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Post by callipygias on Jan 23, 2009 12:12:41 GMT -5
Inauguration DayTuesday was a truly inspiring day. We all got to view a symbol of great optimism, of things rising above normal human proportions, of things simply greater than ourselves. We saw a vision of what we could all become, of how much greater we can be when we reach higher than we ever expected. What we saw, ladies and gentlemen, was Aretha Franklin’s hat: The sheer audacity of that bow…how could it not inspire a terror at that which lies unexpressed in ourselves? How could we not picture ourselves attempting to wear a bow and feeling ourselves fail under the demands it puts on us, even as we feel drawn to try ever harder to live up to its promise. That bow, ladies and gentlemen, adorns all of our hearts, even as it blocks our view of…well, almost everything behind it. It's pretty.
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Post by Crowfan on Jan 25, 2009 20:18:28 GMT -5
Pretty horrifying.
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Post by Donna SadCat Lady on Jan 25, 2009 22:07:39 GMT -5
Yeah, but you gotta admit, you couldn't take your eyes off her for a second while she was up there.
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Post by Ratso on Jan 26, 2009 1:50:10 GMT -5
She had dinosaur eggs under that hat.
The plan was for them to hatch and eat Jimmy Carter.
As you can see it didn't work out.
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Post by Crowfan on Jan 26, 2009 9:58:35 GMT -5
Brilliant.
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Post by mummifiedstalin on Jan 26, 2009 15:33:15 GMT -5
An open letter to “you people”
I’ve always been leery of actually meeting “internet people” in person. In fact, a bit of dredging the archives will come up with a post somewhere that I argued that “people from the internet” do not exist. And I didn’t just mean that there aren’t people that live in bits of information transferred from computer to computer (those people DO exist). I meant that no one can project a real, authentic personality simply through lines (or, more often, just one line) of text in response to other lines of text. Further, I assumed (as I usually still do) that anyone on the internet is playing a role, consciously or not, because they can hide behind its anonymity or, at the very least, not have to respond in real time and do much more self-editing than we usually can in real life.
But now I’ve met some of these “internet people” in real life. And, apparently, I have to change my opinion. All five folk that I met were genuinely like their board personalities.
The only exception might have been Affy who was, contrary to my expectations, neither a cartoon character nor a full-time cosplayer. Instead, he was very subdued and was more likely stashing away notes for some novel he’s going to put us all in one day where he’ll show us who we “really” are when filtered through his all-seeing, all-powerful writer eyes! (But, seriously, man, we should talk about MFA programs sometime. At the least, they’re a great way to get paid to just writer for two years.)
The rest, though: Atari was thoughtful, well-spoken, and sincere. CH had an air of confidence and competence about him combined with a dry wit. Donna was warm, enthusiastic and personable. And if crowfan had been a teacher of mine, that excitement probably would have turned me into a history major.
Somehow or other, what have, in all honesty, remained “characters” in my head took on flesh, and the experience was at once strange and reassuring. It makes me feel somehow different about this board, but it also makes me appreciate what we’ve all made here that much more.
And it makes me feel bad that I now have to admit that I’m not who I’ve said I am. I am, in fact, a Venetian midget with a third arm who works for the estate of the late Orson Welles doing, essentially, mime work for tours. That guy in those pictures was a double I hired. Now Atari & Co. will understand why he kept calling the show Mysterious Thriller Theater 300 because HE NEVER LISTENS and will be PUNISHED SEVERELY BY OUR MUTUAL MASTER.
That is all.
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Post by Donna SadCat Lady on Jan 26, 2009 15:57:15 GMT -5
I'm personable! Yay!
Does that mean I'm cute?
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Post by CBG on Jan 26, 2009 16:06:27 GMT -5
Yes.
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Post by Captain Hygiene on Jan 26, 2009 16:08:40 GMT -5
I'm glad to see this write-up, especially after the general question was brought up after lunch. Part of the reason I made the effort to drive out there was to get out and meet new people, and find out something about how I appear in person to new acquaintances. I often get in a rut where I see the same people day in and day out, and only have to interact with people I've known for years. Also, I wanted a free book.
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Post by Crowfan on Jan 26, 2009 16:26:19 GMT -5
You can't beat free books.
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Post by mummifiedstalin on Jan 26, 2009 22:47:23 GMT -5
I'm personable! Yay! Does that mean I'm cute? That, too. But, believe me, being personable is a rare quality.
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Post by mummifiedstalin on Jan 26, 2009 22:48:52 GMT -5
I'm glad to see this write-up, especially after the general question was brought up after lunch. Part of the reason I made the effort to drive out there was to get out and meet new people, and find out something about how I appear in person to new acquaintances. I often get in a rut where I see the same people day in and day out, and only have to interact with people I've known for years. Also, I wanted a free book. Actually, I was just trying to be nice. In fact, even your breathing offended me morally and physically. And those sounds I assume you call "speech"...insipid and tiring. It's amazing other human beings even acknowledge you.
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Post by Donna SadCat Lady on Jan 26, 2009 23:47:02 GMT -5
I'm glad to see this write-up, especially after the general question was brought up after lunch. Part of the reason I made the effort to drive out there was to get out and meet new people, and find out something about how I appear in person to new acquaintances. I often get in a rut where I see the same people day in and day out, and only have to interact with people I've known for years. Also, I wanted a free book. Actually, I was just trying to be nice. In fact, even your breathing offended me morally and physically. And those sounds I assume you call "speech"...insipid and tiring. It's amazing other human beings even acknowledge you.
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Post by CBG on Jan 27, 2009 4:23:25 GMT -5
See how he is?
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Post by Afgncaap5 on Jan 27, 2009 9:48:48 GMT -5
The only exception might have been Affy who was, contrary to my expectations, neither a cartoon character nor a full-time cosplayer. Instead, he was very subdued and was more likely stashing away notes for some novel he’s going to put us all in one day where he’ll show us who we “really” are when filtered through his all-seeing, all-powerful writer eyes! (But, seriously, man, we should talk about MFA programs sometime. At the least, they’re a great way to get paid to just writer for two years.) You only say that because I didn't get around to my tapdance routine. But seriously, it was very fun to meet everyone.
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