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taurik
Member
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# Posted: 26 Jan 2006 14:19
Reply
I haven't been properly motivated to rant lately. I find my self to be a victim of my own hypocrisy whenever I do feel like ranting about something. One of the underlining principles of the things I say in OTF is that people need to log off of OTF a lot more than they do and get out and enjoy life. Its unhealthy to spend all of your time in a chat room and it can cause some serious social problems for you later down the line.
Take me as an example. I used to spend all of my time in OTF. I'd come home from school and spend a good 12 hours straight chatting away. I didn't really have many friends in school so there was nothing there to keep me away from the computer. Chat, chat, chat, all day long. Once I made it to high school, I began to realize that I couldn't be in OTF all the time. I really needed go outside and just live my own life. There was a problem, however: I alienated everyone else because I was too busy playing on the Internet and being in OTF.
When I made it to Texas A&M, I put my foot down and said that no longer would I be a "nerd" or a social outcast with a horrible self-esteem problem. No one knew me here so there was no reason why I couldn't start over. And thats exactly what I did. I joined the Corps of Cadets for a little bit to which I lost a LOT of weight, met some new people who are still my friends today, and just overall began to have a good time. I became the very popular, good looking guy that I always wanted to be in high school by simply telling my self thats what I wanted and working for it.
I left the Corps of Cadets under very bad circumstances. I doubted my character, my life, everything. It was not a very good time for me. I went back to OTF and got involved with that place again. Come home from class, get on OTF. Wake up in the morning, get on OTF. I even timed my self to see if I could go and get dinner and come back without timing out. It was sad. Then it hit me again: Keith, we can NOT get back into this mode again.
I joined a student organization a week later and made new friends again. I built my self back up to where I wanted to be again and all it took was for me to get out of my room and meet new people. At the beginning of my Sophomore year I moved into a new dorm. Crocker Hall is the name of it and its very active in the building of the Aggie Bonfire. I met some people in this dorm that I will always be friends with, some that I even consider my brothers.
I talk about how I'm always winning over the women or how all the girls want me. This isn't me trying to say, "Hey, I'm better than you...I've got girls!". Its me trying to tell you guys to get off of OTF and go out and meet people. When I started to look at my self in a more positive light, people really did begin to take notice. When I began to care about how I looked and started to take pride in my dress, people really did begin to notice. When I looked at my behavior and realized there needed to be change, people really did begin to notice.
All those things the guidance counselors and the afternoon TV specials were trying to tell you, I hate to say, were right. If you believe in your self and carry your self like you are proud of everything you are, member of the opposite sex really do begin to notice. While I was with my last girlfreind, I looked at an old picture of my self and wondered how in the hell a guy who used to spend hours on end in OTF could end up with someone like Claudia. Most of you who saw a picture of her probably were asking the same question. Or if you weren't, you were convinced I was lying the entire time. Can't say I'd blame you, either.
Now, with that said, I find my self in some situations. I preach about going out and living life yet I allow my self to get really worked up when some ISA toolbag removes me from chat because he's not smart enough to look at the context of things. I allow my self to get angry at the OTF brass because four weeks after sending an e-mail to them asking for them to overturn my demotion, I have yet to hear a reponse. Why do I even care when I've got REAL things to worry about? I don't understand it either. I've got a 3.0 semester I have to make or I'm out of this University. I've got a torn up knee that I have to rehab if I ever want to be allowed in the Army. I've got an internship that I need to square away or I'm going to be stuck waiting tables for another summer. Why am I getting so angry over a Sci-Fi chat room? I don't even like Sci-Fi all that much anymore!
After the incident with the trigger happy ISA agent, CT pulled me aside and we had a little come-to-jesus talk in which he said:
"You have your friends on instant messengers, Tin's chatroom to hang out at, and all of your studies and activities at [Texas] A&M to focus on. I strongly suggest that you focus more on these. I know OTF means a lot to you. It does for me too, but there are times that priorities like family, friends, work, and school win out over an online chatroom that could be shut down at any time by Andrew if he wanted to make that decision."
He's right. All of us have things in our lives that we need to take care of. We can't neglect those things. We can't allow ourselves to live in OTF when there's a whole world out there that supports us only if we work for it.
