Thanks sffworld

[Seak]

So I was in Borders the other day picking up a copy of Dreamsongs by GRRM. I walk by one of the workers who exclaims, "Don't you love George R R Martin, did you know they're making his books into an HBO series?"

I gave a polite response to the positive and even added that they had some great actors lined up in some of the roles (go Sean Bean!).

Anyway, this got me thinking and I just wanted to thank sffworld and members because I've suddenly become an expert on the latest news, the best books, etc, etc. I mean, I have friends that I thought were the experts before, but now i'm recommending books to them and they're dying for more. Anyone else feel the same?

[Evil Agent]

Definitely. I had a similar experience the other day, in a used book store, when the actual owner of the store was raving about the books, but didn't know about the HBO series. I was able to be the bearer of good news.

I agree, though, that spending time on this website has made me much more well informed regarding certain books, authors, and various topics of discussion. For example, sometimes in "real life" a friend will raise a certain question for discussion, for the first time, and I am able to say "actually I've already had in-depth discussions about this online", and can list many opinions, points, and arguments. Now that I think about it, this probably annoys my friends.

[Seak]

Haha, I think I annoy my friends too. But I agree that it's nice to have heard some arguments and be able to make an informative decision/argument yourself.

[Evil Agent]

Well, I was feeling nostalgic tonight, and wanted to say thanks to sffworld. I can't believe it's been 7 years since I joined this site! Now, 4,500+ posts later, it's still one of my favourite websites, and one of the few places on the internet that feels like "home".

Thanks again, to everyone who makes this a good place to visit.

EDIT: I find it somewhat surreal that I have 4500+ posts. My posting has really slowed down over the last few years, but I still have the 7th highest post count of any member. How on earth did I write so much?!? If I honestly had to guess, I'd have thought I had posted less than half that much.

[PeterWilliam]

There is no doubt that this is a great place. A truly remarkable vision by Dag, and executed flawlessly by Hobbit and the mods. While there is the occasional contentious moment here and there, its nothing like what I see at other forums where refrain from posting due to the vilification of those who post outside the majority approved opinion. I'd say the fan interaction in the sf&f world, here, is more congenial, true and pure than in other places I've viewed/logged.

It was a result of sffworld that I bothered to attempt to figure out the whole concept of blogging and started one. The fun I've had in just created that small realm has been worth the price of admission - and, hey, the price was free! Truly, very little on the 'net better than SFFWorld.

[Seak]

I recently starting trying my luck at Westeros and I really just haven't felt the same vibe as I get here. It just seems like people are welcomed here instead of just one of the masses. Thanks.

[fluffy bunny]

I recently starting trying my luck at Westeros and I really just haven't felt the same vibe as I get here. It just seems like people are welcomed here instead of just one of the masses. Thanks.

It's the members that make the site. Thanks for sticking around

Has it really been 7 years since I typed 'A Game of Thrones' into google? Boy do I feel old.

[Rob B]

Has it really been 7 years since I typed 'A Game of Thrones' into google? Boy do I feel old.

I got married, moved two times, and had 5 different jobs since joining.

[Evil Agent]

I got married, moved two times, and had 5 different jobs since joining.

That's an interesting experiment! In the 7 years since I joined, I graduated from university, worked some odd jobs, then went back to university and started a career as a teacher.

[kater]

Graduated from university, lived in three different countries, had four jobs and still don't know what I want to be when I grow up.

How's going back to uni and teaching been for you EA? It's a path I'm looking at keenly atm as the work is drying up around my area.

[Evil Agent]

How's going back to uni and teaching been for you EA? It's a path I'm looking at keenly atm as the work is drying up around my area.

It's been great, definitely the most enjoyable job I've ever had. But work is scarce in the city, and jobs are hard to come by. I've been a teacher-on-call ("substitute") for a year and a half, and it may be several more years before I get anything permanent. It would be fine if I was getting full time work, but work has been quite slow lately, so it's a bit frustrating.

That being said, I get to tell students about books like The Hobbit as part of my job! I can't complain about that.

[kater]

True enough, thanks mate. I'm almost at the end of my tether when it comes to a permanent job and all I hear from my mum (teacher) and dad (envious of mum's pension ) is 'what about teaching O?'.

[Rob B]

Graduated from university, lived in three different countries, had four jobs and still don't know what I want to be when I grow up.

I though I had the trump card with the marriage and buying two houses, but three countries Owen? Which countries?

[kater]

It's a bit of a dodge mate, because I live in Wales I counted England as one due to going to uni there (Nottingham) Also the US (University of Illinois, Champagne-Urbana) for 14 months on exchange during my third year of uni. Then finally the Greek island of Corfu for 18 months about a year after finishing uni due to a relationship that unfortunately fizzled out. You've definitely still got me beat, Europe is a smallish place for travelling and living. For all that I still ended up stuck back here in my home town wondering what will become of me next

[Evil Agent]

Well, I was feeling nostalgic tonight, and wanted to say thanks to sffworld.

I can't believe it's been 7 years since I joined this site!

I find it somewhat surreal that I have 4500+ posts. My posting has really slowed down over the last few years, but I still have the 7th highest post count of any member. How on earth did I write so much?!? If I honestly had to guess, I'd have thought I had posted less than half that much.

Well, folks, I am happy to say that this is my
5,000th post!!!
w00t, w00t! Celebrate good times, come on! <happy dance>

Okay, now that that's out of the way... I don't know whether to be happy or disturbed. That's a lot of posts. Did I really have that much to say?

There have been ups and downs in my posting (including long stretches where I never posted anything), but since I've been here for 8 years, I guess that works out to about 625 posts per year, 52 posts per month, and about 13 posts per week.