4000 Thank Yous

I really should be off to sleep because I am tired and tomorrow’s alarm will ring too quickly, but first I want to reply to a few posts. Wakeup will probably somehow think that means I “ruminated long and hard”, but no, that doesn’t follow at all (just as drinking “half a cup of coffee” at the rate I consume caffeine is neither long nor hard).

MAX, you are the most interesting lady on ECCIE who I have met. Charming, delightful, and a pleasure to share an evening with. I don’t think I have ever read one of your posts that didn’t bring a smile to my face or give me reason to pause and think—often both.

Tiffani, you are without a doubt the most amazing poster on here who I have never had the pleasure of meeting. So many times I have read your reply to something and thought, “might as well close the thread now, that was the definitive take on the topic”--and often also thinking, “Damn, she posted what I was thinking about saying, and did it a far sight better than I could!”

When I talk with a new lady on here I often give them a list of a half dozen members and suggest that they pay attention to what those six say--that it will give them an idea of how some of the best ladies express themselves--and both of you are on that short list.

Any time one of you replies to a thread I started it is an honor.

Then we have the other end of the spectrum. The elephant who is proud of the fact that he spews verbal diarrhea, much of which lands squarely on himself. Wakeup is clearly not stupid. Opinionated, egotistical, and often closed minded, but he gives no hint of being stupid. More cunning, as Golem is in the Hobbit. Carefully selecting words that 99% of people would take as derogatory—such as calling a lady “fat”, and then with feigned shock and amazement when called on it he says, “calling a woman fat is not insulting!” That might make for an interesting poll question to the ladies on here: “When someone calls you fat, do you take it as an insult, a term of endearment, or as The Elephant believes, a non-emotional descriptive term only”. I suspect I can guess how it would turn out.

He also seems to be practiced at the illusionist’s trick of misdirection. He reads the first 10% of the OP—the conversational opening intro—and ceases to read farther because—clever WU—he has found one of those little “clever” deflections he loves to make. Ignore the body—the 90% and main point of the post—and ask a question that the 6th grade class clown might be proud of. But since I am feeling magnanimous this evening I’ll answer it (again):

I consciously made my 4,000th post substantive because I felt like it. Which is essentially what I said in post #33. And which you deem to be “imaginary importance”. I actually never claimed that my post was important—I only said it was substantive. I generally leave the determination of whether my posts are important to folks who read them. I don’t post to stroke my ego and say “look at me, I’m important”—if I did I would have more like fourteen thousand and change posts by now. Another one of your carefully crafted—with malice aforethought I’m guessing—to allow you to take a jab at someone and then spin it as you try to turn it into a complement.

Maybe you have the same emotional state at all times (curmudgeonly?) but most people do not. Most people feel playful on some days, pensive on others, grateful on different ones still. At the time I started this thread I was feeling contemplative. When I made post #328, I may not have. Honestly, that was long, long ago in a universe far, far away and I don’t recall. Maybe it was substantive. Maybe it was whimsical. Maybe I was responding to a post I considered a dumb flame and I replied in kind. I don’t know, and in reality I don’t care at the moment.

Quite honestly I may have overestimated your subtlety this time. I had assumed what I explained above was so blatantly obvious that couldn’t be what you were asking, so I made what I thought was a reasonable assumption that you must have been drifting into a philosophical debate about why I felt contemplative that day, and at one layer deeper, did I actually have any freedom to “choose” to be contemplative at all, or was my contemplative frame of mind fully determined by past events. That is why I gave you those two references. Sadly (but not surprisingly) you give no indication that you even went to either site. But that would probably fit someone who thinks a feces shedding elephant is a self-glossed symbol to be proud of. My bad for overestimating you.

Reiterating the short version:
--Because I felt like it at the time

Asking why someone feels like making a post on an internet forum "special" is like asking why a guy wants to celebrate a six month anniversary. IMO both aren't really necessary but people like to have affirmation and all that jazz. Plus it's normally innocuous and/or pleasant.

TLDR version: Some people are just sentimental about "milestones". Let 'em scrapbook if they want.

Angel, thank you.

Old-T, you are one of the true gentlemen on this board. I agree with your assessment of the postings of the ladies you mentioned, but would add yourself to that list of those whose posts I always look forward to reading. I like your style, sir.

TLDR version: Some people are just sentimental about "milestones". Let 'em scrapbook if they want. Originally Posted by SAangel27

Got it, thanks.

MAX, you are the most interesting lady on ECCIE who I have met. Charming, delightful, and a pleasure to share an evening with. I don’t think I have ever read one of your posts that didn’t bring a smile to my face or give me reason to pause and think—often both. Originally Posted by Old-T

Thank you! What a generous compliment from a great guy....

Know what? Sometimes, I too must pause and think when I read what I wrote, "What the heck did I mean by that?" Not! LOL

I admit that I am an opportunist author on ECCIE, and yes, sometimes my messages and thoughts are directly aimed at an apparent target, and at other times, maybe not so much. Sometimes it's apparent I'm doing this and at other times, maybe not so much. Gotta keep 'em on their toes or even just shut 'em down sometimes, just because ya can or ya actually do have a message to share, ya know? Reading between lines isn't everyone's thing, but I get it that you often do.

Wakey, I almost sent ya a PM yesterday. Glad I didn't, because I only wanted to say that I, just as Old-T mentioned, believe you actually are intelligent. Possibly a pot stirring SOB, but maybe even just a bored outta his mind individual who probes us, in a rather unusual way, for thought provoking material and often makes me laugh out loud. My positive nature hopes and roots for the latter, but I thank you either way and hope you're having an awesome day!