You are assuming that he was still around when I was on and we don't know that do we?

I had a roommate after college who had a boyfriend named Wayne. Wayne had an identical twin named...wait for this...Dwayne! Best of all, the crazy roommate eventually left Wayne for Dwayne. This begs the question: was there a difference?

A Different World must have been their favorite show of all time.

Apropos of nothing, I just noticed that so far everyone posting on this page is at the Fanatic level. Do we all need lives or what???

What is this thing called a life that you speak of?

Does this help you feel better, Mama Tiger? I'm a mere chaise spud.

How about me? I'm just a lowly Video Archivist--although I'm zeroing in on Couch Potato really fast. And I just noticed that today is my 1-year anniversary of posting on TWoP. Yay!

I'm only Loyal Viewer - I feel like an amateur. I am almost Video Archivist, though. Happy Anniversary Bubbacat!

You need to get to work, Bubbacat -- hang out in more forums or something -- I first posted on 7/31/03, so I haven't even been here a year and have already climbed to the fanatic level!

But you're right, of course, M. Darcy, life is only what occupies the dull and boring moments between obsessing about the important things, i.e. TAR (and, when it starts up again, the Apprentice)!!

Woohoo, last day of work! Summer starts for me, y'all, and although I will work once and a while for the local library bookmobile, I still get plenty of time off to enjoy my new home with it's 6 acres and a pool out in the middle of nowhere. I'm not bragging (okay, maybe a little).
As for pet names, my dad named one of our dogs - Bozo Bud, of course, the poor thing was a holy terror chewing things and creating havoc, and then we had to give him a away, Gee, I wonder why. Of course, my parents newest dog is a Shih Tzou, that they named - Muffin, no word of a lie, what a cheesy name.
See M. Darcy, I was going to ask you if Ken J, was still there when you get your turn, although I know you can't comment. While I admire how well he has done, I still think Eddie was the coolest Jeopardy contestant ever, besides you, of course.
And I'm just a lowly channel surfer

No criticism was intended of those who are at other levels, I was just struck by how there was this whole string of fanatics -- which is certainly an appropriately titled level, isn't it? I love it so much I'd slow down my posting, except that somehow being a Stalker sounds even more sick and twisted!

Aw, thanks Fields of Gold. Heh, I actually thought this would come up in the Jeopardy thread. Yep, no comment regarding Ken. The funny thing is I did sign an agreement saying I wouldn't say anything in the media or the internet. But, in my mind, I didn't regard TWOP as the internet, I thought of it as telling my friends. Lucky for me, I never actually said how I did - I vaguely talked about my apearance but never said any specific. Whew.

It is probably strange timing to be on Jeopardy when everyone is talking about it and watching.

Actually, M. Darcy, I had gotten out of the habit of watching Jeopardy and have just started again recently. And I have to confess that it's because you're going to be on it. I thought, "Hey, someone I know is going to be on this show." Well, not someone I actually know face to face, but well, you know what I mean. It's almost like when someone I had actually met was on Survivor. Okay, it was Bozo the Keith from the Outback, but it was still fun.

To my total annoyance, Jeopardy is on at like 3:30 p.m. around here, which means that unless I remember to tape it I don't get to watch it since obviously I'm at work then.

But just so you know you're not alone, M. Darcy, I was on Jeopardy exactly ten years ago -- first aired on St. Patrick's Day in 1994 -- and I still remember it as being about the most fun I ever had with my clothes on. The intensity when you're up there is truly amazing, isn't it? I remember being stunned at how fast the rounds went by!

And for those who care, I came in second -- won a consolation prize of a trip to Ireland, which was the best trip I nave ever taken and ended up being far better than winning money, which I would not have spent on a trip to Ireland! But it was definitely one of the most fun experiences of my life. I can't watch the tape today, however; it's too painful to see myself then, especially missing a couple of questions that my family still harasses me about at every available opportunity!

There is actually quite a few TWOPers who have been on Jeopardy. We are smarter than the average bear.

And, ha to the Ireland trip (that will make a lot more sense on July 6th).

I'll be watching to see what the "ha" means!! (Actually, I'll be videotaping to watch later, but you know what I mean!)

I'll be looking for the contestant with M.Darcy as a name. SOmehow I think I'm doomed to disappointment. Also, do you get to choose what to wear, or are there parameters, or should I not even be asking about that? Because some Tubeywear would totally rock.

No, I wasn't able to use my secret identity on the show :-) But, for good luck, I had a TWOP button in my pocket. There are some basic paramaters - no jeans, nothing really casual. One could probably describe what you should wear as business casual and in my case something my mother wouldn't kill me if I wore it.

