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Author Topic: New members post here!
hasdy
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hey all,
this is my newbness talking but when we say "other side" of the river...... exactly what are we referring to?!?

Thanks,
hasdy

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Brenuine
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There is absolutely nothing wrong with being a bookworm. I've foudn that my favorite people to be around are bookworms and supposed "nerds". Children of the Mind is going well so far. I started it this morning and am around page 100. Not much has happened really, but I am pleased with the banter that occurs between Peter and Wang-Mu. The Miro/Val relationship is a bit iffy, however. I'm not exactly sure where I stand on that, but I am not happy that they're thinking of putting Jane in Val's body. But this is the opinion of one who has yet to delve fully into the reading. One thing is for sure, I love the humor found in this book, as in the entire series. These books have some of the funniest quotes I have seen.
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Brenuine
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hey hasdy, I don't know either.
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Farmgirl
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hasdy

She means the other side of the forum. You are posting on "discussions about Orson Scott Card", but the "other side" of the active forums is "Books, Films, Foods and American Culture" and that side of the forum is a hodgepod of all sorts of topics, and much more active than "this side."

Farmgirl

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Papa Moose
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The "other side" is the Books, Films, Food and American Culture forum. (Or what Farmgirl said more quickly than I.) Welcome to Hatrack.

--Pop

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hasdy
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ahhh soooo!!!!

I gotcha... farm and papa... thanks!

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Brenuine
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I'm almost finished with the series, which one should I begin next?? I hate being without a good book to read, especially with the holiday coming up.
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raphael
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actually, i was asking that question myself.all i read from osc's books were the ender books , and bean.
(i alse read hart hope but i didn't love it too much . oh, yes i also resd a woman of destiny wich wad interesting but made me think)

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Brenuine
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What was that about? I think I've heard of it.

I'm a bit more than half way through Children of the Mind now, and I'm loving it. I was disappointed with the other two, but this one seems to have more of a plot. It is so sad, though. If Ender dies, I am going to cry. I know it.

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X12
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CotM has an excellent story line and ends nicely, in my oppinion (of course!!!). Some want more after, others dont. OSC isnt goin to make a 5th Ender book, though!!
Oi vay

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MuadDib
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Hey all. I guess I'll start out by saying that I have been a Card fan since I first spotted one of my friends reading Ender's Game, in my physics class in high school, about 4 years ago. I read the entire Ender series in quick succession, and started in on the Shadow series (aka the Bean series). I am nearly 20 years old. Live in Houston,Tx. and I am currently awaiting my recruiter to get that fire lit and get me in the Marines (that I've been told I will be leaving for in January). I have just finished reading the shadow series for the first time since being disgusted (NOT AT ALL FROM THE WRITING.. but for the fact I waited for 2 years for Shadow Puppets and devoured it in 3 hours) when Puppets had just come out. I love Card's writing style, how I came to know and love these fictional characters, and want more of it. I was so depressed when I realized there were no more Ender books after Children, but we go on how we must. Seeing as I have devoured my entire book collection in a matter of a month (being Ender/Shadow series, Harry Potter {all 5}, Military books, Neil Gaiman's books, and most of Crichton's works) I was wondering which of Card's other series you all would recommend reading. I am delighted to come into this community of my fellow readers, and hope to talk with you more. [Smile]
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Brenuine
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Hey MaudDib,
I know, I'm also disappointed that there are no more Ender books. I empathise with the reading of your entire book collection, I've done so multiple times. What type of military books have you read?? I've only read a few, and I think only a few of those were legitimate. I think its wonderful you want to join the marines. My dad enlisted right out of high school, so there is undying loyalty in my family to the marine corps. Welcome to hatrack.

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Johnny
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Hello everybody. I am Johnny, as you all can see. I just found this forum, and thought, maybe I should sign up and say, hey. Well, I guess I should say a little about myself. I'm from South Western New York, I'm 21 years old, and i'm a soldier. Thats right, The U.S. Army. As of right now, I'm in Iraq, working twords the Iraq's Freedom, good stuff. The reason I have decided to write here, is to praise OSC for his great books, that have kept me from many boring days and nights, I have just read Enders Game about a week ago for the 6th time, it's is by far one of the most important books to me ever since my childhood. The only problem is, it's the only book, out here that i have been able to find by OSC, I would like to read the Ender Series back to back at some point, but i need to get the rest of the series first. Well sorry, for blabbering on and on. Anyways, just wanted to drop on and say hey, and hopefully i will be able to get active in some of the topics, if time allows.
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rivka
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Welcome to Hatrack, Johnny. [Smile]

There's (at least?) one other Hatracker stationed in Iraq. He posts every so often on the other side of the board.