I can understand those of you who say that you have problems and no one will listen to you. You want to come to OTF to get away from the world that has been so mean to you. OTF is not that place for you, guys. The only person that can fix these problems are you and you alone. You have to confront them head on. You can always run away from it, and perhaps that's how you want to handle it. But its going to keep pecking at you. Everytime you log into OTF you're going to remember what you are trying to escape. Everytime you're away from the computer and you think about how you would rather be in OTF, you're going to remember why. You need to look your problems dead in the eyes and just say, "What, B*tch? What?". Please, forgive the language, but that's the attitude you need to have. You can't allow these problems to get the best of you. You need to stare it down and make it for damn sure that you're not afriad.
So I guess what I'm saying here is:
1.) I was like you once but I realized it wasn't where I should be. I've given you a map of how to get out, all you have to do is follow it. Stop making excuses about why you can't, or what's in your way, or whatever. If you want to make your life better, you can make your life better.
2.) Don't let the things in OTF get you worked up. Its not worth it. There's nothing you can really do about it if someone kicks you out of the chat. Just roll with it. You're going to get angry, yeah. If you want to send the futile email to the ISA Director, do it. But after an hour or so, you really shouldn't be angry about it. Just go back into the chat and do what you do. If any of the people involved try to talk to you, ignore them. As long as you're not breaking any of the rules, they have no reason to do anything to you.
3.) If you have major real life problems, seek real help. None of us here are professionals. We can't make things better for you. The only person who can do that is you. As much as it pains me to quote an advertising slogan for Dodge trucks *shudder*, you have to "grab life by the horns".
I'm not saying this in an attempt to lower the OTF membership. I'm not advocating that you stop going to OTF all together and stop doing department work. OTF can be a lot of fun sometimes. If it wasn't, I wouldn't still be here or even feel like I needed to write this. Just be sure to do it in moderation.
Have Fun, Chat Responsibly.
And don't forget to support OTF and expand your OTF profile through purchasing a web account
Keith Erikson '07
--==--==--
The above post is the opinion of Keith Erikson and does not necessarily represent the views and opinions of Andrew Maxwell, Outpost 10F, and/or any other members of the Outpost 10F Sci-Fi/Fantasy Community. "Grab Life By The Horns" and "Dodge Trucks" are registered trademarks of the DaimlerChrysler Corporation. "Keith Erikson" is a copyrighted entity of the United States Federal Government. Any misuse of the "Keith Erikson" name can be punishable by up to 50 years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine. Vote Republican. Any similarity in names or events mentioned in the above post are purely coincidental.
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teekay
Member
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# Posted: 27 Jan 2006 02:40
Reply
*applauds*
Speaking as someone who was way too close to the OTF trees to see the forest, I totally agree with what you're saying. I hear many people say that it's only a chatroom, but I know that there are some who are letting this fictional (there, I said it) place become more real than real life.
I'm not saying that this, as any other online place, can't be fun, because it is. Oh yes, it is. There are many good things to take away from OTF. But when this place (and others) becomes more important than it should be, problems arise.
Have fun, make friends, play in this playground, but don't use it as an escape, because it isn't one.
Live life. OTF can be a part of your life, but it is not your life.
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lupus
Member
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# Posted: 27 Jan 2006 03:07
Reply
here here! I'll second that.
Lupus
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ajcardall
Member
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# Posted: 27 Jan 2006 10:48
Reply
Cock on there, Keith.
I'm around a lot of the moment while I'm inbetween university and employment, but I could easily drop into employment from 9 -> 5 and not be getting withdrawl symptoms from OTF.
There's a wide world out there --- explore it! 
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fat_man
Member
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# Posted: 27 Jan 2006 10:55
Reply
Keef and I may not agree Politically all the time, here we agree perfectly.
Hail Keef!
Yours,
Man, Fat
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korny
Member
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# Posted: 27 Jan 2006 17:56
Reply
I still want you to have my babies.
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lzrman
Member
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# Posted: 27 Jan 2006 18:46
Reply
After going through this interesting read I have some comments of my own to share.
Not being overly addicted as most top chatters, I come here quite often and its quite a habit that a person has to break. Coming to the chat at every waking moment for some people is just pure over kill. There are times that people just come to OTF because they have nothing else better to do, when they know they have homework they just stop in, say there in for a bit and stay alot longer then they should.
