# Return of the Wombat **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [January 13, 2013, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/return-of-the-wombat/647076 "2013-01-13T17:53:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![CannyDan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cannydan/32/548_2.png) [@CannyDan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CannyDan)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2013, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/return-of-the-wombat/647076/21 "2013-01-14T17:42:31Z")
Welcome back! ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2013, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/return-of-the-wombat/647076/22 "2013-01-14T19:37:13Z")
[quote=“Gary “Wombat” Robson, post:16, topic:647076”] Oddly enough, I’ve never seen that before. Hmmm. It makes my original Straight Dope name (Invisible Wombat) even more interesting! [/QUOTE] [http://www.ibphoenix.com/resources/documents/history/doc\_295](http://www.ibphoenix.com/resources/documents/history/doc_295) The good old days of Datatrieve. And welcome back!! ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2013, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/return-of-the-wombat/647076/23 "2013-01-14T19:53:55Z")
Awesome! ---
**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:** [January 14, 2013, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/return-of-the-wombat/647076/24 "2013-01-14T21:30:24Z")
You were _gone_? Sorry, I hadn’t noticed. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Cheez\_Whia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d26b3c/32.png) [@Cheez\_Whia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheez_Whia)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2013, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/return-of-the-wombat/647076/25 "2013-01-15T00:46:03Z")
I’m glad to see you back! How is the tea shop going? ---
**Author:** ![dba\_Fred](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c37758/32.png) [@dba\_Fred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dba_Fred)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2013, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/return-of-the-wombat/647076/26 "2013-01-15T06:03:16Z")
It’s like the swallows returning to San Juan Capistrano, but for a returning **Wombat** not being a swallow and January not being March. But both have a mission, San Juan Capistrano (since _1776_) and the Straight Dope (since _1973_). ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2013, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/return-of-the-wombat/647076/27 "2013-01-15T06:06:58Z")
Good to have you back, **Gary**. If I can manage to make it by your bookstore, as I’ve always wanted to, I’ll pick up my own autographed copy. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2013, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/return-of-the-wombat/647076/28 "2013-01-15T21:44:47Z")
Even in a thread like this all we get is a bunch of mods circling the wagons!! Won’t any mods or admins here stand up to the Wombat and tell him how unhappy they are and how unwelcome he is to be back? 😃 Oh and by the way, welcome back 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2013, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/return-of-the-wombat/647076/29 "2013-01-16T00:27:14Z")
> [@kopek](#): > > I got January 27th in the “First New Over-Moderation/Unfair-Moderation Charge Against Wombat and/or Pit Thread” betting pool. You have _no_ idea how tempting it was to issue a warning for that 😃 > [@billfish678](#): > > Does that book have any of those cardboard poop ups? Or is it a schratch and sniff ? Maybe I picked the wrong publisher. I wonder how sales would be for a scratch & sniff poop book? > [@Cheez\_Whia](#): > > I’m glad to see you back! How is the tea shop going? Going amazingly well, thanks! In fact, I just tweaked the formula for the first house blend that was named on the Straight Dope (“Mr. Excellent’s Post-Apocalyptic Earl Grey”) so that it now uses all organic ingredients. > [@Spoons](#): > > Good to have you back, **Gary**. > > If I can manage to make it by your bookstore, as I’ve always wanted to, I’ll pick up my own autographed copy. 🙂 I’d love to have you visit! > [@drewtwo99](#): > > Even in a thread like this all we get is a bunch of mods circling the wagons!! Won’t any mods or admins here stand up to the Wombat and tell him how unhappy they are and how unwelcome he is to be back? 😃 Obviously, you don’t know the mod rules. Any mod that doesn’t welcome back another mod returning from sabbatical has to meet that mod in a steel-cage fight. I may be old and slow, but I’m large and treacherous! ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2013, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/return-of-the-wombat/647076/30 "2013-01-16T03:57:58Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#): > > Even in a thread like this all we get is a bunch of mods circling the wagons!! Won’t any mods or admins here stand up to the Wombat and tell him how unhappy they are and how unwelcome he is to be back? 😃 See, he’s lost his seniority so now he has to go back on cleaning the hamster cages. That’s why we’re all glad he’s back. (It’s good to have a poop expert on that job too.) ---
**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:** [January 16, 2013, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/return-of-the-wombat/647076/31 "2013-01-16T04:31:32Z")
[quote=“Gary “Wombat” Robson, post:29, topic:647076”] I may be old and slow, but I’m large and treacherous! [/QUOTE] And a “Wombat”. They’re almost as bad as “Honey Badgers”. Except for the smell. That’s even worse. ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2013, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/return-of-the-wombat/647076/32 "2013-01-16T13:46:10Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > See, he’s lost his seniority so now he has to go back on cleaning the hamster cages. That’s why we’re all glad he’s back. (It’s good to have a poop expert on that job too.) Maybe he could bring a bunch of his wombat friends to replace the hamsters? That should improve performance!😃 ---
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2013, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/return-of-the-wombat/647076/33 "2013-01-22T17:53:37Z")
Did you get the correct size jackboots? Don’t forget the verbal lash from Tuba… Welcome Back!!! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2013, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/return-of-the-wombat/647076/34 "2013-01-23T05:41:39Z")
> [@Jake](#): > > Did you get the correct size jackboots? Don’t forget the verbal lash from Tuba… > Welcome Back!!! 😛 I kept my old jackboots. It’s quite difficult to find them big enough for me. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2013, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/return-of-the-wombat/647076/35 "2013-01-25T01:19:18Z")
Uh-oh. [Wombats are in trouble](http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21161179). ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2013, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/return-of-the-wombat/647076/36 "2013-01-25T21:29:50Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Uh-oh. [Wombats are in trouble](http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21161179). There are only 115 northern hairy-nosed wombats left? (Well, 116 if you count me.) I knew it was bad, but I didn’t realize it was that bad. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2013, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/return-of-the-wombat/647076/37 "2013-01-26T00:52:27Z")
Better start mating soon! ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2013, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/return-of-the-wombat/647076/38 "2013-01-26T15:22:19Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Better start mating soon! and shaving your nose! ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2013, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/return-of-the-wombat/647076/39 "2013-01-26T15:35:04Z")
The wombat is a mythical beast. I don’t believe you exist. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2013, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/return-of-the-wombat/647076/40 "2013-01-26T21:43:16Z")
> [@The Jargon File](#): > > Users of the PDP-11 database program DATATRIEVE adopted the wombat as their notional mascot; the program’s help file responded to “HELP WOMBAT” with factual information about Real World wombats. “Factual”, that is, except the bits about their association with Dante, _epergnes_, and Lewis Carroll. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/return-of-the-wombat/647076.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/return-of-the-wombat/647076.md?page=3)