Day 1 of vacation has started out wonderfully. Slept in a bit. Someone else made coffee and I am now getting about an hour alone. Next up is seeing my brother's new house. The rental they are in is aesthetically very nice but has a lot of practical issues, like no light fixtures in rooms.

I'd been watching Buffy since halfway through the first episode, when a friend called me and said "OMG YOU MUST TURN ON THE TV AND WATCH THIS DO NOT ARGUE".

I found us through Salon and Table Talk. Another friend offhandedly mentioned reading spoilers and speculation there, so I wandered over and then realized that I'd found my people.

I remember being excited when the movie opened in theaters, and being so disappointed afterwards. (I enjoyed Paul Ruebens performance, though).

I didn't tune into the TV show immediately, but I eventually started watching, and got hooked pretty quickly. I remember watching "The Pack", and thinking, well, at the end of episode they're just going to hit the reset button, and then everything will go back to normal. And then they teased they were going to do that, but then, they didn't. That kind of blew my mind.

I lurked on Table Talk for a long, long time. I eventually started posting, (I have exactly one post in the original Agnes Bertiz thread). I went to the first NYC meetup, where I barely said a word. But eventually, I managed to come out of my shell and become the garrulous, social person you know today.

The snowstorm this Tuesday is going to make me miss a training session that I've tried to take FIVE TIMES. I think at this point, I'm just giving up. The universe does not want me to learn situational self-leadership, it's made that clear.

It's going to hit the 70s here in Utah this week. I'm sorry, but we're due.

I remember 20 years ago I was home with a flu or bad cold, and tuned in to "Welcome to the Hellmouth" in its first airing. They had me as soon as Darla revealed she was a vampire.

I start watching from the first episode. I loved the potential of the movie - and my sisters knew it. We started talking , it was so much better than the movie. Then Matt got a job out here and we moved to California I knew my husband,my sister, and my BIL. They worked full time plus. I found Salon, then TT. I. Had people to talk to and stuff beyond the domestic world. I felt like it kept my critical thinking skills alive. And me

I was actually really into the movie and quoted it with my friends. I was hooked from the first time I saw the ad with Kristy Swanson dancing with Luke Perry "You aren't like other girls" "Yes I am". Such a wonderful inversion of that in "Are you ready to be strong" but I digress.

I had heard that the TV show would be darker and was a little nervous about that because while I loved the subtle pathos of the movie the humour was delightful. I watched from the beginning, constantly adjusting the rabbit ears to try to get the station to come in better. When I eventually saw the first season on DVD I was amazed how crisp and clear it all was, how much visual detail I had missed, but even staticky and ghosting it was addictive.

I met DH later that year, and immediately made the rule that when Buffy was on, we watched. He tolerated it at first, but soon was hooked himself. When I finally found my way here (Salon was never my thing, I was a Usenet girl), we made the conscious decision that the Buffistas were mine rather than ours, though he enjoyed being my +1 when allowed. And now you all make up the bulk of what my medication manager has termed a strong support system. I can't imagine getting through the dark times, including the current political mess, without you. When my world falls apart, this is where I come, even if it is only to see that you are still here in the box.

Sounds to me like you have mastered self-leadership in this situation, Jess.

I went to the first NYC meetup, where I barely said a word.

I remember that! But not saying a word wasn't a bad thing; there were a lot of very chatty people there. You gave the impression of being the quiet, interesting type.

Were you there, Jesse, or did we meet later? I remember Jessica because she brought great food.