(Update, Tues: This diary is much too big, please see new diary and post there, hurry now, mojo is waiting.)
http://www.boomantribune.com/story/2005/6/7/94711/77729
In view of all that is going on at DK and the sudden influx of new members I am prompted to put a new diary that we customarily have here at Booman Trib.
In this case I will ask old member to say why they like it here as well as invite new members to tell us about them and perhaps why you came to this site.
In this case I will ask old member to say why they like it here as well as invite new members to tell us about them and perhaps why you came to this site.
I don’t have much to say other than welcome and lets have a good old get to know you fest.
You can find previous diaries of Tell us about You by going to my info page.
Have some fun, OK!
BTW please also visit other diaries including my Meet my African Friend diary.
Thanks for the welcome.
I’m female and I’ll be 50 10 years after I turn 40 which is still a few years away. I live in Orlando Florida. Yes it’s hot. And no I haven’t been to Disney lately.
I was born in Guantanamo Bay. Which, until recently, most people took to mean that I wasn’t really a citizen. And ironically, caused a red flag every year when my brother’s government clearance was renewed (since they couldn’t find proof of citizenship papers for his communist sister). Gotta love the government.
I grew up in the south and consider myself a proud southerner. I’m liberal, obviously, and an atheist, proudly. Also it seems like I’m a little proudful (prideful for those not from the south). I like people of all types and don’t feel that you need to agree with each other to like or be respectful of each other.
IRL I’m sarcastic (I try to avoid it as much on the net since it rarely works) and I like to work weird phrases I hear or read into conversations (this week I’m using “smells like a pile of burning rhesus monkeys” and “not as much as I wish I had webbed feet”).
Hi, LiberalP, and welcome to this site where I am sure you will find a good home.
Just a note for all new users, my favorite part of this site is the new comments tab at the top of page, with this feature you can see each comment as it’s made and that allows you to see easily what is going on all over the site.
Interesting you were born in Guantanamo Bay.
My hometown. . . Hola, Chica!
My son’s living in Orlando — with wife and 2-yr. old son; well brought up liberal that he is. Glad to know he’s got some fine true blue neighbors!
Fellow southerner here (Yup, born ratcheer in Myamuh) whose favorite regional weird phrase, so often used by me it’s practically my sig line is. . . .
“. . . since God wore diapers.”
“Tho since the Brit invasion of the US Senate by Mr. Galloway, MP, I’m trotting out a new favorite word. . . .
LICKSPITTLE !!!
Welcome limelite! One thang’s fer shur, you just caint beat those southern sayings with a stick.
Glad you came over and hope you sit a good long spell.
Lickspittle. That’s my second trip to the dictionary today. I’ll have to see if I can work that into a conversation.
Orange County is slightly blue thankfully and seems to get bluer every year. Was he here last year for the storms? Hope everything worked out ok for him and his family.
My fav southern expression, which sadly I don’t get to use much is slap on a big bucket o’ purty.
My heart was under my tongue as one. . .two storms took aim at Orlando. And them first-time home-buyers just moved in. I think he’s still waiting for insurance claim to repair minimal roof damage. All they suffered, luckily.
How’d you make out?
I enjoy my visits to your city, especially the brick street portions of old downtown Orlando. Lotsa charm.
Actually we were hit by 3 storms – Charley, Frances and Jeanne.
We were really lucky as our damage was minimal. Yet amazingly, it still added up to a few thousand dollars. Didn’t file an insurance claim because of the hurricane deductible rule which means it wouldn’t have paid for anything and they would just raise our rates more anyway. Still have to fix the ceiling in the garage as the wind blew a portion of it down.
Hopefully we’ll all be storm free this year.
Thank you, Diana101.
I’m a nearly 60 year old feminist who has never missed an election in 40 years, and who has relentlessly supported the Democratic Party despite being a Socialist. I have been proud to stand with the party of peace, justice and civil rights. It became obvious to me, starting in the 60’s, which of the two major parties represented labour, women, children, the poor, people of colour, GLBT, peace, international cooperation and concern for our environment.
While I am seriously concerned that both R’s and D’s are influenced too much by big business money, there is in my mind, still a clear choice: the Bush Administrations’ determination to dismantle more and more social programs, to bully our neighbours with weapons and our citizenry with fundamentalism, to promote rabid nationalism, and unleash unregulated, rapacious capitalism, or the Democrats’ vision of a more peaceful, equitable and civil society of Americans who work and play well with others.
Because I am afraid that the growing gap between rich and poor is destroying democracy, I want to stop this neocon agenda, but not at the expense of our values; I don’t want to become them to beat them.
Hi I am 62 myself, but not the oldest on the site, that honor belongs to Shirlstars. I did a poll on one diary and most of us fall between 40 and 60 it would seem. Of course that was a very tiny sampling.
You will see we are very balanced on this site and have only the most minor flareups, which we have been able to deal with in the most equitable manner. We actually work hard at keeping it that way.
We also like to give a lot of 4’s in fact that’s all we give here, so that is wonderful.
I am in Socal by the way where do you live?
Again, welcome!
I live near San Jose.
Sorry if I seem a little stiff and incoherent.
I’m still recovering from the shock that so many men on the LEFT would vilify those of us who politely suggested that insulting our political opponents by using female body parts is insulting to women, and therefore a risky political strategy.
I love the exchange of ideas; I even like a good, civil argument, but quite a few women were bludgeoned mercilessly on dkos when we refused to roll over and play dead.
This had been recently preceded by charges of selfishness if we objected to using reproductive rights as a bargaining chip, and was rapidly followed by the curt dismissal of piegate.
Feels like the 70’s, only sadder.
boomantribune.com’s warm welcome is a healing balm.
More in the Bay Area…I’m up in Marin….
You’ll find a warm and supportive place at Booman – we’ve had a few squabbles but we’ve worked through them.
Some of us have been fighting these fights and long time…welcome sister…
Yes the gap between the rich and the poor shouldn’t be there. There is a need to find a solution for this.
Hi All — I’m settling in here after a day of being so many places I can hardly think straight.
I am big on community and just the simple ability to be welcomed as a new member, makes me feel all fuzzy inside.
I’m a mom of 2 boys, a sometimes (needs to be more often) writer of a dissertation, an educator, technophile, and lover of books. Was born in NY state, now live in Austin, TX, and have lived in 4 states and 3 countries in between.
I am also REALLY bad at writing online introductions, you just have to sort of get to know me as we go (that’s why I posted my dKos handle, for those of you who may have seen my posts over there).
Feel free to ask me anything, I’ll usually answer, and if I pose a question, unless I explicitly say so, it is NOT rhetorical and I AM interested in what you think! 😉
Thanks for the warm welcome diane — have you heard anything from/about your friend in Iraq??
Welcome and glad to have you hear.
I think you did a great job of online intro. and you will fit right in here.
As to my friend in Iraq, no I haven’t heard from her yet, still waiting, but I do have a little better feeling about her than the other day. I am feeling she is alive, I don’t know about the well part. Thanks for asking and I hope you and others will send your thoughts to her as I feel many already have.
have been headed that way specifically for her since I read your dairy about her….I try to send some each day in general, but she has her own specific channel now! 😉
I do hope that you’ll keep us posted!
BTW we have quite a lot of Austin tribbers here. Among them are Janet Strange and Sandra Blanca.
Sandra sent me this recently, and I still haven’t made time to send her a nice thank you.
“DemocracyFest 2005 (DemFest), which is sponsored by Democracy for Texas and My Vote is My Voice, will be held June 17-19 in Austin. (The DemFest organizers are expecting 1,000 attendees.)
Several of us Austinites who post on Booman and DailyKos have organized a Bloggers’ Caucus for June 17.”
I was just at a meeting yesterday with the Austin folk — bunch of nice people! They are doing a great job organizing stuff for DemFest but from what I understand (NOW, I didn’t understand it before I went to the meeting) is that it is much like an acadademic conference (which is why it costs $$ to get in and participate)…so, I won’t be there, but it will be intersting to hear about!
I posted this diary about DemFest back in April. In the comments of this diary you suggested that alerts of this type belong in the regional threads.
