That's all ther is left until Elizabeth arrives. The last three weeks have been kind of tough without being able to see her or touch her. but if anything, our relationship is stronger than before. We've been even more open in our communications. Neither of us has attempted to hide or dissemble. She's sent me three sweet letters and a book. I've sent her a postcard, a package, and a letter. We are spending four days in my hometown this weekend. She gets to meet the rest of my immediate family and a couple close friends (including Mavis). we're going to camp out at a folk jamboree and drive around looking at waterfalls and hunt for agates and more fun stuff. I nver thought I would ever say this, but i have an amazing relationship with a wonderful woman who's crazy about me. so, with the world turning to shit, i have one bright star that rises above all teh filth and keeps me going. hope this isn't too sappy for y'all.

I think it's adorable and refreshing.

you totally deserve it, sem. i am really happy for you. and jealous :)

Say hi to Mavis for me.... I am honestly happy for you Sem. Nothing feels quite like it, huh?

Fucking A.... I might be a lurker now, and probably will be for a while... But damnit Sem.... Fucking congrats, I'm proud of ya man.... And all I have to say, is good luck, and keep rolling.

1 hour. All productivity has ceased. Talk to you guys next week!

ernt ernt ernt

nn tss nn tss nn tss

rrrumbalumba ertertert ernt ernt ernt

While he's off the boards: what happened with Sem's love life? I missed the whole thing. When did this all go down?

I'm not sure exactly, a couple of months or so,but she sounds like THE one.

"While he's off the boards: what happened with Sem's love life? I missed the whole thing. When did this all go down?" Oh let me tell this story...PUH-LEEZE? It's one of my favorites. So, I'm living in Columbus, OH finishing my master's, and dying to get back home and then to Atlanta to work on my PhD. The last thing I was concerned about was dating. But I get a response to my Nerve/Salon personal from llamaboy. A good ad, I think. Especially the picture..."Wow! He lives in a hobbit hole. I have to meet this guy." We went to the Blue Danube for our first date and I was totally impressed by his taste in music, sense of humor, and patience with my incessant need to check the NCAA tourney game every 10 seconds. Then we went out again for dinner. I told him about my plans for school and moving. I wasn't trying to give him a "hint" but I wanted to be honest. He sent me the nicest e-mail and I freaked out because I knew I didn't want to date, but I liked him too much to blow him off. So, I spent ALL DAY coming up with the best, "I just want to be friends" line. It was a great line too by the way. I thought so. So, then he took me to see P-Funk and sure enough, I started to regret having to tell him that. But I still thought the practical details would keep my heart at bay, isn't that what is supposed to happen? Ha! Anyway, I invited him out for dinner later that week and he told me that any night was good except Saturday. My immediate thought, "Shit. He's got a date." So, this next part sounds like I "set it up" but I really didn't. I invited him to bring The Young Ones over to watch after dinner. Yes, I wanted to spend more time with him, but I really didn't expect anything to happen. So we watched one video and then we flipped through the stations making fun of stupid TV things and then...well, he just wouldn't get off the couch. He had to work the next day so I figured he'd leave when he got tired but he didn't. So finally we start holding hands and cuddling and all that adorable stuff. I was getting an insomnia headache so I had him rub my head too which was nice. And the rest is...well, the rest is posted on here somewhere! Oh and Sarah, Sheila, Agatha, and whoever, if I fuck this up, I expect...no, I encourage and invite you down to kick my ass. I'll probably call you myself. I'm serious.

heh. right on. i'll hold you to that statement, bet.

ah ha!

wow. it must be going well if you've been invited here. i'm assuming sem introduced you. never once did i consider introducing kevin to this playground, even though he was supposed to be The One. of course, he was introduced to a few folks in person in new orleans, but even so, he's too apathetic to go hunting for this place either. he has no idea what it means and obviously never cared. in any case, you are welcomed into the fold, but yeah, you best not fuck anything up because i won't need no invitation to come kick your sorry ass if you do ;)

Whatever I said up there was what I was reading into it,but this is a good thing.

Andrew told me if something ever happened to me he'd promise to come here and tell you guys. He comes, he reads, he laughs, but he doesnt post.

