Different Now?

[Mercutio]

Just a thought, as I read through the TAM threads: For some posters, meeting them in Vegas changed the way I read their posts. And the changes work differently for different people.

I can no longer read Shanek's posts without hearing his voice, his inflection, his pace. This is a big change for me.

US's posts are still him. Perhaps more so. Same with Phil.

Luciana is now two people to me, as is Renata. I can't quite overlap the person who posts here with the person I met in Vegas, and I'm not certain why.

Moe is younger now...sorry Moe. If that bothers you, I'll try to shift my image back to what it was...maybe hit it a few times with a BALL PEEN HAMMER.

Pirate Lad is now the person I met in Vegas, not whatever it was I thought before.

Girl 6 is just about exactly what I had expected, only better. So no huge change there.

There are many many more examples, but I'll come back to them later.

What about you? Is this something you have seen, yourselves? Or am I, as is so often the case, the only loonie in the room?

[Luciana]

Really, Mercutio? :) It's hard to know what people think about you. I used to speak at Paltalk more often, maybe you wouldn't be so surprised if you had listened to me like many others used to.

Well, I pictured you exactly how you are. I had seen the pic, and I think the personality comes out right.

One of the best surprises, to me, was Central Scrutinizer, who has a somewhat childish persona around him (sorry! but it's true, Scrut!) and face-to-face he is a man with an interesting conversation - so much more mature and infinitely better.

I met some people last year, so I already knew what to expect.

Who else? Well, Moe is much more electric than I thought, she doesn't rest in the same place for more than 30 secs. Other than that, it's Moe!

Renata! Actually, (sorry to break this) but after her insistance on mentioning she was overweight, it was an overweight woman that I was waiting for at the airport. But of course she's not!!! It was one of the first thing I told her upon meeting her at the baggage carousel. So, that settles it, she is not overweight by any definition of the word. Let's move on. Ok, she is much more lively and playful in person than online, imagine that.

Pirate_Lad has such a baby face! I will certainly read his messages differently from now on.

That's what I can think of on top of my head.

[Paul C. Anagnostopoulos]

Yup, Pirate Lad has become Vegas Lad. I met him at TAM1, but didn't pay enough attention.

Many other folks I had met at TAM1, so their personae were already adjusted.

I got some mental adjustment from meeting Kitty and Renata.

I'm glad I met Shanek, because I realized that he doesn't talk about politics all the time.

Stimpy became a real person. But what was with his wearing his leather jacket constantly?

I had some idea what Moe would be like, and she was.

As for Mercutio, well, I had no idea what to expect, so I was pleasantly surprised. :p

~~ Paul

[SkepticScott]

I had some pleasant surprises too. I don't think knowing how someone looks or sounds will change how I read their posts, except now I'll have a face to go with the words. I do have a few comments to make though.

* Julia Sweeney was even nicer than I had imagined. I had heard her talk before, but after getting to talk with her for a couple minutes I learned she was actually happy to meet everyone at TAM2.

* Kittynh wasn't as shy as she was as at TAM1.

* Renata lied about being fat. She also lied by omission by not mentioning her smile.

* In my mental image of Girl 6, the knitting has been replaced with a tambourine.

* MoeFaux was as I expected, but also, as Luciana wrote, more electric and active.

* I finally got to put a face to USA, Mercutio, Arctic Penguin, Pirate Lad, Chanileslie and Nyarlathotep, Sparklecat, Evil Yeti, etc. (In addition to all the people I met at TAM1.)

* I'm slowly getting to know Linda, Karl and Hal, and it was a pleasure to see Mr. Randi when he wasn't "on", and to just talk a bit.

When's TAM3?

[Stimpson J. Cat]

Some of my preconceptions of people turned out to be flawed as well.

I have the same difficulty as Mercutio with respect to Luciana. I think it is because her writing is so perfect that it is difficult to imagine her as a non-native English speaker, and her accent stands in sharp contrast to that impression. Her speech is also perfect (or as close to perfect as I can discern). It's just that the voice I hear in my head when I read her posts doesn't sound like that. By the way, it's a very beautiful accent, just not what I expected.

Paul seemed a bit different in person than I expected, but not in any way I can put my finger on.

MoeFaux turned out to be much tinier than I expected. I wanted to fold her up, put her in my pocket, and take her home win me. :p

Renata turned out to be way hotter than I could ever have expected. She also has a wonderful personality. When you talk to her, she makes you feel like you are the only person in the world. About the only thing about her that didn't come as a surprise, is that she is very smart.