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Spektyr
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Hrm, I've been around for about a week on this forum now, I suppose I ought to introduce myself.

Let's see, I'm 28 years old most of the time. I have Asperger's Syndrome, which I only mention because I have a tendency to occasionally say things a bit bluntly and/or be mistaken for displaying malice where none is intended. It's a safe assumption that if it is not blatantly apparent a non-aggressive meaning should be found. In plain words, you'll know beyond a shadow of a doubt if I intend to be unkind. I don't pull punches.

I am also a writer, actually making a decent living at it although my current work doesn't earn me any particular recognition or fame. It is good practice though and leaves me plenty of time to pursue my various creative writing interests, most of which swing toward the Sci-Fi end of the spectrum. I've got one novel that is actually "complete", though it is in dire need of a rewrite before it's fit for human consumption. To much telling and not enough showing.

As far as my OSC interests go, I read all seven books of the Ender series in one whirlwind 8 day episode, with a few days of interruption after the first day. I picked up Ender's Game on the advice of my editor, read it in a day, and then ordered the remaining six books less than an hour after completing it. A few days later when they arrived I dove in and devoured them all in a week. Nearly missed a deadline, but I pad my estimates enough for such indulgences.

What else can I say about myself? I'm ex-military, I live in the Midwest U.S. (at least until I can save up enough extra cash to move into the real world), and have more interests and hobbies than I could ever hope to pusue in a single lifetime. Not that I'm likely to fill up a reasonable amount of my life with such things, as I'm a US Olympic hopeful in the sport of procrastination. Writing and reading are two of the only things that I love so intensely that they can overcome my tendency to flit from topic to topic.

That's about all I can think of without launching into "My Life: Cliff's Notes", which would undoubtedly set new record lows on the New York Times bestseller list. If you've got any other questions feel free to ask. I may not give an answer, but you're still free to ask.

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St. Yogi
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Does anyone actually read this thread? Anyway, I guess I should introduce myself. I'm 16 years old, I'm from Norway and I love Orson Scott Card [Big Grin]

So far I've read the Ender series, The Shadow series, the Alvin Maker series (minus "The Crystal City"), The Homecoming series, Pastwatch, Treason, Songmaster, Lost Boys, Treasure Box and Maps in a Mirror. [Cool]

My first OSC( [Hail] ) book was Ender's Game, which I read in May 2002. I actually checked out this forum like a year ago but I never really got into it.

English isn't my first language, as some of you may have noticed, so my grammar might not be that great.

Anyway, i hope to have some interesting discussions about Card, his books and anything else that might pop up and I am honored to become a part of this community called Hatrack [Smile]

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rivka
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Welcome, Yogi! [Wave]

Hatrack's a fun place. Look around, stay awhile. [Smile]

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T_Smith
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Hi, my name is T_Smith, and I am new. Or at least I was about a year and a half ago. But I never did one of these "I'm new threads" so I decided now would be a good time to start.

Ok... lets see... few details about me...

I've been a Card fan for like... ever (since I was 17). I am now 18 and living in Utah (GO MORMONS!). I have read nearly all of his books, except the Worthing Saga, The Alvin Maker books, all the Shadow Books, All of the Ender books after Enders Game, Wyrms, Maps in a Mirror, all of his short stories, Folks of the Fringe... etc. But I'm still like... a HUGE fan.

And the ladies love me. I have like... 200 girls just stalking me. I can't keep them off of me... gee... whats up with that? I think it's the brown jacket. Chicks dig brown jackets. I think I'll make this Brown Jacket infamous someday.

And I go to BYU and am studying World Domination and Leg Pulling 101. I'm going to rule the world with my wit! And everyone will listen to me because I know what I am talking about when it comes to politics. These silly politicians are cowards, and my great debating skillz and higher knowledge can easily expose them and overthrow the US government. And then I will talk the entire world into letting me be the Hegemon, JUST LIKE PETER! Wouldn't that be cool! Because if I was Hegemon, aliens wouldn't bother attacking us, because how could they destroy something so beautiful as myself? Really. Tell me that. They can't. And even if they tried, I'd tell all my lady stalkers to go attack them, and maybe even get kids to fight them, JUST LIKE ENDER!

And then I'd be in tons of parades and floats, with confetti falling down all around me, and I could get some kid to write a story about me and telling me as a monster turned into a good man and then people could call it like... The Hegemon. And there could be a movie staring Jake Lloyd or that 6th Sense kid, and hey, maybe I could even get OSC to write the screen play for it and get some decent directer to direct it, because I mean, come on I'd be the friggin hegemon for crying out loud, why WOULDN'T they do it, and if they refused, I could like throw them in world prison and no one would be able to find them, and then you'd all get ticked of course, but what could you do, I'm the friggin hegemon, baby.

By the way, I'm just really bored. All of the above is just supposed to be funny, and not a parody of anyone here, or an insult to anyone. Any likeness or similarities are purely coincidental.

[Wink]

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Farmgirl
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Welcome to all newcomers!

Spektyr -- I was wondering which part of the "midwest" you are from -- I hear different interpretations of exactly what is considered to be "midwest" in USA all the time....

Farmgirl (from Kansas!)

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Spektyr
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Well I'm originally from Texas, which is not midwest or any other category, being a category whole unto itself. But I've lived the majority of my life in Kansas, which is as "midwest" as you can get. Wichita is a real city, with electricity, running water, and no cows - and no, Dorothy doesn't live here.

But it's nearly that boring anyway. I spent a few years stationed in Florida. I thoroughly enjoyed living there and hope to move back soon.

Oh, and Yogi - your English is better than most Americans. Unfortunately that isn't saying much, but you write quite well all the same.

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Farmgirl
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Well Spektyr,

Then you and I must be "neighbors" -- I work in downtown Wichita (although don't live in town). Glad to see another Hatracker in my area -- all these other guys have wonderful get togethers states away from where we are, so I haven't got to meet any of them personally. Always welcome another OSC fan -- wish I could find more of them. What have you read of OSC's besides the Ender's series? Delano books on west Douglas sometimes has some good copies of OSC stuff (if I haven't bought them all).

Welcome to the group.

Farmgirl

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Spektyr
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So far I haven't read anything beyond the Ender series. Old West genre isn't really my cup of tea, even with a mystical theme. I tend to do my reading in spurts - I spend a week or two reading 6-12 books and then I usually don't pick up another one for about a month. If I read on a more consistant basis I never seem to get any writing done. Two separate mental gears.

Get-togethers don't make much difference to me if they're a few miles or a few states away. I've got a car, but no license to drive it, no insurance, and expired tags. Heck, the battery in it would be better employed as a paper weight. But someday I'll revive it both in legal and mechanical terms. Until that time though I don't expect to be getting out that much, which is fine by me since my writing income can pay the basic living expenses (and a few minor luxuries) but adding the vehicle expenses would be tight.

I don't envy you your commute - although the drivers around here aren't nearly as aggressive as they are in the "bigger" cities, they are dumber than paint. Half the people on the road seem to think their car is equipped with some sort of autopilot and all they have to do is numbly follow the car in front of them. Not remotely alert to what is going on. Coming back here after driving for a few years in Orlando made me wonder how so many Wichitans survive automotive transit.

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Bean Counter
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I am am an avid reader and I find that many of my ideas about what could link fantasy and science fiction are expressed in Card's writing. I am of course an Accounting Student and a writer.
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Farmgirl
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I'll bet you're also a firstborn or only child (most bean counters are, did you know that? 95%) and that you are extremely analytical (as can be witnessed by your post about the Crystal City book.

Farmgirl

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BobbyK
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Is it too late for this?
Too Bad.

At the age of 4 years old I was diagnosed with Type I diabetes. Regulations of medication, blood sugar level, and food intake became as normal as play time and cartoons. Well, least to say, childhood wasn't normal.

At 7 years old I started injecting my own insulin and cooking my own meals. Thanks to a most excellent youth diabetes summer camp(Wish I remembered the name! Anyone interested email me, I can dig up my old t-shirt). I was 7 going on 30, and told so often. I never did fit in with my age group. I just couldn't identify.

I never felt good tearing someone down. And it was obvious. It made me a very easy target.

The teachers made it all the worse. Paying such close mind... when they were around.