Thanks Sarah A little while back Sem and I were having one of those, "so what were you thinking when..." conversations and he sent me a couple of threads, the one started the morning after he wouldn't get off the couch and the one he started when he thought I was going to dump him (argh...I still cringe at the thought). Anyway, that was a little strange at first but fun...never have I seen so many nice things AND so many threats to my bottom in one place. I still read them sometimes. On my own I wandered into the threads about all of his previous dating adventures...now reading those was odd, but still fun, mostly because I got more into the gender debate and reading it against my journal and remembering what I was doing then. This place is fun though. Addictive too. And I knew sooner or later I wouldn't be able to keep my mouth shut.

Hey look, another Columbusonianardite! Willkommen, Bienvenue, Welcome. I'll let somebody else do the official welcome. Maybe Sem should.

i told her about that already.

i was thinking, the other day, how this new person slipped so easily into the fold. i'm sure you were warned, kaz. you must be disappointed. our hazer must be broken.

fuck you, you ass. Did I do it right? It's been a long time and I'm not sure... Columbus, eh? Well, glad to have you here...you know, like, on the boards and setting up a nest in sem's heart and stuff.

Do we have to be on our best behavior around her? I have my Sunday School bowtie on and my hair larded back today, and I'm shocked, shocked to see language such as that posted above.

Hmmmm,I was nice to her before I knew who she was. So,a belated: Fuck you,you ass.

Yay! I'm glad kazoointoit = Elizabeth; I sensed a good mind behind her posts.

Semmy! Neve worked????!!!! Hah! Sweet the hell on. Congrats toots.

AZAHHHH! i take pride in being the first one to offend the newcomer. it means i havent lost my touch.

The mystery unveiled! Ha! Welcome to the wacky family, Elizabeth. Sem got me onto these boards as well. Anyone else on here because of the "Sub-Genius?" Anyway. I've actually seen kazzointoit in the flesh, and I'm really happy for the both of you. You have no idea how long I've heard Sem whine and moan about not being able to find the right woman. Five years now, at least. Good for both of you. If either of you fucks this up, you know your getting a collective beat down from all of us, L.A.P.D styley.

Nerve works, Kalli. I met my babe on Salon/Nerve too. :) And, I may just seduce her onto the boards, once she gets a home net connection...

"Fuck you, you ass" ? It seems things have changed since I was last here. But then, some things don't change....I will never forget the heat Patrick laid on me on my first visit. Hello everyone!!!!!! What ever happend to Lucy????????

same thing that happened to the Leafs this year. she put up a brave valiant battle but in the end, her soldiers were falling like flies, her general was shot up. she went down like a prize fighter. *waves bye bye to Cujo*

Same thing as what happened to the Kings....only the Leafs lasted a little longer. The general was shot by the supporters of the troops. *waves hello to Eddie the Eagle*

OH.....I thought you were referring to the Leafs but now I see you were referring to 'Lucy'. I don't recall any soldiers/allies.....she couldn't have had a general as she wouldn't take orders from anyone....she did fight a valiant battle.....but she should not have gone to a gun battle with a pocketknife.

yeahhhhhhhh Deadmarsh (#1 winger) drilled his head into the boards taking himself out , Allison (#1 center) got charliehorsed by Rob Blake and Philipe Bouche (#1 denfenseman) got nailed with the puck in the eye. bad bad bad i saw game 6 in LA, when they beat the pants off the Avs, nothing like it...especially hearing 40,000 people chant "paaaaatrick paaaaaaatrick paaaaaaaatrick". considering how stoned and drunk i was, who could ask for more entertainment.

I know what you mean....I went to all of the Leafs home playoff games and there is nothing like sitting with 20,000 people who are sitting on their hands and are groaning , "Here we go again....another year before Lord Stanley comes to town".

i made a bad allegory leaf.

Kaz and Sem, let me add my congrats to the pile! I'm delighted to hear that Nerve is working for other folks as well. As for my own Nerve experience...check here and see: http://www.theknot.com/co_pwpa.html?coupleid=102211986617188 be glad when that's done, and we can get back to normal life. who knew it'd be so stressful!

