# I pit OpalCat - but my heart's not really in it. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 12, 2011, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-opalcat-but-my-hearts-not-really-in-it/605872 "2011-12-12T03:17:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2011, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-opalcat-but-my-hearts-not-really-in-it/605872/141 "2011-12-13T00:38:18Z")
> [@Erdosain](#): > > Well, since Thanksgiving, you’ve posted 10 times. I’ve posted 120 times. As **Dallas Jones** pointed out upthread, Opal has posted 750 times. If you haven’t noticed, it’s because you aren’t paying attention. Or hang out exclusively in the Pit and the Game Room. Within a couple days of her “I’m different” thread I had already commented directly to her how many threads she started in a really short time. It’s been flying since then plus all the posts to existing threads. It’s an almost constant flow. I’m not sure how you could miss it. Might not bother you, that’s fine, but it’s been a deluge. ---
**Author:** ![Peeta\_Mellark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bc8723/32.png) [@Peeta\_Mellark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peeta_Mellark)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2011, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-opalcat-but-my-hearts-not-really-in-it/605872/142 "2011-12-13T00:50:02Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > Might not bother you, that’s fine, but it’s been a deluge. Yeah, that’s the thing. Her constant posting doesn’t bother me at all. I’ve noticed, definitely, but I’ve gotten to the point where my eyes glaze over a little and I just skim past her now. That still doesn’t make this sort of compulsive posting healthy (for her), normal (for any human being), or good (for the board). Whether it’s some sort of bi-polar mania or drug induced or whatever, this is bad. It’s not the behavior of a well person at all. ---
**Author:** ![Sticks\_and\_Scones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sticks_and_scones/32/16951_2.png) [@Sticks\_and\_Scones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sticks_and_Scones)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2011, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-opalcat-but-my-hearts-not-really-in-it/605872/143 "2011-12-13T01:15:11Z")
> [@Peeta\_Mellark](#): > > That still doesn’t make this sort of compulsive posting healthy (for her), normal (for any human being), or good (for the board). Whether it’s some sort of bi-polar mania or drug induced or whatever, this is bad. It’s not the behavior of a well person at all. I’m neither going to defend nor complain about her posting as of late. But I will tell you that as a fellow Bipolar 2 person, even when I’m not hypomanic my whole life is focused on the task of finding a happy medium. Many (most) times I fail and things in my life become sort of all or nothing. For instance, studying, weight gain or loss, interest in hobbies all fall under this area for me. So, what I’m saying is maybe that’s just normal life for her and she’s stuck in an ‘all’ time for posting on the dope. ---
**Author:** ![Peeta\_Mellark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bc8723/32.png) [@Peeta\_Mellark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peeta_Mellark)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2011, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-opalcat-but-my-hearts-not-really-in-it/605872/144 "2011-12-13T01:28:26Z")
> [@Sticks\_and\_Scones](#): > > I’m neither going to defend nor complain about her posting as of late. But I will tell you that as a fellow Bipolar 2 person, even when I’m not hypomanic my whole life is focused on the task of finding a happy medium. Many (most) times I fail and things in my life become sort of all or nothing. For instance, studying, weight gain or loss, interest in hobbies all fall under this area for me. So, what I’m saying is maybe that’s just normal life for her and she’s stuck in an ‘all’ time for posting on the dope. I’m not bi-polar, so I can’t really comment on what it feels like to have it. I’ll accept your description, though luckily none of my bi-polar friends are anything like what I’ve seen of Opal. I do have borderline personality disorder, which I’ve affectionately likened to being officially diagnosed as an asshole most therapists don’t want to see. When I found myself thinking about suicide and having panic attacks _over a PM somebody sent me_, I realized I needed to find help that would actually work for me. Mental illness is still an illness. We don’t do ourselves favors by shrugging and saying “yeah, this is just how it is.” If something is unhealthy–and I suspect posting 750 times to a message board in three weeks is pretty damn unhealthy–it’s a good idea to reevaluate things and try to find something that’s going to work better. ---
**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2011, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-opalcat-but-my-hearts-not-really-in-it/605872/145 "2011-12-13T01:49:47Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I have to say that this list is hilarious. Although “[What should I add to water to approximate vegetable broth?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=14553794)” is pretty good as well, given that the obvious answer didn’t occur to her despite the obsession with vegetarianism. I did notice, though, that she thanked people a couple of times in that thread. I agree with some of the other stuff mentioned here, but at least she expressed some appreciation. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2011, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-opalcat-but-my-hearts-not-really-in-it/605872/146 "2011-12-13T01:56:46Z")
She’s on my ignore list. I used to be able to tolerate her but she posts so much that I can’t stand her. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2011, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-opalcat-but-my-hearts-not-really-in-it/605872/147 "2011-12-13T02:09:44Z")
Regarding mental illness – there is another very prominent poster here with a very sad condition with physical causes, and it rarely, every once in a while does have a marked effect on his posting style. I’ve seen others call him on it – hey dude, cool it, we know how important this community is to you, why don’t you step back and take a deep breath? – and the thing is, _he acknowledges it and takes it in good grace_. And this is from a guy who really does have reason to feel sad about how things are going, and how they’re not really going to get better. I know bipolar disorder is a disease, but that doesn’t make it a get out of jail free card as far as I can see. ---
**Author:** ![Amber\_in\_Treasury](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc79bd/32.png) [@Amber\_in\_Treasury](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amber_in_Treasury)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2011, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-opalcat-but-my-hearts-not-really-in-it/605872/148 "2011-12-13T02:13:24Z")
Re “The Opal Show” - I too am impressed by her unique talent for turning seemingly ANY conversation around to be all about her. Are there any Opal-proof topics, I wonder? ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2011, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-opalcat-but-my-hearts-not-really-in-it/605872/149 "2011-12-13T02:19:39Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I have to say that this list is hilarious. Although “[What should I add to water to approximate vegetable broth?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=14553794)” is pretty good as well, given that the obvious answer didn’t occur to her despite the obsession with vegetarianism. And in [this post](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=14538229) she mentions being a vegetarian twice in one paragraph. In some ways, she reminds me of [Daffyd Thomas from Little Britain](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Little_Britain_characters#T). Or [Doug Dannger from the Phil Hendrie show](http://hendriepedia.com/index.php?title=Doug_Dannger). Blocking **OpalCat** : when her activity was the usual four or five posts a day, it wasn’t so bad. Sure, there was some of the attention seeking she’s known for, but it didn’t dominate the subforums she usually posted in. At 50-plus posts a day, the topic of any thread she now touches turns into her favorite subject … **OpalCat**. When so many are giving her advice, huggies, and the like in a thread, her presence can’t be ignored. Which is, IMHO, what she wants. **OpalCat** ’s presence was fine at four posts a day. At 50 to 70, no, especially with the Opalratti enabling and defending her. I really hope she gets the help she needs. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2011, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-opalcat-but-my-hearts-not-really-in-it/605872/150 "2011-12-13T02:47:16Z")
> [@Amber\_in\_Treasury](#): > > Re “The Opal Show” - I too am impressed by her unique talent for turning seemingly ANY conversation around to be all about her. Are there any Opal-proof topics, I wonder? I don’t see her much in the harder sciencier type threads. Maybe that’s because she’s not a Staff member. If Opal were to write a series of Staff reports, what would they be about? ---
**Author:** ![RedFury](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ec9cab/32.png) [@RedFury](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedFury)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2011, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-opalcat-but-my-hearts-not-really-in-it/605872/151 "2011-12-13T03:07:37Z")
> [@Koxinga](#): > > If Opal were to write a series of Staff reports, what would they be about? Her. Duh. ---
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2011, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-opalcat-but-my-hearts-not-really-in-it/605872/152 "2011-12-13T03:11:09Z")
> [@Amber\_in\_Treasury](#): > > Re “The Opal Show” - I too am impressed by her unique talent for turning seemingly ANY conversation around to be all about her. Are there any Opal-proof topics, I wonder? [This one?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=595719) 😉 ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2011, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-opalcat-but-my-hearts-not-really-in-it/605872/153 "2011-12-13T04:10:05Z")
> [@Giraffe](#): > > the computer from Star Trek [Majel Barrett](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Majel_Barrett) ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2011, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-opalcat-but-my-hearts-not-really-in-it/605872/154 "2011-12-13T04:49:47Z")
I’m still not convinced [that OpalCat is a vegetarian](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=14557828#post14557828). Can anyone search the SDMB for me and find cites so I know for sure? ---
**Author:** ![Hbns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hbns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hbns)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2011, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-opalcat-but-my-hearts-not-really-in-it/605872/155 "2011-12-13T06:44:25Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > In the way I notice yours or John Mace’s or Carol the Impaler or any of countless other posters. I haven’t noticed any trends, disturbing or otherwise. Are you telling us that as you read through a thread, when your eyes see **Opalcat** your brain says “contentless blather” and you skip to the next post? Because that is the only possible way you could not notice. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2011, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-opalcat-but-my-hearts-not-really-in-it/605872/156 "2011-12-13T06:53:01Z")
> [@Kolga](#): > > And really, how often does that happen with Opal? How often does she get “piled on” because she asks inane questions over and over and over and over and over. Not often, because she’s OPAL and all that and a bag of chips. I don’t know because I don’t follow Opal like many other people seem to do, I know her from the “Hi, Opal!” stuff and that she seems to annoy people but I never paid that close attention to her posts. I just know that I hate the “bash the poster” hijacks in non-pit threads. > [@Kolga](#): > > The thread in question had a handful of off-topic posts. Just about like every other goddamn thread on this board. Yes, other threads weren’t all turned into “The Opal Show” by people professing to hate “The Opal Show”. There’s a difference between a few off topic or silly posts and flying the thread to Cuba. > [@Kolga](#): > > And when someone DID take it to the Pit? A chorus of “just ignore her! Why does everybody always pile on to poor Opal?!” If it’s going to be discussed, it’s better that it be discussed in the pit, but that doesn’t mean everyone has to jump on board with the bashing. Like I said, I don’t care about her one way or another. I just hate when this stuff ruins threads, and after having once fallen victim to The Dio Show I realized how silly and futile it is to try to change these people. But if you all enjoy the feeling of bashing your heads against a brick wall, bash away! Just keep it out of other threads. Kumbaya and shit. ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2011, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-opalcat-but-my-hearts-not-really-in-it/605872/157 "2011-12-13T08:00:18Z")
> [@Wile\_E](#): > > blah blah blah Thanks? for your useless and uninteresting input. ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2011, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-opalcat-but-my-hearts-not-really-in-it/605872/158 "2011-12-13T15:14:05Z")
> [@Cheshire\_Human](#): > > [This one?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=595719) “My son Dominic is really interested in electrical and electronic stuff. When he was younger, he used to take apart radios and electronics, and put them back together. Sometimes, they wouldn’t work anymore, which drove me nuts. I decided to go to the thrift store to buy him cheap radios to play with, which saved me a lot of frustration in dealing with broken Walkmen. Anyhow, I’d like to get him to do the same thing for my car, and build a power supply for a GPS. (It’s soooooo hard getting around Boston. All the roads are laid out like cow paths, and I get lost all the time! Dan’s much better at finding his way around town.) Can anyone recommend any good books for a teenage boy about basic electronics? Thanks in advance.” ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2011, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-opalcat-but-my-hearts-not-really-in-it/605872/159 "2011-12-13T15:19:11Z")
> [@elmwood](#): > > I’m still not convinced [that OpalCat is a vegetarian](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=14557828#post14557828). Can anyone search the SDMB for me and find cites so I know for sure? [It’s](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=14557828&highlight=vegetarian#post14557828) [hard](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=14557428&highlight=vegetarian#post14557428) [to](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=14554422&highlight=vegetarian#post14554422) [narrow](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=14553880&highlight=vegetarian#post14553880) [it](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=14551300&highlight=vegetarian#post14551300) [down](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=14549786&highlight=vegetarian#post14549786) [to](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=14548894&highlight=vegetarian#post14548894) [just](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=14540475&highlight=vegetarian#post14540475) [one](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=14537933&highlight=vegetarian#post14537933) [cite](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=14536860&highlight=vegetarian#post14536860) [so](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=14533766&highlight=vegetarian#post14533766) [I](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=14533113&highlight=vegetarian#post14533113) [figured](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=14532074&highlight=vegetarian#post14532074) [I’ll](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=14502034&highlight=vegetarian#post14502034) [give](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=14500429&highlight=vegetarian#post14500429) [ya](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=14488146&highlight=vegetarian#post14488146) [just](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=14487538&highlight=vegetarian#post14487538) [the](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=14486535&highlight=vegetarian#post14486535) [last](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=14471845&highlight=vegetarian#post14471845) [month’s](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=14465355&highlight=vegetarian#post14465355) [worth](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=14458501&highlight=vegetarian#post14458501) [of](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=14456610&highlight=vegetarian#post14456610) [data](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=14451136&highlight=vegetarian#post14451136) 134 more links to go but I figured that was unfair. She’s different now. Just saying. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2011, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-opalcat-but-my-hearts-not-really-in-it/605872/160 "2011-12-13T15:32:34Z")
Huh. If a post does not look interesting to me, I don’t open it. Seems simple enough. We have just about all types here. I guess some seem to think that Opal is pre-occupied with herself. :shrug: Never really noticed, and can’t say that it’s true or not. She seems nice enough, and I really don’t get what the OP is on about. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-opalcat-but-my-hearts-not-really-in-it/605872.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-opalcat-but-my-hearts-not-really-in-it/605872.md?page=9)