Dopers You're Thankful For

[Siege]

In a few hours, I’ll be with my family giving thanks for what has, in retrospect, been a very good year, despite some rough spots. It seems to me, though, that I owe some people around here some public thanks and, since this is Thanksgiving Day in America, now’s the perfect time to do it. Folks, please chime in with the posters around here you’re grateful for. As for vanity searches, why not? I reluctantly admit I’ll be doing one myself. :o I’m also sure I’ll omit some people, despite giving this some thought.

Anyway, here goes:
Ice Wolf for backing me up, helping me out, and, in general, being a great lady and a good friend.
Kal and Washte for friendship shown.
Rico for the 80’s music thread which would not die!
Eddy Teddy Freddy for fun!
Ultrafilter for help in finding a job.
Gobear for friendship, an opposing point of view, and all you’ve taught me.
Diogenes the Cynic for calling me on my arrogance once and again for helping me to understand another point of view.
RyleDup for hanging in there and, later, for giving me the right words at the right time. You didn’t know about that.
NoClueBoy for friendship, flirtation, and other fun stuff, including a few phone calls.
DantheMan for making me feel attractive and fun, and yet more flirtation.
Norinew for being you.
Triskademus for being some of what I aspire to be and for the Poetry thread.
Lynn Bodoni and Tuba Diva for going out of your way for me at times. Tuba Diva, I’ll be seeing that tuba-playing friend of yours from Cleveland next week. Shall I give him your regards?
The Mad Hermit and his wife for friendship and confirming road signs. We’ve got to get together during the holidays!
Guinastasia for coming with me to Dope-A-Ween and for being another visible Pittsburgher.
Scotticher for doing positive good quietly, especially Operation Polycarp.
Monstro again, simply for being you. I’m sorry I didn’t respond during your recent troubles. You were in my thoughts and in my prayers, and I do enjoy reading what you write.
TomnDebb for all you’ve taught me and friendship shown.
Iampunha for running naked through threads and making me laugh. If you were 10 years older or I were 10 years younger, you’d be giving someone a run for his money!
ShirleyUJest and all the others who’ve organized Secret Santas, Valentine Exchanges, coffee mug exchanges, etc. for helping make this place a community.
His4Ever of all people, for teaching me things and helping me to understand a radically different point of view, even when I didn’t want to.
FriarTed for keeping me honest and teaching me.
Esprix for all the Ask the Gay Guy threads.
Jayjay, for reasons too numerous to mention.
Coldfire for help with Dutch translation. I’m in a new job now, which means I won’t need to ask for an equivalent of “lamp condom”!
Vanilla for trying.
**Vlad/Igor, Ares, Sauron, Zoe, ** and the rest of the Episcopal Mafia for reaffirming my faith and for being a lot of fun!
Aldebaran for showing me a new perspective and appreciating Handel’s Messiah.

I suspect if I go on, I’ll list half the active membership here. During the past four years, you people have made me laugh, and think. Given that a friend of mine’s criteria for going to bed with a man is he’d better be able to make her laugh, think, or come, (or is it “and”), you’re not doing half bad! You’ve shared my joy, and comforted me in my sorrow. You’ve stood by me during some rough times and, since there were too many times when I was younger when people didn’t do that, I appreciate it more than I can say. This message board, this community of people is truly remarkable and it’s an honour to be a member here.

Thank you.

Oh, no, I didn’t have any intention of forgetting him. How could I?
Polycarp for being my brother in spirit, my soul friend, my sometime spiritual advisor, and most of all my friend. I think I can safely say that sentiment is also shared by a certain hack science fiction writer of our acquaintance. He’s joining us for Thanksgiving dinner.

Oh yeah, I should add Cecil Adams himself for years of good columns, leading the fight against ignorance, and making this place possible in the first place!

To all of you, whereever you are, a joyful Thanksgiving!

Thanks again for all you’ve shown me, all you’ve taught me, and all you are. I hope I enjoy the privilege for many years to come.

CJ

[Amazon_Floozy_Goddess]

I’m thankful for everybody here (with the exception of the few jerks that come along, and soon get banned anyway). I’ve never been any other place where I’ve seen so many people who made me laugh, made me heartily agree or disagree on a subject, made me more creative, made me reconsider my own point of view, among many other things. I love the SDMB!

Aww, group hug!