You guys sure know how to throw a welcome. Margaret, Spider, Cz, Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Kalliope, Nerve worked, oh yes indeed it did. Dougie, I'm no longer in Columbus. I'm living in Lowell, MA. And I hope by best behavior you mean regular references to asssex or I'm going to get real bored, real quick. Nate, I'm pretty sneaky anyway. Yes, I was warned. I'll get over it. Patrick, I lied to you and so I take back what I said about you knowing *nothing* about me. Sem mentioned my cat/plant issue...that's more than a lot of people know. Antigone, yeah, bring her onto the boards. I hate being the new kid. Hate it. Skooter, hello again! If I missed anyone...oops So anyway, thanks for the lovely greeting.

JustMiceElf- You guys are in my area! Now I know someone here who'll get all my retahded beantown references.

oops there's no *t* and I also forgot...congratulations

sweetthehellon. ive met people offa nerve before and even made a couple friends, got laid a few times, but never anything grandoise.

hey juicy cahn- it says you met in a bookstore.. kindof. you embarassed aobut the nerve part? hey... directions to granny pegs!

Hey, Elf, you from West Virginia? You don't have any Grants in your family tree, do ya?

sweet jesus nate, you're right... she's gotten away with a most unusual sorabji introduction. thank god patrick gave her a more appropriate welcome. just so you know kaz, most newbies run out of this place with blood oozing from their rectum from the figurative (and if they're really lucky, literal) butt fucking they get from this crew.

So I've been told. I wonder what might have happened if I'd just kept my mouth shut.

i'll give you a hint... i have three...no... four words for you. crisco, cheeseburger, and duct tape

Yay. I love a good love story.

Kaz, good to know another bay stater around these parts. I haven't been to Reveyah Beach yet, but I'm getting good at biking around Cambridge and Somerville. Nate, most folks know about the Nerve bit, but Madeleine's folks have avoided telling anyone about it, so we kept it off the website. Antigone, my mom grew up in Charleston. My grandpa was a doctor there. I haven't been back since we unveiled his tombstone back in high school. My grandma moved to Florida not too long after he died, like a good Jewish widow.

I was born in Charleston,McMillen hopital,way to long ago,was just back there in May. I may go back this fall.My dad had our family tree traced Antigone,I have two big ass volumes of it,I'll look and see if there are any Grants in there. Wouldn't that be a trip if we were related? Or maybe to you a nightmare...we're both tall.

Forgot why I was going to post here,welcome Kaz,just want you to know that if your in with Sem,your in with me:)

Go to Singing Beach! Singing Beach! It's in Manchestah-by-the-Sea, which is near Gloucestah-by-the-smell. When I was younger we used to go to Seabrook Beach in New Hampshah. I liked watching the sunset behind the nuclear power plant. When I lived in Brighton near BC and worked in Cambridge by Alewife I rode my bike through Harvard Square every day. Right through that nutty intersection with the red-lights and green arrows at 8:30AM.

and thankyou J.

When I got out of high school I worked at Benson's Wild Animal Farm in Hudson NH. Is that New England enough?

Hah! I'm from Massachusetts originally but my mom lives in New Hampshire now...at one point she wasn't too far from Seabrook. It's like yr driving and driving and then all of a sudden..right across that pretty field an old busted up power plant. I remember everyone having bumper stickers when I was a kid wanting to shut it down. God girl, yer making me miss Boston. I love it down here but it's so so different sometimes.

hey kazoo?

J, I think my grandpa worked at Franciscan's Hospital when he was younger. He worked at Thomas Memorial until he got sick when I was a teenager. I remember him taking me on a tour, and showing me the ICU and CCU units that he had helped to start. I don't remember much else of Charleston besides their house and the cememtary, and the new (then) mall. When he died, the funeral was quite an event; half the Jews in Charleston showed up, along with most of my relatives. Things were tense between my mom and my grandma, and I remember the graveside service seemed to drag on (he was buried with full military honors. Finally, they went to lower the casket into the ground, and, West Virginia being hilly and all, the ground where the lowering mechanism was resting wasn't quite level, and the casket lodged against the side of the grave. Everyone was horrified as the cemetary workers tried to dislodge it; eventually one of the workers got on top of the casket to try to push it down. At this point, my dad leaned over to me and whispered "where's your swiss army knife," sending us into a fit of muted giggles. Really, by the end the whole thing looked like it should have been narrated by Arlo Guthrie.

