Anyways… hi. I don’t know what the standard protocol is for new members, but you can call this my official Introductory Post. I am so madly in love with the Dopers, if you didn’t keep your contact info confidential I would have to run away from home and elope with all of you.
I’m 23, wrapping up my final year of an undergraduate Spanish degree at the University of Michigan. Career-track wise I’m looking to apply as a Ph.D candidate in Social Welfare, Mental Health concentration. I am really especially interested in Latino immigration issues and I’m hoping in grad school to do my research on empirically-based therapeutic treatments for Latinos. I do eventually want to be a therapist, but with a broad research base and in as scientifically rigorous a fashion as possible. Currently I’m working on a research project on women politicians in Venezuelan media, and I just started volunteering at the local immigrant worker’s center to ferret out human rights abuses in the workplace. I guess right now I am trying to learn about immigration and Latin-American culture from as many angles as possible (I taught ESL last semester and will be in Mexico this summer working in a Guadalajaran orphanage.) I am in many ways your typical bleeding-heart liberal, but I really try to challenge my assumptions and be open to new perspectives–including conservative ones. I am honestly interested in just about everything that exists, which is why I love the Dope board so much… plenty of opportunity to learn.
I’m recently (six months ago) married and I can currently only describe my experience of marriage as “giddy elation”… we endured four years of challenges and obstacles before the marriage… I don’t know. The phenomenon of who my husband is just can’t be put into words. The best way I know how to put it is that I knew I loved him not because of the way he treated me–but because he treated everyone with dignity and respect and compassion. I think love is in its best form when the experience leads you to be better at loving in general–all beings in the universe. By myself, by himself, we both would have a certain degree of success in our endeavors to help others–but together we are an unstoppable force.
Ok, this is getting corny.
Um… I’m notorious for deliberately doing things that terrify me, which for me may be defined as “anything that happens once I leave the house.” I’m really into philosophy, literature, art, music, history, politics, etc… I’m a gamer, I practice Zen Buddhism, and I have a cat who, according to Mr. Olives, feasts upon the souls of the unwary. I praise the Dope board and all therein for giving me an intellectual ass-kicking on a daily basis. I look forward to many more beatings, and bid a fond farewell to the tattered remnants of what was once a robust social life…
Wait, you came here for intelligent conversation? Well, yeah … I guess. This ain’t GameFAQs, that’s for sure.
Welcome olives, good to see you found your trial membership lacking in that sense of permanence you found you desired. That’s how we all got here. They put something in the water, I think. In any event, your membership fee will be [del]used to buy pies and beer[/del] put to good use, I assure you. In the mean time, enjoy the [del]goats[/del] amenities and keep an eye out for The Great Lonk. He went on a bender a few nights ago and hasn’t been since.
You broke a cardinal rule of the SDMB: you mentioned you have a cat, yet you failed to post a picture.
Any mention of kitties requires a photo.
Like this: One day, my cat got in the crockpot. I had taken the liner out to wash, and the outer part was still warm. I guess it seemed like a good place to curl up and nap.
I’ve been reading your posts and have been most impressed by how articulate and straightforward you are in your writing. Whatever you do, don’t lose that. It’s a wonderful asset that will hold you in good stead on this board. Welcome.
PS: Watch out for the goats, send the Mods chocolates and/or Vodka, priority-paid, avoid mentioning sheep around Hal Briston, don’t start threads about dowsing and/or Randi, abortion or Creation Science, back every opinion you hold (even if it is your fave take-out food) with cites, cites and more cites, don’t pick on people who have lousy grammatical skills, do pick on people who have rotten spelling skills, ignore pit-bull threads, join in the pile-ons when people defend Bush, don’t be homophobic or heterophobic for that matter. You may complain about Public Transport, but do not whinge about SUV’s. Every post noting a dissatisfaction with Windows or Microsoft or PC’s in general will be met with a Mac-user gloating nyaah, nyaah. Whatever opinion you happen to hold, no matter how innocent or innocuous, you will find at least ONE poster (and possibly more who will join in the throng) who think you are a Nazi and a kitten-killer and a lousy Democrat or Republican so your opinion isn’t worth shit.
But my god, I do love this place. Welcome to the boards.
Actually, you have one excuse for not posting cites. I’ve been skipping on cites since forever (well, ok, not that long) because lots of the stuff I’d cite happens to be in Espanish
Welcome. Is March 4th your birthday? Didn’t you know that all cats feed on souls? Is your Venezuelan project about “how Venezuelan media reports about female politicians” (from anywhere) or about “how Venezuelan female politicians use the media”? If it was another country I wouldn’t ask, but knowing how much Chávez loves a good camera, I figured I would. Are other Venezuelan politicians allowed to step in front of a camera? See, now you got me thinking about something completely pointless (although by no means mundane)!
I only have one small regret, which happens all the time.
Once again we have a newbie who is literate, knowledgeable and prepared to discuss many topics.
Why can’t we get some obsessed morons, so the rest of us can feel superior?
The current new member protocol involves a goat, calamari, cream cheese, and a can of Silly String. Just for you, I’ll ask the Initiation Committee to substitute olive tapenade for the cream cheese.
I don’t know what the standard protocol is for new members, but you can call this my official Introductory Post. I am so madly in love with the Dopers, if you didn’t keep your contact info confidential I would have to run away from home and elope with all of you.
