Love the 'CAT' Balance Right Now.

Subject: RE: Love the 'CAT' Balance Right Now.
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 26 Apr 00 - 02:59 PM

Here's a link to Lake Wobegon. Go there, and never leave it for too long without visiting.

Subject: RE: Love the 'CAT' Balance Right Now.
From: canoer
Date: 26 Apr 00 - 12:17 AM

I don't think it would augur any good ....

Subject: RE: Love the 'CAT' Balance Right Now.
From: canoer
Date: 26 Apr 00 - 12:14 AM

Now as long as Neo doesn't get the post hole digger mixed up with her banjo ....

Subject: RE: Love the 'CAT' Balance Right Now.
From: GUEST,Sir Arthur Conan and Doyle
Date: 25 Apr 00 - 11:38 PM

...and you have us to thank for it, whether you believe it or not.

Subject: RE: Love the 'CAT' Balance Right Now.
From: Little Neophyte
Date: 25 Apr 00 - 10:37 PM

Caitrin, thanks for the explanation. I can understand it is not wise to boast with good fortune but when there is a wonderful feeling around the Mudcat being in a good balance, this is something to be appreciated.
Appreciation and gratitude are catalyst to good fortune.

Thanks Catspaw. I think for Christmas this year I am going to get you a post hole digger. A heavy equipment kind that takes two people to hold steady.

Little Neo

Subject: RE: Love the 'CAT' Balance Right Now.
From: Caitrin
Date: 25 Apr 00 - 07:35 PM

Bonniedarlin', in Lake Woebegone, they don't like to talk about good fortune too much. It sounds like bragging. And if you're bragging, the good fortune's bound to disappear. *g*

Subject: RE: Love the 'CAT' Balance Right Now.
From: catspaw49
Date: 25 Apr 00 - 07:09 PM

Well who's that comin', through that door...."

Ah, the Lake. Home of many Norwegian bachelor farmers.....Lake Wobegone, where the women are strong, the men are good looking, and the children are above average. The home of Powdermilk Biscuits, the biscuits that give shy people the strength to get out and do what has to be done....and Bertha's Kitty Boutique in the dales..Clydesdale,Chippendale,Hillandale,Royandale, and all the fine shopping malls.

BonnAmmie------If you're not familiar with "Prairie Home Companion" and Garrison Keillor, you NEED to be. A great radio show. Now I know what to get you when its gift time.

Spaw

Subject: RE: Love the 'CAT' Balance Right Now.
From: Mbo
Date: 25 Apr 00 - 06:41 PM

Ha ha, truth to tell, I only hear the show that one time! I used to listen to his "Writer's Almanac" on NPR before WTEB ditched it for "Pulse of the Planet." I know what Lake Woebegon IS but don't know anything about it...so I don't know much about it either...

--Mbo

Subject: RE: Love the 'CAT' Balance Right Now.
From: Little Neophyte
Date: 25 Apr 00 - 06:37 PM

Mbo, you would be amazed at who I have not heard of. But I am willing to learn. Can't promise I will remember everything, but I will try my best.

Little Neo

Subject: RE: Love the 'CAT' Balance Right Now.
From: Mbo
Date: 25 Apr 00 - 06:33 PM

Bonnie, haven't you even heard Garrison Keillor? (That's where I first heard Dunderbeck when I was 11 years old)

--Mbo

Subject: RE: Love the 'CAT' Balance Right Now.
From: Little Neophyte
Date: 25 Apr 00 - 06:24 PM

Caitrin, I do not understand. What happened at Lake Woebegone?
And why is it definitely a bad idea to talk about good news?

Little Neo

Subject: RE: Love the 'CAT' Balance Right Now.
From: Mbo
Date: 25 Apr 00 - 05:51 PM

Good gravy Spaw, seems I'm always digging myself out of a hole! WORK SONG TIME!!!

Underground are the Tunnel Tigers
Far from the sun and the light of day
Down in the land that the sea once buried
Driving a tunnel through the London clay
Up with the shield, jack it, ram it!
Drive a tunnel through the London clay!

--Mbo

Subject: RE: Love the 'CAT' Balance Right Now.
From: Caitrin
Date: 25 Apr 00 - 05:19 PM

Haven't you guys ever heard the news from Lake Woebegone? It's definitely a bad idea to talk about good news. *s*

Subject: RE: Love the 'CAT' Balance Right Now.
From: Crowhugger
Date: 25 Apr 00 - 05:01 PM

Ah, my beloved balance. **sigh**

Subject: RE: Love the 'CAT' Balance Right Now.
From: BlueJay
Date: 25 Apr 00 - 04:36 PM

Turtle Shit? I thought they were about ready to crucify someone, but I only count two. We need a "Man in the Middle". Is it to be Fielding, our scrolling GUEST, or perhaps someone who has been there before?

