Hatrack River Forum: the maelstrom of me (a Landmark Thread)

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Posted by Suneun (Member # 3247) on :

I last posted 19 days ago. Realizing that it was my 999th post, I had to decide whether or not to post a landmark. I spent days considering the topic, the depth, the soul. But in the end, I decided on something a little different.

For the last two weeks, I've been working on a new homepage. I've had tawdry specimens in the past-- half a dozen pages with some photos thrown up for good measure. But this time, I have put my heart into it.

It has taken over twenty hours of work, filled with delight at coming across old photos, despair over never completing, and frustration at not being able to post. You see, I promised myself not to post until this was complete. Some of you received e-mails from me responding to your posts. Your words moved me to respond, insisted that I react. Even though I haven't posted, not a day has gone by without reading the forum.

My webpage is incredibly media-heavy. I sifted through literally thousands of photos, looking for the best. Hopefully over the next few weeks, I'll continue to add more pieces of my life as I come across photos that must-go-in.

So here it is. This is me, a Maelstrom of me.

Posted by Mabus (Member # 6320) on :

Woot!!!

Sun, you look good in black! [Evil]

Posted by pooka (Member # 5003) on :

Wow, it really has been a crazy fortnight. It didn't just feel that way because you couldn't post. Welcome back :"welcome back Kottter" stuck in my head now:

P.S. Wow, what a cool site! Never thought I'd be doing this, but [Hail]

Suneun

[ March 16, 2004, 12:26 PM: Message edited by: pooka ]

Posted by Sopwith (Member # 4640) on :

Welcome back and thanks for the look at an interesting life... juggling and trapeze... that's just cool!

Posted by Suneun (Member # 3247) on :

Thanks everyone =)

I went and took a shower so I wouldn't have that frustration of clicking reload for the first 10 minutes after the page goes up.

Mabus: Heh. Heh. Shoulda seen the look on my male apartment-mate's face when I was doing the photo shoot for that gallery. His comment? "Uhh, is that the skankiest one you own?" looking very scared. [Evil Laugh]

Posted by Mabus (Member # 6320) on :

LOL

Suneun, I have found that (strangely enough, considering how conservative I am) female goths are quite attractive to me. For my own part, the gothic scene is somewhat interesting but I have no particular drive to express myself in that way; I do like to wear black but (even if I had the money) I feel that I am best expressed as a "blank canvas"--no need for tattoos or piercings of any kind.

Posted by skillery (Member # 6209) on :

You tried feeding your hedgehog garlic?

Posted by eslaine (Member # 5433) on :

Congrats on the 1K! Glad you're here for your landmark... link.

Posted by Bokonon (Member # 480) on :

Man, I always wanted to be a CTYer... I qualified and everything. But my family didn't have the money to send me there.

So what did I do?

I TOTALLY overcompensated, and did my undergrad studies there [Smile]

Congrats Suneun!

-Bok

Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :

Oh my goodness, that little hedgehog is the cutest thing I have ever seen!

Going back to page now.

Posted by PSI Teleport (Member # 5545) on :

Hey how is it having a hedgehog for a pet? We've been thinking about getting one...can you tell me the good and bad?

Posted by John L (Member # 6005) on :

Hey, thanks for still taking part via e-mail with me, Suneun. I don't know if you read where I said it in the other thread, but I really did appreciate it. [Smile]

Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :

Same here Bok. Though I didn't go anywhere terribly exciting for my undergrad either.

I already knew Suneun was cool, but WOW! All of that and going to med school too!

AJ

Posted by twinky (Member # 693) on :

[Smile]

Posted by Telperion the Silver (Member # 6074) on :

Your hedgehog is SO CUTE!!! I want one!
[The Wave]

My brother and I had a snake. Boa. His name was Spot. He was about 6 feet long and loved to snuggle. Good Spot. Nice Spot. Except when he'd eat. Woa... kinda scary... [Wink]

Posted by Suneun (Member # 3247) on :

Thanks again, everyone [Big Grin]

Hedgehogs are funny pets. They're nocturnal, do best alone (not in pairs), live about 4-5 years, and have been only recently domesticated (maybe 15-20 years?).

I don't think there are too many health problems. Mites are the biggest concern, and there are shots for hedgies if they get mites. They only have to see the veterinarian once at first, then only if sick (no annuals, afaik). Sara likes her wheel, as do many hedgehogs. She's rarely awake during the daytime, only to take a few bites to eat and go back to sleep.