I got miffed. (Newbies, the exchange about this between BooMan and I is about as close as we get around here to a tiff. If you don’t want to click through, here was his response:
See, much nicer response to miffed-ness.)
But, ummmm, BooMan, you never thanked me for posting a diary about it, and now you’re going to thank Sandia Blanca? Harrumph. (See below, I’ve had a bad day. Easily miffed.)
[Sandia Blanca, if you stumble across this, thanks so much for your tireless efforts to alert people to DemFest. Really. I’m just teasing BooMan.]
Let’s stop quibbling, and start Tribbling! For all who will be at Demfest 2005, please be sure to drop by our caucus– Friday at 5:00 p.m., in the Chapel and Huston-Tillotson University. We have some great speakers planned– come help us figure out more ways that we can use the mighty power of the blogosphere to take our country back.
Possibly noted before on dkos, but we have some things in common. I’m also raising 2 boys (1 15yo stepson, 1 3yo son), I’m also (too often avoiding) writing a dissertation, and I think I even keep pace with your nomadism, except I started in Kansas and am now in North Carolina. Oh, but my best friend lives in Austin.
This is so cool!! We even got to dkos the same way — maura’s post on that damable idoit in VA — so gald he went down in flames, due in no small part to maura’s efforts, no doubt!!
Where in NC are you? I lived in Blacksburg for many a year (up in VA) — I miss the mountains!
We need to finish these degrees so that the next time someone disses (pun intended), we can say:
that’s DR. Bitch to you, thank you very much!!
(I can’t wait to use that one!! I think I just found my motivation for tomorrow!! Heh! )
. . . . mine was that I could go to spend the summer at Wood’s Hole if I finished by June (’88). Defense on Tuesday, dissertation delivered to the Grad Student Office Friday and on the plane to MA Saturday morning.
And yes, one of the nicest things about having done it is that I can think – though I haven’t actually said it out loud, “that’s DR. Bitch . . .” I do my best to project the attitude when the situation calls for it, anyway.
(As you probably would have guessed from meeting me.)
When I was working on mine, my biggest distraction was an addiction to playing Shanghai on the computer. At Wood’s Hole I sent a fellow grad student still at work on hers a postcard that said, “Amy, quit playing Shanghai and get to work!” When I got back her husband told me that she was actually playing Shanghai when he handed her the postcard. 🙂
So . . . onward, brinnaine. Keep plugging away (and beware Shanghai) and join the DR. Bitch! sisterhood. I hereby commit to buying you a beer at the Texas Chili Parlor when you pass your defense.
Thanks for the motivation! I’m finishing my PharmD, and wishing it were done…”That’s Dr. Bitch to you” is the perfect thing to keep me going onward with a smile and a laugh!!
One reason I wandered over to this diary was to find out who brinnaine is, since you mentioned you’d taken a new screen name. Imagine my surprise to find out that not only do I know you online – I met you out in the “real world” just yesterday!
Glad to see you here. (Off to give you some more 4’s. TU status before you know it!) Big Texas welcome, deepinthe . . . er, brinnaine.
Hi all,
Actually I’ve had a BooMan ID for a while, but always lurked. The recent contretemps at dKos has me looking at alternative blogs and I’ve always enjoyed reading BooMan.
Anyway, I’m female, 34, live in the DC metro area. I’m a web programmer for an association. Single, living with BF and 2 cats.
I’m not much of a commenter and mostly my comments are sarcastic and snarky. But I love to read and expand my mind. Glad to be here where I can get back to doing that rather than defending my innocuous comments from flames.
hey mlk, I like snarky and sarcastic..sometimes a good sarcastic comment can be spot on to a certain subject…and we can’t be completely serious all the time or we’d go nuts-at least I would.
Is that number your area code perchance. Wecome to the site and there are plenty of ‘snarky’ type comments made here so you will fit right in.
I am glad you came out of the closet and let us know who you are. I am hoping you will feel free to make all the innocuous comments you wish.
Hi Diane,
Thanks for the warm welcome.
19569 is actually my employee number from my last job. It was practically tattooed on you at orientation and I was at that job for almost 7 years. And it is a fairly unique # so it made it easy to attach with my initials.
My real name is Meredith, BTW.
Glad to be here.
Psst, Diane, I bet she has a May birthday like us, and its not her zip code…just my guess, anyway!
Duh, if I’d waited a little longer I wouldn’t have guessed…
CabinGirl you are close, but I have an April birthday. I’m cuspian Aries/Taurus. 🙂
Thanks for the welcome wagon.
I’m a 35 year old molecular biologist currently at home with my daughter. She has some needs the schools couldn’t meet, so I’m homeschooling her while my husband teaches at the public school. So pretty much every time we’re at a party discussing “the state of American education” we have both sides upset!
I have Senator Salazar on speed dial. I once called Allard’s office claiming the Rapture had come and I wanted to know if he was left behind with us.
And I wrote a diary on dKos called the Democratic Women’s Insurrection Forum, which Bodicca referred to the next day in her now famous diary. So I feel a little scorched right now.
I am delighted to be here. Thanks again.
What did they say at Allard’s office??
I may call of few of my lovely TX “reps.” (I must always put that in quotes these days, representative, as if!!) and ask the same thing…
Especially now that Perry has basically said if you are homosexual and don’t like it here, you can go live somewhere else (nice, eh?) — I really want to start bothering these people with the kind of call/attitude you’ve expressed….and and all suggestions will be enthusiasically accepted!
If Catnip and moiv show up, by tomorrow I won’t even remember that things have been shaken and stirred. Cool.
I think she may already be a member here but rarely posts. If she isn’t someone should send her an invitation. Don’t know about moiv.
Thanks, zander!
I would love to see moiv here too — I want to be just like her when I grow up, she does amazing work!
I have catnip’s email and was thinking of sending her an invite, but thought I could wait a few days, as she may need some space right now. Of course, I don’t think she knows me from Adam (what does that mean anyway??) so if someone else who knows her better would do it, it might mean more…
Thank you kindly, but moiv, as we say down in East Texas, has done been here for a while now. 🙂
For the last couple of months I’ve been too taken up with the nefarious doings of the Texas Lege to do much of anything but drop by for an occasional read. Then my father became ill and was hospitalized, so for the last week or so I’ve been out of town and entirely out of touch.
Imagine my surprise upon getting back “home” to dKos, and finding that they’d been ignoring the smell of smoke for so long that the house had finally caught fire.
It’s a shame, all of it, and I mean that literally as well as figuratively.
But like the late, great Minnie Pearl, I’m just so proud to be here.
Oh, the TX Lege…that’s a whole ‘nother diary/story (btw, what is in the “stories” tab here?? I guess I could go look, but I just though of it!).
How is your father? I hope he is healing well and that you are not too drained from your travels…
Wow, do you ever make me feel special!
Dad is home as of today — after the doctors realized that he was continuously nauseated because of the drugs they were giving him on an empty stomach. (Which is pretty typical of hospitals, sad to say)
Thanks for the good thoughts. He will need them, but we’re hoping he continues to recover well.
‘done been here for a while now’ – now I know I love this place. You don’t know me at all, but I always looked for you on DK, and valued your contributions. That the goings on in Texas are keeping you busy is no surprise, but I’m sorry to hear that your father is ill.
for both sentiments.
glad your dad is on the mend!
And you desrve to feel special! I hope we can meet someday (until then, I will admire you from afar *grink*)!
A good friend of mine’s mother was driven almost insane (yes, literally) and permanently physically incapacitated because of the cocktail of drugs she was being prescribed by various doctors….she’s ok now, but yeesh, aren’t they supposed to KNOW about these kinds of things??
It is a sad day, when “buyer beware” applies even to medical care!
is a helluva concept. Here’s hoping it catches on some of these days.
I also hope we’ll make it face-to-face sometime. I’m sorry to be missing the doings in Austin this month, but family’s first — and after all this time away from the clinic, I need to do a lick or two of work, too. 😉
Hi nice to have you here and we need a biologist on this site, I am sure.
Glad to hear you are home schooling, I always wanted to, but then it was too difficult at the time.