Subject: RE: Love the 'CAT' Balance Right Now.
From: canoer
Date: 25 Apr 00 - 04:02 PM

Spaw, you sure those spikes are big enough? .... sounds like your holedigger went on strike .... need some more wood for that, eh?

Subject: RE: Love the 'CAT' Balance Right Now.
From: MMario
Date: 25 Apr 00 - 03:20 PM

?? We have kept turtles a number of times, and I don't see how one could possibly mistake turtle poop for eggs. sorry. Now on the other hand, a guppy with a bit of ~ahem~ constipation can easily be mistaken for pregnant....

Subject: RE: Love the 'CAT' Balance Right Now.
From: SINSULL
Date: 25 Apr 00 - 03:14 PM

Re: Turtle Poo It doesn't hatch. After being assured by the owner of our local pet store that our turtle had in fact laid eggs, my son and I invested in a special warming lamp, cotton beds, etc. and watched as it grew green and moldy and smelly. Another expert informed us that we were in fact attemting to hatch turtle droppings and risking salmonella poisoning. Can't imagine that there would be much of a market for it.

Subject: RE: Love the 'CAT' Balance Right Now.
From: catspaw49
Date: 25 Apr 00 - 03:06 PM

Hey canoer....Can you give me a hand here? I think Threadie wants a cross too...........Cut them 2x4's at about 10 and 6 if you would.....Threadie doesn't need to big a cross, kinda a little pissant.........I'll get some rope and lash this one up........Meebo..Another hole here..........Where's that damn hammer....thing keeps disappearring...............

Spaw

Subject: RE: Love the 'CAT' Balance Right Now.
From: canoer
Date: 25 Apr 00 - 03:02 PM

Just lemme get this torch adjusted here .... OK .... Now, where's that cable the cycle was balancing on ? ....

Subject: RE: Love the 'CAT' Balance Right Now.
From: GUEST, Threadie
Date: 25 Apr 00 - 08:26 AM

And who said they loved the 'Cat balance right now?

I see the oxyacetylene tanks getting wheeled in as we speak.

Click.....click.......click......click.....

Subject: RE: Love the 'CAT' Balance Right Now.
From: Caitrin
Date: 24 Apr 00 - 06:20 PM

Uh-oh...'spaw's having that Caesar delusion again. Do you know how long it took us to hide the body last time he decided to crucify someone? And that Spartacus dude...man, that was bad.

Subject: RE: Love the 'CAT' Balance Right Now.
From: catspaw49
Date: 24 Apr 00 - 04:46 PM

This would be the second coming........Now get his ass over here.........Looks like rain and I'd like to get him hammered on before this front hits...........

Spaw

Subject: RE: Love the 'CAT' Balance Right Now.
From: Little Neophyte
Date: 24 Apr 00 - 04:22 PM

Catspaw, I do not understand why you are going through all this extra work. Rick has already been resurrected. It happened when he left working the bar scene. Rick was brought back to life way back then.

Little Neo

Subject: RE: Love the 'CAT' Balance Right Now.
From: Mbo
Date: 24 Apr 00 - 10:51 AM

Sure, I'll refill the hole! Now where's my little garden shovel? HEY since I'm doing all the work, does this mean I have to go work at CLETUS' farm as well?

--Mbo

Subject: RE: Love the 'CAT' Balance Right Now.
From: catspaw49
Date: 24 Apr 00 - 10:25 AM

Awferchrissakes ............... Dammit Meebo, I don't care if its musical of not...just fill in the freakin' hole...........the kid's way too wired..........................Bonnie! Did you find Rick yet?........This oughta' be a lot simpler than this..........just a simple crucifixion...nothin' to it....................

Spaw

Subject: RE: Love the 'CAT' Balance Right Now.
From: Mbo
Date: 24 Apr 00 - 10:16 AM

But Mr.Spaw sir, I think I found Data's head down here!

--Mbo (BTW check the BS:Little Star Treks thread to see this IS a music related posting!)

Subject: RE: Love the 'CAT' Balance Right Now.
From: catspaw49
Date: 24 Apr 00 - 08:59 AM

".....elated state of joy?........expression of happiness?........"

