Sorry, Jafo. Gotta call you out on this one. I was Nematocyst on the old forum until I got banned (justifiably) in late fall, 2014. I still feel bad about my behavior that night; I'll post a thread about it, apologizing again for my terrible behavior then, and explaining -- again -- what led to it. Not an excuse -- there was no excuse -- just the reason. (Short version for now: a dark, dark time in my life when a promised $400,000 budget for my company vaporized after months of hard work, and I was left homeless, living in my office w/o a car as Maine winter approached --- I just came unglued in a thread about cars, because I didn't have one.) After that, I retired the user name "Nematocyst", used on several forums. I now go by Stone, which is actually my real middle name. I didn't expect to ever get let back into this forum -- my favorite forum ever. But Jeff offered me a second chance, for which I continue to be grateful. I'm happy to say that things have improved for me. I'm literally still recovering from that time two years ago. Not out of the financial swamp yet, but moving in the right direction in a larger city in Maine -- Bangor. I may actually make it next year, and get to buy a car again. It's good to be back. I missed you all.
Thanks, DSD. Stone is a family name on my father's side. I'm also a closet geologist. I was a major rock hound as a kid, and love geology, which is one reason I love Maine so much: the geology here is awesome, and very, very old, left over from the break up of Pangaea.
Stone/Nem, I'm really glad to have you back. Seriously. You brought a very interesting dynamic to the forum. I hope you stick around here. (please don't confuse my happiness that you're back as an indication that I in any way condone or approve of your taste in music )
Hey , so how about posting "lose yourself to dance" one more time just for kicks. Come on you know you want to...
Expat, LOL! Thank you, friend. That means a lot to me. I hope we get to sit together by a camp fire someday. I still remember my first post on ESEE forum years ago, and your response to it. I was asking for advice about purchasing a plastic training fighting knife. Your response was something like, "Pfft. We use real blades." I knew I was in the right forum, then. Bunch of crazy people here, but in a good way.
I was pretty new when you left, but read a lot of your old posts. Glad for the opportunity to get to know you!
@Stone I came in a few months before you got banned so don't remember you well except the music and the end. Glad you are recovering and glad you are back so welcome home man. Lot's of 2nd chances here on the new forum and so far this is a GREAT place to be..... BTW: I was a geologist in a prior life, B.S. In Geology from the University of Georgia class of 1983 just as the oil industry tanked so never really used it other than mapping part of the Wind River Range in Wyoming. Couldn't get a job for anything, lost a fiancé, lost most everything except a will to survive. Believe me I know what it means to hit rock bottom, takes a long while to claw back up. Took me years.....
I was "jiff and the choosey moms" I will be Kathleen Turner Overdrive but tonight I shall remain Barry Jive and the Uptown 5
Good to have you back, and definitely glad to hear things are looking up a bit for you. I've often wondered about how you've been. I was thinking Stone as in Smooth like Keith: