Clearing out
Sep. 5th, 2004 07:56 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
j4We have just evicted the mother of all spiders from our beer cupboard under the stairs:
I was rather sad to see it go; it was big and furry and rather sweet in an ugly kind of way, and it wasn't doing anybody any real harm.
After that, I cleared out my inbox by deleting all the "Girl's Own" mailing list messages, having just unsubscribed from said list. For a while I've felt that I didn't really belong there, and then I received this by email:
Well, they're right; I do have opinions about all sorts of irrelevant things, and I tend to be quite outspoken, and I'm not good at confining my conversation to the wide-eyed vacant lists of "books that are really nice" (and occasionally, more controversially, "books that are horrid so I don't read them") that a lot of people seem content with. I've blethered on about housework and baking and times-tables (though I haven't started any off-topic threads as far as I can recall, just joined in with other people's) more than I have about books recently because whenever I mention a book the conversation immediately stops. Probably because I use big words like "character" and "style", and don't burst into inconsolable tears if somebody doesn't like my favourite author.
The person who sent me the email quoted above suggested that if I was bored I should run a book discussion. I'm not "bored", I'm just being driven out of my mind by the drivelling inanity which makes up 90% of the list's content, and utterly mystified as to how the interesting and intelligent 10% of contributors have managed to put up with it for so long. And the last thing which is likely to help with that is to be forced to set a load of primary-school homework questions ("In Clichés in the Lower Fourth, do you think Emily-Jane is a nice person? Should she have told tales on Malvina? Why does Miss Bobbins give her a ticking-off?") for the sort of people who think Enid Blyton is intellectually challenging.
On the whole, I miss the spider more.
I was rather sad to see it go; it was big and furry and rather sweet in an ugly kind of way, and it wasn't doing anybody any real harm.
After that, I cleared out my inbox by deleting all the "Girl's Own" mailing list messages, having just unsubscribed from said list. For a while I've felt that I didn't really belong there, and then I received this by email:
over the past couple of months, in off-list conversations, at least a dozen - maybe more, I certainly haven't been keeping track - of the more interesting & longtime GOers have mentioned that you are a bit too opinionated on *every single topic* that comes up & that you always seem to have to have the last word. Some of them are even becoming reluctant to post because they think you're going to pounce/belittle them. Part of this may be an age thing - I think most of the more active GOers are 40+ (35+ anyway) & for many this is the only list they're on and the tone *is* generally pretty collegial. Their reaction - even *my* reaction - is rapidly becoming 'Oh god - *her* again.' To be really blunt, you're getting up people's noses.
*Nobody* really thinks the list should be all sweetness & light and we should just be talking about the 'nice school stories' and if you scroll back through the archives you'll find plenty of threads (inc lots of mine) that are fairly controversial/serious. But *not all the time.* I'd strongly suggest that you back off a bit and really listen to the tone of your posts. You'll find you do come across very strongly, not on important stuff but on topics that are really irrelevant fluff that nobody gives a damn about, and it makes you seem very aggressive. So give it a break. This list *is* mainly to talk about GO books and every single OT thread doesn't have to be relentlessly pursued, chewed & battled over.
Well, they're right; I do have opinions about all sorts of irrelevant things, and I tend to be quite outspoken, and I'm not good at confining my conversation to the wide-eyed vacant lists of "books that are really nice" (and occasionally, more controversially, "books that are horrid so I don't read them") that a lot of people seem content with. I've blethered on about housework and baking and times-tables (though I haven't started any off-topic threads as far as I can recall, just joined in with other people's) more than I have about books recently because whenever I mention a book the conversation immediately stops. Probably because I use big words like "character" and "style", and don't burst into inconsolable tears if somebody doesn't like my favourite author.
The person who sent me the email quoted above suggested that if I was bored I should run a book discussion. I'm not "bored", I'm just being driven out of my mind by the drivelling inanity which makes up 90% of the list's content, and utterly mystified as to how the interesting and intelligent 10% of contributors have managed to put up with it for so long. And the last thing which is likely to help with that is to be forced to set a load of primary-school homework questions ("In Clichés in the Lower Fourth, do you think Emily-Jane is a nice person? Should she have told tales on Malvina? Why does Miss Bobbins give her a ticking-off?") for the sort of people who think Enid Blyton is intellectually challenging.
On the whole, I miss the spider more.
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no subject
Date: 2004-09-06 09:10 am (UTC)Yep, debate -- look it up if you're not sure what it means -- not catty comments from strangers who seek out my site so that they can carry on throwing mud even when I move away from their usual sniping-ground.
You really should try to get over being so over-sensitive you know.
This is some new sense of "over-sensitive" that means "fights back when attacked rather than just submitting to the rule of the clique and/or wilting under the lash of your tongue", right?
it wasn't memorable enough to stick
Meow, meow. You could have just looked 2 inches further up the page if you cared about checking your facts -- assuming you could find somebody to help you operate the scroll-bar in your web-browser, of course, but hey, I'm sure the supportive community of GO would help you out there with its wealth of technical expertise.
It's your site, and as you so delicately point out I don't have to read it - and believe you me I wouldn't dream of paying you the compliment of reading it again.
Ah, you say that, darling, but you love me really. And you'll still check back to see if I replied to this, won't you? You just can't get enough.
no subject
Date: 2004-09-06 09:51 am (UTC)Shereen
no subject
Date: 2004-09-06 10:20 am (UTC)Or perhaps you're just -- surely not! -- trying to get the last word?
Still, why would either of us want the last word when this is such good fun?! Come on, step up the pace of the insults, or we'll never get to the really good stuff. (Incidentally, yeah, your dad probably is bigger than mine, and my mum has been known to wear army boots, so you'll have to come up with something original.)
no subject
Date: 2004-09-06 10:40 am (UTC)Shereen
no subject
Date: 2004-09-06 10:44 am (UTC)Embarrassing, isn't it? Dunno why they all like me when I'm just an opinionated little cow. And I didn't ask them to trap your hair in a printer, you know.
I think the whole thing's hysterically funny, to be honest; imagine, if you will, me gurgling over it like Joey Maynard on crack.
go halves in a saucer of cream
Only if I get to lick it all off you. Did I mention that bitchy older women really turn me on? <sings> So here's to you, Dr Benjamin... </sings>
no subject
Date: 2004-09-06 11:06 am (UTC)You aren't clever, you aren't saying anything new and you're just coming across as petty and I haven't even got any further than reading to this comment yet.