I did the next best thing, I had two home births with a midwife.
I look forward to more comments from you and thanks for joining this site.
you’re not going to believe this, but I had 2 midwife-assisted homebirths too!
We have had many coincidences haven’t we. Maybe it is a Taurus thing.
In my case they were my 4th and 5th child, last of which was age 39, and I had totally had it with the hospital methods of birthing. I would rather have had my babies on the street than go into hospital to have one.
My former father-in-law was one of 10 kids; the first 9 were born at home. Number 10 was born in the hospital, and when mom came home from that, she had nothing good to say about the experience, except that she’d never do that again!
to say that I’m a huge homebirth advocate … even though I haven’t had one myself (yet!) Just one birth so far, hospital, complicated by PROM, lucky to escape un-sectioned, wish we’d been at home with a good, hands-off midwife, but oh well, live and learn!
Oh, and I’m now living in North Carolina, where homebirth midwifery is illegal. So my work is cut out for me!
OK, I’ll barge, too. I’m a homebirth advocate, but a bit of a hypocrite. Homebirth is hard to come by around here; CNMs are the only midwives who are licensed in IL, and few outside the Chicago area do homebirths. I contacted a group of DEMs when I was pregnant with G., but just couldn’t bring myself to stop worrying about what would happen to them in case I had to head to the hospital after all. So G. was caught by the CNM at the hospital in our neighborhood; I went there late in labor and we went home ASAP afterwards–it was great, as hospital births go. (It helped that G. was kind enough to keep her hands down at her sides, unlike her big brother of the enormous head and nuchal elbow . . . that birth put me in the “lucky to escape un-sectioned” category as well. :-P)
Short version: I envy y’all your homebirths . . .
You’re not a hypocrite; it sounds like you made the best choice for your situation. I had a lay midwife (with a non-interventionist backup OB-GYN), and I was lucky, my guys came headfirst with about 6 hours of labor start to finish!
this ? Nancy Koerber, CPM (North Carolina Midwifery Alliance President) discusses meetings last month with The Executive Board and President of the NC Medical Society.
Grrr – seeing my nephew born naturally was one of the most profound days of my life.
I tend to disappear when the flames start shooting out, so although I read Catnip’s diary this morning, I don’t know about yours: “the Democratic Women’s Insurrection Forum, which Bodicca referred to the next day in her now famous diary.”
Would it reactivate the scorching to describe these and the reactions thereto, in 25 words or less?
Not morbid curiosity, just trying to understand some of the weirdness that’s been going on of late. Maybe it has to do with sun spots, or something.
Democratic Women’s Insurrection Forum (main points)
The fact this got lots of comments shows how strained we felt as women. So we talked a lot about the bias in the site.
Next morning, Boudicca’s diary pointed out that in the context of women feeling less valued, the Pie Fight ad was another slap in the face. While many pointed out this was not a sex issue but a respect issue, it was too juicy for many to pass up.
So they attacked us as frigid burka-covetors, had long conversations about many purile things and posted links to porn sites.
Then Kos came and told us off, so I left.
That’s pretty succinct. Thanks.
I seem to remember reading somewhere that many/most of the early Kosters were/are military, and there is a strong such presence there. It’s valuable in many ways, in discussions of what’s happening, but I am, when all is said and done, very wary of the military/authoritarian mindset.
the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
Oh frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!”
He chortled in his joy.
—————————
Okay so neither of us is male.
Hello and welcome to our newest newbies so far. I believe you’ll like hanging out here(until someone starts throwing pies and boobs around of course).
I happen to be feeling brain dead right now and can’t think of anything else to write, so again welcome to all. How’s that diane for a truly boring welcome..hope I didn’t scare anyone off thinking the people here or at least me are a bit dimwitted.
OK, OK diane101 – I was trying to keep a low profile while I meandered around and got to know this place, but here goes…
First, thanks for the invite over at womenkossacks, and for the personal attention here the moment I arrived. Very cool – even though I’m shy and tend to lurk more than I hop in. I’m a Canadian chick, and a dKos refugee. I’ve bounced around a lot in my life – lived in the US, travelled all over. I can’t think of any relevant ways to classify myself – I’m definitely an odd ball that defies easy description.
I’m a bit of a flake, and tend to be more interested in media, culture and religion than political strategy or economic issues. Oh, I try – but then my eyes glaze over, I hang my head in shame and move on.
OK – I’ve stressed over my little intro enough now – there’s reading to do. Thanks again – I have the feeling I’ll like it here.
I am trying to write a personal note to all newcomers, and it’s starting to get a little ahead of me, but I will try. I sure hope oldtimers will jump in now and then and do some welcoming themselves.
I am so glad you accepted my invitation and came on over here and then posted a comment on this diary.
Just relax, the pace of this site is generally pretty slow and thoughtful.
Just to add, we love our Booman here and it is to him we owe a debt for creating this great site and allowing us to participate in the direction it is taking.
So enjoy and comment often. We are not too critical here at all, and mostly allow all to have their say.
Yeah Canada!!!!
Hi and thanks for the invitation. I am 41 and an educator. I love history and literature and politics conceived broadly. I consider myself a progressive, not an unwavering Democrat, but I am able to see the value in “popular front” alliances.
I didn’t know what a blog was until the Dean campaign. From the Dean blog, I drifted over to Daily Kos, which I liked for a long time because of the diaries and the often incisive political analysis. I realize that I get just about 100% of my news these days online–can’t even count on NPR any more!
I’ve been getting turned off from Dkos for a while, for all the reasons that have been much discussed over the past couple of days. The recent flare-up makes that site seem like a waste of my time now. I am looking for other sites that are smart, informative and more thoughtful.
Thanks again for the recommendation to come over here.
I’m sngmama; I’ve read here (and liked it!) a few times, but decided to sign up after getting Diane’s invite at womenkossacks–thanks! I was a pretty infrequent poster on dKos, since, as a mathematician, I like to say things carefully and precisely, and, well, that takes more time than I have most days. But I like to read and give 4’s to people who say things I wish I’d said.
What else? I’m 41; I’m a professor at a small college in IL; my husband and I have two kids, S and G (hence the name–plus, I like to sing). I’m one of those progressive Christians who’s learning to speak up more (raised UCC; currently an ELCA member because that’s what’s big here) and have been a feminist for longer than I knew what the word meant. (Thanks, Mom!)
Hope that’s enough of an intro–thanks for the welcome.
grab one of our fine crystal glasses and we’ll all drink a toast. . .(oh, all right, yes they are really plastic champagne flutes. . .we’re on a budget you know)
As Elder Stateswoman of Booman Trib, I want to officially welcome all of you and say how great it is to see the influx. We try very hard to have civil conversation here and it is not our way to treat each other disrespectfully no matter how much we may disagree on any particular issue.
Hope you will like it here and contribute as much and as often as you like. We look forward to seeing you here often.
Welcome!
Shirl
and thanks for the warm welcome!!
[tips plastic flute in salute]
Me too! I just love Alby. . .he’s my main man. And there are a lot of quotable quotes for me to use yet.
Glad to see you here and I hope you will find it a wecome and fun place to be. I think you will find that the folks here really do read your comments and diaries and are interested in understanding your points of view.
Have Fun. . .and if Diane can pimp her diary, you can go see my “Beautiful Day” diary right here. . .LOL
just a click away
I was born and raised down in Alabama
On a farm way back up in the woods
I was so ragged the folks used call me patches
Papa used to teas me about it
But deep down inside
He was hurt because he done all he could do
When he tried to get up life would kick him back down
One day papa called me to his dyin bed
Put his hands on my shoulders And in tears he said
Patches, I’m depending on you son
To pull the family through My son, it’s all left up to you
So I started reading Booman Tribune and Daily Kos. It has really turned things around for me. No one calls me Patches anymore. Now, I’m Muledriver.
Ok, Ok, you said “have some fun.”
Someone who will jump right in and join the eclectic gathering here!
Good to see you speaking up! Toast to all of you newbies, and oldies!
May you have warm words on a cold evening,
A full moon on a dark night,
And the road downhill all the way to your door.
