posted
Yeah, I was kind of startled to see AFR say that--underestimating the way you are viewed on the forum is something of a Hatrack tradition, but I'm surprised whenever I see it.
Posts: 16059 | Registered: Aug 2000
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Isn't that the truth? I didn't see afr's original statement, but could it really be true that he doesn't know how much he is an integral part of Hatrack?
He's even funny. He has my vote. Posts: 26077 | Registered: Mar 2000
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I think you're funny. But I have a warped, morbid, dry sense of humor, so I don't know if that's really a compliment. O_o
Posts: 2283 | Registered: Dec 2003
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Oh, geez, you guys. Go ahead, make me blush. I never know what to do with attention when I get it.
It's mostly my social ineptitude that makes me feel that way sometimes at Hatrack. I know it happens to just about everyone here and I shouldn't do a "worry" post like that.
But thank you, Space Opera, Noemon, kat, AvidReader, for the warm fuzzies this morning. That was really nice of you.
I am in fact a marketing writer for Nu Skin Enterprises in Provo, Utah. We have a whole in-house creative department and I am part of it. It's a great job and a great place to work. I'm also in a master's program for technical writing, which I'm taking entirely online through Utah State University.
I have a lovely wife and two wonderful little kiddos. Sometimes I tell my wife about something someone said on Hatrack. Sometimes it’s the only real meaningful discussion I’ve had with anyone all day at work, if it’s one of those days at work. Sometimes I hardly touch my keyboard or see my comfy little cubicle because I’m meeting with people all day. But when I come home, whatever kind of day it’s been, there are my kids who run over to give me hugs, and there is my wife, and I like to talk to her more than anyone else, and she tells me about her day, and I tell her about mine.
At heart, I guess I'm still an IRL kind of guy.
[ December 17, 2004, 11:49 AM: Message edited by: advice for robots ]
Posts: 5957 | Registered: Oct 2001
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Thank you and right back at you, Lost Ashes. And if I’m right in thinking you’re Sopwith, then doubly so.
I definitely have never felt disliked here. But often I feel disconnected and irrelevant. That comes, I think, from not knowing how people reacted to a post of mine, or if they read it at all. I think I rely on feedback more than maybe I should. Talking to someone face to face is definitely the most comfortable to me because I get that feedback. At Hatrack, I often feel like I am sending my heart on a sleeve out into the murky limbo, not knowing if it was worth doing at all.
Again, I’m sure everyone feels like this from time to time. We just have our own ways of dealing with it. I have gotten to the point many times when I question why I bother and why I spend so much time here, and as a result I have stopped posting for long stretches several times throughout my four years here.
Posts: 5957 | Registered: Oct 2001
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Dude, I see myself in most of what you're saying. Well, not the marketing writer and master's degree program part. But the feelings and uncertainty stuff, and even the having-a-lovely-wife-and-two-wonderful-little-kiddos part.
Anyway, I'm glad you're here. I think you're great, and I like you better than Cats.
posted
afr, it sounds as though your wife and children are very lucky people, indeed. I also think you're correct that most everyone here wonders about their place. I especially identified with what you said about sending your heart on your sleeve out into limbo. When Mr. Opera and I lost our baby the other month I was completely freaked after posting the news here. All I could think for awhile was, "Oh my gosh. Tons of people I've never even met know something incredibly intimate about me." That thought caused me to stay away for about a week.
But anyway....ok, so now we all know about your work - which sounds great, by the way! How old are your kiddos? What do you do for fun?
posted
I have a daughter who is 3 3/4, and a son who is 1 3/4. Both are looking forward to birthdays in March. Anyway, here's a picture of the family.
I actually just acquired a whole bunch more free time by finishing my class for the semester. I'm not taking a class next semester because of a big project at work (the annual report). So with my evenings free, I'll probably do a lot more reading. That's what I do with most of my free time.
I don't lead an extremely interesting life.
Someday we're going to buy an old clunker of a car for a couple hundred bucks and we're going to start tinkering with it and learn how to fix things in a car. I don't want to play with the cars we have, because I don't want to ruin them.
I'm slowly learning jazz guitar.
Someday I will actually write more than a few pages of a novel.
We like to go on hikes, and there are some great mountains just minutes away with trails all over them.
