Post here if you have been lurking for the duration of the paid memberships

[Tangent]

Howdy, Dopers!

I let my subscription lapse a couple of years ago, but I still read the boards regularly. With the decline in the number of posters, I didn’t want to pay to join a circle-jerk (no offense, y’all :)), but it looks like free posting is bringing in a lot of people, old and new. Hopefully we’ll all stick around.

[RandMcnally]

@Spud

I was an “old regular” from Snopes from way back when. People kept referencing the Straight Dope on that board. I came over back when the board was on AOL and I couldn’t see it. I read pretty much the entire archive. Then one day they moved to the real internet. It took me a few months to join in, and I was never a very prolific poster. Then life got in the way, and my job and family made it so I could rarely even read the boards. Paying to post was the final straw. About a year ago I decided to check back, and there were rumors of moving back to free so I checked in from time to time. Started the addiction again, but thought there were way too few voices, especially the ones I knew from way back when.

Kind of feels like a reunion to be back, even though I doubt anyone remembers me. I didn’t ever add anything of much substance, just usually a toungue in cheek comment.

I remember you! Which is pretty amazing when I think about it because I really don’t pay attention to user names, and I have a horrid memory.

Oh, and I have become the resident “never adding any substance” person.

[iampunha]

@Kaio

Sure, but you once offered to grope me on your run-by. That’s not something you just forget.

I kinda nontrivially hope you aren’t expecting me to remember that, 'cause, well, I don’t.

… back in the day, I was quite open with the offers. You might have gotten this before, but I mean it sincerely:

It’s not you. It’s me.

@hirka

Which of course means that you’ll find something wrong in this post.

Yup. But don’t worry: Work tires me out enough with that stuff that while I see the mistakes, I’m not about to take you off to the side of the Internet and lecture you.

[Teaira]

I have been lurking for 3 or 4 years now. I read the forums every day. I am very excited to be able to post now!

[Rico]

The names! The memories!

Dayum, it’s good to see you folks back! Who brought the pie?

[Lucretia]

@ultrafilter

It’s good to see you guys again. Hope you stick around.

Why, thanks! I’m pleasantly surprised that someone remembers me, actually.

[Azhure]

I’m a long time lurker, first time poster - another daily reader who has been sucked in with the promise of free [del]pie[/del] posting

[The_Comfy_Chair]

Loooong time lurker. Though close at times, I just couldn’t find it in me to pony up for a membership. Must by my half Jewish ancestry. I can hear my Grandmother in the back of my head yelling “You’re gonna pay for WHAT?! You know when I was your age I made five cents a day scraping dried gruel off the bottoms of trash cans and you want to spend $20 to share your Mundane Pointless Stuff??”

Sorry Gramma. I’ll go clean my room now…

[iampunha]

@Lucretia

Why, thanks! I’m pleasantly surprised that someone remembers me, actually.

Heya. How’s nursing tricks?

[Flymaster]

@Hirka_T_Bawa

Hey P! I was looking at all your posts in this thread just searching for some spelling or grammar error I could nitpick you about*… But your writing is immaculate like always. So this isn’t a total waste of a post, and add something worthwhile to this thread, and help out a fellow lurker, isthis the thread y’all are talking about?

Which of course means that you’ll find something wrong in this post.

It sure is.

mackdonna handheld shoehorn butterhorse

Ah, memories. It’s good to be back.

[Lucretia]

@iampunha

Heya. How’s nursing tricks?

Hi there! Hot and dusty at the moment, thanks to currently being in Bagram, Afghanistan. It’s quite nifty to see all the MAD names I remember so fondly!

[Kismet68]

I’ve lurked for a helluva long time. I think I began reading just after The Winter of our Discontent or something like that. I feel such a closeness with many of you. I’ve seen your pictures, “oohed” at your kitties, laughed with you, cried with you, mentally sent my support (and sometimes my curses). I know many of the injokes and I certainly recognize a lot of the names of those returning now and yet… I don’t really know any of you.

Anyway, um, Hi! Nice to meet you!

[WhyNot]

@Rico

Dayum, it’s good to see you folks back! Who brought the pie?

I did! whew! With this crowd, good thing it’s Infinite Pi! Form a line to the left, please, and don’t forget the orange-pineapple-ginger ice cream to go on top. Here ya go:

