Tell something surprising or unexpected about yourself.

[sylverpiano]

Same.

Left and right depends largely upon the center, which is not a hard and fast identifiable point.

Politically, I am somewhere to the right of Fantine, who more than likely sees me as a right wing lunatic, and somewhere to the left of LivingWordUnity who sees me as a hard leftist liberal.



I do not spend a lot of time worrying about labels. I pay close attention to politics and search very hard for objective news sources. I make my decisions based upon as much objective truth as I can find and pay no attention to pundits from either side. I vote accordingly.

Like Popeye the Sailor says, I am what I am!

 

[Eretria90]

I can't physically go to the washroom when people are actually in there. My muscles just don't work, so then I sit there forever, waiting for people to leave. Then if someone else is in there, being quiet, too, I start to panic and it never goes well.

I can't stand the lack of privacy; some people will even talk on their phones will sitting on the toilet. It's worse when you hear people taking a #2. I always cover my ears. I'm not exactly sure why my anxiety quadruples when using a toilet; shouldn't using the toilet be fun instead of full of anxiety?

Also I was thinking of this randomly lately: when Jesus was here on Earth, he would have to do #1's, #2's and #3's....God is so great he stooped down to our human level and took on the very same digestive system he had created.

Mind=blown

 

[eastcoast_bsc]

I ran the Boston marathon twice back in the 80's.
Maybe this is why I Have myriad knee issues?

Besides sports I like museums and ballet. Lol

 

[LivingWordUnity]

Left and right depends largely upon the center, which is not a hard and fast identifiable point.

Politically, I am somewhere to the right of Fantine, who more than likely sees me as a right wing lunatic, and somewhere to the left of LivingWordUnity who sees me as a hard leftist liberal.

I do not spend a lot of time worrying about labels. I pay close attention to politics and search very hard for objective news sources. I make my decisions based upon as much objective truth as I can find and pay no attention to pundits from either side. I vote accordingly.

Like Popeye the Sailor says, I am what I am!

I don't remember calling you a liberal. Perhaps I did once, but I don't remember. Anyway, about political labels. I'm considered a hard right-winger by liberals just for being against abortion, euthanasia, and so-called "same-sex marriage." If I agreed with liberals on everything else they would still consider me that way just because of those few issues. In reality, I'm no more to the right than the Catholic Church since I'm for whatever the Catholic Church is for and against whatever the Catholic Church is against. And the Catholic Church transcends American politics.

Here are some things about me that don't fit the stereotype:

• I love trees. I planted one a long time ago.
  
• I'm moderate on the immigration issue.
  
• I'm not much above the poverty line.
  
• I'm married to a Mexican woman.
  
• I'm of African American descent.
  
• I separate plastics for recycling.
  
• I love animals, especially dogs.

 

[sylverpiano]

LWU,

I don't remember calling you a liberal. Perhaps I did once, but I don't remember.

I was not offended, and I bear no ill will for the exchange. It was a few months ago if I recall correctly.

 

[LivingWordUnity]

LWU,

I was not offended, and I bear no ill will for the exchange. It was a few months ago if I recall correctly.

Then I did at one point. But I don't consider you that now.

 

[Genersis]

...
Which brings me to another fun fact about myself: I'm not as liberal as I may appear by my posting here. It's just when compared to some of the hard right stuff that gets posted here and in AP, I look Left by comparison.

In my opinion, at least online, moderate individuals tend to get placed on one side or the other of the political spectrum.
Meanwhile those with views that could be considered far-left and far-right can paradoxically appear as more moderate than they really are.

I probably fall into the latter in that regard.

 

[Fantine]

I don't look at you as right-wing at all, sylverpiano, other than in your gun ownership.

Other than that, you've performed in Rocky Horror Picture Show (as has my daughter, and I never ran into many social conservatives at the performances).

You're a musician (and yes, I tend to look at musicians and creative people as being more liberal, but it also makes me feel a certain kinship with you.

I admire your progressive employment policies and your social consciousness. We need more employees like you, and, despite all the blather conservatives put out about "job creation" it never seems to be a priority with them.

And so in three out of four important markers I don't look at you as a right wing radical at all.

 

[RKO]

I've decided to just lurk at this forum from now on, but I couldn't help responding to this interesting thread. I am retiring at age 54 (next year.) I am in the process of buying a home in the deep woods where I will live alone to do some serious contemplation. I haven't seen a television, unless netflix counts, for something like 6 years. I also have a very old sailboat on a large body of water.
So my plan is to retire to my house in the woods with winters on my boat and try to figure out the universe.

And now I return to lurking.

 

[Fantine]

It sounds as if retirement will be a great learning experience for you, RKO. I hope you will come back and share your insights with us from time to time.

 

[gurneyhalleck1]

OBOB, where even an innocent thread made by MikeK for fun turns into a political argument....:o:o:o

 

[gurneyhalleck1]

Back to the thread....