At least they let the women wear pants these days! When I was on, we had to wear a skirt. I asked what would happen if I didn't, and they said, "I guess you don't want to be on the show, then." Pissed me off, as you can imagine!

That's nuts - no one can really even see you legs until the end pretend to talk to Alex as the credits roll or unless you are at the very end podium. However, I did wear a black skirt.

Yeah, all you Fanatics really need to get a life! I mean, don't you losers have anything better to do then post on the internet all day?

:::::::::::::::::::::::whistles innocently:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

M.Darcy, but how are we gonna even know it's you, with your secret identity and all? And gah, I hope Ken is gone by then. I appreciate his font of knowledge, but he's starting to bug now.

I'm striving towards my Fanatic status. Something like 37 posts to go, which should be awfully easy around here.

In the July 6th game, I am the only woman, I am the first introduced, my real name is Jenny and (big surprise) I talk about Smokey. Four clues for the price of one :-)

Are you wearing your Frodo Lives shirt?

Is there any doubt? Shh, that's a secret that Frodo lives.

So, is anyone surprised that no one is in my office today? Tomorrow, everyone returns though :-(

I can't believe my day is almost over and then I will be rushing home to pack for a family wedding. All the teachers are slowly trickling away, leaving me to TWOP in peace. OF course, it isn't a last day with someone hinting that wouldn't now be a great time for me to get pregnant. Because working at a Catholic School Baord it really is my only real duty. Never mind the whole extreme high risk pregnancy. It's soo much fun when someone says to me "So when are you going to get pregnant" and I reply "When my doctor tells me I can", TeeHee.

Why is there no one in your office? I'm pretty sure you don't live in Quebec where it is St. Jean Baptiste but is there a corresponding holiday in the US?

No, nothing that exciting. Our organization's Regional meeting was in Reno this week and everyone is on their way back so they are all on airplanes right now.

UGH. Don't say "Regional Meeting". I have to leave in a few hours for my firm's annual US Regional Conference (which, btw, is such a toolish name, as we only have TWO freaking offices in the US!!!) in Chicago, which is going to SUCK. Lots of stupid "icebreaker" games and endless kumbaya rah rah shit which is all faker than Demi Moore's rack. AND I have to kiss a particularly large amount of ass this year (which I suppose is better than a particularly large ass) because I've been working on a couple of cases where my office has redone and taken over a bunch of the projects from the other office because the other office's work has been crap. So tensions are running a wee bit high. In other words, this weekend-- trapped in a hotel conference room, on a boat, and at a freaking MANDATORY KARAOKE PARTY with 100 other falsely collegial lawyers-- is pretty much my version of hell.

Any chance I might come down with malaria in the next 2 hours, you think? No? Bugger.

Good Luck, Wherever, I will pray hard for malaria, mad cow, or west nile. Then you can think of me at my Oh so exciting family wedding. My mom actually thinks it would be fun if she and I and the rest of our immediate family were seated together. Only if by fun she mean "oh look at Fields, having so much fun stabbing herself over and over with the salad fork!". The worst is I can't drown myself in alcohol.

Is the final, absolute, official showtime for TAR5 Tuesdays at 10? (With the premiere starting at 9:30 on July 6?)
I am VERY sorry for posting this here but the FAQ for the show are out of date.

Hee. Nothing against the name, it's just that there's a Cafe Amalia by my house that everyone jokes about being the hangout for the local Italian mafia. Such as it is, in a town our size.

Heh. our firm had to cancel it's Annual Dinner this past year (big black tie thing at the Plaza with everyone from around the world), because of certain "incidents" at prior years' events.

Maybe you can arrange for some sort of sexual/racial harassment (not on your part of course) and then you'll never have to go again?

That's the only thing that might possibly save me from this Horror Show of Faux Cameraderie, Fields-- once the daytime speakers, small group projects and trust falls or whatever are over, everybody drinks like it's 8 hours till Prohibition kicks in. The partners, in particular, get completely pissed, and -- even more frighteningly-- sometimes begin to (1) start telling you what a great and tremendous help you are to them as a rockstar associate and that they hope you always know how much they value you and your work or (2) dance. It's bedlam, but it's funny as HELL.

(Though not as funny as the next morning, when the conference continues, and while the young-ish types like me are pretty much just fine, the partners are a freaking mess. Our managing partner last year spent the entire first panel discussion with his head on the table in front of him, and when another partner spoke too quietly to be understood, his response to "Could you please speak up?" was "No, I can't." Heh. Good times.)

Yes indeed, Hawkwild, although only for the summer -- then for TAR6 it moves to Saturday night at, I believe, 8:00 Eastern (7:00 Central, which is how I remember it). No starting date for that yet, obviously.