Next time you say you are going to leave the chatroom, just click exit and confirm it. Just do not lurk in the shadows of the chatroom building up your time.
2684.93 = 111.8 Days
2697.92 = 112.4 Days
3638.99 = 151.6 Days
2275.10 = 94.8 Days
2262.47 = 94.2 Days
2363.30 = 98.5 Days
1757.65 = 73.2 Days
Here is a list of hours chatted in various OTF chatrooms since the release of Version 2, now if you do the math that is days! of chatting and those are days that you could have spent doing stuff you love to do (not chatting in OTF). Like going for a walk, enjoying various Hobbies that you love to a passion.
The calculations are 1/3 of a Year! thats 1/3 of your -edit-year-unedit- people! What is wrong with this picture? Is it that important that you have to give a fraction of your life to a online community?
If things at OTF work you up, stop while your ahead because your going to get mad and then talk to random people about an incident and get blasted in the end. As Keith noted there isn't basically anything you can do because they just ignore your requests and pass them off. If you want to send any comments send them to the VCIC who oversees the well being of the community. You are to enjoy yourself in the chatroom, if anything bothers you just tell the individual in question that they are bothering you and to just calm down and enjoy themselves.
Sometimes people need a temporary leave / permanent leave from places such as this, to bring themselves backtogether and sink back into reality.
Project: How long can you stay away from the Outpost? from chatting, and viewing outpost10f.com?
Not here to lower the membership but give people the chance to escape like in keiths post. If u can take the first day at a time you can escape for life.
"Live life, before it outlives you. Do not wither away your existance to idle chat and speculation. Existance is precious, live every moment to its fullest." (Lzrman)
Commander Lzrman
PS: Supporting a community that you love dear is a choice that is up to you, with the web accounts that help support this community. The choice is up to you.
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citron
Member
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# Posted: 27 Jan 2006 19:50
Reply
I just think this is a funny post from a guy who has the OTF logo on his Halloween pumpkin and birthday cakes.
Thanks Keith. You rock.
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ayanna
Member
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# Posted: 27 Jan 2006 20:20
Reply
surpisingly enough i agree with keith on a lot of what he said i myself have been getting more active in the real world. Although i do spend more time then need be online. i am making an effort.
I find that when i dress up for college and go to class i feel more alive and more active. and not as depressed but if i have a weekend off and do nothing but lounge around i get depressed and sad. Getting out and getting active does make a big difference in ones life. Even my family have noticed changes in me. they thing i talk to much now but before they used to always complain because i was always to depressed and stayed locked up by myself *L*. I try not to get in that stage if i can keep from it and i tend to stay away from otf if something is going on there i don't like.
I have recently started at Lake Land College going for my Desktop Publishing Degree, at first i would of been to shy to talk to anyone, but now anymore in my class i'm the first one to speak up. I love not being so shy, depressed and sad all the time. It's nice to know that i can get out and do things and not let my troubles bother me. Hell because i'm becoming more active i'm now also part of Future Business Leaders of America and i will be hopefully working at Disney this fall. if i hadn't become more active in the real world and less active in otf i wouldn't have this opportunity. I love having more happy days then depressed days it's wonderful 
Did i mention that i am happy? I am cause i have so many positive things going for me right now. that i didn't think i could have. I'm even caring more now about myappeareance  anyway i'll stop rambling and turn the thread back over to keith *L*
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daecrist
Member
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# Posted: 27 Jan 2006 21:57
Reply
Everyone is talking about the real world and the online world as though the two are mutually exclusive social realms, but for most people I know in this community that just isn't the case.
Sitting here and encouraging the "us/them" attitude that there are people with online lives and then there are people with real lives is nothing more than a jab at all of the nice and level-headed people who can enjoy a hobby without letting it consume their life.
If the chat room really is taking over your life, and I can see where that might happen, then get out and enjoy yourself. Otherwise leave the thinly veiled holier-than-thou badmouthing at the door.