"Did you eat your snack Bobby?", "Are you feeling okay Bobby?", "You don't have to ask permission to use the restroom, Bobby, just go." (Diabetics tend to pee frequently FYI)

The schoolyard was another issue. Details are unecessary; I just learned to stick close to the fenced perimeter.

Come Junior High, I learned to stay home.

4 years later, my sophmore year; I found my niche. Via the drama department. But I chose to stay home rather than attend "Social Hour" or "High School". Ridicule was, and still is, harsh on me. And my comprehension and communication skills were enough to coast through.



You may be asking yourself "What does this have to do with Hatrack"....

It was about this time in my life that I entered into my first relationship. Important for so many reasons to every person, but those reasons aside, she influenced me far more than anyone else.

I saved two paycheck to but her a golden heart necklace for Christmas. I handed her the poorly wrapped box, palms sweating, heart in my throat. She was overjoyed, and I was elated. Until.

Until she handed me her present. Wrapped to mask, but so obviously, a stupid book. My heart sank.

I managed a smile, and unwrapped Ender's Game. The most moving of this gift was the signature in the back binder "Love, Stacy". 2 months later we broke up, and the book sat unread on my shelf for months.

I can't say what possesed me to pick it up. But doing so changed my life. Orson Scott Card showed me that I wasn't alone. I wasn't the only one who felt this way. This isolated, yet displayed. I've since read Ender's Game at least once a year and 70% of his books. Each one has touched my life in a unique way. Taught me a different perspective.

Thank You, Orson.

I hope to help further enrich this forum, if such a thing is possible. Thank you all.

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Farmgirl
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Thank you, BobbyK.

That was very honest, open and heartfelt. You really took a risk by opening up your feelings to us, complete strangers.

I hope we are worthy, and that you find total acceptance here.

It's a great forum.

Farmgirl

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MyrddinFyre
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Bobby, I hear ya ^^

Welcome to the 'rack, I'm glad you've joined us!

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BobbyK
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Thank you Farmgirl! I had a rock in my throat when I posted it. I appreciate your feelings.

Dearest Myrddin, tannk you for everything! You've made me feel very welcome, which isn't the easiest thing to convince me of.
[Edit: Puntuation]

[ December 04, 2003, 08:36 PM: Message edited by: BobbyK ]

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Spektyr
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Not to worry, Bobby. I haven't been around here for anything remotely resembling a long time, but it was pretty clear to me from the start that this wasn't the sort of place where those kinds of attacks would be tolerated.

If you bare your soul here and someone takes a cheap shot you won't get much of a chance to fire back at them... all the decent folk of the forum (pretty much the whole crowd) would perform the literary equivalent of a nature program on pack animal predators.

"Blimey! No sooner than that elk hit the ground those wolves had it shredded and fileted."

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Farmgirl
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Spektyr

Hey -- great to see you post back. You came on for a few days and had some GREAT posts (love your word usage) and then disappeared for awhile.

Would like to hear your thoughts more on some of the topics on the Other Side

Farmgirl

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BobbyK
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I don't know of your habits Spektyr, but I'd have to agree with Farmgirl about your writingstyle. Very visual. Thank you for the insight, sir. That does help to know.

Bobby

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Papa Moose
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Bobby,

Wow. Your introduction in "New members post here!" was practically a landmark. I echo those who say that it's great that you can be so open and honest to people you don't know all that well. I also echo those who've told you that Hatrack is indeed a place where's that's safe to do. I'm certain you're destined to be a longstanding and contributing Hatracker. And thanks again for the instant message last night -- that really was a very cool thing to say.

Welcome to the 'Rack.

--Pop

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Nicado
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Hi all, just joined the community. I've been a die hard fan since first reading Enders Game many years ago. His writing is, as you know, exceptional to say the least. His stories have always drawn me in until I find myself having been perched on the edge of my seat and the evening rolling into the early morning hours {oops}. I had never touched the Alvin Maker series, boy, sure glad I did because I've flown through the books and just got Crystal City and am now disappointed to find out that it just came out. Disappointed because now I'm going to have to wait another two years or so [Frown] . Anyways, gives me a chance to read the series again but not after researching some American historical icons that are presented in this book {as I am Canadian and don't know American History indepth except the basics like the individuals themselves,to be honest}. So I'm interested in learning more so that I get a better feel for the books and the historical comparison.

Anyways, I look forward to taking part here!