L’Chaim!
Another Kos refuge checking in here. You guys are so welcoming! I might even divulge a bit about myself, which I rarely do on blogs. I’m 59, a midwesterner all my life, living in Prairie Village, Ks. which is right over the state line from Kansas City, Mo. I’m divorced, the mother of a wonderful 21 year old son, and I earn my living by writing novels and short stories. It was Howard Dean who brought me into politics for the first time and it is blogs that have kept me fascinated by it. I don’t do diaries, partly because it uses up writing energy I need for paying the mortgage, but mostly because I’m a lot more interested in hearing what all of you smart people have to teach me!
Now we have at least 3 kansas members, Ghostdancer and KansasNate so welcome.
Interesting that you earn your living from writing. There are so many would or could be writers on this site and I am one of them. Written several books but never published, never tried to, but lately I’ve been getting the itch again.
I know what you mean about writing energy tho, sometimes I feel that I am writing a book on this site with many chapters, but maybe someday I will just scoop them up and make a book.
Perhaps you will tell us how you broke into the published writing arena.
Welcome!!!!
Hey! This is great, another writer. Count me in the fold, a writer on the edge of publishing. . .coming soon I hope.
I guess it makes great sense that those of us with a passion for words would be blogging. Whatever the reasons, there are many wonderful writers here, professionals or not and it is part of what makes this all so interesting and worthwhile.
Please to meet you Kansas!
Shirl of many words
Thank you! Pleased to meet you, too, though I’ve “met” your name on Kos many times before. This is downright fun to see so many Kossacks turn (or already turned) into Booman–acks? What do you call yourselves?
Damn smart, real passionate, beautiful people who care about all the important stuff. Boomers? Never heard anyone mention it. So I guess just the best and the brightest, eh?
Ha! I knew I was giving you a great straight line and you came through. The best and the brightest, it is.
I’ve used BooTribbers, but nothing has emerged as a frontrunner for names. We casually refer to this place as the frog pond, either way WELCOME EVERYONE!
Or simply Tribbers (I was not the first to come up with it).
I like “Tribbles.” But then again, I am a bit of a sci-fi geek. But, like the fuzzy balls from Star Trek, we do keep multiplying.
What’s hilarious is that as soon as I read Tribbles, I knew that you were making a Star Trek reference. Oh man, punch a hole in my Geek card. I thought I was getting better after my Lord of the Rings addiction ended last year. Apparently not 😛
I find on all liberal blogs a lot of people are sci fi nuts. You’re not a geek, you’re home, among friends..god help us.
Sure, I’d be happy to tell publishing stories. If anybody has specific questions, just e me. (Leave in the first “n” and take out the nospam.)
Hi, Kansas, and welcome.
I think I’ve read some of your work. Nice to see another fictionista here.
The brouhaha on Kos has all the makings of a good story, don’t you think? Conflict, tension, plot twists, plenty of “characters,” heroines, heroes, and villians, and now. . .this happy resolution for some of us.
I was born and raised in small-town Kansas, and have kin all over the northeast part of the state, including one brother right there in Prairie Village (which name cracks me up as it is so very much NEITHER). I’ve seen your username often on dkos, and I’m glad to see it here!
And I agree, a frog in the pond is worth a two flying pigs.
Thank you and back atcha! I’ll be darned, another Kansan. Wouldn’t it be funny if I knew your brother? And, yeah, I LOVE the name Prairie Village because it’s so funny.
Ok, Ok, mea culpa. I’ve been lurking around until today (other than having a discussion with BooMan about Philly barbershops a while back). So here it goes:
I’m 45, an environmental chemist, Italian-American, originally from Philly, then went to grad school at UNC-Chapel Hill where I met the Mrs. We moved to Kansas City (where she’s from) for 13 years, then took a job transfer to Cincinnati. Only after a year the company moved their environmental operations from Cincinnati to Oak Ridge, TN. So now I’ve been in Knoxville for 7 years or so.
We have two sons; one’s a sophomore in college at Rochester Institute of Technology majoring in electrical engineering when he’s not running around with the campus Socialists. The other is a sophomore in high school interested in computer security and anime.
The Mrs. is now Dr. Dem-in-Knoxville, after going back to school to get her degree as a veterinarian.
Other than environmental issues, I enjoy jazz, good food, a hike in the woods, and ice hockey. Ex-Catholic; now more a Taoist ecophilosopher than anything else. Guess that covers it for now…
In addition to all the pets, we have a goldfish pond out front where a green frog has taken up residence. Found out it was a green frog by going here, where you can not only see photos of various species but hear what they sound like as well. Anyone else have frogs about?
Clearly, you were meant to be here. It is karma!
Last year frogs kept trying to invade the house. 3 times they succeeded before being trapped and released back outside. And twice I accidently caught a frog in the sliding glass door while closing it. Both survived.
They are all back this year as I can hear them at night in the backyard but so far they are still in the planning stage of their invasion. Although they have begun testing the strength of the glass by throwing themselves against the door.
I tried to use that site to id them, but I am usually too busy freaking out to pay attention to how they look. And none of them sounded like our frogs.
Tonight’s home invader was a lizard, possibly acting as a scout for the frogs. He was promptly captured and released with a stern warning to not return.
I live in the tropics (HK) in a block of flats with the sea on one side and a jungle mountainside(literally) at the back. All sorts come in through my back window including some very creepy things indeed..eeek. But not anymore, thanks to my lizard. I call him wall dragon (cantonese slang) and he is cute. Green. Big bulging feed me eyes and so fast he can circle the room in a flash. He eats everything, or chases it away, that tries to sneak in my house. No more roaches, snakes, centipedes, ugh I jus can’t go on.
He’s my little ferocious hero. I love him and he becomes more tame by the day. He’ll eat biscuit crumbs, meat etc out of my hand. I suspect he keeps my trash in check too (eats the edible bits).
Lizards in the house was a way of life. Couldn’t keep them out. I lived very close to a bannana plantation.
I never had a trained one tho, that is awesome.
RIT ’74
Seems like I fall in that magic 40 to 60 range. I recently had that horrific experience of looking in the mirror and seeing my mother looking back at me. Ack!
I’m here because of the pie wars. Henceforth, when referring to time on dkos it will be known as BPW (before pie wars) and APW.
I really don’t know who I am and I completely suck at introductions. Honestly, though you can’t see it, I have broken out into a cold sweat much like the first day of school.
I still have no idea what I want to be when I grow up…hence I often feel paralyzed and afraid to venture out into the real world lest I fail. Hey, at least I can say I never failed at anything…right? right? I know, pathetic.
Anyway, be gentle with me, or, if you want, kick my ass around for being such a whiner. Lord knows I need it.
Peace.
I love it:
You will fit right in here! Most of us have no intention of growing up in the first place. . .and since we are all “becoming” who we are, you are in just the right place.
You will be feeling right at home here before you know it. And unlike other places, we hope you won’t feel intimidated and worried about commenting or posting diaries here. We Welcome You!
L’Chaim!
Shirl
Hi All!
I’m another dKos refuge. I live in a very rural part of San Diego County. I have two kids – gradeschoolers, that are the center of my planet and I am an accountant.
I’m so happy to be here with all of you!
Your name says it all! Dream of Peace, indeed!
Welcome, and come on in, the water’s fine.
Shirl
to all the new members. It’s nice that some good (for us) things came out of the mess down the hall. It’s an ill sow that blows no silver linings out of their ears or something like that.
Anyway, I’m sure you’ll all like the site, and find a nice home here, or at least a resting place. While we do sometimes have disagreements, we’re pretty friendly overall… and one big difference I’ve noticed here the few times there have been issues… instead of a bunch of “get over yourselves” diaries being posted, someone is more likely to post a “let’s talk about it” diary, or make comments to that effect. That works much better, I think. Mostly, we all try and take care of each other. Okay, so it’s mostly diane101 and shirlstars that does that, but we help.
I notice some of you have interests other than political strategies and horse races and so on… I hope you’ll feel comfortable posting about those. Building a progressive majority or a political/social movement is more than just about the latest politics… without the glue and understanding that binds people together, in all our differences and commonalities, we’ll never be as effective a force as we need to be. In my opinion anyway.