Haven't been to Singing Beach yet, though it's been reccomended to us by a couple of people. I don't think I've ever been to Seabrook beach either, although I went to high school not far from there (yeah, I'm one of those snotty prep school kids). I did ride my bike all around southeaster New Hampshah, including through Newmahket and Epping, as well as Exetah. Kaz, you get props for riding through the squayah. I avoid riding through there if I can. I'm more likely these days to ride out to Lechemere, where friend of mine work, and where I've been volunteering, or occaisionally to Central to take pictures. I'll ride to Harvard the back way from Porter, but I haven't been brave enough to cross the river yet. DL, I'd forgotten about Benson's Wild Animal Farm until now. That ranks up with the Edaville Railroad as New England attractions.

Ohmygod. We used to go to Benson's too. That was like the little kids field trip. When we got older it was Old Sturbridge Village. We used to just sneak away from everyone else and hide behing one of the houses and smoke ciggarettes til it was time to go. Did you ever go to Weymouth Park? I think that's what it was called. With the old busted up wooden rollercoaster? I might totally be getting the name wrong. It was this amusement park near Leominster? With a big cartoon whale as its logo. Goddamn the flashbacks.

Don't forget Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park, Story Land, Santa's Village, Mystery Hill, The Flume, The Polar Caves, Cannon Mountain, and Canobie Lake. All freakish NH attractions. My parents had a talent for finding these places I swear. Bensons was full of deep dark things you don't want to know. We used to have potato chip bags clipped into these display units and every morning we'd come in and throw out the ones on the bottom of the display because rats would eat through the bags to get delicious chips out. mmmmmm.... rats! I also got in trouble for throwing out moldy hamburger rolls one time. That was before the Spider ride dropped on a woman and she was left paralized. Oh the fun!

"You'll have a whale of a time at Whalom Park" Old Sturbridge Village Pilmouth Plantation.. I know a guy who works at Pilmouth and says his job is 'an actor who teaches history through the dramatic arts'

Whalom Park. Not Weymouth. My bad. Where in NH were you? I grew up in Winchendon..right on the border of MA and NH...near Rindge and Jaffrey. Then I went to high school in Tilton. ...sorta north of Concord.

Trashua, I mean Nashua - eek

hah i remembered it right before you reminded me. thats some funny shit. part of the scare of going on that coaster was when it was gonna collapse. i wonder if that place is still around or not. i havent been back up north in yeaaaaaars.

I think Whalom is dead but Canobie Lake is still there and the rides get scarier every year! Last year I went with friends and we were there during a thunderstorm and they never turned off the rides. We were in big metal rides, lightening streaking across the sky for about a half hour. It really gave new meaning to 'thrill ride'. When we went to Old Sturbridge Village all I remember was finding the bakery and eating cookies all day.

Congrads Elf!!!!!!!!

Thanks, CZ!

Whalom Park is in legal limbo. The family that owned it had soled off a majority share several years ago, and was recently wrestling to regain control and reopen the park. The group who owns the majority of the park was, I believe, looking to sell it off to a developer. According to the articles I read, the park was originally conceived by the old streetcar company that owned the Worcester to Leominster line, as a way to get people to ride the streetcars.

Ah, Strubridge Village...I spent two weeks there one summer as part of a summer camp program they ran. It was a cooking themed program (they had several others, including woodworking). We wore period clothes whenever we went out into the Village, and I learned how to make sausage from scratch (and having done that, know quite well not to ask how laws are made). That was a fun summer, the year before seventh grade. I carpooled out from Wormtown (I mean Worcester) with two of my close friends. Other highlights of the program included a picnic on the OSV common, where we got to try ninepin bowling, and an afternoon spent trying out period toys (like those old barrell hoops kids used to play with).

I had a couple of connections to Plimouth Plantation, although I've never actually been there. My sister had a friend who's dad was the director, and my friend Shane's dad was also on staff. He was an historian who sometimes dressed in character; for a long time, the tourist maps of Cape Cod had his picture on the front. He commuted from Exeter to Plymouth for several years; Shane's mom was a math teacher there.

Did anyone else see that 'Frontier House' show on PBS? Just reminding me of the Pilmouth action.

yes, Patrick?