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bria
Member
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# Posted: 28 Jan 2006 06:17
Reply
<!--QuoteBegin--lzrman+Jan. 27 2006,18:46--></span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td><b>Quote</b> (lzrman @ Jan. 27 2006,18:46)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"><!--QuoteEBegin-->Like going for a walk, enjoying various Hobbies that you love to a passion.<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd--><br><font color=#9999ff>But without OTF, I wouldn't have met Hobbie. I don't think any of us would have. And where would we be then? <!--emo&:(--><img src="http://www.outpost10f.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':('><!--endemo--><br>Sorry, I had to. I do have something to say on the actual topic, too. Coming to OTF, for me, was an entry into another world. Not an alternate reality, not the Matrix, not a parallel universe - just another area to add onto my life. A new angle. A place where I could try some things out without any serious repercussions. If I said the wrong thing to someone and they didn't like me, well, I never had to talk to them again. I could just leave.<br>It didn't work out like that, of course, and over the last two or three years, I've learned a lot. Both in real life and here. I made friends, I learned that I could be myself without people thinking I'm a jerk, and with Trivia, I learned how to lead. Well, kind of.<br>Some of the people I met here are my friends both online and in real life, by now. Others had the chance and failed miserably. But the people I've met, and did get on with - I don't see them as "online friends" anymore. Not really. The boundary became blurred after I met the first person from OTF, and by now, as far as some people are concerned, it's gone. But that doesn't mean that the boundary between OTF and real life became blurred. And hey, sometimes it's handy when you can shut people up simply by going offline. <!--emo&:k--><img src="http://www.outpost10f.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mad.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':k'><!--endemo--><br>So I suppose my point is that, like everything else in life, it's a matter of keeping it all in perspective. There is no point in getting annoyed at someone who's sitting halfway across the world from you and just hit a few of the wrong keys. Unless you're into that kind of thing, in which case you really do need to get away from the computer. And if a chatroom becomes a way of escaping reality and all the intellectual, social, physical and so on challenges that it represents, then I do strongly suggest getting your feet back on the ground.<br>...I know, that's rich, coming from me. For the record, I'm not floating while I type this, honest! <!--emo&:(--><img src="http://www.outpost10f.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':('><!--endemo-->
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ajcardall
Member
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# Posted: 28 Jan 2006 06:32
Reply
A third of a year is a third of my life?
Um... not it isn't.
I've been around for 225 months.
4 months is not a third of 225 
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amandasp
Member
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# Posted: 28 Jan 2006 10:28
Reply
I tend to disagree with Keith. I'm in the Air Force (which is really busy right now we're in the deployment cycle and we're doing a lot of missions), I spend a lot of time with my friends here and at home, talk to my family several times on the phone a week, writer songs, write stories, sing (if no one noticed), and reading books on top of watching TV.
It's not the fact that you spend time chatting in a chatroom or the fact you watch TV. It's the quality of time you spend doing other things you love. And I don't know if I'm smart, but I know I have to be at least intelligent to do my job... and I don't know if I'm beautiful, but I know I've fallen in love with some great guys who loved me back... and I don't know if I'm cool, but I know I have several friends who been there for me whenever I needed them whether it was just to make me laugh, listen to me rant, or just give me a hug when I cried.
If it wasn't for OTF, I wouldn't have known that Christena could get me the newspaper articles on a good friend of mine that was killed in a car accident near her. I'm very Christian and if that's not a touch of God in soothing my guilt of not being able to be there for his family then I don't know what is... and just think... I wouldn't have gotten that if I wasn't logged onto to OTF.
My point is... as long as you are happy... then be happy and find a way to spread that happiness to those who need it. Screw people who question your smile.
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taurik
Member
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# Posted: 28 Jan 2006 12:12
Reply
I could be wrong, but I think I am seeing a slight misunderstanding as to what people think my intent was in my post. I'd like to take this time to set the record straight before this thread goes any further.
This post was originally slated for another forum, frequented by OTF members, that had a rants section that I had earlier posted in. After finishing it and reviewing it, I decided that it had made some very good points that I wanted to share with the whole of OTF. I made some changes to it so that it was suitable for OTF and made my post here on this board. So mind you, I did not write this knowing it was going to be put on the OTF forums.
Now, what I want to set straight is that I am not telling the OTF community that they are wrong to spend a lot of time logged into OTF. I'm not saying that at all. I'm talking to the people who were like me and who wanted a way out. I'm trying to offer a bit of confidence to JoeSkywalker211 who wishes he were out with freinds instead of logged into OTF. I'm not saying that he doesn't like being logged into OTF, but he wouldn't mind a change.