Plus, I’m nosy and like to see what people think of matters and how they view the world, but we won’t mention that.
Nanette, thanks, that was priceless:
I’m loving your mixed metaphors.
And I’m glad that you’re interested in topics other than politics, because I am too and that’s generally what I write diaries about. But I was always somewhat nervous about the reception they’d get so I tried to tie them into something political.
My interests are with gender issues, poverty, workplace issues, mental health, motherhood, pulling yourself up by the bootstraps and that kind of thing.
I’m so looking forward to this place.
Or..a bird in the hand gathers no moss….or something like that.
Thanks 😉 I can never get them right anyway (or the punch lines of jokes, sigh) so I figured I’d just make up my own.
Your topics sound wonderful, I do hope you post on those. For one thing, there are probably people who have never experienced any of those issues who really should know about them, as well as others that live them daily, who could add commentary and personal experience.
One of Booman’s stated goals of the site is to help elect Democratic politicians, but of course there is so much that leads up to an election, including influencing the debate among friends and family, and knowledge of issues and so on. We should be as well shored up as possible, not only on the latest political hoopla, but on the matters that affect individuals in their daily lives. I’ll look forward to seeing your diaries.
I apologize for grabbing the steering wheel out of your hands. . .but you know how I am. . .the warrior thing and all.
Your turn to drive for a while.
Hugs,
Shirl
don’t leave yet, I am tired from writing all the comments, so please or someone else come in here and say hi to all our new friends.
Thanks Shirl, I was hoping someone would help me out.
You know what a sucker I am for a damsel in distress. . .
I’ll keep an eye out for the new ones just crossing the bridge. . .Hark, what footfall hear I upon the boards?
A raven on me shoulder and champagne in me hand. . .
36yo ABD anthropologist, specializing in South Korean feminist activism, passionate about promoting breastfeeding and improving maternity care (especially homebirth) in the U.S., married 10 years and raising a 15yo stepson and 3yo son, born and raised in Kansas and living in North Carolina. Joined dkos around about February of this year (led there by a Maura in VA diary about a bill in VA to require the reporting of miscarriages). I’ve linked to Booman before, but am joining today in direct response to the weekend’s upheaval at dkos.
But what does the ABD stand for?
I have a BA in History and Anthropology (double major). The Anthropology major was very general, covering the basics of all four fields. My wife also majored in Anthropology (she doubled in Anthro and Communications). I’m substitute teaching right now, and haven’t decided if I’m going to go back and do a Masters and/or teaching credential. I think high school students could use anthropology courses, especially in our diverse society and with the world shrinking so quickly, so I have considered doing a Masters in Anthropology education, creating a high school anthro curriculum. With NCLB crushing the school systems across the country, I doubt I would have much success finding a school to let me implement such a curriculum, so I worry such an endeavor would largely be an exercise in futility. Then again, who knows what the situation will be in 4 or 5 years.
My dream job would actually be something completely different: voice acting/voice overs. I’m sending out recordings to agencies this summer (if I can ever fully kick this cold/flu that has been lingering for almost a month).
Anyhow, nice to have another anthropologist onboard.
All but dissertation….
[raises hand]
After much blood sweat tears and, oh, yeah, DEBT!! these three letters get transformed into these three:
Ph.D.
😉
I’ve been fighting with the ID people waaay tooo much.
I saw that and immediately thought “*A*nybody *B*ut *D*arwin and hit cognitive dissonance when I read “anthropologist.”
To my credit I figgered it out all on my little own.
Sheesh I need some mental floss.
Thanks for the welcome–I’m looking for a new on-line home. I signed up here a couple of days ago, and after that front page post by Kos last night, I decided I’d follow his advice and go elsewhere. This seems like a nice place and the format does look familiar.
I’m 57 and I’m an elderly grad student at Boston University. I returned to school in the 90s after spending 20 or so mind-numbing years in secretarial work. I’m poor, but happy. I’m working on a Ph.D. in developmental psych, and hope to finish by next year. Then, who knows?
I’ve always been a political junkie, so it’s great to be able to work at home and take breaks by going on line and discussing politics. I’m looking forward to checking this place out!
Ann
Very glad to see you here! Good for you and your grad student status. . .me too. A few years older than you but looking forward to finishing that dang thesis in a few months. And who cares what comes next? It will be exciting and purposeful and well worth the effort.
Hope you will find this a fun and knowledgeable place of great interest. We look forward to hearing more from you and about you.
If you should happen to fall in the frog pond, just holler, I’m a certified life guard. . .lol
Er. . .that is what they meant when they said I was “certifiable”, wasn’t it?
Hey thanks, Shirlstars. Glad to meet another grad student. I’m happy to be here and looking forward to to settling in. I appreciate the welcome.
Lots of stressful things going on – none really major, but it adds up. Read Kos’s rant last night before going to bed and the BooMan’s defense of him this morning. I think that was a lot of why I was depressed. Spent some time thinking about why blogwars would have such an emotional effect on me.
(Conclusions I came to would take too much space to go into.)
Anyway, day was not improved when as I was turning, the jerk in the car behind me screamed out “Fucking LIBERAL!!!!!” (My bumperstickers are “Left Has Never Been So Right” and “Ethics Reform Now – No More DeLay!”)
But seeing BooMan’s thoughtful response to the comments (and the thoughtful comments, too) on his “defense” diary cheered me up some. So different from Kos’s “don’t let the door hit you on the way out” attitude. Reminds me why I’m here.
And now seeing all of these great new members, I’m feeling much better now. WELCOME!!!
About me (again, since I’ve posted to several of these before):
Biology prof at a community college in Austin Texas. 56 years old. Single (well, sort of, never bothered to get divorced, but separated for years so it comes to the same thing). College age (amazing, wonderful in every way, can you tell I’m a proud mamma?) daughter. Austin Kossack – but I’m the one at the meetings that pops up periodically and says, “And BooFolk!” (If you click the link, note that the logos on our brand new blog, created just last night by LookinForward, include BooMan Tribune.)
Now gotta go hand out some more 4’s.
If it’s any consolation, you made my day better by seeing you online. I meant to tell you, but I tried that Tomatillo recipe last weekend, and it was GREAT. Thx for sharing it.
or the tomatillos are ripe. I made it this weekend too. And thanks to doodlebug who came through with the recipe.
Well, you made my day a whole lot better seeing your post here! Good job. Very glad you are hanging out at the frog pond. Count me as a fan of yours. And keep those words coming our way.
sooner or…
In the intrim,
all things webbed…
http://ctamp.homestead.com/ThreadCityXingFrogs.html
by a thread…
http://www.zippythepinhead.com/media/CT.FrogBridge.Road.jpg
I’ve been a perpetual lurker at DKos in the past, only posted a couple of diaries that were crossposts from here, so many of you may not know me from pond scum. You’ll usually find me ranting about border issues since I am here in Tucson, Arizona. I’m a 7th generation Arizonan, 24yo with a Bachelors in Religious Studies from the University of Arizona. I’m a mix of mostly Mexican blood with a drop of Italian, French and Apache. I’ve always been interested in politics and the blogs have provided an outlet for me to learn, debate and try to change the world. I’m happy to see you all here and look forward to interacting. Here’s a link to my original “Tell us about you” post many diaries ago. You should check out the series via Diane101’s diary page to see the diverse group here.
Wow… so many new folks this weekend and I’m super happy to see all of you here, esp you “patches” 🙂
Name is “soj” and that’s about all I can tell you about myself, for a variety of reasons. I don’t “fit in” here too well but then again I don’t fit in almost anywhere 🙂
I was born in the USA and am American but currently live in Romania. It’s a strange and mysterious country but I love it very, very much.. and I’m not sure if I’ll ever be able to leave it! My folks live in Costa Rica.. so the entire family is quite unusual.
I’ve been with DKos for more than two years now and been here at Boo’s place since about the beginning as well.. but some of you may have never “met” me before.
