As I was getting dressed this morning, I reached for the Q-tips I have in a wooden cup. I’ve put Q-tips in this cup ever since I got it, which was many years ago. It’s the perfect size for this purpose, although I can recall getting it and thinking, “What the heck am I going to do with this wooden cup?” I got it as a result of a white elephant exchange, via the Straight Dope many, many, many years ago.
That lead me down a thought path of ways Dopers have impacted my life. (Sorry in advance for not mentioning specific names. I didn’t search through all of my posts–there’s a lot.) There have been numerous instances of something I’ve read on these boards which has caused me to change my way of thinking or doing, but there are a few that stand out in my mind.
A couple of years ago, after a brutal cold snap that left my water pipes briefly frozen, I was having issues with the water line in my upstairs bathroom. Water was trickling through the pipes, even though the lines were thawed and weren’t leaking. A doper suggested that maybe the rust in the old galvanized pipes had broken free and was clogging the line. Sure enough, when we replaced the water lines, the rust was clogging the line. However, that one bit of information relieved a ton of worry for me and helped me think in a new direction, eventually coming up with a plan to resolve the issue.
Many years ago, during a holiday exchange I believe, one of the gifts I got from a doper was a jar of homemade spiced peach jam that was delicious. (I can hear the collective gasps across the internet that I’d EAT something a person I’d NEVER MET except through the INTERNET sent to me. I apparently like to live dangerously.) Anyway, when I thanked the doper, he/she mentioned that it was simple to make and told me where to find the recipe online. I thought about making jams and canning over time, and eventually started making and canning jams. This morphed into pickles and relishes and all sorts of wonderful yummyness. Over the years, I’ve expanded and created and canned all sorts of amazing foods that people love receiving and eating. Next year, I’ll be collecting data to open my own business, canning the products I’ve developed over the years and teaching others the basics of canning. It all started with one jar of homemade jam, sent to me by a doper.
I have 100 years of National Geographics in my dining room.
I had my first Guinness, ever, in Ireland. Still drink it, but it isn’t nearly as good.
I’ve read books, seen movies, learned so many things, been to places I may not have normally gone to meet well over 100 strangers from the Internet.
Even my kids have met Dopers in Minnesota, Chicago, and Vancouver, and just missed one in New York. This makes me either a good mom, or a bad mom. They give me shit about it. So much for all that stranger danger they were taught in school.
I just hired one, and it’s working out well.
I’m not the most prolific poster, most of you don’t recognize me, I’m sure. But it’s obviously made an impact in my life.
According to the home page, there are 4,957 active members of the SDMB. :dubious: Ahem. We’ll all be expecting samples of your goodies in our Christmas/Hanukah stockings, so get busy.
Seriously, that’s a lovely story. This is one of the great things about the internet–encountering people and ideas you wouldn’t have otherwise.
I’ve learned a lot from Ambivalid about living a life in a wheelchair, though sometimes it feels like getting clobbered over the head. Thank you.
I’d like to thank ThelmaLou again for the recent thread on sexual assault. I could never reconcile the shame and personal responsibility I felt when it happened. I also want to thank the women in the thread who came forward. Thanks everyone!
Ten years ago my former partner and I moved across the country to a totally new place and no support network. She already had issues with anger, responsibility, lying, and so on; when we became alone and isolated in the new place her issues intensified to an unbearable pitch.
I was in agony and went on the Dope seeking support and advice. Many, many dopers contributed good advice, empathy, and a healthy dose of tough love; this support, though it was from non-corporeal friends, helped me leave the relationship and move on to the next phase of my life (which has turned out to be terrific, thanks all!)
And a shout out to all the super smart BMW advice guys, especially Gatoescapado.
The Dope is my happy space where everyone knows my name
I married Andy L. (All right, so it was before we knew about the SDMB.) And I’ve gotten some good suggestions about a novel I was writing, and someone identified a Halloween TV show for me. (Hilarious House of Frightenstein.)
Hmm…I participated in one Secret Santa, and sadly it coincided with sudden financial issues, and I ended up not being able to afford to get or send anything.
i still feel badly about that. I wonder if that Doper still lives there, I should send something this year.
A Doper sent me a replacement kiddie pool when someone stole my baby daughter’/ pool from the yard. I couldn’t afford to replace it (see above).
I have met a few Dopers, and they have all turned out to be really, really cool people. You guys mean a lot to me, whether I was up or down, flush or broke, I could always count on coming back here and not being the smartest person in the room (it’s actually a fantastic thing).
Also, every so often someone sends me a flirty PM out of the blue, which is good for my ego.
I did a favor for a Doper, and in return, he sent me passes to the Magic Castle, which ended up being the highlight of our vacation this summer.
Maybe not life-changing, but something I will always remember.
I’ve been here for almost 10 years, since I was 24 years old, and in a weird way this board has helped me grow up. It gave me both thicker skin and greater compassion. It made me sharper. It raised my standards for evaluating information and evidence.
There is a certain contingent of ladies on this board who have really helped me get my head straight about my mother (repeatedly, because my head gets re-screwed quite easily.) I’m afraid to leave anyone out but Nava, joyfool, Dangerosa, jsgoddessmonstro and even sven top the list. In general, the women here are badass, and when they speak, I listen. I just really need that objectivity-that-is-also-empathy thing a lot and it’s hard to imagine where I’d be without that.
Likewise, Chimera and Tokyo Bayer have both helped me work through trauma by sharing their own.
But this isn’t just a place to post for me, it’s become a part of my IRL and off-site community. I’ve met Dopers at dopefests in NYC, Philadelphia, and Detroit. I chased down a 3am subway with Zebra. Two of my dearest friends,** ivylass** and Asomovian are dopers.
And tomorrow I’m going to hang out with traceyfish (Least Original User Name Ever’s wife. He’d be there too but he’s doing some bullshit like preserving our democracy through exhaustive campaign work… slacker.)
One gave my son a guitar. E-Sabbath, starter of the Great Ongoing Guitar Thread. I had been geeking about guitars as I do ;), and likely had also mentioned that my son was circling guitar. E-Sabs had just ordered a great, inexpensive guitar on a Far East’s website’s year-end inventory cleansing. They sent him the wrong one, but given the whole intent to drop inventory, they told him to keep it and sent him the correct one!
He offered it to my son to encourage him. I was happy to accept and got the guitar - an orange Tele-Master style - a bright orange Fender Jazzmaster shaped body with a Telecaster’s pickups and controls and a white pickguard. We nicknamed it the Creamsicle.
My son took it to college a few weeks ago. E-Sabbath hasn’t hung out here as much, but he is always welcome. Thanks!
So many ways…I’ll just mention one. Not a life-changing experience per se, but very groovy: Some Florida-based Doper (sorry, can’t remember which) is in a reggae band that mixes in African instruments – they’re called the Hip Abduction, and every so often one of their terrific songs will play randomly on a device of mine, and I’ll smile and thank Jah for the Dope.