I'm talking from my own personal experiences and seeing posts from disgruntled CL2s on the verge of being banned, "Don't ban me! OTF is all I have!" sometimes makes me feel a little unsettled. It reminds me of when I was in 8th grade and getting grounded from the internet for 6 months devestated me because OTF was all I had.
So what I'm saying is, if you're happy, continue to do what you want. Amanda's right: "screw those who question your smile". But if you aren't happy, then I hope I gave you some inspiration. I'm not trying to talk down to any of you, I'm not trying to say I'm "holier than thou art", I'm just trying to help you out. If I could, I'd come to where you lived and take you out for a beer and introduce you to my friends. But since I'm a poor college student and simply driving home is an economic undertaking, my advice is all I have for you.
So I hope this cleared some things up.
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micha_bravo
Member
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# Posted: 29 Jan 2006 16:24
Reply
Well Keith, it's interesting points you make but if I can I'd like to rant off some of my own drivelling prattle in regards to your thoughts. First of all and most importantly, I liked you when you were still that "nerd" and social outcast that you've worked so hard to shed. Secondly, I still like you, even if you aren't a nerd. Frankly, I take offense too you adding a negative connotation to the term nerd, and none to the fact that you don't want to be one. Isn't that always the angle of the flamer? That we are all just loser nerds who have no life outside of OTF?
I'm a nerd. I am proud to be this way. Why? Because it's really who I am. I don't see anything wrong with it. I don't see anything wrong with being anything else either, even if it is... dare I say it??? Un-nerdly.
Keith, I'd like to make this point although it goes against my better judement: I have always been well-liked. I have always had friends, many of them. I was the Homecoming King of my highschool believe it or not. But through all of that, I was lonely. No one really understood me or got me. The people around here just aren't like me inside. They don't like what I like, they don't do what I want to do.
I went off to West Chester University, had lots of new friends... tons of friends. Did a lot of partying; always had hundreds of people roaming through my house and you know what? I was still lonely. Sure there are a lot of good memories but there are also a lot of times where I snuck out the back door of the bar or the party, just to get away. Why? Because while I would have fun, I just never really felt like I was supposed to be there. I never felt like it was my place.
I've been to lots of places and really seen lots of things. Met people from all over the world and still I come back to OTF. Why? Because being a nerd isn't so bad after all, as long as you've got other nerds to talk with from time to time.
But with all of this my friend, you are right... I've let some relationships slip away to chat in OTF. I've let some parties miss me because of the internet. And I've even got some regrets. But really, I'm happy now. Happier than I've ever been. Sure I don't spend all of my free time in OTF like you used to do, but once upon a time I did and it didn't ruin me. The point is, I made a choice to visit OTF and not be with people all of the time. And I wasn't running to hide from anything, Keith. I wasn't trying to escape some real life problems. I was just finally happy to find someone with whom I connected on another level, a level that was far more true to the real me than anyone in my real life had ever seen.
I'm not anti-social at all, I just feel that spending my time with people who don't really get me is a waste. I'd rather spend five minutes with someone special than a lifetime with someone who's ok.
This isn't to make any of your points moot. Some people have problems; some people have addictions but for you to lump everyone who ever visits OTF into that one group is dissapointing and small-minded to say the least.
Perhaps it's just part of your self-made rehab to tear us down in order to build yourself up to this great lover of women that you are becoming. It's ok, you can use my back to prop yourself up; I don't mind and I'm strong enough to take it. It's also funny that the first thing that an addict in recovery does is tell everyone else about "their" own addictions and pending doom. Preach the word my friend, preach the word.
As a stunning man on campus now, you should know the Thomas Theorem:
"If men define actions as real, then they become real in their consequences."
You made yourself a nerd. You made yourself a hero. You made us losers who need to be like you. Thank you God Keith, thank you! *bows deeply* Don't deny this now, for you were the one who you know... couldn't understand how a pathetic loser like you... an OTF'er could have such a beautiful girlfriend like Claudia.
And if that sounds harsh, then I apologize Keith, for I really am not angry with you personally. I just feel the need to protect my brethren.
Sci-Fi has a beautiful message: There are lots of different people and they all get on well in the future, for the most part. Races, species, geeks and nerds all interact with one another and actually like each other.
We haven't forsaken you. We don't care that you are no longer "one of us", we still like you Keith. We still welcome you and wish you the best. So all I ask is that you wish the best for us in return and not put us down to make yourself feel better. You aren't trying to save us, you are trying to save yourself by your statements.