Thanks for havin' me!

Nic

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Spektyr
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Farmgirl, I've pretty much been lurking off and on over the past few days. I've poked around the Other Side and taken mild interest in some of the discussions there, but I tend not to simply put in my two cents worth unless I have something to say. While I am anything but a quiet individual who avoids speaking his mind, I try not to speak unless I have reason to believe that my points are both valid and worthwhile. I have a tendency to speak without regard for other people's interest - a failing I work constantly to hold in check.

As for those who appreciate my writing style, thank you. I get more than a few compliments on it from my editor but it's always nice to hear them. I don't let it go to my head though, I've still got a long way to go before I can start to feel content. There's plenty of room for improvement (not to mention acheivement).

In the spirit of Bobby's post, I suppose I'll explain a bit more about myself. A good place to start would be at the beginning, even if it is cliche and predictable.

The mere fact that I'm sitting here typing this out is a miracle of sorts. I was born 5 weeks late, tipping the scales at 10lbs, 15oz. Furthermore the placenta had stopped working long enough prior to my birth that the majority of its tissue was dead. The doctors estimated I had lost at least two pounds prior to being born and suffered oxygen deprivation. They told my mother that I had brain damage and would likely be retarded. If that wasn't bad enough, they also told her that overcrowding in the womb due to my extreme size had damaged my knees and ankles. I would most likely never walk without leg braces and would never be able to run.

Of course anyone with even rudimentary reading comprehension skills can tell that I am quite obviously not retarded. Quite the opposite, in fact. I don't want to sound like a braggart, but I skipped a year in school, took numerous honors and advanced placement (AP) courses, went to college on an academic scholarship, and have an IQ that is quite frankly embarassing to mention. Not to mention the fact that if I say it people think I'm either lying or insufferably smug. Despite the fact that my life would be considerably easier if I wasn't so smart, I still wouldn't trade it just to fit in better.

As far as my legs go none of the doctors' morbid predictions came true there, either. I learned to walk early, and began running around like a holy terror shortly thereafter. With my considerable developmental headstart compared to most children my age, I was always the tallest if not the biggest kid.

I probably could have been an impressive athelete were it not for a little "incident" at my father's church. (My parents split up when I was very young.) I was a little over three years old when I first encountered another boy with the same first name as mine. This four-year old and I were in Sunday school and began arguing about which of us was "Josh" - it hadn't occured to either of us there could be more than one person with the same name. He announced that he was older, and therefore had first dibs on the name. Unable to think of a quick argument to this, I punched him in the nose hard enough to start it bleeding. My father was mortified by this since this boy's parents were very prominent members of the church and then told me that "I was very lucky the other boy didn't hurt me since I was not physically strong". I believe he even went so far as to say that the men in our family were "genetically predispositioned against physical prowess". Since he was my dad, he was by default always correct, and I believed this implicitly for many, many years.

Fortunately I did find this to be blatantly incorrect only 15 years later. [grumble] In college I was relentlessly hounded by the coach for the Novice Men's Crew team (olympic style rowing). Being 6'4" and 165lbs is pretty much the ideal build for the sport. I found out that I not only enjoyed it immensely, but that I was remarkably good at it as well.

So what's the point of all this? Basically that time after time in my life people have made predictions about who and what I was or would be. Sometimes I was aware of these predictions, other times I was not told until I had proven them wrong. Either way it taught me that absolutely no one can tell you who you are. I read the story of Glenn Cunningham (the famous runner and fellow Kansan) in the seventh grade which helped to reinforce this. For those who don't know, he was horribly crippled in a fire as a child, told by doctors they would have to amputate his legs. He refused to allow them to and refused to believe their predictions that he would never regain use of them. He became a world-class runner and held the world record time for the mile for many years.

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Spektyr
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I've got one more little insight to add, and since the previous bit was running a little long and the two points weren't especially related I opted to split it across two posts.

As I've mentioned before I have Asperger's Syndrome. In excessively generalized terms this means that I do not have the natural ability to read social cues. It is in the Autistic spectrum, but to the layman would not be mistaken for Autism. Genetically speaking it's very similar, and if both parents have Asperger's there's a 33% chance of full-blown Autism in their children. (Part of the reason I'm not going to have kids.)

