Hi, I'm Willie ... 
I never really considered starting my own Social Thread .. I don't participate in the modern on-line Tech like Facebook, etc .. not really because I'm old, (which I am), I just don't care for it .. but, I have participated on ECF for quite a while, and met many great folks .. I thought about finding an entirely new Forum and just moving on, but old habits die hard, and the one thing about ECF is, we all have one thing in common ..
So, you ask, "Why a New Thread .. " .. well, the truth is, I was drifting away for a while for various reasons, and then, made a Post which I immediately regretted, tried to erase, but it was too late, the damage had been done .. and it went against everything I had stood for over a long time .. so, in total embarassment, I just feel like I can't turn back time, and maybe I just needed to move on and the post was a sign .. I had likely worn out my welcome a long time ago anyway ..
At any rate, I'm going to ramble on some, if you've gotten this far without closing the window, perhaps there is still hope for me ..
Let's start with a little backstory (which, although I can't force you to do it, I would really, really like it if anyone that cares to join me would also write a little bio info) :: Most of my life has been spent in some facet of the Music Business .. I owned and ran a mid-level Concert sound system for many years, mainly catering to outdoor fests, State Fairs, mid-size town Festivals and the like, I owned and ran a small recording studio, mainly doing some radio/TV jingles and Demo Recordings for up and coming Artists .. and, still today, I build, repair, modify wood instruments, mainly Guitars .. I learned from an early Mentor that if you are going to be self-employed, do more than one thing, so that when work slows with one (which it always does), you have something else to keep you going financially .. I like to work, I'm not interested in retiring .. I also sandwiched in an Electronics Business for 10 years as a partner, so I'm pretty good on the Tech, and my history goes back to BBS and USENET .. I am also, very proudly, a Veteran, volunteered, was not drafted, that was deployed, my political leanings are left of center and I am a staunch Independent when it comes to my choices of Leadership in this Country .. I am a non-Believer (it's a long story) .. however, I do believe in the Power of Positivity and if I was forced to have a Belief System, it would be in the Tenets of Buddhism .. in other words, if you need some emotional support, because of one thing or another, I may not Pray for you, but I will honestly offer Positivity as best I can (and, I don't have anything against Prayer // I am a strong believer in Jesus the Man, not the Myth)
My journey on ECF began some years back, well after I had had my first Heart Attack, and the first thing I did after being discharged from the Hospital was, guess what .. ?? Time passed, and I heard about this new thing called an e-cig and I bought an original njoy (paid good money for it, too) .. that lasted maybe a week or two .. eventually, I stumbled across ECF and a very kind Moderator took my digital hand and guided me toward a product that worked for me .. I still use EVOD's and Spinners/Twists, Carto tank, etc .. so, if you're looking for in depth vaping talk from me, you've come to the wrong place ..
Flash forward, and I then stumbled upon the ECF lounge area and made up my mind to make it my On-Line go to place :: A comfortable, easy going group of folks .. All I ever really wanted from ECF was a place I could share my stories with other, older folks, because, I don't have many people left in real life .. and, we all get lonely sometimes, right .. ?? That, and the fact that I do like to write when the muse lands on my shoulder .. you can probably tell by now ..
A few things in order to give you a better feel of how I think ::
The open acceptance of differing views and outlooks, spoken rationally and with a degree of understanding and respect, expands our own personal horizons, if given the chance .. at any age, a closed mind limits ideas which otherwise could be worthwhile .. although many may not be swayed by others ideas / thoughts / beliefs, the purpose of a discourse is to gain a greater understanding of why we differ, and perhaps lend a new perspective to all that engage in that discourse ..
I find that Hope is the hardest thing, yet maybe the most important .. throwing in the towel is easy, hoping the outcome will improve is hard .. being hopeful and hanging in there is likely the real mark of dignity and humanity .. whether that hope is for yourself or someone else ..
In the past, I have always been waiting .. waiting to become the person I always felt I was on the edge of becoming .. waiting for that big moment, that big break .. waiting for something, nebulous and ethereal .. waiting and biding my time until I began to realize that a life well lived is the most precious thing of all .. yet, when the good things happened, for some reason, I felt sad .. maybe because the waiting was over .. The Journey overshadowed the End Result ..
If, by now, I have not totally lost you, I can only offer a sincere hope that you'll join me in my continued Journey, especially if I am hitting home with anyone, there is always room around the Digital Campfire for folks that want to reach out and grasp each others hands ..
"Lounge Lizards / Misfits / Free Thinkers / Bohemians & the Forgotten :: Young at Heart Only" .. because, I am one of you .. I have had the deepest of lows and the highest of highs ..
Lastly, anyone that hits this Thread that I have ever offended, hurt the feelings of or been rude in any way toward, my sincere apology ..
I'm going to let this Thread stew for a while, see what happens, so don't expect me to mind it 24 / 7 .. and, if things don't work out .. nothing ventured, nothing gained .. if things work out, I'll probably drag some of my various other bits of Digital Detritus on in .. please, please, feel free to Post what's on your mind, let's just all be sure we remain respectful and understanding ..