She is indeed prickly. Personalities can differ from hedgie to hedgie. Some like to roam around, some are quiet and cuddle up, some are constantly grumpy. Sara sometimes huffs at you, especially when she's still in her bin, but she almost never curls into a ball. She likes to climb around, or burrow under things when she's out of her bin.

Not really a pet-able pet, of course. You can stroke her spines, but only carefully! I clip her toenails every three or four weeks, and give her a careful shower around that often (kitchen sink using the veggie spray). I've gotten allergic to her in the last year, so that I get flare-and-wheal reactions half an hour after she pokes me. Itchy itchy itchy, and goes away after an hour or so.

You might like hedgehogs if you have an apartment, can't spend too much time with a pet (like you can only devote about half an hour a day), are out during the day, think they're really cute, don't need soft cuddling, and like the idea of an exotic pet. They actually do well with other pets, as they can take care of themselves pretty darn well.

They do need good temperature control: the temperature in their environment can't go below 65 degrees F for too long, they'll hibernate and hurt themselves (they're African hedgehogs but still have hibernation reflex). They need some custom cage set-ups, as most pet stores don't have appropriate homes/wheels. They can be fiercely independent at times, and snark at you when they'd rather sleep.

And skillery: yes, I tried feeding my hedgehog raw garlic. She gnawed on it happily for 10 seconds, then proceeded to spit it back up onto my friend's lap. Hahah.

Oh! Hedgehogs have a very cute and VERY bizarre quirk called "self-annointing." When they come across an interesting flavor, they foam it up in their mouths, twist around, and spit it onto their quills. Lots of contortion. Heh.

bok: I'm sorry you never got a chance to go to CTY. you could always be a camp counselor or TA for one of the camps (cty or another geek camp like telluride). I know a few people who have, and really enjoyed the experience. CTY was one of the few life-altering experiences I've had, and every child-geek should go.

Posted by Suneun (Member # 3247) on :

John L: I just realized that while I read your post, I forgot to reply to it here.

Yes, I saw your response and appreciated it. We had a very pleasant exchange of emails. [Smile]

Posted by CalvinMaker (Member # 2032) on :

::is lucky enough to have seen Suneun's hedgehog firsthand::

Posted by cochick (Member # 6167) on :

Suneun, I really enjoyed roaming through your web page - thanks for sharing and congratulations on your landmark.

That is definitely the cutest hedgehog I've every seen - I've only seen brown/ black ones before.

You've got some really beautiful photos on there - I love shooting nature pics.

And the weapons [Eek!]

- remind me never to argue with you.

(Edit - grammar etc.)

[ March 16, 2004, 08:59 PM: Message edited by: cochick ]

Posted by Zevlag (Member # 1405) on :

That sphere is quite cool looking!

Posted by Olivet (Member # 1104) on :

That was a beautiful site, Suneun. It really says a lot about who you are, what you like, etc. without being all... I dunno... Dull? [Wink]

Maybe it's just cuz you're REALLY THAT COOL. [Smile]

I teared up at your tribute to Gabe [Frown]

It was sweet.

*hug*

Posted by Suneun (Member # 3247) on :

*hugs*

CalvinMaker: I'm so glad I got to meet you, too! Tell me the next time you come up to Rhode Island, it would be awesome doing something with you and Myr.

Zevlag: Thanks. You shoulda seen Daniel's look on his face when I explained that I wanted to make a big wood sphere. He was like, "oh, great, you're one of _those_ people!" heheh. It's a surprisingly heavy sphere, probably about 7 pounds.

Olivet: Part of me wanted to write about Gabe for my landmark, but it's really tough putting everything in words. We had a complicated friendship, and a brief one, sadly. It's tough thinking that he'd be 22 now, that it's been 7 years since he died. I can't imagine how horrible it must be for his parents. He was such a great, sensitive person.

Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :

Suneun, I've tagged your site for browsing tonight. Looks awesome!

Posted by aka (Member # 139) on :

Suneun, that is a really cool site! What a great idea for a landmark. It tells us so much about you. I'm really sorry about Gabe.

You're an amazing person. Thanks for sharing all that with us. (And thanks for the email, too! I've incorporated it into the list I'm making.)

Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :

Wow Sun, what an incredibly interesting site! I've been having all sorts of fun exploring it.

Sara is adorable, by the way.

Posted by PSI Teleport (Member # 5545) on :

Based on your description of hedgehogs, Suneun, I've decided not to get one yet. I think my kids are too young to learn to "leave it alone". I'll wait a couple of years and reconsider then. Thanks!