[rocking_chair]

i’m thankful for all of them. all the laughs, insights, knowledge, and the humanity.

i’m very thankful we have this place to meet, and very, very, thankful to those who make it run so smoothly.

[joyfool]

To our beloved OP… what a great and well thought-out list! Obviously, I’m jumping at the bits to add my own. Suprise, suprise, huh? As for my ideas on this, for once I’ll try and keep it short (yeah, like that’ll happen), because my one attempt at cooking probably deserves all the attention I can muster.

[Goofy Disclaimer: Mea culpa in advance for any names I spell wrong, don’t capitalize correctly or unintentionally muck up otherwise. Gosh, I so am thrilled to see certain clever ones, it’s obsessive. :D]

[ul]
[li]Left Hand of Dorkness – who consistently amazes me with his attitude (and the fact that I feel the same way, usually doesn’t color my opinion) and besides, I think I have a crush[/li][li]Zoe – who’s been extremely helpful in many of my threads about my mental health problems and she’s an ex-teacher (what could be cooler than that?)[/li][li]Annie X-mas – my first Secret Santa recipient who’s just really wonderful[/li][li]Cartooniverse – who’s emailed me with his great and friendly personality (he’s just a doll – another crush perhaps?)[/li][li]lel – my first friend here; who, by the way, is wickedly funny[/li][li]MadHermit – who is a fellow kindred spirit and I adore him even despite his fanatical choices in sports franchises and I know that crush exists [/li][li]evensven – for sympathetically telling me of a similar experience that happened to her that also nearly derailed me and for which I’ll be eternally thankful for the support[/li][li]reeder – who did the same thing, but about our political alignment (and although I know how most everyone else feels, I still thought that was incredibly sweet)[/li][li]Polycarp – for being one of my favorite examples of Christian love, even extended to me and my “I have no idea what I am” self (coincidentally, he even noticed that I’m not invisible!)[/li][li]Seige – for her one-time support group (I don’t think I ever actually posted to it, but I read constantly and was encouraged by it) by just offering it[/li][li]SolGrundy – for being someone who actually, usually, cyberly has the same feelings as I do on subjects but expresses them better[/li][li]SofaKing – even though I don’t believe he’s now a paid member :(, for starting a hilarious thread (about Britney Spears and blank morality checks) that got me hooked on this place and therefore, an actual posting member (wonder if that’s a good thing?)[/li][li]IdleThoughts – for hosting the SDMB Jeopardy! game – what a super way to make friends and, finally, allow me to occasionally say something I truly know :eek: Oooh, and to have some fun interplay with folks I’d never come across before, like Stuffy[/li][li]iampunha – who I’d rather see run nekkid through this place than anyone else!! YUM! And who kinda sorta got me hooked up with a blog. That rocked, even though I didn’t use it. (I suck that way too… :() [/li][li]DaLovinDJ – he noticed me early on and responded so nicely that I just miss his presence is all ::: sad, sad, sad :::[/li][li]Dante & too many more to name – constantly amusing and entertaining me[/li][li]Mtgman & ETF – to just name a few who’s intelligence, wit, sincerity and thoroughness amaze me[/li][li]starving artist, gobear and rogerthornhill – with aplomb, trying to sometimes fight an uphill battle to remain unbiased (but necessarily vocal), magnanimous and bridge those gaps in partisan (and other hot button topics) beliefs[/li][li]liberal – some of the best surreal one liners to be viewed anywhere that consistently give me pause [/li][/ul]

Then there’s tons more who I’ve learned stuff from that are on the opposite side of the fence from mine. It’s been so incredibly enlightening. Those that have been really kind, supportive and helpful. Sometimes, I couldn’t have made it without them. For having once again returned to agoraphobia, they honestly have been my only link to the outside world and voices of reason. To the mods who’ve always been quick to respond to me and have handled my few requests. The witty banner that’s made me laugh out loud, the great thought-provoking debates pretty much in every forum, the community coming together during a crisis, discussing BIG important matters that need reflection and perhaps work, newbies with their freshness and fearlessness to just jump right in here, offering terrific knowledge and patient explanations (for the most part), much needed friendship and lots of examples of things I’ve never considered, heard about or (in some cases) wanted to know of. Just, in general, enjoying the overall atmosphere. But the experience, hopefully, has made me more introspective and compassionate. Finally, for all those who give us a glimpse of their lives via details, grateful doesn’t cover it. It gives me hope of one day achieving normalcy again and I love vicariously getting to at least have a bit of life now. Thank you all!!! (Certainly, for those who can go on and on as much as I do! God that’s freakin’ beautiful. Just to know I’m not alone. Whew!)

