Questionnaire from another newbie

[gilraen]

1. How'd you find the Freethought Forum?
Mentioned at RnR.

2. Are you a member of any other online forums? Which?
Only active on SMART Recovery® . Leftover accounts on RnR, IIDB, and Beliefnet.

3. How do you feel about smilies (emoticons)?
I like them, and I think the basic ones are important. (I'm very sarcasm-impaired online.)

4. How do you feel about 3500+ smilies?
Somebody has too much time on their hands! And, looking forward to familiarizing myself with them, too.

5. Is flaming:
B. Beneath you -- Almost always.
C. Irritating as fuck -- That, too.

6. Is vulgar language:
A. Hilarious -- depending on how it's used.
C. Irritating as fuck -- sometimes.

7. Why did the chicken cross the road?
To smack the rooster taunting her from the other side.

8. Who pays for your food?
I do.

9. What's one thing you've always wanted to do but never have?
Too many things fall under this category. Be an astronaut. Climb Everest or Denali. Live in the mountains. Be a world traveler.

10. What is your single favorite place in the world?
Too many to count, but there was this one lonely, windswept mountaintop at the northwest end of Rocky Mountain National Park, where the stars were magnificent, the wind and cold were nonstop, and the feeling was that you were on an alien planet -- entirely, awesomely, frighteningly alone.

11. What's the significance of your username?
Lots of people will recognize it. If you don't, I feel sorry for you.

12. What about your avatar?
One of the most original and eye-catching kittie pictures I'd ever seen.

[livius drusus]

Wow, your favorite place sounds amazing. I probably would have been bitching about the cold the whole time instead of enjoying the alienness.

Welcome to FF, gilraen.

P.S. - I don't deny I am powerless over smilies. I have a problem, no doubt about it, but it's a glorious one.

[Shelli]

gilraen and don't feel sorry for me, I don't.

[viscousmemories]

Oops, I said this somewhere else already but gilraen.

[JamesBannon]

Me too VM, but Gil is a good online buddy of mine so a second welcome doesn't go amiss.

Here's some smilies for you to practice with Gil:

[Watser?]

Good morning/afternoon gilraen

[Stormlight]

Gilraen!

[Crumb]

Welcome to the gilraen! Do you like to count?

[JamesBannon]

She's already been there Crumb and no doubt will contribute more when she gets used to the, ahh, 'counter personalities'

[Crumb]

[Shelli]

[Watser?]

Maybe we should start a special counting forum

[Shelli]

But would you call it the Counting Forum or the OCD Forum?

[gilraen]

My vote is for OCD. I already posted once in the Million thread. Will almost certainly post more.

Thank you everyone for your welcomes! I appreciate it.
Especially big Hallooo to Jim!

[JamesBannon]

gilraen

Glad to be of service to a friend!

[LadyShea]

Welcome!

[Leesifer]

Welcome to gilraen.

[gilraen]

Thank yew, thank yew.
Like the Santa hat, Lees!

[Leesifer]

Hee! Thanks. liv made it for me.

Although I suppose I'd better change back to my other avatars wot she made.

Tomorrow, will do.

[AndyH]

Welcome Gilraen, I have the feeling I OUGHT to know you...

Do I? PM me if you'd like!

Andy

[Deadlokd]

Welcome Gilraen. Congratulations on your divorce. Huge hugs for that. (I was "They" on RnR and here)

[gilraen]

Thanks, Deadlokd. I remember you. How are you? How's RnR?
Hi, Andy. Don't know if I know you or not, but I'll PM you.

[Deadlokd]

Originally Posted by gilraen

Thanks, Deadlokd. I remember you. How are you? How's RnR?
Hi, Andy. Don't know if I know you or not, but I'll PM you.

RnR is still going much as it ever was. Why did you leave? I must have missed it. I'm fine, a bit tired right now. Early start, restless baby, all the fun of parenthood.

[gilraen]

I'll tell you what I told someone else in a PM, but I'll take out the names. No sense in starting something I don't want.

"I'm not the right type of person to be there. I left in a quiet huff 2 or 3 weeks ago, and haven't returned.

There are a lot of nice people there, but two things conspired against me feeling comfortable on the board:

1) XXX, YYY, ZZZ (probably no longer there), and a few others who make it their life's work to piss people off, and seem to be opinionated, arrogant (as in "my opinion is the only one that matters, and if you don't agree with me, piss off because you're a loser), and downright rude.

2) My own life is topsy-turvy, with my divorce, my sister just being diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer (probably 12-18 months to live), and all the rest of the stuff that life brings. My ability to deal with assholes changes by the minute, and there were just too many triggers on that board.

It doesn't help that I'm sensitive, and not strong-willed enough to fight back. (I HATE confrontation, even online, and will run from it at every opportunity.) Plus, I admit, I am very sarcasm-impaired *online*. Not in real life.

It was just a bad match, that's all."

I found myself becoming angrier and angrier by stupid, rude stuff that in another incarnation, wouldn't bother me at all. When you get more negative than positive out of a board, it's time to go.

(And thanks for asking.)

[gilraen]

By the way, congrats on your baby! Get naps when you can, and know that you will manage somehow. We all do.

"Don't sweat the small stuff."

Corollary: "It's all small stuff."