And you are right in the fact that much of this is make-believe and not real. But even behind the actor is a real person. I may never meet many of the people from OTF, I may never even really know them but I'm always here for them regardless if their problems are big or small and if you can't understand that than I feel sorry for you.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have a date with a hot nerd and I don't wonder, "Why me?", because I'm one uber-hawt geekboy and am proud to be such.
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polson
Member
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# Posted: 29 Jan 2006 18:35
Reply
To quote a conversation I had yesterday morning....
Josy "I've been eating healthily lately."
Me "Healthily? You just took an adjective and turned it into an adverb."
Karen, pointing at me "Nerd! Nerd!"
My nerdity has nothing to do with OTF. It is simply an outlet. Wherever I go, I shall remain a nerd.
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brady
Member
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# Posted: 30 Jan 2006 15:43
Reply
*L* Here here, Micha. Thanks for saying (for the most part and in a round about way) what I had neither the time nor patience to belt out.
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christena
Member
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# Posted: 30 Jan 2006 17:03
Reply
Bravo!, Mr. Bravo*s*
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kady
Member
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# Posted: 30 Jan 2006 18:16
Reply
<!--QuoteBegin--polson+Jan. 29 2006,18:35--></span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td><b>Quote</b> (polson @ Jan. 29 2006,18:35)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"><!--QuoteEBegin-->To quote a conversation I had yesterday morning....<br><br>Josy "I've been eating healthily lately."<br>Me "Healthily? You just took an adjective and turned it into an adverb."<br>Karen, pointing at me "Nerd! Nerd!"<br><br>My nerdity has nothing to do with OTF. It is simply an outlet. Wherever I go, I shall remain a nerd.<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd--><br>Ok, you make up words and people think you're a "nerd" which in my mind equates to "intelligent."<br><br>If I do the same thing, everyone says, Awww....isn't she so cute...and dumb." Somehow, I'd rather be called a nerd. <!--emo&:P--><img src="http://www.outpost10f.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/ton.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':P'><!--endemo--><br><br>OK, I did the partying seen. I partied with all the hot guys. I was personable. But, you know where that leads a girl? Mind you, she's just hanging out, dancing, laughing, and not messing around with everyone. Yet, she gets called a whore. Married women start "protecting" their husbands. You start getting "glares" because some wife thinks you're hitting on her husband. People talk about you behind your back, and yet you seriously did nothing to warrant it. At least, nothing that I know of. And then, you start thinking, "What's wrong with me?" Maybe I need a lifestyle change.<br><br>I went to all the upscale boutiques and got invited to visit diamond factories with "the girls." I shopped at Sephora and spent hundreds of dollars on makeup alone. I could have saved that money and invested it. But, I didn't. I wore the latest fashions and got compliments on my fashion sense from people. I worked out at the gym every day, sometimes for hours, got compliments from all the trainers, even worked as a program aide in a physical education class. I managed to persuade the hottest guys to like me. But, for what? I mean, all the glitter fades away and rusts. <br><br>OTF allows me to use regions of my mind and release what creativity I have. It allows me to not be labeled because everyone else is probably trying to avoid their own labels.<br><br>You're right, we shouldn't get lost in OTF. We also shouldn't get lost in all the parties, either. Especially as a single woman who has to be "put in her spot." After all, I might try to steal someone's boyfriend or husband. We single women are cunning and always looking for an "angle" to sink our claws into some unsuspecting man. <!--emo&:P--><img src="http://www.outpost10f.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/ton.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':P'><!--endemo--><br><br><br>OK. I logged off and then logged back on as I was tidying up my kitchen and began thinking. I have befriended the athletes, model-look-alikes, and such. I have beautiful friends who actually were models and Ms. [insert state here] beauty pageant competitors. What do they have that you don't? They might be pretty on the outside, but they're still lost, confused, and pathetic as the rest of us. For a while, I thought that if they're lives looked fabulous on the outside, they must be on the inside too. <b> Claudia</b> isn't attracted to you because of your "outward shell" that you built up for yourself when you left OTF. She fell for that heart of gold that treasures her and treats her like her parents told her she would one day find. She fell for that person who has spent so much time building up his inner self, not his outer one. Because, she's probably too known all those hot guys who are so in love with their outer appearances that they forgot to nurture their inner selves.<br><br><br>Rant Over. <!--emo&:P--><img src="http://www.outpost10f.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/ton.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':P'><!--endemo-->
<br><br><!--EDIT|kady|Jan. 30 2006,18:56-->
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taurik
Member
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# Posted: 30 Jan 2006 21:07
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you have all missed the point I wanted to make and have begun to take out of my post what you wanted to read. You wanted to read "Come away from the nerd side, they'll like you better" and thus that is what you found. You wanted to find me attacking OTF and its membership, and that is what you found. You wanted to find the "former nerd" who is now pushing you down on my way up to the top to popularity and success, and that, my freinds, is what you found.