What???

Look, all I'm trying to do is whang Rick onto this cross here..........So bear a hand and let's get this thing over to the hole that Meebo dug.............What the???.........MEEBO!!!!............gawdddam kid has got WAY too much energy...This hole must be 20 foot deep.............MEEBO!!! Get over here and backfill this hole....4 foot deep is plenty..............Bonnie! Go get Rick.........Now what happened to that hammer again?..................

Spaw

Subject: RE: Love the 'CAT' Balance Right Now.
From: Little Neophyte
Date: 24 Apr 00 - 07:48 AM

Lonesome, I figure Catspaw is just expressing an elated state of joy over the balance of the Cat right now. Maybe that is just his expression of happiness. You know, like your dog wagging its tail because he is so happy you have come home.

Little Neo

Subject: RE: Love the 'CAT' Balance Right Now.
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 24 Apr 00 - 06:23 AM

"Some of the open sharing of feeling has gone away, as I think it will do when people are blindly attacked or ridiculed. But overall, I am enjoying it."

I agree with that. People are still walking round on eggshells a bit in case some anonymous attention seekers decides to start having tantrums. But the balance will right itself over time.

What Mudcat makes me think of is one of those toys where you have a figure on a bicycle riding a tightrope, and wobbling all over the place - but there's a weight strung below, giving a centre of gravity well below the rope, which ensures that things are fundamentally stable, and that the rider won't fall off the wire.

Subject: RE: Love the 'CAT' Balance Right Now.
From: GUEST, Threadie
Date: 24 Apr 00 - 02:19 AM

C.B.S. News.....Eye on America...

....Our senior staff reporter Myron Thread is at the scene.....

What have you got for us, Myron?

Well, Dan, it seems that peace has once again come to the Mudcat.
The gradual invasion of the Overblownegonians, who troll for tea and sympathy has been stemmed somewhat by massive counter-measures of anti-matter aimed squarely at the perpetrators' midriffs.
This upsurge in the neighborhood local resistance stemmed from a call to arms on behalf of the True Consciences to 'Catters worldwide in their attempts to nip this sinister infiltration as close to the bud as was possible.
A spokesman for the organization, who only wished to be identified as A.C., said "Can someone please pass the skins, now".

Obviously some sort of secret message, there Dan.

And what of the Overblownegonians? Has there been any comment form them yet, Myron?

Not so far, Dan. It seems that their self-styled leader, a rather reclusive foreigner with a beard, has been keeping himself to himself, and chooses to ignore all protests to his authority from members of the opposition parties.
For the moment all is calm, albeit with a certain cautious disbelief that things could be this good. A.C. has told C.B.S. News, and this reporter, that the danger is not over.
"These cats, man. You kno', they ain't never far away. It's their vocation, man. These dudes, these Blownegonoverians, they like to mess you up. They like jackin' with your head, man. They need the attention."
Mr. A.C. went on to say that sooner or later they will gradually start to spread their evil trite among Mudcatters again, and warned the public to be extra vigilant.

Dan?

Subject: RE: Love the 'CAT' Balance Right Now.
From: Margo
Date: 24 Apr 00 - 01:35 AM

Thanks, Pat. :o)

Subject: RE: Love the 'CAT' Balance Right Now.
From: Lonesome EJ
Date: 24 Apr 00 - 01:30 AM

What in the hell has gotten into you, Spaw? ASS-sparagus, crucifying Fielding... I believe you are entering some new phase of mania, and will be watching closely to see how it manifests itself.

Rick, I agree that the forum is quite entertaining right now, a good mix of music, comedy, creative and political threads. Some of the open sharing of feeling has gone away, as I think it will do when people are blindly attacked or ridiculed. But overall, I am enjoying it.

Subject: RE: Love the 'CAT' Balance Right Now.
From: catspaw49
Date: 23 Apr 00 - 11:45 PM

OK.....Here ya' don't go Margo!!!!

Spaw

Subject: RE: Love the 'CAT' Balance Right Now.
From: catspaw49
Date: 23 Apr 00 - 06:26 PM

(Just got a message from Margo and she couldn't find this thread...here ya' go Margo!!!)

Spaw

Subject: RE: Love the 'CAT' Balance Right Now.
From: catspaw49
Date: 23 Apr 00 - 05:07 PM

I agree Owl.....Rick does provide a stabilizing influence and some excellent thread material. Of course, we could look upon him as a saviour of sorts, what with this being Easter and all.........Yeah, that's good!!! So let's go ahead and nail his ass up on a cross.....Whaddaya' think?

