You know, when I worked on a forum for AOL (please don't throw bottles or gloves at me for that) there was a woman there who made a second name after having made friends of other people through the first. Then, with the second name, she went all over the boards and chatrooms talking about her first name as if it were another person. According to the second persona, the first persona needed an eye-transplant, had many children, was a single mother, had some dread disease, died on the operating table, etc. etc. I believe she got people to send her money, but, whether money or not, she got a lot of sympathy from crying about her poor dear friend who died and whose children she now had in custody. She carried it on for a couple of months, at least. After her deception was uncovered, because she was a one-eyed single mother with a disease (though I don't know how anyone could believe anything after that) many people forgave her for it.
I only tell you all that to let you know that I'm going to explain a little, but only for explanation purposes and not to garner sympathy. I'm not a one-eyed, diseased single mother! I'm actually very blessed and happy and happily married to a wonderful man who thinks I'm charming (I haven't figured that out yet) - and, okay, am a parent to a 17-year-old-rock-musician who believes he knows all there is to know, a 15-month-old-demon spawn who is "charmingly" determined to have her own way in everything, I'm 8 months and counting pregnant with the third child, have a bad back and spend far too much time on the computer or the couch because of it, I'm 39 years old (g-d, I'm old for all this), telecommute part-time so I have little adult interaction, and tend to naive enthusiasms and a delight in escapism. If I didn't want to read bad things about me, I shouldn't have been listening at the door.
Seriously, I don't feel that anyone was mean or unwelcoming. Everyone here has been very kind. Thank you again DX for letting me know I screwed up with the white fonting and giving me the opportunity to fix it. I will always fix my screw ups as soon as possible if at all possible.
I won't go away, though I do hate the taste of foot-in-mouth. Please let me know early if I get too enthusiastic again or make some other mistake and thank you all, again, for being so gracious.
Deena--nice to meet you! And I'm glad you're going to stick around!
I... tend to naive enthusiasms and a delight in escapism.
Heh. You'll fit right in, my girl.
Then, with the second name, she went all over the boards and chatrooms talking about her first name as if it were another person. According to the second persona, the first persona needed an eye-transplant, had many children, was a single mother, had some dread disease, died on the operating table, etc. etc. I believe she got people to send her money, but, whether money or not, she got a lot of sympathy from crying about her poor dear friend who died and whose children she now had in custody.
That's called Munchausen by Internet (whether formally or informally), and it's getting common.
Yeah, someone on the big XF boards killed herself off and then had her "husband" and "sister" post grieving messages for a week or so. When too many people expressed suspicion (the Australian woman's body was being shipped to Delhi for a Hindu/Muslim/Anglican burial? Suuuureee...), the original woman popped back up, claiming her laptop had been stolen and her 'enemy' had posted all these messages.
She had no answer to those who pointed out that all the messages, including those from her enemy, used the same idiosyncratic punctuation and syntax that she had for the previous few years.
At any rate, Deena, welcome. It'll all work out.
Have you ever noticed that when one complains of boorish behavior, it's always the non-boors who worry that they've behaved badly? Sigh.
Deena, please don't be embarrassed. As the one who started this whole mess, I'm the one who should be--and is--embarrassed to have made you feel unwelcome. I've got my antenna up too high. Please forgive me.
Hey David, how about them Mets? or.. um.. the Indians (since I'm in Cleveland)?
Seriously, I'm fine, I hope you're fine, all is well and don't worry about the antennae. Better up too far than your head in your.. the sand. If I thought you actually needed forgiveness, I'd forgive, but, I think you were just being careful and protective, and that's admirable.
I am refraining, madly, from putting a smiley here.
edited to say: I have to go take my afternoon nap now. My husband is starting to worry about my attention to this board and has threatened mayhem if I don't rest.
Hey David, how about them Mets? or.. um.. the Indians (since I'm in Cleveland)?
Indians? INDIANS?
We may have a problem here.
(Says the loyal Twins fan.)
OK, I give up -- how do I do a fake closed HTML tag?
