Tell me about how you found the Lounge...

[Haole Girl]

..and what your first impressions were, please?

My first thread was moved here by the mods: (http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=105&topic_id=5091296#5098029)

Before that time, I didn't even realize the Lounge was here.

Reading through that thread made me a little sad. Sad about the people who no longer post, for one thing. I looked up one username I hadn't seen around in awhile, only to find they've been TS'd.

It really does seem like a very long time ago.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. My dear KC2...

When I joined DU in Feb 2005, I was here for the political forums, or so I thought, lol!

And I did join in the discussions in GD and GDP...

For a month!

At first, I'd thought that the Lounge was a truly silly thing! I mean, this is a political site!

But one day, I got curious, and decided to check it out...

I never looked back, needless to say...

I love the Lounge, and consider it my true home here on DU...

So there you have it...

:hug:

[Haole Girl]

3. Thank you for your reply

:-) :hug:

[Rising Phoenix]

2. I joined july 13 2005

was then known as Mrs. Sniffa, so I kinda had an in.....went right to the lounge and I loved it.....everyone was so nice....and still is....

[Haole Girl]

4. I'm glad you are at peace, former Mrs. Sniffa

:hi: :-)

[Rising Phoenix]

5. why thank you

:hI:

[trof]

6. I took a left at GD.

And VIOLA!
;-)

[Haole Girl]

8. Funny...

I never got the impression GD was rough, until I felt the warmth of the Lounge.

Only then, was I afraid to venture back in! lol

[JTG of the PRB]

7. One night, a very long time ago, I wandered onto DU a few months after I had joined...

I was looking around a bit, peeking into various groups and sections, reading articles and such, when all of a sudden, I came to a door. Curious as to what was beyond it, I decided to open it and take a peek. Unfortunately, it looked as though the door were locked. Not being one to give up on a locked door, I kept trying to get it open. Alas, the door would not budge.

So I started ramming my shoulder into the door. It felt solid the first few times, but on my next attempt, the door splintered and I suddenly found myself rolling down a smooth, cold slope. It was like a slide, almost! Desperately afraid, I tried to slow my ascent into the strange dark world that seemed to be populated mostly by flashing lights and disembodied LOLcats. I tried to slow down, but I simply could not. So I slid down, down, down along the winding, looping slide until I finally reached the bottom and plunged into the abyss.

When I landed, I discovered that I was sitting on some sort of beanbag chair. There were people all around me. Some of them were wearing silly hats, some of them had crazy mustaches, and at least a couple of thet were naked as a jaybird. There was laughter and dancing and singing, and at least one pie was thrown across the room. I saw people going back and forth with one-liners and jokes, telling stories and sending vibes back and forth, and I thought to myself... "My God... Where am I?"

I began to wander around the room, occasionally chatting with the locals, occasionally feeling invisible, until I realized I had fallen into some sort of lounge. I could see the other rooms in DU, but they were behind bars, or something like it. It wasn't to keep us in, but rather to keep us safe from the flames that danced about in the other rooms. "Curious," I muttered. "Very curious indeed."

There were pollsters asking a litany of ridiculous and serious questions. I still don't know what a dingbat is, but almost all of the pollsters asked me if I wanted to select that option. I learned what kudzu is, and that breastfeeding at the Olive Garden is somehow funny. I don't know how I knew it, but somehow I knew this was a unique place.

And THAT is how I learned the true meaning of Arbor Day.

[BarenakedLady]

9. LoL.

:applause:

[JTG of the PRB]

13. Thank you! I'm here all week! Try the kudzu!

[Haole Girl]

10. How great!

:D I wish I could write like you!

And, btw, I still don't know what a dingbat is, either! lol

[JTG of the PRB]

14. Thank you, thank you!

If the Lounge were a physical place, that's how I imagine it might look like. Except, of course, there would be a really huge bar, and come of those foam-covered bats so we could beat on each other without doing too much harm.

[DarkTirade]

19. You win the internets!

:applause:

[JTG of the PRB]

24. At last! My victory is secure!

:woohoo:

[flvegan]

11. I joined in August of '04, but had lurked for quite a while.

Jumping into this big of a site (even then!) without feeling the place out was to me, unwise. I scouted all the big forums, Lounge included, before joining. I didn't spend much time in the Lounge at first, but was slowly drawn in more and more.

My first impressions? Pretty much the same as they would probably be now for someone joining as I did. There are some wickedly funny and clever people here, as there were then. Unfortunately, some of those old-timers haven't posted here for a while.

One thing that remains the same is that the Lounge is THE place to go for information on damn near anything, IMO.

[Haole Girl]

15. So true

On all counts! :hi:

[BarenakedLady]

12. I can't remember

I was probably drunk. :D

:hi:

[Haole Girl]

16. That made me laugh

I actually didn't drink at all, very much, until last year. As difficult as that might be to believe! lol I always say that I'm glad I saved my liver for my 40's!! :hi:

[DarkTirade]

17. I don't remember how I found the lounge in particular.

But my hanging out around here was a rather gradual thing... the crazier GD and GD-P got, the more I'd hang out here. Until they got so crazy that I'll only venture in if I have good reason to.