I've played the guitar for 28 years....

 

[Tallguy88]

I've been making wine since I was 16.

 

[MikeK]

I've decided to just lurk at this forum from now on, but I couldn't help responding to this interesting thread. I am retiring at age 54 (next year.) I am in the process of buying a home in the deep woods where I will live alone to do some serious contemplation. I haven't seen a television, unless netflix counts, for something like 6 years. I also have a very old sailboat on a large body of water.
So my plan is to retire to my house in the woods with winters on my boat and try to figure out the universe.

And now I return to lurking.

Wow You're living my dream. I'm trying to secure a retirement age of 55-60. I have the woods already and intend to build a modest cabin in it (700sf or so) to live during summers. I hope to spend 5-6 months out of the year looping it on a small boat (32' or thereabouts), out the St Lawrence, down the East Coast, around Florida, and back up the Mississippi to Chicago and back home.

 

[MikeK]

Back to the thread....

I've played the guitar for 28 years....

I've played the drums about that long and have played guitar for 10 or 12. I am (or maybe was) an accomplished drummer and am comfortable sitting in with just about anyone. I have a few friends who I jam with periodically and we'll usually do a few shows per year - Church picnics, parties, coffee shops, that sort of thing. I suck at guitar but really enjoy playing. I have significant permanent hearing damage from my years of motorcycling and drumming to the extent that I cannot engage in group conversations in noisy bars or crowds and I have tinnitus when things are quiet. My greatest regrets health wise are that I abused my ears and I smoked cigarettes for a decade.

 

[gurneyhalleck1]

You probably play better than I do! People tell me I'm awesome, but I feel I suck! I guess I don't ever know how to accept compliments anyway!

As for the smoking for a decade, the human body is REMARKABLE when it comes to healing itself, and you should be proud and relieved that you QUIT! In the grand scheme of things, you'll be ok I think....

The retirement dream sounds incredible!

I've played the drums about that long and have played guitar for 10 or 12. I am (or maybe was) an accomplished drummer and am comfortable sitting in with just about anyone. I have a few friends who I jam with periodically and we'll usually do a few shows per year - Church picnics, parties, coffee shops, that sort of thing. I suck at guitar but really enjoy playing. I have significant permanent hearing damage from my years of motorcycling and drumming to the extent that I cannot engage in group conversations in noisy bars or crowds and I have tinnitus when things are quiet. My greatest regrets health wise are that I abused my ears and I smoked cigarettes for a decade.

 

[RKO]

Wow You're living my dream. I'm trying to secure a retirement age of 55-60. I have the woods already and intend to build a modest cabin in it (700sf or so) to live during summers. I hope to spend 5-6 months out of the year looping it on a small boat (32' or thereabouts), out the St Lawrence, down the East Coast, around Florida, and back up the Mississippi to Chicago and back home.

Not yet! Another year or so. I am giving my current house in the woods to my daughter and her new husband. I am shopping for a smaller house deeper in the woods, in the middle of nowhere. Boat is sitting on the Tenn-Tom waterway waiting to go for more than a daysail. 36' Colombia. All new motor, sails, hardware, running and standing rigging.

All I need is the time...

 

[RKO]

oh, Gurney, guitar for 20 plus years, piano organ and other keys for 30 plus. Plus an assortment of a few other things here and there.

 

[Gwendolyn]

Here's something I can share: I took piano lessons for almost eight years, but I never learned to properly read music.

My teacher would play songs for me before teaching me how to play them. I would listen to her and mimic her. This got me into trouble when I was 16 and studying more difficult pieces; she would ask me to start from random places in the piece but since I couldn't read the music, I wouldn't know which part she wanted me to play. Busted.

Also, I am considering buying a flute and learning to read basic music for that.

 

[gurneyhalleck1]

I learned for a few years to read music with lessons. I got fairly good at it. Problem? I NEVER USED IT!

In high school, I'd spend my summers playing Kiss albums and learning the chords and licks and riffs by ear. I'd go through an entire record, play with it, then move to the next album. I'd do that with other bands like Rush. But occasionally I'd need to read some tablature to figure out a Yes tune, etc. So even then I didn't need to "read" music!

I'm at a point in my life where I play by ear despite still knowing how to play with notes.

I've been teaching my daughter how to play guitar with reading the notes, but these days we spend more time on her learning stuff by ear with me!

Here's something I can share: I took piano lessons for almost eight years, but I never learned to properly read music.

My teacher would play songs for me before teaching me how to play them. I would listen to her and mimic her. This got me into trouble when I was 16 and studying more difficult pieces; she would ask me to start from random places in the piece but since I couldn't read the music, I wouldn't know which part she wanted me to play. Busted.

Also, I am considering buying a flute and learning to read basic music for that.