3.141592653589793238462643383279502884197169399375105820974944592307816406286208998628034825342117067982148086513282306647093844609550582231725359408128481117450284102701938521105559644622948954930381964428810975665933446128475648233786783165271201909145648566923460348610454326648213393607260249141273724587006606315588174881520920962829254091715364367892590360011330530548820466521384146951941511609433057270365759591953092186117381932611793105118548074462379962749567351885752724891227938183011949129833673362440656643086021394946395224737190702179860943702770539217176293176752384674818467669405132000568127145263560827785771342757789609173637178721468440901224953430146549585371050792279689258923542019956112129021960864034418159813629774771309960518707211349999998372978049951059731732816096318595024459455346908302642522308253344685035261931188171010003137838752886587533208381420617177669147303598253490428755468731159562863882353787593751957781857780532171226806613001927876611195909216420198938095257201065485863278865936153381827968230301952035301852968995773622599413891249721775283479131515574857242454150695950829533116861727855889075098381754637464939319255060400927701671139009848824012858361603563707660104710181942955596198946767837449448255379774726847104047534646208046684259069491293313677028989152104752162056966024058038150193511253382430035587640247496473263914199272604269922796782354781636009341721641219924586315030286182974555706749838505494588586926995690927210797509302955321165344987202755960236480665499119881834797753566369807426542527862551818417574672890977772793800081647060016145249192173217214772350141441973568548161361157352552133475741849468438523323907394143334547762416862518983569485562099219222184272550254256887671790494601653466804988627232791786085784383827967976681454100953883786360950680064225125205117392984896084128488626945604241965285022210661186306744278622039194945047123713786960956364371917287467764657573962413890865832645995813390478027590099465764078951269468398352595709825822620522489407726719478268482601476990902640136394437455305068203496252451749399651431429809190659250937221696461515709858387410597885959772975498930161753928468138268683868942774155991855925245953959431049972524680845987273644695848653836736222626099124608051243884390451244136549762780797715691435997700129616089441694868555848406353422072225828488648158456028506016842739452267467678895252138522549954666727823986456596116354886230577456498035593634568174324112515076069479451096596094025228879710893145669136867228748940560101503308617928680920874760917824938589009714909675985261365549781893129784821682998948722658804857564014270477555132379641451523746234364542858444795265867821051141354735739523113427166102135969536231442952484937187110145765403590279934403742007310578539062198387447808478489683321445713868751943506430218453191048481005370614680674919278191197939952061419663428754440643745123718192179998391015919561814675142691239748940907186494231961567945208095146550225231603881930142093762137855956638937787083039069792077346722182562599661501421503068038447734549202605414665925201497442850732518666002132434088190710486331734649651453905796268561005508106658796998163574736384052571459102897064140110971206280439039759515677157700420337869936007230558763176359421873125147120532928191826186125867321579198414848829164470609575270695722091756711672291098169091528017350671274858322287183520935396572512108357915136988209144421006751033467110314126711136990865851639831501970165151168517143765761835155650884909989859982387345528331635507647918535893226185489632132933089857064204675259070915481416549859461637180270981994309924488957571282890592323326097299712084433573265489382391193259746366730583604142813883032038249037589852437441702913276561809377344403070746921120191302033038019762110110044929321516084244485963766983895228684783123552658213144957685726243344189303968642624341077322697802807318915441101044682325271620105265227211166039666557309254711055785376346682065310989652691862056476931257058635662018558100729360659876486117910453348850346113657686753249441668039626579787718556084552965412665408530614344431858676975145661406800700237877659134401712749470420562230538994561314071127000407854733269939081454664645880797270826683063432858785698305235808933065757406795457163775254202114955761581400250126228594130216471550979259230990796547376125517656751357517829666454779174501129961489030463994713296210734043751895735961458901938971311179042978285647503203198691514028708085990480109412147221317947647772622414254854540332157185306142288137585043063321751829798662237172159160771669254748738986654949450114654062843366393790039769265672146385306736096571209180763832716641627488880078692560290228472104031721186082041900042296617119637792133757511495950156604963186294726547364252308177036751590673502350728354056704038674351362222477158915049530984448933309634087807693259939780541934144737744184263129860809988868741326047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…

[PapSett]

I wasn’t here for the very beginning, but when I found this wonderful place, I lurked for a bit, did my 30 day trial membership, then joined for a year. I ran into some financial har times and couldn’t afford to re-sub for a while, and then when I could afford it, just kept putting it off.

But I’m back! I’ve been reading pretty steadily, seen a few threads I REALLY wanted to participate in, and now…

I’m waiting…

[Least_Original_User_Name_Ever]

@Sunspace

Welcome and welcome back, everyone!

:: readies vat of orange-pineapple-ginger ice cream, and many dishes and spoons ::

I think we’re going to need a bigger squid.

[John_D_Adamo]

@Kismet68

I’ve lurked for a helluva long time. I think I began reading just after The Winter of our Discontent or something like that. I feel such a closeness with many of you. I’ve seen your pictures, “oohed” at your kitties, laughed with you, cried with you, mentally sent my support (and sometimes my curses). I know many of the injokes and I certainly recognize a lot of the names of those returning now and yet… I don’t really know any of you.

Anyway, um, Hi! Nice to meet you!

^ This. In spades.

I’ve been lurking for about two years and have watched the epic sparring in Great Debates, don’t even bat an eyelash at YMMV or “Hi, Opal”, and have just been in awe of the different world perspectives of the members here. It is really great to be able to post.

[mallurox]

Lurking for a while now. Started posting only now that it is free to post. It was an economic decision. I could not afford the ~15 Billion Zimbabwe dollars required to post.

[What_Exit]

@Least_Original_User_Name_Ever

I think we’re going to need a bigger squid.

Bigger, damn, I just collected 15 large squids to help with the Welcoming Committee. Now what am I suppose to do with these things?

[accidentalyuppie]

I was a “regular” on the old old AOL site, then drifted around various assorted doper boards. I don’t post here much but I maintained a subscription for the past few years, the subscription fee was pretty much an insignificant expense to me…although in retrospect I was probably paying over a dollar per post.

[Rysto]

@Kismet68

I’ve lurked for a helluva long time. I think I began reading just after The Winter of our Discontent or something like that.

And the '99ers think that they’re something special. Here’s somebody who’s been around since 1485 or so!