I write mostly about international issues, American foreign policy and geopolitical events outside the borders of the United States. Sounds like a “dry” or “boring” topic at first, but if you give me a chance I think you might find its more relevant and interesting than you thought 🙂
I’ve never done this before but I think now is as good as time as any to explain the name “soj”.
First, it is most definitely inspired by the feminist Sojourner Truth, who spoke with incredible courage at a time when she was a double non-entity – both black and a woman. Her speeches and statements are online and if you look at the date she spoke them, it just amazes me that anyone could speak “truth to power” at a time when the mentality was so different.. and so hostile to what she had to say. That’s real courage and it inspires me daily to stand up for and to say what’s right.
Secondly, I like the second part of her name, which is “truth”. And that’s something that inspires me every day, to speak the truth on the issues I feel are important.
Third, the word “sojourner” comes from an old Latin root, which means someone who “sojourns”, or to be a “temporary traveler”. Since I’ve traveled all my life and been a temporary resident everywhere I’ve lived, I am indeed a living sojourner. It’s also a semi-synonymn with the word “pilgrim” and I often feel like my entire life has been a pilgrimage.
Fourth, “The Sojourner” by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, is one of the most profound and moving books I’ve ever read in my life. I regret to say my copy of this book is in a box in the USA now, but I’ve read it dozens and dozens of times and the story is in my heart if not on my bookshelf.
I first got “online” back in 1985 when the “internet” was not in its current form but consisted of other systems, from FIDOnet to Comp-U-Serv.. and while it’s hard to believe its been 20 years now, that’s how long I’ve been interacting with people via a modem. And so I’ve also spent the last 20 years “sojourning” through that world as well…
So.. now you know 😉
And once again, a big hearty welcome to all new members! Unlike any other site, your voice here counts the same as everyone else’s.. so don’t be intimidated by the “older” users.. please comment and Diary as much as you feel inspired to do so!
Pax
SOJ I really enjoyed your anniversary diary tonight, you have lead a fascinating life and I will go to your blog when I get a free moment. . .that Diane has kept me busy pouring champagne all night, but I will get there.
Very glad you are here and I can’t wait to hear more about your adventures in Romania.
Shirl
I am so happy to make your acquaintance. I’ve seen your name around, but not known anything about you until tonight.
I did a trip to Romania a couple of years ago, and think I understand a little of what you mean by `strange and mysterious’. I spent a couple of weeks driving around the country, from the western border with Hungary, to Cluj, Brasov – down to Bucharest and back along the Danube. I fell in love with something, though I’d be hard-pressed to pin it down exactly. I’ve travelled a lot, but some of my most poignant memories are of the country you’ve made your home. I’ve thought of going back, this time using Bucharest or Constanta as a base and doing trips to Moldova and Bulgaria too.
Anyway, now that I’m here – I hope to get to know you better. If that trip ever comes together, I’ll no doubt hound you for information and be a nuisance.
My gosh! Feel free to hound me all you like! Wow.. I highly recommend you base yourself in either Cîmpulung Mold. or Suceava just so you can see the wonderful sights in Bucovina (in Romanian Moldova.. near Iaşi) in the NE part of the country.. My friend’s mother has a super good buddy who lives in Cîmpulung and she promised to take me there.. it’s a UN Heritage site!
As for Cluj-Napoca, that’s where I live, so howdy! 🙂
And for anyone else who is looking to get away to Europe and see both the old and new wrapped into one, you really can’t find a better deal than Romania.. of course I’m super-biased but I’m still right 😉
Pax
.
Great cultures, must tell us more of your city and new home. What are your feelings about EU entry in 2007, and positive effect on economy.
Universitatea BABEŞ-BOLYAI
Cluj-Napoca
Oui – Liberté – Egalité – Fraternité
What a place. I’ve been tempted to hop into your anniversary diary, and share some of my thoughts about tough, intelligent, multi-lingual women trapped in poverty with no future in sight, but I’ve seen hints in other threads about a potential controversy brewing, and frankly I haven’t had the nerve yet. I’m still settling in here.
Excuse my geographical ignorance, but the places you mentioned are on the east side of the Carpathians, right? Sigh – I did have a longing to go to that region, couldn’t squeeze it in and still get back to Budapest for a flight.
Hi all, nice place you’ve got here. 🙂 I’m 64, retired RN, partnered lesbian and mother of another lesbian who just had her first beautiful rainbow baby, Both Moms and babe doing well in spite of a premature arrival, whew! Also have one straight daughter who has a daughter of her own in law school now. I am grateful for a spinal disability that dragged my sorry butt out of a tough profession before it suceeded in killing me, and I am enjoying life more than ever, even on a small income. FREEDOM!!! Outside of being a political junkie, I love creating and directing musical stage productions for novice actors among the elderly and disabled, and never stop marveling at the power of creative energy to change lives.
There is a nice feel to this blog, a welcome relief right now after a tough few days down the blog hallway that has left me rather discouraged and sad. I’ve seen things change so much for women in my time but oh geeze, do we have a long way yet to go. Glad to be here.
Okay, this is going to be a little tricky to see if I can graciously, if necessary, relenquish my title as Booman Elder Stateswoman. I am glad you are here and I am glad to welcome another sister lesbian. You have a great attitude about your disability, and I can so relate to it. I took early retirement from my job before it did me in physically also. Doing fine now, so I know it was a good decision.
At any rate, I have been pretty tenaciously strutting around in my elders statewoman’s position here, so I’ll have to just ask you. . .I will be 65 in 3 months. . . can I hang on to my title or am I about to hand it over to you?
(Really, I will be gracious about it. . .)
Your creative stage production work sounds wonderful.
We really do welcome you here. And look forward to hearing more from you.
>>At any rate, I have been pretty tenaciously strutting around in my elders statewoman’s position here, so I’ll have to just ask you. . .I will be 65 in 3 months. . . can I hang on to my title or am I about to hand it over to you?
Oh no, please, NO! No more titles for me, EVER! (I’ll hit 65 in Sept, so we’re pretty close!) I am just so pleased, overall, to discover so many older women out here and actively raising wise and wondrous hell!
ONward, sistah!
I’m Recordkeeper, and I’m also a Pie War refugee. Actually, it might be more accurate to say “veteran.” I did see some rather heavy combat today, and well… oh, it’s only a flesh wound. I’ll survive.
I move from domicile to domicile with my husband, a Marine Corps officer, and my wee daughter. I’m a psychic-intuitive and healing facilitator. I like walks on the beach and sunsets. My favorite color is… Oh, you get the idea.
We are so happy to have you and all the other refugees here. And wow do we have a lot in common.
I am a healer of the heart facilitator, spiritual intuitive,channeler, and a scribe of many lifetimes. It is so wonderful to welcome a sister on the path.
Namaste`
I just went to DKos to see what this pie business is about. Record keeper you did great. How you and shadow thief didn’t break your keyboards in frustration with those cavemen is beyond me. I just pressed the x after about 200 posts. Couldn’t stomach anymore
It got pretty ugly. Shadowthief and I are war-fighters from way back, so we have pretty thick skins. To NOT speak truth to power is far more uncomfortable than the slings and arrows of a few atavistic kossacks. Kos has made it pretty clear that profiting from pictures of women’s breasts is fine, but the words and ideas issuing from the roughly spherical object above those breasts… not so much. So, I have taken my breasts and my kooky notions of equality and left the building. Many thanks to you and everyone else, for the warm welcome.
Oh well, I should have known. Your signature line caught my eye several times, last night. That Einstein was a rather clever fellow, wasn’t he?
Thanks the community for welcoming to this wonderful website. I am so happy and I have come here to share views, comments, ideologies with you. I do welcome new members to join this community which has a heart for humanity and ensures that all mankind enjoys full human rights. Thanks for welcoming me members and I thank Mom Diane who introduced me to this community.
I am a Ugandan by birth. I was born on 26/March/1973. I grew up here in Uganda with my mother. I am now a Pastor since the year 2003. I promise to be an active member in this new community.
So glad to welcome you here pastorlincoln. It will be wonderful to hear from you and your views on things in Uganda and elsewhere.
Please feel at home here and know that you are welcomed.
