Cellar Anniversary Thread

[Elspode]

Tomorrow night will mark nine years since I stumbled upon The Cellar. I am able to ascertain this with certainty, because Selene and I had made a mutual agreement to stay in that NYE, so that we'd be well prepared for our NYD open house, and I was bored and looking to reach out to a larger world online. Recalling that evening, I searched here on The Cellar for "New Year", I managed to find what I remember as my first post here.

For some reason, on that cloistered New Year's Eve, it struck me that there *had* to be some sort of online community that wasn't an AOL chat room...something that wasn't an IRC channel...*something*...well...like The Cellar. So I did a Google search, and within a few clicks...I found what I'd been seeking, and started my first thread.

That NYD open house may have been the first such event we'd ever had...and over the intervening years, it became something of a party in and of itself. The format never changed...we made a big pot of black eyed peas with chunked ham, and a big pot of chili. People would come by, and we'd chat, play games, watch movies, and generally hang in varying degrees of hangover from the night before.

January 1, 2012 will feature yet another open house...but I won't be a part of it. Selene will have it in her apartment, and Leslie and I will find something else to do, and other people to do it with. Selene has been encouraging me to make the pot of chili, as I always have, and attend her version of the continuing tradition that we established together. I'd probably do it...except Leslie isn't quite done with being pissed about how Selene did things, about how trashed the house was and still is, and about how hard she, Leslie, has worked to get it mostly cleared out and cleaned up in the wake of the hasty, clandestine exit Selene made, and my subsequent moving in here with her. I understand why she doesn't want to make nice, and if I had any pride, I wouldn't want to either. In the end, we won't go.

I will miss the NYD tradition that Selene and I started, and which she will now carry forth without me. No matter how you slice it, now matter how logical the end of a relationship is, some shit just hurts. This shit does hurt. I'll get over it, and probably in no small measure because I'm a member of this community, absent though I've been these past couple of years. My one New Year resolution is to be here more, because you people are fucking awesome.

Tomorrow night is my anniversary with all of you...thanks - for nine great years of friendship, sharing and support. Thanks for listening to me whine, for letting me wax varying degrees of drunken eloquence. I'm pretty sure that the relationship I have with all of you will last longer than the one I'm now leaving.

So...how about keeping this thread going? I'd love to know what *your* first post was here. Find it, and share?

[DucksNuts]

Great thread, 'spode.

This was my first post, but wasnt this accounts first post.

My sister originally created this account on my PC. I was drawn here after another forum I am a member of posted the link to the big pink rabbit thread from IoTD, I was showing my sister, she snooped around and posted something about childcare.

I had been lurking since the pink rabbit thread and remember reading about boobs v's nipple size - I knew I wanted to play here.

That whole thread "wading in" makes me laugh because it was when the AG forum had shut down and you guys were being overrun, flint was very defensive.

[Gravdigr]

No clue what my first post was connected with.

Happy New Year, though.

[limey]

It looks like this is my first post ... I thought I'd been here longer.
I'd lurked for a good while before, though ...

[Sundae]

Oh Spode.
I can't help be glad that TreeFae stopped you continuing the tradition.
You have a big enough heart to want to continue it and are sad that you cannot.
But the flip side is Selene can't just continue as normal, because of the way she left.

If she'd behaved with your generosity of spirit, then of course.
But she didn't.

That probably sounds spiteful of me. But I never claimed to be as good a person as you.

You were already an elder statesman here when I arrived. As much from attitude as from your time of joining. You were one of many people that made me think this was a great place, and still is. I've had my ups and downs, but usually only because I've cared too much about what's written here.

I made it to six years in September.
I look forward to my ninth.

[richlevy]

Congratulations old bean.

When I first started BBSing, I used to keep a written log, mostly to check in case I ever wondered about a phone number on my bill. I can't find those papers, so I don't have a firm anniversary date. The Cellar went from dial-up, through a brief Telnet period where I dropped out due to frustration with some technical glitches, and to the WWW presence. I'd love to know my original sign on date, but it's lost to history.

I did find an old capture dump from the Cellar. I clipped out one of TW's posts (yes he has always been that long winded) and removed his name. The only thing that's changed in almost 20 years is that he's probably figured out how to spell embarrassed and pregnancies.

