Hi Dave SA: It's 6:30 AM EST and this is a very nice post to wake up to. Lots of wit and wisdom, too, and a welcome change of pace. Just when I was feeling very discouraged re: the PIEnet...May the spirit of the season be with you and yours, also. Carole H. P.S. Re: pigtales, even I was getting confused re: which pig was which... --- D J Roll <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > > Dear List Family, > > My computer was down for more than two weeks and has been > behaving > erratically since and so I am once again on a 'loaner' > machine. I have had > to wade through over 1500 emails, and that's just this > list! My 'real' > family are sick and tired of the computer speaking to me. > Being cut off from > the cyber family left me feeling bereft and empty. > > Which brings me to my point. The bickering, the lurking, > the large amount of > posts by relatively few members are typical of a family. > We have five > children with us at the moment and there is bickering and > so is it > surprising with 1800 in the cyber family? Like a family > though, the > bickering is amongst ourselves - Oh woe betide the > outsider that told my > daughter I was a 'cripple' and so woe unto you the City > of Portland and all > the others that attack or hurt our brothers and sisters > on this list! > > The bickering also puts a strain on myself and my loving > wife (caregiver, > mother, nurse, taxi driver, cook, etc who is as deaf as a > post which > combined with my poor speech gives rise to many > misunderstandings - some > funny and some not so). We as parents have to be big > enough to take a stand > on discipline and what is and is not acceptable in the > home. The decisions > are sometimes not popular with all and sometimes, yes I > admit it, the > decisions we make are wrong. The list owners or > moderators or whatever they > are called, are effectively the "Mom" and "Dad" of this > our cyber family, I > think. So they have to take the stand and risk their > popularity and yes they > are human and so will make mistakes and from time to time > be wrong. > > All the "non PD" stuff is like conversation and I must > admit that I enjoy > the banter, repartee and yes even the insults and the > apologies. It makes > the cyber family real, distracts from the unneeded > reminder that I have an > incurable disease. Views on religion, sex, LIFE vary in > our home and the > children all have their own views and we encourage them > to express them. I > am not to old or to proud to learn from my family - both > real and cyber. I > never understood all of the pig humour, but miss it never > the less. > > When I am able to think, talk and write coherently I will > and when I am not > I will sit quietly and listen to the conversation and > general hub-bub of my > family around me. It is comforting to listen to them. Its > nice to belong and > be loved. [LURK!] You decide which family I speak of! > > I think I have said enough. > > Love you all and hope that the spirit of this festive > season is with you, > one > and all. > > DaveSA (Yes we even have nicknames in our real > family) > David J Roll > Port Alfred > South Africa > > LURK = Love, Undisturbed by Rows or Kisses > > > __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Thousands of Stores. Millions of Products. All in one place. Yahoo! Shopping: http://shopping.yahoo.com