And for any I undoubtedly forgot or who are no longer with us (in many different and sometimes sad ways), please forgive me. You all our in my hearts and despite how difficult the holidays usually are for me (doubly so this year), I feel more happy and blessed I think, than ever before. A large part of it is because of the Dope. Can you tell I’m crazy (no pun intended) about this place?

So again, Happy Turkey Day everyone!! I pray it’s a good and safe one. Take care y’all.

(Yep, I knew it. No short posts for me. Apparently, ever. So sorry. I can’t seem to help it. Any editors wish to apply for a non-paying job with no advancement? And no, I’m not associated in any way with Wal*Mart. I’m also a sentimental yutz and smilie/parenthesis fanatic. So sue me for nothing I gots. ;))

[joyfool]

Wow! That really was just a couple in my world. Really. I swear. :eek:

[AncientHumanoid]

With my trademarked Inability to Finish a Thought in One Post™, I’m sure I would leave out someone if I actually listed names myself. So, I’m selfishly not going to list individual Dopers for fear of hurting someone by accidentally leaving them out. (Cop out? You bet!)

But, you guys all know who are. The ones I’ve had rl dealings with, the one I’ve had discusssions with on subject both whimsical and of vital import, the ones who cried on my shoulder and in turn allowed me to do so also, even you people that I’ve disagreed with wholeheartedly but who opened my eyes to different points of view…,

THANK YOU

I truly appreciate who you are and what you have done.

[Sampiro]

Several have already been mentioned so I won’t go int them again in interest of time, but-

Eve of course, for being not just an encyclopedia of the American Film Industry (at least Volume 1) but for having a wit that could both peel paint and beat Hermes in a footrace. We’ll one day be able to say we knew her before she ascended. (There is no Eve but Eve, and Otto is the prophet of Eve.)

Ogre whom I know in The Waking and who if he were any more of a true Renaissance Man he’d be unable to post as he’d be too busy painting church ceilings.

A generic Thank You to All Dopers who:

*recently complimented some photographs of myself I linked to (I’m always majorly surprised to hear compliments on my appearance)
who have ever jammed the High Speed servers to yell “CITE?” to IMBAs - that just doesn’t happen on other boards
*to Christian Dopers who through intellect and manners have helped me realize that I am guilty of stereotyping and that not all of the faithful are lobotomized sheep or total hypocrites
to any Doper who has ever made me laugh out loud, and that’s too many to list by name as the Music has already started playing and Billy Crystal is gesturing from the shadows to get off as Mickey Rooney is here to read the nominees for BEST SOUND IN A DOCUMENTARY ABOUT FISH and they need to get him onstage before the Depends fills.
to all Dopers for creating an atmosphere that society in general would profit by copying (where tolerance is the norm, bullshit is detected and nobody has special privileges they haven’t earned)
Happy Holidays, Shalom and God Bless Us Every One
*Idiots Making Bold Assertions

**Cite?

[Shirley_Ujest]

I want to continue this LoveFest™ by thanking all the dopers out there.

You’re the reason I log on and waste vast quanitities of time here each and every freaking day.
Without each and every one of you, I would probably lead a productive life and be a member of the Slack jawed Night Of The Living Dead Zombie Brigade™. Trapped in Cubicle World Looking for the Elusive Cheese™. song title!

I cannot thank you enough.

[Gyrate]

For everyone who stopped by hoping to see his or her name specifically mentioned but didn’t, I am thankful. Who wants to hear from the Usual Gang of Idiots in every thread? Even if no one ever remembers your name or what specifically you said, thanks for making the effort.

<group hug>

[Tripler]

I’m particularly thankful for all those Dopers that kept in touch with me while I was over in a faraway distant land earlier this year.

You guys were a touch of reality that kept me sane.

Tripler
I raise a turkey leg to you!

[joyfool]

Whoops, sorry, one more…

Bumbazine, for being the only one who replied to the thread about my naked doggy. I was so overjoyed that little Sagan wasn’t completely ignored (she was too, but not much seeing as how she is definitely The Queen of this Domain) and that s/he was creative and kind. Um, I looooved you for that.

