ita was more than her code, of course, but I think it's safe to say that without it I likely wouldn't have moved from lurker to poster, and, wow, would my life be different.

Gosh yes. Changes I have made in my life came from the strength I gleaned from here. My critical thinking skills got a workout here. I can't even put into words how grateful I am to have found the buffistas - back on Salon when I just lurked and the followed to here.

yep. the pic I posted on fb was from that. My 31st. 13 years ago this week.

fuck it all.

STILL in March 2001

"I am inexplicably drawn towards Hello Kitty. I wonder if they have a line of weapons?"

Lisa, pretty good plan, but I was halfway amused picturing the staff at my local Irish pub being like "*How many tiaras?! and you want to do*what* on our pool table?" But I'm kind of hoping I'll be transplanted by then, anyway.

I love you guys. I hadn't realized how much I missed you. Seeing bits and pieces on FB and elsewhere just isn't the same.

msbelle, you are pulling quotes that totally make me laugh! The spider one is perfection.

Gah, remember that Mary Sue she wrote where Spike made her a vampire? I've never forgotten that. Possibly the most believable self-insertion I've ever read.

I love you guys. I hadn't realized how much I missed you. Seeing bits and pieces on FB and elsewhere just isn't the same.

This. I have drifted away due to lack of time on teh interwebs (and spending most of that time on Twitter because it's easy in, easy out) but I really miss the camaraderie when everyone is here posting over and under each other.

Why does it always take a tragedy to illuminate how fleeting and wonderful life is?

I think I figured it out, what's been bugging me the past couple days. It's kinda out there, so hang on.

It's like being on a starship. You're on this starship, right? And there's constant noise; engines, environmental systems, consoles and whatnot. This constant susurrus of just...you know, noise.

And you get used to it. It becomes this background to your life, this ever-present hum and thrum of your existence.

And then one day the noise stops.

And you're going nuts! What the...what's different? Why am I afraid? What the...WHERE'S THE NOISE?!

So I'm back here, on b.org, pushing buttons and turning valves and the noise is back and...okay. It's okay. I'm okay.

But the noise is different. There's something...off about it. It's not quite the same noise. But it's noise, so, I guess it's...okay, but...

I just have to get used to the new noise. I'm back and the noise is here and it's comforting, but it's not the same and I'm just going to have to let the new noise become the old noise, the background noise.

But it's going to take some time.

That's beautiful, MM.