Having Asperger's means never fitting in. It's not very common, although most people know someone that has it but has never been diagnosed. Most people with Asperger's learn to adapt well enough to just seem a little odd by the time they're adults. It's a matter of studying people intently to figure out how to emulate their behavior and react to social cues with appropriate behavior. The problem is that even the best of us are using the equivalent of a translation system to decode social cues and determine what the best response is. Invariably we make mistakes and annoy or anger people without realizing it.

To use an analogy (which I constantly do - it's the way my mind thinks), I have a Linux brain in a Windows world. I've got a Windows emulator but as any Unix user knows these emulators are anything but flawless.

I didn't find out that I had Asperger's until a couple years ago. I'm not sure if it would have helped or hurt me to have found out earlier, but looking back it has helped me to understand a great many of the difficulties I've had in my life.

I would say that my mother is worthy of sainthood, if either of us were Catholic. Without knowing anything about Asperger's, Autism, or any other mental disability (though I don't personally feel "disabled") she is the sole reason I am as "high functioning" as I am today. My best friend of 22+ years is likewise a remarkable individual. He is the only other "neuro-typical" that has managed to adapt his social view to fully accept me. (Neuro-typical is our little name for the rest of you. You labeled us "Asperger's" and turn-about is fair play.)

What else... let's see... how about the "dark side"?

I'm a systemizer. This isn't to say that I'm a neat-freak. Quite the contrary. But everything needs to be a certain way. I don't like planning things, but unexpected change - particularly big things - is a source of enormous anxiety for me. Sometimes this can be debilitating. I once was informed by my roommates that they had decided we would all move into a new place - in 4 days. I wanted to move, the place we were in was immensely crowded, but the sudden time-table was more than I could deal with easily. It would be fair to say that I was virtually impossible to live with for a week.

I have poor self-censorship. I speak the truth as I see it and tend to speak my mind without consideration for the appropriateness of the conversation. I've got this quirk mostly in control, but it still pops up on occasion. Particularly when I'm out with friends at a bar.

I have "ticks". These are some of the classic Autistic traits, such as "rocking". Mostly I play with my hair ("twirling" it as my mom calls it), or bounce a leg. Neither are widely accepted behavior in public. This was one of my biggest sources of frustration growing up - trying and failing to eliminate these habits. Recently I've come to terms with the fact that these are things I do. They're soothing to me. I still try to not do them in public, but if someone thinks I'm a freak because I'm playing with my hair or rocking back and forth a little... well why should I care?

Rambling. I do that too. Like now.

When I decided to do this I envisioned a much shorter post that had an obvious "point". Now I haven't the slightest clue what the "point" is, aside from the fact that I'm different, and not just in the normal "everyone is unique" way. My brain is fundamentally different (maybe due to that oxygen deprivation, who knows).

But to be honest, I like it. Like many people with Asperger's I'm smart. Whether that's due to having Asperger's or not is anyone's guess, but having an atypical brain also gives me an atypical view of the world. Inside my head I'm not any different than anyone else, or at least not appreciably so. I just don't have the native social programming installed.

Personally I think this difference plays a major role in making my writing "better" than it would be otherwise. I had to work infinitely harder at understanding people. Everything social had to be dissected, analyzed, and filed away. I read voraciously to try to learn how words worked to invoke instinctive responses in everyone else. In some ways I understand people better than they understand themselves. In other ways I'm hopelessly in the dark. (That's part of the reason I like writing better than socializing. I always understand my characters, I invented their whole psyches. Sometimes they get minds of their own and screw with my plot lines, but that's a whole different story.)

Alright... my imagination is now conjuring images of that glassy-eyed look I've learned to associate with people who are wishing I'd just shut the hell up, so I will.

If you're curious I'll post more. If not, I apologize for talking your ear off. I can talk for hours about nothing more than the average human's ignorance of the way their own mind works and their instincts, or the insights I've gained by being able to observe humans from what is almost a foreign perspective. But as I've promised, that will have to wait for later, and an invitation.

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Frisco
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It's interesting to see the similarities between AS and ADD. I've had the latter for as long as I can remember.

You and I could make for a pretty good sitcom. With a rather severe case of ADD, I thoroughly enjoy chaos. (which tends to make me get a kick out of the quirks which you try to quell [Big Grin] ) We could drive each other bonkers.