And also what Gyrate said. I hardly ever get noticed -or- mentioned and I’m hoping that’s not because I don’t have a positive contribution. Because I know that you all DO, I’m very happy to make your internet acquaintance, although you’ll never know. You guys make the Dope what it truly is. Us unnamed masses. So I second the group hug. I wish there was a way to list you all.

[Polycarp]

Wow – I would quite literally have to list almost half the board, who got behind the “rescue Polycarp” thread slightly over a year ago, and pulled me out of a hole I was fresh out of ideas on how to get out of. In particular RT Firefly and Mrs. F. for starting it and for hosting me innumerable times, Scotticher for coordinating it (and a hundred other causes she’s been Managing Doper-in-Charge on, and refuses to take credit for), and Liberal, Edlyn, Triskadecamus, Biggirl, Joe Cool, and Jersey Diamond for special gifts. But there is literally a three-page list of people who have gone out of their way to help someone (me) they merely knew through the board – and I love every one of them.

Likewise, the number of people who have engaged me in lively and interesting discussion, from Dewey Cheatem Undhow to Gobear to Esprix to Baker to Gaudere to samclem to Jomo Mojo and a good hundred others, have made my time here rewarding beyond belief – like having a loving family of Mensa members in a giant mansion.

But I’d especially like to remember family-by-choice. When I had my Skulldigger and was otherwise alone in the world, the last of my family and likely to die childless and alone but for her, or completely alone if I outlived her, I ended up with a sister-in-spirit, the OP here; a man who is somewhere between son-in-spirit, brother-in-spirit, and the best friend I’d resigned myself to never having; his wife who has been my friend since she was a small child, and whose friendship has grown with the years; his three children who are my grandchildren-in-spirit and who make my life joyful; the lonely financially successful man who befriended me and taught me self-respect and more marketable skills than I can name quickly. These are my real-life family, never mind what Mr. Bush’s “family values” people may think of it.

There’s a country song called “I Am Blessed” in which the woman singer names all the little things in her life that mean so much and make life worth living for her. Well, I am blessed – and a large part of that blessing is the gift of the love and friendship of the minions of Cecil Adams who frequent this corner of the web.

And that, all you wonderful folks, is what I am thankful for on this 25th day of November in the year 2004.

[monstro]

I’d like to thank all the Dopers for entertaining me for this past year. Ya’ll got me through my dissertation-writing, long hours of job-searching, moving-to-a-new place jitters, and the recent dramady at work. I love you and would be totally different without you.

I’d especially like to thank Zoe for sending me a book. No one has ever reached out to me from the internet like that.

I’d also like to thank everyone who posted in my recent “I hate myself” thread. The hands that reached out to me with words of encouragement did wonders for my soul. I do have friends. They’re just invisible. I’d like to thank yosemite for really opening out to me in that thread.

[nocturnal_tick]

I’d like to thank Hal Briston, kittenlm, harmless, FilmGeek, Ghanima, Nightwatch Trailer, AngelicGemma, TiggrKitty, mlerose, CandidGamera, Draelin, BiblioCat, Ilsa_Lund, Rufus Xavier, Really Not All That Bright, Misstee, TellMeI’mNotCrazy, wolf_meister and Hot Buttered Toast for their support of the Brat Pack. Without them my crazy plans would go down as well as mud on toast.

A special thanks to wolf_meister for maintaining the website and to harmless for her fantastic artwork.

Thank you to Ghanima for that e-mail a while ago which meant more than she thinks.

Thank you to Eve for her constant streams of entertaining writing.

Thank you to all the moderators and administrators who have kept this place running as smooth as possible.

Thank you to any other doper I haven’t mentioned because whether I like you or not, whether I agree with you or not, without all our differences this place just wouldn’t be the place I love.

And thank you AngelicGemma for being my bestest friend. Really.

[iampunha]

Knowing my penchant for saying “two thousand words? That’s it?” I think the hamsters will thank me for keeping this (relatively) brief:)

There’s a good reason for that, though. As sure as I’d forget folks from this year I’d forget so many from the first three years of my membership here. The list of folks I owe in nontrivial (or so much bigger) ways is at least several hundred members long.