Lessee here......Where's that freakin' hammer? ................HEY!!! SOMEBODY WANT TO GRAB SOME OF THOSE 4x4's AND A SAW????.........Yeah...those.......Measure off that one at 15 feet and that one at 8...............Bring me some rope too huh?..............Lash this sucker together and..........Where's Meebo?..He's eat up with energy, have him start digging a post hole.....Yeah, we cah have this up in a jiffy...............

Spaw

Subject: RE: Love the 'CAT' Balance Right Now.
From: Little Neophyte
Date: 23 Apr 00 - 05:04 PM

Sames goes here Mark and Night Owl.
I kind of use Rick as a yard stick measurement. I think up something I would like to create as a thread or what I would like to say in a posting and then I pass it through the Fielding Test. If the test results do not come up with 'Rick will KILL me if I posted that!!!!!' then I post.
It's that simple

Little Neo

Subject: RE: Love the 'CAT' Balance Right Now.
From: Night Owl
Date: 23 Apr 00 - 04:51 PM

Rick....ditto wth Mark Cohen's comments re: your own valuable input here. The "tone" here turned for me, in part, due to your guitar chords threads..and the conversations they inspired....hoping you continue them!!!!

Subject: RE: Love the 'CAT' Balance Right Now.
From: MK
Date: 23 Apr 00 - 03:58 PM

Well Rick for the ultimate nightmare, you could spring about 300 dollars (CDN.) for a new "ATI All In Wonder Pro" video card with built in TV tuner.

You replace it with your generic video card, and attach your cable TV outlet to the Cable IN port, and you have Mudcat on screen, and, at the same time (minimized if you prefer) a small "TV" screen up in the corner of your monitor screen. You can truly watch TV, and be on Mudcat at the same time, all on the same monitor!

Scarey eh?

Subject: RE: Love the 'CAT' Balance Right Now.
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 23 Apr 00 - 03:51 PM

Thanks Mark. I've sure appreciated your knowledge here, especially since my faux-pas of asking "So who's Mark Cohen?" a few months back! Believe me I got told off (by Kat) for being so unobservant!

KT. for me it's simple. When I discovered Mudcat, I gave up TV. No more Seinfeld re-runs, very little Maple leaf hockey and BlueJay baseball, and a minimum of CNN. Just enough to see if each "side" is sticking to their party line 100%. They are of course.

Just had a terrifying thought! A small TV installed here in Duckboots' office next to the computer..and I could do both! No, No, NO! That is NOT the kind of balance I want. Lordy, Lordy, I'm so weak at times.

Rick

Subject: RE: Love the 'CAT' Balance Right Now.
From: Mark Cohen
Date: 23 Apr 00 - 03:04 PM

KT, did you do something before Mudcat? Did I? I'm having difficulty remembering. Time to up the ginkgo dose, I guess...

Rick, I agree wholeheartedly. I've been finding more and more thoroughly enjoyable threads recently. And, while you may disagree with this, I think your comments, which are generally intelligent, thoughtful, and informative, have helped in some way to maintain this balance.

Hey alison, the gift shop in the Portland (Oregon) zoo used to sell cans of elephant - er, excrement - to use as fertilizer. They called it Zoo Doo. The cans would say something like "Net Weight 0.00000025 ton."

Aloha,
Mark

Subject: RE: Love the 'CAT' Balance Right Now.
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 23 Apr 00 - 02:09 PM

Dave, I can't say I like personal attacks or flaming but in reality, even at it worse, Mudcat is a reasonably pleasant place to be compared to what I have seen happen from time to time in the newsgrous that I read. Also, we don't get the spamming that they suffer.

You can not expect perfection in any public forum and in honesty, Mudcat is as good as you are going to get.

Jon

Subject: RE: Love the 'CAT' Balance Right Now.
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 23 Apr 00 - 01:33 PM

"My dad believed in cycles and so do I."

And the important thing with cycles is having a good sense of balance. And balance means wobbling a bit from one side to another and compensating, not staying rigidly in the same place.

Right now I think we're in a comfortable middling sort of position. Anytime we'll start going off to one extreme or another, and then the self-correcting mechanisms kick in and we come back. By "the self-correecting mechanisms" I do not mean the flamers - some of them may think that's waht they are doing (others are just messing about because they find its fun). Anonymous flaming doesn't help restore lost balance, it threatens to knock us off the road.