By the way, about the jacket. I keep my wallet in my jacket, so I tend to always take it with me.


Dr. Stupid

[exarch]

Well, some people I just didn't get to know well enough to see differently, but a lot of them I do now.

Some of the surprises were indeed Pirate Lad, Central Scrutinizer, Finella and budddyh, Renata, Nyarlathothep, SkepticScott, Brown and believe it or not, Moe. Well, Moe didn't look that much different from her pictures, but she was shorter than I imagined, and something about her was different from how I imagined her to be :D

And Mercutio, well, he definitely didn't speak Shakespearean English :p I got along with him right away at the reception drink at the start of TAM2 :)

[Paul C. Anagnostopoulos]

Scott said:
Kittynh wasn't as shy as she was as at TAM1.
Kitty was at TAM1? Hmm.

Stimpy said:
Paul seemed a bit different in person than I expected, but not in any way I can put my finger on.
Well, now I'm intrigued. Perhaps it was because you didn't expect me to be Interesting Ian? Mwahahaha.

By the way, about the jacket. I keep my wallet in my jacket, so I tend to always take it with me.
Well, that's a good reason. Perhaps I was too harsh in that other thread when I matched your intelligence with your signature. :D

Bottom line: Was anyone unpleasantly surprised when they met someone? Not me.

~~ Paul

[kittynh]

well, REnata was just so sexy...I mean Pool Boy kept going on and on about how she must just beat the guys off. She's sexy and smart - and so warm! She does make you feel that she is totally focused on you when she is talking to you.

Luciana is way prettier in real life than in her photos, and that is saying a lot. Plus, she is very funny and has the best laugh! Guys not at TAM2, the laugh is worth it.

Chani was such a strong person, just like her posts, but a total kitten when it came to her husband

G6 was everything I expected and more. I think because she is a writer she can really express her personality. Oh, she has the best set of legs I've ever seen (as confirmed by Pool Boy). But, she has a very fun playful side that comes out. When it's time to get the party started you want G6. I didn't expect her fun silly side.

The guys were far less focused on sex, and looks, than they sometimes are on the forum and Paltalk. They were real gentlemen and made all the woman feel welcome!

USA was quite good looking I thought. Tall, and brooding...plus I was kind of joking around with him and I think he got it. He just always puts his looks down, and I didn't get it. (hey, there were lots of kind of not so good looking guys, USA you were in the top of the class....)

Shanek was a lot more human, and I really adored him. He has a real fun side too. I was afraid he was always serious.

Scott was so nice, just out of his way nice.

Finella, I just admire her a lot. Once I heard what she does, and how commited she seems, I was just filled with respect for her.

Merc, what a hunk...

Patricio, hunk part 2

Phil (Badas) was so nice, I was so in awe of him at TAM1 that I was afraid to even talk to him. I was like, "smart man will laugh at me....." But, he was so great, I was glad to get to know him.

Larry B was there constantly volunteering it seemed! Hey, did you girls notice he's pretty good looking? I thought he was an old teacher type. Forget that! My minds totally blown there.

Claus, so neat to have somene so smart talk to me, and even seem to understand what I was saying (don't laugh...he got my art talk). I always think these skeptics don't get art.

Moe, I just adored her! So did Pool Boy. He overheard her talking to someone on the phone and she said, "Come on over, Pool Boy is here and he's sexy" (so he claims!). Me, I just had to smile when she was around. I couldn't help myself. I knew I'd like her, but I didn't know I'd adore her so much.

Paul A. actually said my shoes were ok for Penn and Teller. I would do a shoe check in with him, and he didn't think I was nuts (well, maybe he did a bit)

And no I wasn't as shy as I am in real life as my sister in law said, "Barb, just pretend they are all 3 year olds. The only time you are never shy is around little kids. " It worked, but I did feel a little funny cutting up everyone's food for them at lunch.

[Nyarlathotep]

There were a couple of people (whom I won't name) that I expected to be complete @ssholes but turned out to actually be likable people. I chalk that up to the fact that the relative anonymity of posting to the forum makes a lot of people (maybe even most people) take on a somewhat diferent persona on the forum than they would face to face.


There was no one, however, that I liked from the forum that I disliked when I met them. In fact I didn't meet anyone at all that I disliked during the entire time I was there.

