December 29

Yesterday, the 29th, was my birthday. Hundreds of Happy Birthday posts on Jokers, in many threads throughout the board. Gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling. I call my users my babies. We’re one gigantic family. We love, we live, we fight, as a family.

I went out to dinner with Susan, who lives here, and Hawk, my best friend. After, Hawk and I watched one weird French flick called “Ricky” about a baby with chicken wings.

Midway through, I smelled something dreadful. Apologized to Hawk.

“I’m sorry, one of the cats just took a dump,” I said.

“No they didn’t, I farted,” Hawk responded. Jesus. What crawled up inside you and died? LOL! See if I take him out to dinner again.

Families

Instead of Moms and Dads, we have moderators and admins. Four admins who rule over twelve (roughly) moderators, who run 80.000 users. Doesn’t sound like a lot of mods, but you’d be surprised how very much they cover. They have eyes in the backs of their heads. They always know when a thread is going south, board-speak for a thread that isn’t going in a good direction. Think fights, insults.

In this family, the rules are few. Don’t bash each other. No racism, no politics or religion outside the political forums. Oh, and no spoiling a show (telling what happens before others see it) before the East Coast has seen it.

In essence, the family thing works well. Someone messes with you, report them to a mod who will take care of it. If it gets really bad, escalate to an Admin (Dreamer, Strkaholic, Me, M3gabyt3) and they will handle it once and for all.

Shit happens. On a daily basis, as you will see. The board has even been known to split off into other, often nastier, boards. I know for a fact there are several boards out there dedicated to hatred of moi. You read that right. Jokerette ain’t too popular with some folks. Mainly the folks that acted up in the family, and were tossed out (banned.)

You can find out how the family is doing by reading specific forums. Birthdays are in Water Cooler. Tracked year by year. Deaths or sickness is announced in the Salon. I’m sorry to say, Valen just lost her father :( We had hopes he’d make it, but that was not to be. Our heartfelt condolences to her and her family.

An extension of our family is to be found in Chat. Chat is on the menu at the top of every page, or access through Mirc (Irc.jokersudpates.com.)

Writing

Jokers is starting our own Nano January first. Writers must do 1000 words per day, to have 30,000 (half a book) by end of January. I will be doing an autobiography of my (mostly outrageous) life when I was young, during the 70’s and 80’s. Think Mafia, and devil worshippers, and Porkies, and you have several of the highlights. I’ll be publishing bits and pieces here as I go, as well as bits and pieces of other interesting pieces of writing (The forum is private. Members only. So this is the only public venue for good information. Just you wait, we have VERY talented and often funny writers, I’ll be sharing with you.

Living

Right now, I live in a lovely three story home in Nashville. My best friend lives in the downstairs wing at the back of the house. I have 3 Siamese, she has two Maus and a rescue. It’s often like living in a zoo. The cats play daily tricks on us. Her female mau, ZaZu, takes her toothbrush and hides it. Often in the litter box :|

My Siamese like to hold loud discussions (often contentious) in the middle of the night, at the end of my bed. Enough to scare the shit out of you, to be sure. A Siamese in full roar can wake the dead!

I am looking to get a dog sometime in the new year. Susan isn’t into this idea. Mercifully the house is mine, so I decide :) Shall I get a German Shepherd or a Doberman? Do any of you have any ideas? I want big, good watchdog, loyal and loving and smart. Has to be smart. The Siamese will run all over him, else. The Siamese, now, are overly bright. They fetch like dogs, come when they’re called.

True story. I had a Siamese who got out of the house. Our nearest neighbor is a quarter of a mile away. I could hear him scream at night, sounded like it came from the woods. Broke my heart. Really.

After two weeks, the neighbor called and said Napoleon was down inside their wall. He’d evidently gone into their attic, and fallen. They had a dude come and safely retrieve him. In the midst of summer, 100 degree heat, no water except his own urine, and eating bugs to survive.

He staggered home, I took him to the animal ER where they put him on an IV from being dehydrated. He made it, and lived to twenty one! We never let him out again. We don’t let our cats out, ever.

Any of you have any amazing pet stories to share?


I am looking for a dog, specifically a Canaan, an Israeli dog. They are very loyal, and their tails curl up over their backs. Good watch dogs. I want one a year old, who is house trained, and who's used to cats. I only want the perfect dog lol!