Yup. I joined on September 15, 2000. Just so you know, if you joined before me you’re old and weird and clearly have no life to have been posting that long. If you joined after me, you’re a youngish newb and really not worth my time.
But just for today, I make an exception to both those categories above and will allow all you to ask any members currently celebrating their Tin/Aluminum/Diamond anniversary with the SDMB (depending on which list you consult) any questions that come to mind.
Why aren’t you a charter member?
What got you started, and what specifically kept you here? What are some of the things you remember most? Oh, and were you involved (even tangentially) in any debacles?
I knew someone was going to ask me this. I was. For several years actually. Then I accidently let it lapse one day and…well, I never rejoined. I’m not entirely sure why I didn’t. I just didn’t. And apathy begat apathy begat…meh.
I’ll probably rejoin one of these days. Missed the window to reclaim charter member status, though.
In college I would read the Straight Dope all the time. I graduated in 1999 and then got a job out in the big bad Real World[sub]TM[/sub]. One day I was bored and went to go search out some articles and stumbled across this message board. I lurked for about a few days and then joined up.
Right before I joined there was the infamous FreakFeely meltdown and I’m always sad I just missed out on that one.
The strange one I remember most was a thread I started thanking a bunch of people for being part of the boards. On a whim, I decided to thank literally the newest member of the SDMB so I checked the front page which, at the time, would tell you who the last person to join was. His name was Bronze Lion. So I included him in the thread.
Well Bronze Lion ended up being a very short lived but extremely entertaining character who started a thread discussing long lines at the doctors offices. Apparently those aren’t because the doctor is running late. In reality, it’s because the doctors are there having sex with all the women and the women have nothing better to do but stand in line getting…what’s the gendered reverse of sloppy seconds? Sequential slammings?
Anyway, it was an entertaining thread and I’m sorry Bronze Lion couldn’t make a go of it on these boards.
Are you frikkin nuts or just totally lifeless?
Well, someone had to ask. But congrats anyway.
Yes.
Newb.
And herein I reference my OP
Fogey.
Get off my lawn!
[I can’t believe I got to say that first on this thread.]
Gosh, I remember when you showed up! Seems like just yesterday!
Looks like its senior citizens day on the Dope. What is your favorite dinner special? I love the Old Country Buffet as long as you get there before 5 pm and it gets all crowded with with young people with their polyester pants all pulled up and stuff.
To the OP. I joined in 2000 as well. What do you remember in particular about that time? I remember it well but let’s see if you can jar some more memories.
Do you remember lights? I remember lots of lights. And screaming.
Well I remember people. Drain Bead and Satan (though Drain’s still around). Rasa and Oldscratch. Oldscratch and I kept trying to top each other for the most surreal pitting of the other one night. Homer was still around as well and he lived in the same town as me so I met him once. He then dropped off the planet and I don’t know what happened to him.
What I remember most about that time was how insanely slow the boards were. You youngfolk have it easy! Why, in my day, we’d open up 15 threads simultaneously in the hopes that in ten minutes one of them would load and we could start reading.
Not like today with your newfangled web 2.0 and turbocharged hamsters and whatnot. We’d have killed for whatnot back in the day.
There are FOUR. LIGHTS!
Oh wait, that’s a reference way further back than 2000. Scary that.
Congratulations, fellow two-thousander! Wow, a whole decade! Where has the time gone? :eek:
Did you know that September 15 is Costa Rica’s independence day? It’s the independence day for most of Central America.
Well in honor of that I shall now run Bill Pullman’s speech from Independence Day through Babelfish
Buenos días. En menos que una hora, los aviones de aquí ensamblarán otros de alrededor del mundo. Y usted pondrá en marcha la batalla aérea más grande de la historia de la humanidad. " Mankind." Esa palabra debe tener nuevo significado para todos nosotros hoy. Nosotros can’ t sea consumido por nuestras diferencias pequeñas más. Nos unirán en nuestros intereses comunes. Quizás it’ el sino de s que es hoy el cuarto de julio, y usted lucharán de nuevo para nuestra libertad… No de tiranía, de la opresión, o de la persecución… pero de la aniquilación. Estamos luchando para que la nuestra derecha viva. Para existir. Y debemos ganamos el día, el cuarto de julio será conocido no más como día de fiesta americano, sino como el día el mundo declaró en una voz: " ¡No entraremos reservado la noche! " ¡No desapareceremos sin una lucha! We’ ¡el re ir a vivir encendido! We’ ¡el re ir a sobrevivir! ¡Celebramos hoy nuestro Día de la Independencia!
And now back again to English:
Good morning. In less than one hour, the airplanes of will assemble others of around the world here. And you will start up the greater air battle of the history of the humanity. " Mankind." That word must have new meaning for all we today. We can’ t is consumed by our small differences more. They will unite us in our common interests. Perhaps it’ but of s that is today the quarter of July, and you will fight again for our freedom… Not of tyranny, of the oppression, or the persecution… but of the destruction. We are fighting so that our alive right. In order to exist. And we must we gained the day, the quarter of July will be known not more like American holiday, but as the day the world declared in a voice: " We will not enter reserved the night! " We will not disappear without a fight! We’ re to go to live ignition! We’ re to go to survive! We today celebrate our Day of Independence!
Ahahaha. I wish I didn’t remember rasa & oldscratch! Man, I dated a lot from this board. What a floozie I was. snort Can I shatter a lot of old-timer images of oldscratch by telling you that he confessed to me that the dog anus story was totally made up for effect? It was.
Didn’t you start off as Enderw23 and changed it when you hit 24? Isn’t it time for another few changes? 
It’s funny, a few of us old time former hardcore posters from back then have come back lately. I read a lot but rarely post because I feel like the creepy college kid visiting high school here sometimes, because everyone is “new” (though they’ve been here years).
But I made some of the very best friends here.
Oh hey! My 10 year anniversary is in 5 days. Though after that whole Winter of Our Missed Content I pretty much left and didn’t come back till maybe a year ago.