Otherwise, you sound eerily like me. Where in Kansas are you from? (I'm from Chapman)

Where did you row? (I got hounded[successfully] by the lightweight coach at Columbia. While I was on the K-State campus for Boys State, their crew coach mistook me for a college student and attempted to recruit me there, too. It's a tough life, being 6'+, 165, isn't it?)

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Spektyr
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Actually a lot of people with Asperger's also have ADD. I have a few tendencies that way, but thankfully (IMO) it's not enough to actually include it in my diagnosis.

For instance, I can bounce around between several points of interest, but if anything actually catches my attention to any real degree I can easily lose track of hours, days, or in rare cases weeks. More than a few times in my life I've not been entirely sure of what month it was. Not that it really makes that much difference to me - one day is pretty much the same as any other. What day of the week it is only affects me in as much as it influences the availability of places and people (their work schedules, business hours, that sort of thing.)

One of the many reasons I don't much like Wichita (or anywhere in the midwest for that matter). Things have very specific times and dates and you have to keep constant close attention if you want to interact in the world. I much prefer cities where you can find most any kind of store open at any time of the day or week.

As far as rowing goes, it was one of the things I loved the most about college. (Actually, it was just about the only thing I did in college, including schoolwork. Part of the reason I didn't attend more than two years - too much time rowing and playing MUDs.) I rowed for WSU those two years and had an absolute blast. It was an absolute thrill to find that my life as a nerd had been primarily self-imposed and that my body could be trained to perform virtually any physical task I needed it to. Run up the stairs of a 30 story building without stopping? Not a problem. Race up and down the stadium seats with a 110lb coxswain on my back for 20 minutes? Not a problem. It was exhilerating.

One of the other drawbacks I've found to being 6'4": it becomes difficult to be around people who are as tall or taller than you. Almost everyone I meet is shorter than I am, so when I come across someone taller it is more than a little off-putting. I imagine it's easier for people that gained their height later in life, but I was at my full height as a sophmore in high-school.

I was also the most flexible oarsman on the WSU team when I was there. The coach was constantly yelling at me to shorten my stroke so I didn't outpull the other guys in the boat. For the non-rowers out there, the oars in a crew boat are 10 feet long and swivel on an outrigger. The farther you swing it back the more it pulls outward, away from the boat. If one guy is pulling from further back he will produce a slight turn in the boat with every stroke, since that pull isn't being countered by the oarsmen on the other side.

I'm nowhere near being in the same shape I was back then. Now I'm doing pretty well to just sit down and touch my toes. Back then it was no trouble for me to sit with my feet a foot from the wall, then lean forward and touch the wall with my fingers.

Perhaps someday I'll get back into shape. On second thought, I'll probably just redefine my image of "in shape".

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Nicado
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I've read about Aspergern Syndrome and to be honest, you're obviously quite social about everything...I mean, let's face it Mr. Know it all, you're working full time on it all??!!' You may have some issues but your real issues are something else! I'm tired of people like you standing to be real people and scrucking everyday peoples!

They can do what they want with my profile but I know what's right!

Nic

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rivka
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[Confused]
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BobbyK
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Motion for a removal anyone?

Spektyr, I find your openess very refreshing. I've lived with people telling me how I should feel about my diabetes. Some people have nothing more than the ability to critisize.
I'm always interested in another perspective. Thank you for your honesty.

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rivka
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I might be in favor of requesting removal if I could figure out what he was trying to SAY!?

I have a feeling he's had posts deleted before (possibly done so himself?) -- he's posted 5 times, but only two posts show up.


Spektyr, I've enjoyed reading your posts since your very first. [Smile] I hope you won't let that response(?) color your views of Hatrack too much.

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Ralphie
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quote:
I've read about Aspergern Syndrome and to be honest, you're obviously quite social about everything...I mean, let's face it Mr. Know it all, you're working full time on it all??!!' You may have some issues but your real issues are something else! I'm tired of people like you standing to be real people and scrucking everyday peoples!

They can do what they want with my profile but I know what's right!

Nic

wth?
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Farmgirl
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Who the heck is Nicado, and what... is he/she TRYING to start a flame?

I'm not sure exactly what their lack of communication skills is trying to say, but I also vote that the moderator remove that post, which appears to be TRYING to say something insulting...