If you check with the Tarflies, you'll see a countdown clock just to further increase your anticipation.

whereverthefk Just say you got food poisoning from the first nights dinner and then you can sit in your hotel room and watch TV!

Here's a good answer to use around religious people: "When God tells me to have children." It's what I used to tell overly inquisitive people at my church. After 10 years of marriage and no children, I think they've all finally given up on us.

A conference of lawyers is probably not the best place to try this one :)

I plan to get extremely drunk this weekend to celebrate my 40th birthday.

I don't have much in the way of plans for this weekend, unless you count going to get our new catkin. I finally broke down and bought a cat carrier--there's no way I'm going to drive 150 miles with a cat loose in the truck when I don't know how well he deals with vehicles. The last time I had an uncrated cat with me, she spent the whole ride (fortunately only about 6 miles,) clinging for dear life to the top of my head.

auntlada, I use something similar with overly inquisitve distant relatives who want me to get married.

They phrase the question as, "Have you found you a woman yet?"

I have responded: "Yes, I've found plenty of women, they're down at the local strip clubs and they'll do amazing things for a dollar bill. Now someone I want to marry...."

That pretty much ends that line of questioning.

Fields of Gold, whenever someone asks when you're going to get pregnant, I think you should say, "But how?" and stare at them really earnestly.

whereverthefk, sneak out the bathroom window and come to the zoo!

Happy birthday, PButtercup! (It is actually your birthday, right? You're not just celebrating this weekend for the hell of it? Or you're not, like, 53 and just fondly remembering being 40, or 28 and loooking forward to it?)

That's awesome. My line at family events, until most everyone finally got the message, was "Well, I'm barren, but thanks for asking." Shut everyone right up.

Another good one for stopping that line of conversation is something like, "No I can't have children -- I hate them."

Wow, I think I remember when TWoP had only one Stalker -- Fox 1013. Am I imagining things?

Stalker status is not unobtainable, it just takes a while. I figure that at the rate I'm going with 2 seasons of TAR coming back-to-back, I might be close to that level by the time TAR 6 reaches its finale. (And I didn't officially register at TWoP until the day after the TAR 1 finale, I was a true lurker that first season.) I suspect I won't be the only one to become (or come close to becoming) a Stalker in the next six months because of the two seasons of TAR coming back-to-back.

How many posts does it take to become a stalker, 5,000? I guess I could go check the FAQ and find out, but it's easier (and lazier) to just ask you guys!

Yeah, 5K. I still have 300 more posts to go to become an fanatic, for God's sakes, and I registered on Dec 26, 2000. It was still MBTV. I lurked for years, and I still don't post many places. Mostly this MM and the SUrvivor MM, although I'm becoming freakishly fascinated by ANTM, for which I blame skagirl. She made me.
I remember Fox! She hung out in the Buffy forums, amongst other places. I wonder what happened to her?

She had more posts then Sars and Glark! I think she was the only poster refered to in the FAQ (Glark refered to her as Fox 1013-24/7)

I think she disappeared with the mini-poster revolt of 2001 (or 2002).

Guys! If there is anybody out there right now who understands Indian culture, I so totally need your help right now!

Suffice it to say, I screwed up badly, I think! The situation is this: The family that lives above me in my building are Indian. When I came home from work tonight, the building smelled absolutely amazing from something they were cooking for dinner. A few moments later, I ran into their teen daughter at the mailboxes, and just to make conversation, I commented on the fabulous smell. Well, hours later, after I had gone to sleep (very early meeting tomorrow) I heard an insistent knocking on my door, so I got up to investigate. There were the teen and her two little siblings with a plate of the food I’d smelled earlier! Unfortunately, the first thing out of my mouth was “but it’s 10:00 at night!” So bloody gracious of me – except not! Anyway, I think they got kind of scared, and the older girl quickly apologized, handed the plate to me, suggested that it could be reheated tomorrow, and beat a hasty exit. I did manage to stammer out a “thank you” as they were leaving, but it certainly wasn’t my most gracious moment and I feel terrible. My question is, what would make an appropriate “thank you/I’m sorry” gift? It was such a thoughtful thing for them to do, and I don’t want to offend them again!

If anyone could help me with a suggestion or two (short of etiquette lessons!) I would be eternally grateful! Thank you in advance!

I'd write the family a nice note on your best stationery about how much you appreciated their food and how delicious it was, and maybe drop it off with some flowers and an apology. A more formal gift like wine might require a gift in return from them, and then you'll spend the next year of your life in a gift war. I have no idea about India, but in some other cultures a gift requires a reciprocal gift.

You might also apologize profusely and go talk to the mom about how to make all this delicious food -- I'm sure she'd be flattered to be asked, and you might get a wonderful cooking lesson out of it and make a new friend in the process!