[Girl 6]

You guys flatter me entirely too much! I'm totally blushing! :D

The difference for me after TAM2 is that I feel much more connected to this community. Yes, I know, it's that term again... Let's just face it. This IS a community. It's perhaps one of the few communities that has accepted me without REALLY knowing me, so to speak. :)

I have always said that what you see with my writing is what you get. I'm just glad that I got a chance to continue to be myself with all of you. And, I'm glad that some of you got to see the "infamous" legs. ;)

much love,
G6

[MoeFaux]

Originally posted by kittynh
And no I wasn't as shy as I am in real life as my sister in law said, "Barb, just pretend they are all 3 year olds. The only time you are never shy is around little kids. " It worked, but I did feel a little funny cutting up everyone's food for them at lunch.

Hey Kitty, it worked for me! I thought you were just being really helpful!

[shanek]

Originally posted by kittynh
And no I wasn't as shy as I am in real life as my sister in law said, "Barb, just pretend they are all 3 year olds.

Shouldn't have been to difficult...

And BTW, I did enjoy the diaper change. ;)

[exarch]

Originally posted by shanek
And BTW, I did enjoy the diaper change. ;)Yeah, me too, but next time go easy on the talcum powder. The airport security people detained me for three hours while doing a complete search :(

[Larry Barrieau]

Thanks Kitty. "Old teacher type" heh heh that's funny. ...Um, wait a minute, I am a teacher and I am 55!? Holy crap! I am an old teacher type!

Most of the people were not how I pictured them mostly because even though I'd seen them in their picture posts, I forgot what they looked like. Before the meeting I'd try to go back and revisit their pictures but with a dial up connection I soon tired of that.

I think that Bad Astronomer has a good idea; a page dedicated to pictures and forum names without any chatter.

[Jeff Corey]

I'll second or third that motion or notion.

[exarch]

Originally posted by Larry Barrieau
I think that Bad Astronomer has a good idea; a page dedicated to pictures and forum names without any chatter.Well, I think it would be better to host that somewhere other than the JREF board (there used to be one, but whoever hosted it has closed it down I think)

[Finella]

Originally posted by kittynh

Finella, I just admire her a lot. Once I heard what she does, and how commited she seems, I was just filled with respect for her.


Wow, thanks, Kitty! It took me a moment to recall when I had told you about my work -- the Thai place! (must remind myself to post more about that elsewhere.)

It was great meeting you -- and you looked vaguely familiar from TAM I, so maybe I did meet you then... mmm... but now I know for sure. :)

It was my first time meeting a lot of the skepchicks, like Renata (who is a super fun chick!) and Chani and Sidhedevil and Moe and Julia and SkeptoBabe and Wyvern, and, of course, Sparklecat. I agree, it does make a difference when you meet people and then go back and read their posts on the board.

For instance, I had always pegged Mercutio as a dark and curly-haired guy in Renaissance clothing with a goatee. No longer!

And hats off to the Euro contingent I met -- exarch, Chaos, deBergerac, Claus -- great to see all of you there, and now I know I have places to stay when I someday travel all over the continent... :D
---,---'--{@

[The Central Scrutinizer]

Originally posted by Luciana Nery
One of the best surprises, to me, was Central Scrutinizer, who has a somewhat childish persona around him (sorry! but it's true, Scrut!) and face-to-face he is a man with an interesting conversation - so much more mature and infinitely better.


How dare you call me mature!!!! But I do like the infinitely better part. :D

[Patricio Elicer]

Of the new people I met at TAM2, many struck me as different from what I've pictured previously, while others matched my expectations quite well.

Renata is not fat at all, she's waaaaay too lovely and attractive. What a shame I did not socialize more with her. Renata, Why did you run away from me?

Kitty is not shy, her shyness is just an urban legend (or a JREF legend to be more precise)

I had pictured The Central Scrutinizer as a fat and balding guy. He is not

Pirate_Lad has an unmistakable baby face. He's jovial and unconcerned, very different from the tough-man-who-went-to-war, I had pictured.

[The Central Scrutinizer]

Originally posted by Patricio Elicer
I had pictured The Central Scrutinizer as a fat and balding guy. He is not


But I seem to be heading in that direction. :(

Patricio was exactly as a pictured him - very distinguished and professorial.

[Brown]

Originally posted by kittynh
well, REnata was just so sexy...I mean Pool Boy kept going on and on about how she must just beat the guys off.Ahem. I'm sure this was intended in the most complimentary fashion.

[The Central Scrutinizer]

Originally posted by kittynh
well, REnata was just so sexy...I mean Pool Boy kept going on and on about how she must just beat the guys off.

Actually, I think the guys do that all by themselves.

[The Central Scrutinizer]

DOH!!! I guess great (or juvenile) minds think alike!