[Haole Girl]

18. It does seem scary in GD and GD-P sometimes....

But just scary to post. Maybe I've been lucky, but I haven't been beaten-up too badly there yet. Perhaps I shouldn't have even written that...

:scared:

[av8rdave]

20. I discovered DU sometime in late '03, I think

Not sure how soon I discovered the lounge, but I know I didn't frequent it until quite a while later.

[Haole Girl]

22. So you are one of the truly political ones, eh?

:hi:

[Bennyboy]

21. I posted a "Happy Birthday Jerry Garcia" thread in GD.....

on August 1,2008 and after a couple of hors they moved it over here... So I came over here. And I liked it..saw that ti was a multi topic forum with politics not the only topic of discussion.

[Haole Girl]

23. Ah, so you were moved here too?!

:hi:

[Bennyboy]

25. Yep...I went "lounge, what lounge."....

I only came here for brief periods up to that. I found a lot of the GD intimidating (Still do)so i just hit the news and vids and split asap.

[Lars39]

26. What was really fun was finding the *Ask the Administrator* forum.

:D

[Haole Girl]

27. That was before I joined DU

But from what I've heard, I wish they had it now!

[Lars39]

28. I miss it...so much fun and enlightenment. :^)

[AggieGal]

29. Recommendation from a Friend

She said DU was a great place and to check out the lounge. The lounge is fun and the reports about GD and GDP make me afraid to go over there. Yep, I am a chicken.

[Haole Girl]

31. Don't be a chicken!

Life's too short.

Though I don't always practice what I preach! lol :hi:

[SarahB]

30. I have no idea.

I think I first found the lounge in late '02 or early '03 (I changed my name here four years ago) and knowing me, I probably noticed some goofy sex thread on the latest page (lounge threads used to be there, sex threads were once upon a time not a big deal) and I've been hanging around this happy little cesspool since. :D

[Haole Girl]

32. It is a trend...

once people find their way in, they stay... well, often, that is! :-)

[harmonicon]

33. just got sick of the shit-throwing

I joined this site when I moved to Europe because I still wanted to be able to discuss politics with other Americans (something I do with friends and family all the time in real life when I'm at home). That was last year, and after a while the rest of the site just became shit battles between people who had bought bumper stickers from three candidates, and then two..... blaaaaaaarrrrrrggggggghhhhhh!!

When I first saw it, I don't know, but I knew that a place where people posted kitty pictures was for me. Now I rarely look at other forums and don't participate unless something's on the front page.

[Haole Girl]

35. Yeah, any place with kitty pics has to be okay!

:hi:

[theredpen]

34. I found it delightfully saucy.

[Haole Girl]

36. Saucy is a great word to describe it!

:D

[auntAgonist]

37. I really don't remember ..

The first people I remember meeting online though are Mrs Venation and BerthaVenation who later became BerthaKatzenangel ( hope I spelled that right)

aA

[Haole Girl]

41. It amazes me...

how many people have had more than one user name.

It's hard to keep up! lol

[texanwitch]

38. I think I started with the NIghthawks thread.

I did start in GD.

I like to read GD but I really don't post there anymore.

My life is real enough right now, I need to relax when I log on to DU.

:hi: Howdy KC2

[Haole Girl]

43. Howdy texanwitch!

Nice to see you around! :hi:

[Capn Sunshine]

39. well kids, once upon a time there were less than 2000 members

and we all kind of came here after posting elsewhere, to relax and be in an apolitical environment.
I remain, although it's kind of become a little weird; but everything evolves. The weirdness is still entertainment

[Haole Girl]

44. A little weird?

You think? :hug:
:rofl:

[CreekDog]

40. decompressing from GD-P

then i realized it can be pretty fun in here.

[Haole Girl]

45. It can be fun

When it's fun

[LynneSin]

42. Found the lounge? I was one of the people to suggest the Lounge to the admins

You should all worship me as a Deity of osme form

[Haole Girl]

46. You ARE worshiped as a Diety!

:rofl:

[Midlodemocrat]

47. Or stone you. One of the two.

[LynneSin]

48. You love me and you know it

Although I'm peeved - what am I going to do with all this box wine now that you are not coming to DE

[HERVEPA]

52. How's that Georgetown to win working for you?

Probably about the same as it's working for me.

[datasuspect]

49. it issued from my skull fully formed

[Haole Girl]

50. I'm not even going to try to wrap my head around that one!

:hi:

[Haole Girl]

51. dupe

[Wetzelbill]

53. Will Pitt mentioned it in "The Greatest Sedition Is Silence"

I had been to DU before, but mostly to read the Conservative Idiots, after reading the book I checked out the forums.

[Haole Girl]

54. Interesting

Thanks. :hi:

[GCP]

55. Turned left at Greenland

:P

[Haole Girl]

56. Hey

It's as good as any explanation! :D