Should Africans just keep quiet and have no any say against the leaders who want to rule all the way to life presidency?
Some say eat, get satisfied and leave others to enjoy.
Many leaders in Africa are being voted into ministerial seats or administrative seat by a majority of country men and women and when they go through the vote they tend to forget their promises.
Do you think they should continue doing so?
It seems to be the habit of politicians around the world. I have never been able to understand why it seems so difficult to maintain some integrity. Perhaps as we are able to get more and more citizens (wherever we live) to participate and voice their concerns we will make them feel more loyalty to those who elected them and less concern with the seats of power. It seems that power is a very seductive thing for most human beings.
We need more humanitarians and fewer power mongers.
.
~ Cross-posted from other thread ~
More often, when I published my diary @ dKos, a feeling arose similar to a fresh hot blueberry pie, placed on the window sill for cooling.
The first moments of introduction of the new diary, was to swat the flies, the noninvitees, they are not aware of the delicious pie content, or didn’t care. As soon as you lose this fight at the start, your diary is doomed to sink like a rock.
At BooTrib, the passersby compliment you on the pie, and help you swat the flies, to preserve its content for the connoisseur.
Thanks BooMan for an inspiring home, whatever you need, you can always count on me.
PS Sometimes it’s disappointing to wake up at 6:00AM, and you discover you missed out on much of the fun. The 6 hours time difference Europe ~ NY EDT can be an offset. By 10:00 AM, when posting my comments, I learn that the last 5 posts at BooMan usually are all mine. Do hope we can increase the numbers globally, and have a true 24/7 international blog.
Oui aka @dKos as creve coeur and new creve coeur
Oui – Liberté – Egalité – Fraternité
Your words:
“”PS Sometimes it’s disappointing to wake up at 6:00AM, and you discover you missed out on much of the fun. The 6 hours time difference Europe ~ NY EDT can be an offset. By 10:00 AM, when posting my comments, I learn that the last 5 posts at BooMan usually are all mine. Do hope we can increase the numbers globally, and have a true 24/7 international blog.“”
I am sorry abut the time zone thing that keeps us all from being together at the same time, even in Cal. I feel a little left out also Oui, when I get up in the morning everyone else has already had hours of blogging and then at night it’s usually just a few of us West Coasters, like Shirl, Chocolate, Susanhu and maybe Anomalyous and we’re always waiting for Oui to wake up so he can join in. But I sure would like more international visitors here, I guess we need to visit more blogs and invite them over.
I just got up not too long ago and I haven’t even petted my dog more than once, but here I am reading, catching up on the happenings here and then writing a comment. Must go and pet dog now.
Hello everyone,
Some of you know me from dKos.
I am 50,an old hippy,married for 20 years,no kids. We have lived all over the US,currently in VA.
Fun to see all my favorite posters being refugees.What does it all MEAN???
Oh ya,and Shirl ,what a beautiful pic!
that really is one fine looking ice bucket. I love that polished copper and the fact that it holds 5 bottles is a definate plus.
Glad to see you make the transition over here. We welcome all refugees from anywhere, but are especially fond of those who started out on dkos as most of us did. Look forward to your participation here.
Hello, and thanks for the very warm welcome.
Like DreamOfPeace, I am another dKos refugee. Although I’ve visited many times, I didn’t create an account here until this morning.
Since we seem to be telling our age, I’ll say that I’m two months into my 60th year. I’ve lived in western New York since I came here from Massachusetts for college in 1964. Been a Democrat since the JFK campaign in 1960.
Married, 4 grown children. (I’m up early this morning to bake a cake for my youngest – it’s his 22nd birthday today.) Two grandchildren. Long time (25 years) PTA volunteer. One time English teacher. Work part time (community mobilization) for non profit substance abuse prevention agency.
My issues are education, support for our public schools, support for children and families, an end to the war, fear of a military draft, the health care mess, etc., etc. I keep hoping to hear that our current “long national nightmare” is ever.
.
Congratulations with your youngest son, have a lovely day.
You are right, everyone needs to do their share to get this country once again onto the right path of democracy and representation by the people and for the people. Great curriculum vitae since JFK!
Oui – Liberté – Egalité – Fraternité
Florida is a lot like New York – a strange reputation. It’s hard not to get offended by the stereotypes, glad to see there are so many kindred spirits here. I too was getting tired of the childish behavior at dKos and wishing for a more civil environment. So nice to see some old friends (like Lorraine) here. Kos did a wonderful thing for the family of man by helping us move forward in our political evolution. Now it’s time for the next step. I was somebody else over there – the quiet one, but here I’m Alice.
Alice, welcome and I think you will enjoy the environment over here at the frog pond. We feel like everyone’s views and opinions are worthy of consideration, no matter how much we may disagree. I hope you will find our place one of respectful and civil discussion.
We also don’t mind having a lot of fun, so hope you will join right in and feel at home.
Running off to work in a sec, but here goes.
Mid-30s gay graduate student who feels permanently stuck in adjunct teaching positions. Living in Boston with my cat, Harriet, and teaching at a couple schools while I work on the dissertation (construction of the public face of same-sex marriage)….now i’m off to me loverly temp job.
Really glad to see you show up here. You know I love your posts and it is great to have your participation with our group around the frog pond.
Welcome
But the Frog Pond hasn’t been filled up yet 🙂
was just on the Common today.
I was a lurker over a DKos, and even though I enjoyed reading the thoughts and insights of others there, I never really felt comfortable contributing myself. Somehow I don’t think that will be as much of a problem over here.
Anyway, based on everyone else’s introductions, I feel like kind of a baby at 25. In keeping with the Sci-Fi theme that started upthread, I’ll consider myself a Padwan learner eager to soak up the wisdom of those with greater experience.
Beyond that, my favorite color is blue, and my turn-ons include progressive politics, and long walks on the beach. Also, like mlk19569 my comments will probably lean towards snarky.
Thanks to everyone here for making all of us newcomers feel so welcome.
Age is just a state of mind anyway, so we sure don’t care what those numbers are for any of us. Everyone has something of value to offer and we are very eager to hear from you and all of the others.
Snarky is good! We all need snark. . .
Welcome, enjoy yourself and we look forward to hearing from you.
Thank you for the welcome. I have been here for a little while but very rarely post. I love Booman and SusanHu’s diaries and of course all of the other diaries on the side. I am a 40 year old American living in Germany. I am originally from Ohio and lived in 2 other states (Maryland and California) and I have also lived in the Netherlands.
I have always paid attention to politics but was never active until last spring when I signed up for a registration course on how to register Americans living overseas. I now spend a lot of time on the internet volunteering for http://www.overseasvote.org and ePluribus Media. I also spend a lot of time here just reading the diaries.
If any of you are American and living overseas, please check out the http://www.overseasvote.org website and sign up for our voter alerts. We would also love to have more volunteers. I am the Election Official Directory (EOD) Manager and I could use some help collecting all of the BOE address, telephone, email address, etc. information for all states and territories.
Hausfrau, I have seen your comments around and am very glad that you are participating here. Welcome. We need to continue to hear more from those of you living outside of the US. So I look forward to hearing more from you as you have the time and the desire.
Welcome, welcome!
A couple of you may recognize me from dKos, but I don’t think I’ve ever introduced myself through a bio, so here goes:
Unemployed art historian (Duke U. Ph.D. 2000) currently living in Toronto with Italian husband, who is a diplomatic officer. We have two cats, Homer and Penelope.
I was born in Milwaukee. My folks are blue collar, lifetime Democrats. My mother is particularly progressive; my brothers and I were some of the first children to be cross-town bussed to an integrated public Montessori school. It caused a minor uproar at the time.
At around 10 years old, my father’s company transferred him to Greensboro, NC. Several years later, in the first era of corporate downsizing, he was “outplaced”. Losing his job of 24 years was like a death in the family. I managed to go to UNC-Chapel Hill thanks to the low tuition costs, work-study, scholarships, and outside jobs.
I then did an M.A. in Art History at SUNY-Binghamton. It was far too cold there for me, so I returned to the south for the Ph.D. I was fortunate enough to get fellowships to do my research in Rome for 2 1/2 years. My dissertation treats the architecture of a prison for boys built in the early 18th century.
