate wrote:Hobbit Diaries

Precip, that's fucking great. Forwarded it to my mom, who has an embarrassing crush on Orlando Bloom. Awaiting fireworks. Still not King.

Can a distinction be drawn between "dressing up all crazy" and "wearing a costume"? To me, a costume expresses a concept, whereas dressing up all crazy is just sorta fun and contributes to the landscape. I like looking at the folks who dress all crazy, and I like doing it myself sometimes, but I con...

Burning Man may be "radically inclusive" in theory, but its location and timeframe and the amount of financial liquidity one must possess to attend are built-in exclusionary factors. OF COURSE I'm not going to suggest an org-endorsed "affirmative-action"-type program. (If I had the time, the money a...

Please be as complete in your answer as possible.

Please use only a #2 lead pencil. Please fill each bubble completely. (Sorry, I couldn't resist.)

This problem is sticky. I'm not really sure what I think about it yet, although Tiara's suggestion seems like a good one.

I confess that I am about to break my TMI-blathering promise. The summer of 2001, I spent some time hanging out with a boy. I had a crush on him, a little crush, of the worshipful, not-quite-romantic variety. He was beautiful, in an elfin way, and was totally unaware of his beauty; he was also bril...

Clandy, insecure about your written communication skills? Why? Your one of the people I always make it a point to read like Precipitate, Ivy, Alice, PJ, Badger...in my book your right up there with them. You have nothing to worry about, post away! Good company indeed! Thank you, K. (I really wasn't...

I heard a horrible rumor that Knob Creek is just Beam that's been sitting around for a few years. Does anybody know if this is true?

I love me some Maker's. And I have to admit I do enjoy Rebel Yell, but only when I'm feeling masochistic.

I think that there is hope, actually. There are some quality discussions going on here, and some promising new blood. They are still too difficult to find after wading through substantial dross, but I agree clandyone. And BTW, your essay on why fundies are BAD was awesome. Writing like that is why ...

It's what happens when you're on the rag, and you laugh too hard, and plup out your tampon.

I'm sorry, that was DISGUSTING.

I think that there is hope, actually. There are some quality discussions going on here, and some promising new blood. I am a little dismayed by the conspiracy-mongering, although it's largely a result of the recent troll influx. I'm also pretty impressed with how well people are doing in NOT respond...

I don't know about the best one I ever saw, but I can tell you what my favorites were from this year. A young man stomping around outside the cafe. He was wearing a dark three-piece suit, a rep tie and wraparound shades, and he was shouting into a cell phone. "I don't run my business that way!" was ...

Here's the way I see it. (And yes, I know that strictly speaking a troll is a post and not a poster, but "troller" sounds weird to me, so I'll just say "troll" for both and trust that my meaning is clear.) Trolls are useless. Their only purpose is to be disruptive. If you rise to the bait, you ensur...

I have to admit his pedophile thread got me fired up. And as much as people whine about trolls, sometimes having an open target in a free fire zone is not a bad thing! It is if the target is deliberately trying to elicit exactly the response you provide. LarryHarveysHat is a self-satisfied little p...

Decompression always sucks. The only way to combat the things you find heinous out here in the world is to work to change them.

If you just look at Burning Man as an escape, everyone suffers.