Farmgirl

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Frisco
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Man, if we removed all insulting posts, I'd be knocked back to newbie status in less time than the average lifespan of a bottle of tequila in Ralphie's kitchen.
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rivka
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Nah, deleting posts doesn't change your post count. [Big Grin]
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Nicado
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You're all absolutely correct. I apologize to Spek, most specifically. and to you the rest of the people who love this forum. I don't know what the hell I was thinking. What I was thinking at the time was utter shite!

I will disengage myself from this forum voluntarily for my utterly stupid and significantly inconsiderate comments previous to this post. I am deeply embarrassed by my actions and words. I apologize to Spektyr and everyone here for my less than poor behaviour.

Nicado

[ December 09, 2003, 02:25 AM: Message edited by: Nicado ]

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Spektyr
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I don't think that post needs to be deleted or anything. I found it rather amusing.

Quite frankly I find it flattering, even.

I mean, one could not dream of being criticized in a way more obviously demonstrating a frightening lack of intellect. If someone cannot even make their insults clearly understood, then they are the perfect voice for those insults.

Now on the other hand if someone well-spoken had lashed out at me, that would be far more likely to land a blow. But as it were the attack was so uncoordinated that it illustrated in itself the idiocy of such an attack. No one else can try to duplicate it using, oh, a "real" language without risking an immediate comparison to this joker.

Absolutely perfect.

Hell, it makes me wish I had thought of doing it myself.

[ December 09, 2003, 06:10 AM: Message edited by: Spektyr ]

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Spektyr
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Just leapt out of bed to add something (or what passes for my "bed", I never understood the need of a piece of furniture for sleeping).

That post was the literary equivalent of a social cue.

It was the staggering drunk who, in a harsh tone of voice, spews forth as many incoherant syllables as spittle. The intent is clear, but not the content.

Though I think I was able to decipher one thing - that he was of the opinion that his "expertise" in Asperger's dictates that those who have the syndrome are not social.

Thank you for sharing - it is a very kind impulse - but you are quite welcome to keep your ignorance to yourself. Those who have Asperger's are not actually anti-social. They may learn to be because they consistantly fail to fit in, but that does not mean that we don't feel the same instinctive urge to interact with others. Autism is the complete withdrawl into oneself. Asperger's is like being a foreigner wherever you go. You may be able to learn the local language, but you'll never quite speak it natively and you never quite fit in.

Sure, I'm definitely not the poster child for Asperger's. I'm more of an exception than I am the rule. But this isn't indication that I'm making up things to garner sympathy or whatever reason you may perceive. This is an indication that I spent the better part of 8 years studying human interaction. All that crap you learned instinctively by the time you were 5 years old? It took me nearly a decade of intensive study as an adult to figure it out. I simply didn't have the cognitive resources to process it all when I was younger. Even now I don't really have the same level of understanding that a neuro-typical does.

On the other hand, I see things most people can't or won't, simply because it comes to them naturally.

Thankfully, your behavior is not one of these "mysteries" for anyone of learning.

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Frisco
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A couple suggested areas of future concentration:

1. Intro to Accepting Apologies.

2. Why not to vigorously defend something you claim to have brushed off 101.

3. How to Avoid Posturing For Dummies.

[Smile]

Seriously, though...show, don't tell. Most often, comments like, "I'm smart!" only go to show the opposite to be true (even if you try and balance it with other humbling statements [Wink] ).
____________________________________________

I spent too much time rowing, too. Only instead of MUDs, I spent the rest of my time at the womens' college across the street. Had I not dropped out, there's no telling what portion of my current income would go to child support. [Embarrassed]

Rowing truly was more addicting, though. One of my best friends also came on as a walk-on. He rowed all four years, and is now certifiably nuts.

We had an erg in our apartment. We pulled 2Ks for no reason. We pulled 500s to get us pumped up for a night on the town. We pulled 10Ks to circulate air through the place. And this was all three years after he graduated (with a ton of medals) and almost six years after I dropped out.

The year after I dropped out, I was so addicted, I had to join a club and row with 40-year-old men to get my fix. They disbanded, and I even coxed a womens' 4 while I was waiting to buy my single just so I could get my time on the water and see the sunrise!

And if I don't stop thinking about it right now, I'm liable to go join the club team that just formed here at Boise State.

And that would probably lead to me becoming crippled, as I've also succesfully redefined my definition of "in shape".

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Spektyr
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Familiar with these three most-evil words of the English language?

Anabolic

Threshold

Testing

For a time I was thoroughly convinced that my coach was Satan.

Or a member of his immediate family.

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