I saw about an episode and a half of it. Wish I'd seen more. I thought it was pretty interesting, especially all the soap opera-y stuff among the families. I'd love to see more shows like that. I just finished reading a good book called Cape Random, about families on a small, isolated cape in Newfoundland in the early 1800s. It's a good read, and really gets to the conditions of the time.

eat sweltering spinchter juice while riding a seatless unicycle you jizzmonkey cockfuck half-wit fucknuts you!!!!! welcome to sorabji there. i think i picked up where all else failed.

yeowza...that pretty much does it patrick. I can't think of unicycles without thinking of the guy around porter square who pushes his kid in a baby jogger while riding a unicyle. in traffic. and supermarket parking lots.

and now you've been officially welcomed. im still laughing that theres an entire post about my hometown nostalgia. i didnt think there was anyone else from there. :P its kind of funny. i was working for this jewlery shop in town a few summers back and i snuck out for a smoke break real quick..as im walking down the block, i pass this man walking in the opposite direction towards me. we kind of do this 360 degrees thing and turn around. he was one of my teachers at the high school i went to in nh. he just happened to be in richmond on vacation. this world is incredibly tiny sometimes. i think ive found some sort of meaning in all the links. its part of the reason ive stayed here in richmond. theres been too many coincidences...like my past lifes (all the other towns ive lived in across the country) have kinda met up here. ahh shit, maybe im just getting older.

Thanks Patrick.

Wow. I remember all of those places. Whalom, Canobie, not a big fan of those and amusement parks in general, I get sick on the swing set. My mom and her family owned a house on Cobbit's Pond in Windham which is near the MA/NH border. I've done some skiing and hiking in the white mountains. I like hiking around Carter Notch on the Appalachian trail. Kalliope, I have not even heard of your town. I've heard of Jaffrey because I have one vague memory of my friend's father making fun of it, saying that for fun they watch their trucks rust. And I have a big six-degrees-of-separation problem. After I moved back here in 1997 when I graduated from undergrad, I started finding all of these strange connections. I couldn't go anywhere without meeting someone who knew someone I knew in the most random way. It only got worse when I started meeting people over the internet...those connections were fucked up. The best was the first guy I met...for some reason we kept this anonymous thing going on and he gave me enough clues that I could call someone I knew who lived in his hometown, describe his family, and then find him on the internet. I thought I'd be safe in Ohio. Nope. Had a few bizarre connections there too. Wierd, wild stuff

In 8 days I will see my sweetest one

How did I get so lucky?

dammit. were all these people in massachusetts while i was there? fuck. lock your bikes well, kids. it's ugly out there.

I think the New Hamster types get around. I meet a lot of people from there in day to day life. Maybe too it's because I consider the entire state of NH one place. Like, I live in MA now bu but if I was somewhere and met a guy from Springfield I'd feel no kinship to him but if he was from Epping I'd feel like we had something in common. Is it just WGIR and the Block Party Weekend? I found out this friend of mine's beau is from Concord and he and I definintely have a lot in common in some weird way. A communication style or something

JusMiceElf,I know Thomas Memorial well,I still to this day thank God for the emergency room who saved my thumb and pinkie that got sliced off when I slamed a storm door and it broke on me when I was 5,for back then with all the nerves in your hand it's a wonder they are alright. That funeral,gives all new meaning to turning over in your grave.

Man I miss it up there. Especially with this 110 degree heat lately. I've discovered why Southerners are so slow. You move and you sweat..so the best thing to do is sit on the porch with a six pack and try and equal the amount of body water going in as is coming out. Semmy, too cute. TOO CUTE. I'm so damn happy fer you guys. It's funny how meeting people in non-traditional ways tends to work out. I'll tell ya my story at some point. It's a goddamn doozie.

yes im aware i just used the word doozie. please disregard.

I thought it was cute, especially since you said "goddamn doozie". And I'll look forward to your story.

Oh my God, I just heard an ad for 'Edaville-USA', apparently Edaville railroad was not dead, only sleeping. All new rides and Thomas the Tank Engine in Carver MA. Yow!

In less than an hour....he's at Logan Airport and I am still at work...not for long. I am wicked impatient, but supah excited