Sorry for a “vanity” thread, but the other day I happened to notice my join date was 20 years ago this month! I knew I’d been hanging around here for some time, but wouldn’t have thought it to be measured in multiple decades. Not to overstate the importance of these boards, but there aren’t that many other “relationships/associations” I’ve kept up for longer.
Kinda daunting to think of what a different situation I was at 39 as opposed to my current 59. Same wife. Same 3 kids, but they were in grade school instead of out on their own - w/ grandkids. A couple of houses and 2 dogs ago. Pre various injuries and surgeries limiting my activity level. And pre sobriety. In a DIFFERENT unrewarding dead-end job! 
I’ve enjoyed the back and forth with other old-timers and passers by alike. Thanks for helping me “waste” such a major portion of my life here! 
BTW - for some reason I seem to recall that some blip in the system way back when caused join dates to be something other than when members actually started posting. Any one else remember that, or just another sign of my approaching senility?
Happy to help! Yeah, who’d’a thunk we’d still be posting here, decades later? I started posting here at age 45, and now I’m 66. I was just a few months into my current career then, and I’m still with it now, but looking forward to retirement in just a few years.
I don’t recall having heard anything about such a blip, but I might have experienced it.
I’ve wondered for years about my join date of April 1999; even a long time ago, I remember thinking, “wait, I didn’t post anything until June or so” and any lurking I would have done would have been before joining; I’d have joined in order to post in a particular thread.
I know the transition from the UBB to the vBulletin board software (this happened sometime in the 2000-2002 period, IIRC) caused some things to go awry; there are posts and threads from the pre-vBulletin era that got lost.
My 20th anniversary will be in August. I was in Jacksonville FL when I joined, after a google for Straight Dope. I had no idea what a message board was, but I figured it out pretty quickly, and all these years later, I’ve met a lot of folks from a lot of places, including **RTFirefly **himself!
It’s strange when an ancient thread is resurrected and I find myself wondering what happened to this or that poster. I’ve learned a lot about things that I might not have encountered otherwise. I’ve certainly enjoyed this place, and I can see myself posting here for another 20 years. It’s been a rewarding timesuck!
I can’t understand how anyone could hang around a message board that long.
You’ve been here for only 20 years?
I vaguely recall that I was posting for quite a while before actually becoming a member. I know I was on AOL at first, but these details currently escape me.
Newbie!
How’s the new puppy doing?
StG
What’s that oldtimer? 
Pup is great, tho we’re convinced there is very little golden in him and he is mostly poodle. Very different from the goldens we are used to. Very smart, and happy - smiles all the time. But less slavishly eager to please. Not a big fan of “come”. You call him to come, and he gives you that “I’m thinking about it” look. Just requires a slightly different approach as an owner. Also, we think he is going to be considerably larger than the 25-35# we were told. But a lot of fun to have during this shutdown.
I pulled up my posts in reverse order. Was funny to see some of the long gone names … Trying to figure what spurred me to pop my cherry with a Honeymooners reference? 
I just looked, and my account here can walk into a bar and buy booze! I’ve been here so long, I probably helped Ed and Jenny set up the server next to the goat pen.
Happy Doper-versary!!
(:))
I’m posting here because I’m so lazy that seeing my own reply is the most thought-free way for me see my own join date.
Hey, wasn’t that the year that Tiger Woods won three majors in a row.
Seriously, as much as I have enjoyed watching Tiger all these years, I’ve always looked forward to your rants - they’re a welcome ritual.
Congratulations to a fellow 20-year veteran.
Hey, everyone’s entitled to (at least?) 1 irrational thing that sets them off, no?
You and i are SD twins!
Twenty-one years for me. I remember the pulsing AOL brain. I lurked for about 10 years before signing up (hey, I’m shy). Don’t post too much but the amount of my life I have spent reading other posters’ words is staggering.
It’ll be 20 years for me in August but I was round before that on AOL too. I lurked for a while before joining this forum, being scared to venture much outside AOL back in those days.
My doperversary is 2004, but I remember reading it when I started on AOHell - noticed the name because my brother had one of the books in his place that was fun and fascinating. Again I lurked for a while before posting
I sent in a question to Cecil in 1999 via email and he answered it in one of his weekly columns (swoon). It later reappeared while they were recycling old columns. Good times!!
Check this out, you will have to squint!