Ride on the Mudcat!

Subject: RE: Love the 'CAT' Balance Right Now.
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 23 Apr 00 - 01:14 PM

"Aye Dave" Hi. I think that one person's "personal attack" may be another's "heated debate". This IS a public forum and I just don't think it will EVER be completely free of nastiness. Right now the flamers are in the tinyest minority possible...and I think that is BECAUSE OF THE BALANCE.

Frankie. When the "spirituality" was overt and prominent, it rubbed a lotta people the wrong way. But that EXACTLY reflects what happens (and polarizes) ANY community.

At one time there was an amazing discussion of alternative sexuality here...but you could just see that some folks got so agitated they wanted to scream! There have been discussions about music used by the Nazis..(holy cow, that made me very uncomfortable...so I just didn't go into those threads..well I did, but I didn't respond)

Currently there are threads about Jewish, Christian and Pagan holidays. Isn't that "balance"? Can't see how anyone would get offended. Seems pretty spiritual to me.

The "Elian" and "Guns" threads provide "real" information on what people think from all sides. Just listen to the folks on CNN. The "Pros" are so brainwashed in their political ideologies that they sound like broken records. The "man in the street" interviews sound like they purpously pick folks who can barely form a thought or complete a sentence. Nope, I'll take Mudcatters on that score.

One other thing about the "Flamers". I am absolutely convinced that they are not "occasional lurkers looking to stir up shit" as I theorized here a few months ago. I strongly suspect that they follow things pretty closely and use the anonymity for "shock value". Catters who REALLY abhor that kind of stuff shouldn't respond. But they do.(I try not to..but on occasions have responded...usually with a joke)

I guess my main criterion for staying a part of Mudcat is "is it interesting?" Well yes it is. I've made a number of friends here, and Mudcat or not, they'll continue to be my friends, but the forum in general has to hold our interest, and I think it's doing that quite well right now.

Rick

Subject: RE: Love the 'CAT' Balance Right Now.
From: Art Thieme
Date: 23 Apr 00 - 12:39 PM

the fog comes in on little 'CAT' feet... Rick, you're right.

Art

Subject: RE: Love the 'CAT' Balance Right Now.
From: GUEST,Frankie
Date: 23 Apr 00 - 09:09 AM

Neo, After looking over the "living Hobo" thread I have to concede your point to some degree. It's still there but not quite as obvious. Some censorship has occurred.

Happy Easter, Frankie

Subject: RE: Love the 'CAT' Balance Right Now.
From: Little Neophyte
Date: 23 Apr 00 - 07:55 AM

Frankie, maybe the spiritual dimension is always here. It may not be seen as often in type written words and as thread topics but rather felt in the Heart of the Mudcat.

Little Neo

Subject: RE: Love the 'CAT' Balance Right Now.
From: skarpi
Date: 23 Apr 00 - 07:48 AM

Well I have to a agree with you all, theres some peace on Mudcat at the moment and I wish that is going to be that way for a long time.I would like to welcome those newcomers that I didint know about. We are all from all over the planet and we all come from diffrent roads into the mudcat mainroad so in the coming time I hope that we all become a better friends and I have a dream about meeting as many mudcatters I can- In time it will happen.Well to my mudcat friends Happy Easter to you all and stay with your familys, that is what I am gonna do today.Today is a sunshine day here In Iceland warm no wind and we are going outside and have some fun. All the best, skarpi Iceland......

Subject: RE: Love the 'CAT' Balance Right Now.
From: GUEST,Frankie
Date: 23 Apr 00 - 07:40 AM

The balance right now seems to be pretty good but I think there is a certain spiritual dimension missing that was extant a few months ago. It seems to have departed with the stifling of certain members whose main focus was not directly musical. I kind of miss it even with all the attending conflict.The excesses of all sides were always easy enough to wade around and kind of added a bit of spice to the general discourse. This is just an observation not a complaint as the Mudcat in it's present state is still the best place to hang out on the 'net that I know of and no ass-paragus for me, thanks.

Frankie

Subject: RE: Love the 'CAT' Balance Right Now.
From: Dave (the ancient mariner)
Date: 23 Apr 00 - 07:06 AM

Personally, I dont agree. I've been disgusted at the personal attacks and mean spirited posts on threads, to the point where I dont bother reading them as much. Yours, Aye. Dave