Post: 2772 of 2780
Subject: Upcoming Censorship
From: tw (**name redacted*****)
Date: Wed, 20 Jan 93 15:45:14 EST

in response to 2771 - It is all part of the same thread - Americans fear
anything sexual. That includes a naked body, the word penis, and talk of
AIDs. Yes we still have people going around blaming AIDs on homosexuals. Why?
They can't talk about the realities in the world - sex. If you can't say
Penis, you can't talk about prevneting AIDS. In essense, I have connected
Cindi, the mother of the 15 year old, with people who have encouraged the
spread of AIDs. They all refuse to deal with sex. Teach a kid what a breast
is suppose to do? Not my kid. If I teach him about sex, he will go out and
rape the neighbors daughter. This is they type on thinking that prevails when
each generation is taught that sex is taboo and then demands those same
teachings on the next generation. Anyone embaressed by a naked body should
consider themselves also contributing to the spread of AIDs. And anyone who
gets upset when Howard Stern says Penis is also part of the problem.
Why is it the the worlds most religious and Puritanical (in the western
world) society also has the most (no one else comes close) unwed mothers and
teen age pregenecies. It reminds we of the daughter of a Presbyterian
minister I know. As soon as they got out of the house (and all the strict
teachings) they became the most wild and got into all sorts of trouble.
Penis is not a four letter word.

[BigV]

Happy Anniversary Elspode.

[jimhelm]

Originally Posted by DucksNuts

Great thread, 'spode.

This was my first post, but wasnt this accounts first post.

My sister originally created this account on my PC. I was drawn here after another forum I am a member of posted the link to the big pink rabbit thread from IoTD, I was showing my sister, she snooped around and posted something about childcare.

I had been lurking since the pink rabbit thread and remember reading about boobs v's nipple size - I knew I wanted to play here.

That whole thread "wading in" makes me laugh because it was when the AG forum had shut down and you guys were being overrun, flint was very defensive.

wait.

what?

you're not really ducks?

that post is from early this morning.... did you link the wrong post, or....?

[Trilby]

Happy 9th Anniversary, Els!

Traditional is bronze, modern is leather...

Use your imagination, my friend, I'm sure you can come up with something

PS my first post was something to do with the Whale Penis.

[Gravdigr]

...Life is only a borrowing of bones.

Love it.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by Elspode

Selene has been encouraging me to make the pot of chili, as I always have, and attend her version of the continuing tradition that we established together. ~~~~~~~~ In the end, we won't go.

On the other hand, it would give you the opportunity to tell all your friends how you were treated... right in her face, where she would have to deny or admit in front of everyone.

But that's not you, you'll avoid confrontation, not from cowardice, from having better manners than most. Especially me.

[Elspode]

Leslie and I just got home from a wonderful NYE party at the home of some of my oldest friends. We drank copiously, sang karaoke, and talked lots of shit. Even in our drunkest moments, my very old and bestest friend (and current bandmate) Rich and I sat down and did a half hour of covers, he on acoustic guitar and me on bass and backing vocals. We were actually *good*, even as we pulled it out of our asses. I don't know why I was surprised, since we've been doing this exact same thing for almost forty years now.

Bruce...yes...I *am* a really nice guy. I probably need to see a psychiatrist to see if this can't be beaten or drugged out of me...it is a character flaw, especially when I should probably be confrontational, angry and bitter.

No, that's not going to happen is it? It is painful to me to be anything other than who and what I am...and who and what I am is essentially a respectful, loving, peaceful old damn hippie. I'm sure that I could have won some sort of friend war, or face saving exercise between Selene and myself, but...why?

I'd rather just be happy, and playing fuck fuck with my ex won't make me that way, no matter how good I might be at it.

I'd rather be with y'all, with the woman who has actually loved me and sacrificed for me these past couple of years. I'd rather reconnect with my oldest friends, the people who have always been there for me even while my ex was telling me she just wasn't comfortable around them, so we didn't go do things with them.

I'd rather be me. Thanks for being a part of me, y'all. Nappy Ho Year.

[DucksNuts]

Originally Posted by jimhelm

wait.

what?

you're not really ducks?

that post is from early this morning.... did you link the wrong post, or....?

Hmm, at least I know one person in this thread read my post!!

I appear to have linked to the wrong post.... this is my first one.

[DucksNuts]

Originally Posted by Brianna

Happy 9th Anniversary, Els!

Traditional is bronze, modern is leather...

Use your imagination, my friend, I'm sure you can come up with something

PS my first post was something to do with the Whale Penis.

Its funny the things you remember. One of the first posts of yours I remember was talking about Nipples.

Someone was talking about little boobs, big nippples and I remember your comment about Big boobs, little nipples - recalled because I have nipple envy.

[DanaC]

I seem to recall my first post was political...I think it was about western women going into Afghanistan and teaching the women to be beauticians...I think.

Then I did a hallo post. I don't remember exactly how I got here though. Have a vague recollection that an ultima online guildie sent me a link. Greg I think. Or Vae Victus as his character was known.