You wanted to find another Jesse.
Congratulations. The majority of you will all make excellent members of the American media one day.
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polson
Member
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# Posted: 30 Jan 2006 23:25
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But I'm Canadian. 
However, I agree. With many things. And disagree with others. I think Micha and the like have good points. I just don't think they addressed Keith's points, which I thought were also valid.
And he also has another good point...how many people went into the thread ready to be angry with what he had to say regardless of what it was? No need to raise your hands, I wasn't expecting any confessions.
I'm a nerd. I chat at OTF. I have more social contact through OTF than I do in RL, which worries me at times, but that's another story. I'm also aware that OTF is a vapor, like many things in life. I can enjoy it for the purpose it currently serves in my life knowing that one day it may no longer be a part of my life, which may even be a good thing. The fact that I believe that doesn't mean I think everyone should go run screaming from their computers. Simply that "this too shall pass" and I can't become dependent on this place to fulfill me or define me.
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hobbie
Moderator
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# Posted: 31 Jan 2006 00:29
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Gee, Keith, looking at your original post, I wonder how anyone could ever make such a mistake. 
Seriously, now, I don't disagree with your points. Some of them are actually quite accurate, and I don't think anyone is going to disagree with you. Hanging around with people who appreciate you does wonders for your self-confidence - though whether you interact with them in person or via the internet doesn't make such a big difference and, perhaps, the reason why you are more popular "in rl" than you are "in OTF" is because you have more in common with the people you meet there, and don't try to criticize their way of life every chance you get.
Alright, so you claim you're trying to help us, but you're not teaching us anything we don't already know. Sure, I spend a lot of my free time in OTF, and I met some of my best friends that way. It doesn't mean I don't also have a life outside it, or will stop having friends when the website is taken down. But I enjoy spending time doing what I do and, until that day happens, I don't see why I would stop doing it.
And I think it's the same for everyone else. Taking OTF seriously would be stupid. Like the others said, it's a place to have fun and hang around with like-minded people. It doesn't define what you are, but it helps you to be yourself without being judged for it and that, along with the people, is the main reason we all keep coming back.
So thank you for the advice but, as one who's interested in politics, you should know that people have a tendency to distrust free help. Most especially when said help labels them and/or tries to get them to change their way of life. Lessons sometimes have to be learned the hard way and reading or being told things is rarely enough to fully grasp something.
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kady
Member
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# Posted: 31 Jan 2006 12:20
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<!--QuoteBegin--polson+Jan. 30 2006,23:25--></span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td><b>Quote</b> (polson @ Jan. 30 2006,23:25)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"><!--QuoteEBegin-->But I'm Canadian. <!--emo&:(--><img src="http://www.outpost10f.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':('><!--endemo--><br><br>However, I agree. With many things. And disagree with others. I think Micha and the like have good points. I just don't think they addressed Keith's points, which I thought were also valid.<br><br>And he also has another good point...how many people went into the thread ready to be angry with what he had to say regardless of what it was? No need to raise your hands, I wasn't expecting any confessions.<br><br><br><br>I'm a nerd. I chat at OTF. I have more social contact through OTF than I do in RL, which worries me at times, but that's another story. I'm also aware that OTF is a vapor, like many things in life. I can enjoy it for the purpose it currently serves in my life knowing that one day it may no longer be a part of my life, which may even be a good thing. The fact that I believe that doesn't mean I think everyone should go run screaming from their computers. Simply that "this too shall pass" and I can't become dependent on this place to fulfill me or define me.<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd--><br><!--emo&:?--><img src="http://www.outpost10f.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/srp.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':?'><!--endemo--> I'm not mad at Keith. I don't even know Keith, so how could I be mad? <br><br>I was just trying to touch upon the fact that there seems to be a lot of stereotypical comments flying around in this thread. And let's face it, stereotypes are ugly and usually false. But, they don't apply to just OTF...they're everywhere. <br><br>I agree that Keith made valid points. <br><br>I disagree that Pols is a nerd! <!--emo&:P--><img src="http://www.outpost10f.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/ton.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':P'><!--endemo--> At the very most, Pols is "geek chic"....but definitely, not a nerd.