I never really considered starting my own Social Thread .. I don't participate in the modern on-line Tech like Facebook, etc .. not really because I'm old, (which I am), I just don't care for it .. but, I have participated on ECF for quite a while, and met many great folks .. I thought about finding an entirely new Forum and just moving on, but old habits die hard, and the one thing about ECF is, we all have one thing in common ..
So, you ask, "Why a New Thread .. " .. well, the truth is, I was drifting away for a while for various reasons, and then, made a Post which I immediately regretted, tried to erase, but it was too late, the damage had been done .. and it went against everything I had stood for over a long time .. so, in total embarassment, I just feel like I can't turn back time, and maybe I just needed to move on and the post was a sign .. I had likely worn out my welcome a long time ago anyway ..
At any rate, I'm going to ramble on some, if you've gotten this far without closing the window, perhaps there is still hope for me ..
Let's start with a little backstory (which, although I can't force you to do it, I would really, really like it if anyone that cares to join me would also write a little bio info) :: Most of my life has been spent in some facet of the Music Business .. I owned and ran a mid-level Concert sound system for many years, mainly catering to outdoor fests, State Fairs, mid-size town Festivals and the like, I owned and ran a small recording studio, mainly doing some radio/TV jingles and Demo Recordings for up and coming Artists .. and, still today, I build, repair, modify wood instruments, mainly Guitars .. I learned from an early Mentor that if you are going to be self-employed, do more than one thing, so that when work slows with one (which it always does), you have something else to keep you going financially .. I like to work, I'm not interested in retiring .. I also sandwiched in an Electronics Business for 10 years as a partner, so I'm pretty good on the Tech, and my history goes back to BBS and USENET .. I am also, very proudly, a Veteran, volunteered, was not drafted, that was deployed, my political leanings are left of center and I am a staunch Independent when it comes to my choices of Leadership in this Country .. I am a non-Believer (it's a long story) .. however, I do believe in the Power of Positivity and if I was forced to have a Belief System, it would be in the Tenets of Buddhism .. in other words, if you need some emotional support, because of one thing or another, I may not Pray for you, but I will honestly offer Positivity as best I can (and, I don't have anything against Prayer // I am a strong believer in Jesus the Man, not the Myth)
My journey on ECF began some years back, well after I had had my first Heart Attack, and the first thing I did after being discharged from the Hospital was, guess what .. ?? Time passed, and I heard about this new thing called an e-cig and I bought an original njoy (paid good money for it, too) .. that lasted maybe a week or two .. eventually, I stumbled across ECF and a very kind Moderator took my digital hand and guided me toward a product that worked for me .. I still use EVOD's and Spinners/Twists, Carto tank, etc .. so, if you're looking for in depth vaping talk from me, you've come to the wrong place ..
Flash forward, and I then stumbled upon the ECF lounge area and made up my mind to make it my On-Line go to place :: A comfortable, easy going group of folks .. All I ever really wanted from ECF was a place I could share my stories with other, older folks, because, I don't have many people left in real life .. and, we all get lonely sometimes, right .. ?? That, and the fact that I do like to write when the muse lands on my shoulder .. you can probably tell by now ..
A few things in order to give you a better feel of how I think ::
The open acceptance of differing views and outlooks, spoken rationally and with a degree of understanding and respect, expands our own personal horizons, if given the chance .. at any age, a closed mind limits ideas which otherwise could be worthwhile .. although many may not be swayed by others ideas / thoughts / beliefs, the purpose of a discourse is to gain a greater understanding of why we differ, and perhaps lend a new perspective to all that engage in that discourse ..
I find that Hope is the hardest thing, yet maybe the most important .. throwing in the towel is easy, hoping the outcome will improve is hard .. being hopeful and hanging in there is likely the real mark of dignity and humanity .. whether that hope is for yourself or someone else ..
In the past, I have always been waiting .. waiting to become the person I always felt I was on the edge of becoming .. waiting for that big moment, that big break .. waiting for something, nebulous and ethereal .. waiting and biding my time until I began to realize that a life well lived is the most precious thing of all .. yet, when the good things happened, for some reason, I felt sad .. maybe because the waiting was over .. The Journey overshadowed the End Result ..
If, by now, I have not totally lost you, I can only offer a sincere hope that you'll join me in my continued Journey, especially if I am hitting home with anyone, there is always room around the Digital Campfire for folks that want to reach out and grasp each others hands ..
"Lounge Lizards / Misfits / Free Thinkers / Bohemians & the Forgotten :: Young at Heart Only" .. because, I am one of you .. I have had the deepest of lows and the highest of highs ..
Lastly, anyone that hits this Thread that I have ever offended, hurt the feelings of or been rude in any way toward, my sincere apology ..
I'm going to let this Thread stew for a while, see what happens, so don't expect me to mind it 24 / 7 .. and, if things don't work out .. nothing ventured, nothing gained .. if things work out, I'll probably drag some of my various other bits of Digital Detritus on in .. please, please, feel free to Post what's on your mind, let's just all be sure we remain respectful and understanding ..
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