Instead I want to thank the people who haven’t taken the opportunity to say, in a thread started by - or with large participation by - someone labeled “guest,” something to the effect of “Feh, your opinion doesn’t matter until you pay.” There were those who, back when we were going from free posting to PTP, thought some sort of holier-than-thou voices might be heard in a way similar to that. I remember being new here, though there aren’t a lot of still-active members who remember that. You’d have to go back almost to before UncleBeer was a Mod or IMHO existed, way before Cafe Society, before Coldy or Veb or John Corrado were mods, back to a time of posters many folks here don’t remember. Go back before the disappearance or death of several prominent posters. There were a shade over 6,000 members here when I joined. We’re up to almost 50,000 registered screen names now.

It was scary for me then, delurking (I’d been lurking well over a year and still didn’t quite grasp several things). I got here thinking I knew some stuff. I wasn’t socially sure of myself, but I figured I had the answer when it came to more than a few things.

I got my ass politely handed to me. I’d link to the threads but it wasn’t pretty. Sometimes it’s hard to put myself in the shoes of those who, back in the day, didn’t take me for a troll, didn’t lay waste to me, didn’t get me going in a flamewar I’d have had no chance of winning.

I’m really glad that doesn’t happen now. We get new members and we go (relatively;)) easy on them. Granted, many of them seem slightly overwhelmed by the boisterous community we have here, but it’s a fortunate thing for the people here and the future of here that our newbies - unless they deliberately choose a path of the more destructive sort - generally are able to feel their way around and get an idea of how things are here. (It also helps that many of them say they lurked for a while before posting:D)

[SolGrundy]

Sure, I’ll join in. Usual disclaimers apply: I don’t log in every day just to hear myself talk, and I don’t log in just to read the posts of a few posters. It’s the whole board and the tone of it that keeps everybody coming back, and you don’t get that from just a few posters but from everybody who participates.

That said, Polycarp deserves a special mention just for being the poster everybody should try to emulate. He stays true to his convictions, but never at the expense of showing respect to another poster and never at the expense of watering down his message. I read his posts sometimes and just think, “Now that’s the way people ought to be.”

Also matt_mcl, for really treating the board like a community and showing real support for the people posting and the issues we’re talking about.

And for that matter, Bricker and roger_thornhill, because if I hadn’t gotten involved with arguments with them, I probably would never have realized that it’s possible to disagree with someone over an issue that I feel very strongly about and still have real communication, instead of my just being convinced of my self-righteousness and dismissing them entirely.

And although it sounds like I’m sucking up but I swear I’m not: the moderators could use a good bit of thanks as well. They’re the ones who keep the tone of the board up without being stuffy and condescending, having to deal with the idiots that plague every other board on the internet just so that the rest of us don’t have to. It’s the standard “thankless job” scenario – I don’t always agree with their decisions, but the 99% of their decisions I do agree with and appreciate, I don’t say anything about.

[Ayesha]

I’m thankful for all of the Dopers, ones who I have poted with and those who have never heard of me.

These boards helped me keep my sanity through some rough times, I have interacted with people here I would never have had the chance to speak to IRL.

TheStraightDope is a community, a place where I have learned I never had to meet a person face to face to care for them deeply. Where have people touched my heart and my life with nothing but their words.

Here’s to another year with new people to meet, and to remembering those we met who are gone but never forgotten. Rest in peace Poohpah and Wally. I remember you both and am thankful you were here and I could call you my friends.

[Master_Wang-Ka]

Not gonna name names. You all know who you are, and the ones who don’t, well, I’m grateful for you, too… but if I tried to name you all, there would be the perfectly deserving who’d be left out because I forgot your names, like an idiot, and rather than hurt yer feelin’s, I will simply give thanks for you all.

And, of course, **Cecil Adams, Ed Zotti, ** and EddyTeddyFreddy, who saved me the hassle of having to deal with PayPal.

[Ephemera]

There are too many and I’ll surely forget people if I list them so I’m not going to try because I’ll feel bad for leaving people off and I have quite a few people to thank in tangible ways, i.e. they’ve done something more for me than just making me laugh.

With that being said, I do feel the need to thank indecisive1, rocking chair, Seeker74, laina_f, Kallessa, XJETGIRLX, Master Control, Gr8Kat, FilmGeek, and **MsRobyn **for either trying to make my recuperation more pleasant by sending me cards and packages or for calling or visiting while I was in the hospital.

I’m truly sorry if you were also in that group but I forgot.

All my friends as well. If you think you might be, you probably are.

[Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor]

Starting with Unca Cecil and moving on to a list that would keep me typing all night.