I met my husband in Rome and ended up living there for another 2 years, after completing my dissertation in 2000.
Though my politics tend to run far left of the Democratic party, I’m one of those weirdos who really liked John Kerry. I still have a soft spot for him, though looking back at his campaign gaffes, its hard not to cringe.
SneakySnu, your thoughts on John Kerry seem very like mine. He definitely made me cringe more than once, and my politics are no doubt to the left of his, but whenever someone asked me “who would you rather have a beer with” it was a no brainer. I have a sneaking suspicion that John and Theresa would be a heck of a lot of fun at a cocktail party.
Welcome!
We are very glad to have you join us over here at booman.
You and so many have had such interesting lives, and it is part of what makes this experience so rich and so darn much fun. I look forward to your participation here.
Another pie fight refugee here. I was primarily a lurker at DKos, due to time restrictions and inveterate shyness; but this weekend’s conflagration was the last straw for me, as for many here.
I’m 33, living in Minnesota with two cats and a surfeit of books. I’ve been interested in politics for about as long as I can remember. A couple of years ago I certainly would have described myself as a liberal Democrat, but I’m not so sure now. As a feminist and a member of the glbt community, my frustration with the Democratic party has just about reached its limit.
I don’t know how often I’ll be able to post here, but I will definitely be reading, and I did want to say hello and to give you all congratulations for creating this very comfortable, welcoming atmosphere
We are so glad to welcome you over here at the Pond. And I am particularly glad to welcome another member of the glbt family. Please feel free to drop in your comments or a diary or two when you have the time and feel moved to. We really enjoy everyone’s participation at whatever level it feels right to them.
Good to see you here!
I am afraid I lost track of so many new members signing in here. Thanks to Shirlstars for keeping up with things. Sorry if I have not given each and every one of you a personal welcome, but be assured that I am welcoming you all in my heart. We look forward to all of your participation in this site. Looks like the women may outnumber the men here at this point. What fun!!!!
I feel in someways as if we are greeting the war torn refugees of DK, and so we are here to comfort and assure you that you will be treated with all the dignity you deserve on this site.
Sop a big giant welcome to all of you!!!!!!!!!
Be sure to visit my new diary on Home births, vs hospital births and weigh in on the subject.
I’m 22 years old, a recent college graduate with a B.A. in Government, and I came here from DailyKos after the recent conflagaration over the “sanctimontious women’s studies set” comment that was made by Kos. I’ve browsed Booman Tribune for a while, and it seems like an excellent site where I don’t have to worry about having my views on women’s issues being ignored.
Anyone with a screen name of “slinkerwink” has got to be a STAR in the making. We sure welcome your views and comments here and look forward to your participation.
Dangle your feet in the Frog Pond and make yourself at home.
Due to the numbers of great posts here, it is taking forever for the page to load, so we have opened up the patio next to the Frog Pond for additional welcoming of refugees, truth seekers, snark sneakers, awesome women, great guys, impish fools, old hippies, generational bipeds, and anyone else joining in the Giant Welcome Party! So after you have read all these great comments, would you mind posting on the new thread?
Sure is good to see you here!
Shirl
Here’s the link to the new Welcome diary
Still here and still the same old me.
As I said in the C&J
It’s like being “allowed” to play soccer with the boys during recess… just as long as we don’t get “in the way”. One cannot have dignity for themself if they refuse it for others.
The Queen of the flying Bird. Glad you are still here, haven’t seen you around much lately. . .but I’ve been a bit busy and could have missed you.
Hugs,
Shirl
Thanks Shirlstars, I’ve been around. I’ve been C&J’ing it alot lately due to incredible stress levels in my personal and family life. Making many changes and many stands.
I have kept tabs on Kos today, what a bunch of jackasses! bopes wrote a diary though that had my husband rolling on the floor. bopes claims to have left for a few days and returned to Kos to find not Kossacks but just a bunch of Kock sacks, and no brainy intelligent chicks.
the chicks! Hey everyone! the chicks are here! I found ’em. Over here! Howdy chicks! Wave to Kos.
Hey y’all. I just popped over from dKos to try and figure out who had left after the pie debacle and don’t y’all just seem like the coolest kids around? I’ll definitely be coming back for more.
I should probably stop using the ‘you all’ word – don’t want to mislead. I’m not a southerner. In fact, I’m a Hoosier (for the rest of you, that’s someone from Indiana, the Crossroads of America [TM]). In specific, I grew up in Indianapolis, which is, as my father says, the Paris of Indiana. /ahem
Me: SWF, 26yrs, 5’9, enjoy long walk on the beach and candlelit dinners…wait. That’s not right. Let’s try it again.
Me: Democrat! Progressive! Feminist! Future librarian! (Starting an MLS this Fall at IUB) Temporary Californian! (Living in Orange County right now)
Sorry for the long post. Pleased to meet you. All.
Librarians and Teachers. . .our most priceless assets.
Glad to see you here and where in SoCal are you. . .I know Diane is probably somewhere near you. She is in Santa Anna.
Very happy to have you here. Enjoy yourself and we look forward to hearing from you.
I am in Dana Point, which is about a half hour south of Santa Ana and closer to the ocean (right on it, actually). They are worlds apart, though, in all other ways. Down here it’s all gated communities, botox and conservatism. Santa Ana is much more diverse – racially, economically and culturally. Of course, it’s also not quite as safe, but that’s the trade-off. Personally, I can’t wait to get back to my little midwestern college town.
I’d be really curious to see how membership has spiked here yesterday and today. As for introduction, well, I’ve been a member for slightly less than an hour now, and like others I’ve seen commenting in this thread, am a dKos refugee. I’m a 35-year-old (yesterday in fact!) self-employed IT geek, a Mac-head, and wannabee-serious photographer, living in DC with the A/C going full-blast. Fairness and the enviroment are my particular political interests, but I’ll weigh in on science & technology too. I’m really excited to see this “World” feature, and look forward to getting some international perspective.
Diane has started a new diary and we would all enjoy you coming over and getting acquainted. It is called Big new welcome, come on over, glad you are here.
Just saw that, thanks. Guess I’ll repost!
Lurked here for a while (It was the Deadwood diaries – but then that creep killed three women and I couldn’t watch or talk about Deadwood for a while)…anyway, finally registered and have had it with Kos. As many others have posted, I just haven’t felt comfortable there for a while.
I was JenInOK on Kos – only wrote a few diaries over the past year, but posted a decent number of comments, although I’d be amazed if any remembered me. It is a big place.
I’m 34, married with a little boy who is about to turn 1. I am also a professor (well, was until a few weeks ago) – I am about to become the primary caregiver for our son. We are moving to be closer to family, but also to escape the hellhole that is OK. To make it work, one of us had to give up our job for a year or two and it made the most sense for me to do so. It’s scary as hell and it’s really bringing gender issues to the forefront for my husband and I, but we’re both feminists so I think it will turn out okay…
I think these circumstances really amped up the kicked in the gut feeling I had when the whole pie fight started.
I look forward to contributing to this site and am glad to see so many familiar folks!
I’m not quite a DKos refugee, but it seems like all the cook folks are migrating here. so what the hey!
I’m not big on revealing personal details, so I’ll just say I’m in the upper quadrant of age for Kossacks and I live in Wyoming. I own 2 pit bulls and my name really is Emily (in fact, I was Emily before Emily was cool…)
Hi, you can call me “Time Waits” I guess. I am 53, divorced, the mother of a 17 year old son. He is responsible for the user name. I got him to help me sign up for DKos (yes, another refugee) and he commented that it was about time that I got more politically involved. He said “time waits for no man,” but of course, as I found it hard to overlook at Kos today, I am a woman. I am a college professor, of philosophy, and co-director of our Gender Studies program. So Kos’ comment really stung. It’s great to see all these wonderful smart people I have come to appreciate here. Even Jerome a Paris! I heart Jerome a Paris. (Don’t tell him.)
I just got trusted user status at Kos, so I might go back now and again. But the din there has gotten deafening.