Really, though, my time away from work is spent with my wife and kids, mostly entertaining the kids. I hate to be gone doing my own thing and therefore be absent from them. I only see my kids 3-4 hours a day during the week anyway. I suppose as they grow up they will want less entertainment from us and we'll be freed up a little. Right now, though, my time belongs to them.
Posts: 5957 | Registered: Oct 2001
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"I don't lead an extremely interesting life."
Hmmm - that sounds like every other parent I know! It's true you will have more free time as the kids get a bit older. Mine are 9 and 6 and are pretty self-sufficient compared to just two years ago.
What kind of books do you read? Reading is my main hobby as well. Currently I'm reading "The Talisman" by Stephen King; after that I'll probably move into some classics. I tend to go back and forth between sci-fi and "literature" at an alarming rate.
My family and I like to hike as well. We're thinking of taking a vacation in the Smokies again this year and just camping and hiking in the park the entire time. I don't know though - a beach in South Carolina is pretty tempting too. We just moved last weekend, and I haven't had time to see if there are any good hiking trails close by. Is it difficult to hike with such little ones? We really didn't get into it till a few years ago, so our kids have always been older.
space opera
OH - and those are some good lookin' kids!
Posts: 2578 | Registered: Apr 2004
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Lookit all the happy smiling people in that picture!
afr, you don't post nearly often enough. I remember noticing your posts (in a "that was well said" way) back when I was a newbie. I still do. Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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Advice for Robots? Well, always have plenty of oil handy, and avoid that guy Kilroy. He's a troublemaker.
Posts: 4753 | Registered: May 2002
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Space Opera: I read mainly science fiction and fantasy, although I make forays into mainstream every now and then. I used to read much more hard SF, but now I don't find it quite as interesting. I got a ways into Terry Goodkind's series but kind of pooped out on that. Right now I'm reading Moby Dick, which I never made it all the way through before. But that was in high school. I just haven't gotten back to that book until now. Yeah, surprise, I'm a writer, I majored in English, and I haven't read Moby Dick.
We live in the Rockies, so it's not hard to find a great hiking trail. Just drive along the foothills and you eventually come to a trailhead. Our family hikes aren't very long distance-wise because our son doesn't walk in straight lines yet. The last good hike we took was to collect some long grasses and leaves for a table centerpiece.
I'm not much of a naturalist, but my wife is. She pushes more for outdoor activities than I do. She loves to camp, and I can barely stand it. Seems like everytime I camp in a tent we get rained on all night. Not just light sprinkles, but rain that waterproofed tents still can't hold out. We went camping as a family last year, and there were pools of water on the tent roof that were dripping in and soaking us, and rivers forming around the base of our tent. It was, of course, the only significant rainfall that whole season. Happens to me every single time. I hate sleeping on the ground because I always find a rock, I'm always cold, and I always have to go to the bathroom. Camping overnight is misery. Doing a day hike is much more fun.
Currently we are working on decorating our newly-repainted living room. We've been watching HGTV for ideas, but we still haven't gotten very far. Do you have any luck with that sort of stuff?
rivka: Thank you. Most days I have time for one or two longish posts. If I get beyond that, I'm spending too much time at Hatrack. I try to say things clearly, but I never have time to really go all out.
I can't believe you're already past 10,000 posts! Blink your eyes and they're all grown up....
Vadon: Yes, but can you locate my window from Center Street? If you can do that, I'll be duly frightened.
BookWyrm: I haven't done them yet. I think I'm waiting for a sign. Maybe a comet. I got a Haynes manual for my truck, and its instructions go right along with yours, although without the insight. There's also a guy I know around the block who can show me how to do it, but we're going to have trouble hooking up. Once I get the pads, the rotors, and a jack and jack stands, I might just call you.
Dante: You're another someone who needs to post more.
Posts: 5957 | Registered: Oct 2001
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Ha, I thought this thread was going to be about robots. Maybe advice for buying toy robots or something. I think I've been working too hard robots on the brain!
Posts: 872 | Registered: Mar 2002
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What kind of crazy college did you attend? No Moby Dick? j/k I actually had to read it last year for a college course (English major here, too) and loved it. Our prof gave us whale stickers when each of us finished. Glenn had a thread about it here awhile back; I need to read it again once we get the house unpacked.
Your comments about camping were quite funny. Have you tried using one of those foam thingys under your sleeping bag? Mr. Opera bought me one and it really helps cushion.
What color did you paint your living room? Do you like to decorate in the comfy, cluttered style, or the minimal, spare, style?
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