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ajcardall
Member
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# Posted: 31 Jan 2006 12:54
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I believe what Keith is trying to say is that people can't let OTF dominate their lives to such an extent that more important matters - family, work, school etc are slipping and you're falling behind.
Sure, OTF might allow you to be more at home with yourself... that's fine and no-one is saying that shouldn't be the case. But if you all become overly dependent on something which can easily vanish within a moment's notice, then it becomes dangerous. If people are growing too dependent on OTF... what will happen the day it is shut down? You'll have been too engrossed in OTF that everything else you had will have wilted away and died.
Be mindful.
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bria
Member
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# Posted: 31 Jan 2006 14:08
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We should have employed SJ to cut Iain's emails down to size. 
*admires and applauds*
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kady
Member
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# Posted: 31 Jan 2006 14:11
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For Keith (Even though I don't know him...)
And yes, most of you will think this post is completely off topic and unrelated to Keith's original post. I offer my apologies now.
Today, while I was walking laps around campus I stopped and thought that it was about time I returned to one of my passions that I had given up for a while. I am not a total couch potato, as I often walk, park far from buildings, and take the stairs instead of the elevator to get my daily dosage of exercise. But, it's been months since I've been in a real gym. So today, I did it. I went inside and spent half an hour on the eliptical machine. I didn't do any conditioning, only cardio. I thought it best to take a small step instead of such a large leap. I even flirted with the seriously hot guy who walked in as I was walking out. He was just a jock. I can flirt with jocks as I know nothing will come of it.
Later, in the computer lab, I saw him. I don't know who he is. I guess you could call him a geek. *shrugs* It seems like that word is thrown around so flippantly though. He smiled at me and I smiled back. I still get shy around the guys that I actually do like. Go figure. 
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kady
Member
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# Posted: 31 Jan 2006 18:04
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<!--QuoteBegin--micha_bravo+Jan. 29 2006,16:24--></span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td><b>Quote</b> (micha_bravo @ Jan. 29 2006,16:24)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"><!--QuoteEBegin-->Now if you'll excuse me, I have a date with a hot nerd and I don't wonder, "Why me?", because I'm one uber-hawt geekboy and am proud to be such.<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd--><br>Who's this hot nerd? <!--emo&:v--><img src="http://www.outpost10f.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/bro.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':v'><!--endemo-->
<br><br><!--EDIT|kady|Jan. 31 2006,18:11-->
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lzrman
Member
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# Posted: 31 Jan 2006 18:08
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WTG Kady!!! things happen when u use time in such a mannor.
Lzrman
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kady
Member
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# Posted: 31 Jan 2006 18:17
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<!--QuoteBegin--lzrman+Jan. 31 2006,18:08--></span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td><b>Quote</b> (lzrman @ Jan. 31 2006,18:08)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"><!--QuoteEBegin-->WTG Kady!!! <!--emo&;)--><img src="http://www.outpost10f.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/win.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=';)'><!--endemo--> things happen when u use time in such a mannor.<br><br><br><br>Lzrman<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd--><br>Awwww....thanks. <!--emo&:}--><img src="http://www.outpost10f.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/blu.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':}'><!--endemo--><br><br>Actually, it's something I've been thinking I needed to do for a long time and just kept putting it off. This morning, when I tried on my pair of perfect size six kahkis (Yeah, I know size six isn't perfect. I'd rather be a four, but I'm going for small baby steps instead of going totally anorexic to get into that size four), and they were too snug, I thought...woah! This is it. I've gotta make a change.
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lzrman
Member
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# Posted: 31 Jan 2006 22:44
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Thats like when i finished that last post above yours, I would do all my college work, i got done the assignment due tommorow other then that i have other stuff too!
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