Thurkon/Jim's Introduction

Thurkon17 · Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2002 8:01 am Post subject: Thurkon/Jim's Introduction

Hi everyone.

My name is Jim and I am a videographer and video editor in Washington D.C. Currently I shoot and edit government video for a local contract here, but my dream is to work for National Geographic or the Discovery Channel someday...both of which are local here.

I am 31 years old and I live in Silver Spring, Maryland…just outside the city. My wife is seven months pregnant and I am excited about having my first child in October.

Hiking, camping, reading, playing video games, and debating…these are my loves. I don't know what else I can say about myself. Well, one thing…my life at the moment is in a strange limbo between life and death. On one hand, my wife is pregnant and we will have our first child soon…on the other, my mother is dying of cancer. She is stage four and weighs about 80 pounds.

A few of you know me as one of the godless heathens from the message boards, and I am proud to say I still frequent those wastelands on occasion to stir up a debate or two. However, I am really looking forward to participating in this book club.

I have to admit, being an English Literature major in college, that my main interest is in poetry and fiction...Kerouac, T.S. Eliot, Chuck Palahniuk, William Carlos Williams, and Buddhist koans. I also enjoy fantasy and science fiction…Robert E. Howard, Moorcock, Frank Herbert, Asimov, etc. So, this will be exploring new ground for me…which I am anticipating.

Edited by: NaddiaAoC at: 8/7/02 8:35:12 am

NaddiaAoC · Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2002 8:44 am Post subject: Re: Thurkon/Jim's Introduction

Jim,

Wow! Welcome to BookTalk. You were one of my favorite posters on the other board. Even when I disagreed with you I enjoyed considering your viewpoint. You had a big influence on my thinking. I'm glad you decided to come here. I really look forward to hearing your comments on the books we read. Have you read Demon Haunted World? If not, I hope you can get the book and read it. It would also be nice if you can join us in the chatroom tomorrow evening.

I'm glad to hear that your wife is doing well with her pregnancy. I've been wondering about her and how things are going. I'm sorry to hear about your mother.

I edited the name of the other board from your post. We're only inviting certain people from the other board to join our discussions here. We're trying to keep the two boards separate so that we don't end up with a bunch of spam and nonsense on this board.

Cheryl (Lil)

Thurkon17 · Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2002 8:54 am Post subject: Hello, Lil

Hey there Lil...uh, I mean Cheryl...tough to get used to these new names.

Must...resist...desire...to...call...Chris...(edited)

Now, with that out of my system, it is good to speak again with my more favorite members of that other thrice-cursed board. I plan on buying Demon Haunted World today. Hope I'm not too late.

Do the book discussion occur mainly in chat or in the designated Demon Haunted World forum?

Edited by: Chris OConnor at: 8/7/02 9:53:11 am

Chris OConnor · Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2002 10:10 am Post subject: Re: Hello, Lil

Thurkon:

Holy smokes am I glad to see you here! This post will be brief as I'm on the way out the door, but you very well could be my favorite poster from over there. And please don't mention names from over there! Especially don't post anything over there about this web site. Thanks.

Here is how it works. New books will be decided on in an online poll by the 15th of each month. This gives us all 2 weeks to go out and acquire the books. A new forum for this "Book of the Month" will be created and available in the Ongoing Book Discussions Category by the 1st of the month so that members can begin discussing it on the board.

The forums are left up long after the month has past where we were discussing the book. This way members who fell behind can still finish their book and discuss it on the boards, even when we have moved on to a new book.

In addition to having message board discussions we also have both Scheduled Chats and Anytime Chats. The Scheduled Chats are once per month near the beginning of each month where we all get together in our chat room to discuss the Book of the Month from the past month. For instance, tomorrow night at 9pm eastern we are having a Scheduled Chat to discuss the book we all read in July, which was Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee," by Dee Brown. Even though not all of us finished the book we can still get together and have some fun in the chat room. There are no rules saying the chat has to be 100% focused on the book. Part of the fun is just getting to know each other and chatting about whatever we choose.

Then the Anytime Chats are just that...the ability to chat with other members anytime you desire. Just post a message in the "Anytime Chats" forum about when you are available and see if other members can meet you in the chat room at that time. Another thing you can do is to check the top of the page and see if it says anyone else has been on this site in the past 15 minutes. If so there is a chance they are there at that very moment. On several occasions I went to the chat room and found members there...even without a message on the Anytime Chats forum.

Oh...and could you send me your e-mail address to booktalk123@hotmail.com? Thanks! Welcome!

Chris

"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward,
for there you have been, and there you will always want to be."

-- Leonardo da Vinci

stevepainter · Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2002 10:23 am Post subject: Re: Hello, Jim

Jim - you didn't tell me in your e-mail what your name was. I was beginning to wonder if I'd been had by some troll on the other board. Glad to see you.

Can I call you "Jim the Godless"? ;)

Glad you could join us.

Oh, and Chris... mission accomplished.
Now I'm trying to get back in touch with Bakanar whose name also happens to be Chris.

Steve
(Rakhir, just to remind the new guy)

Chris OConnor · Posted: Wed Aug 14, 2002 11:42 am Post subject: Re: Hello, Jim

Steve:

Keep up the good work! I really appreicate the help.

Chris

"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward,
for there you have been, and there you will always want to be."

-- Leonardo da Vinci

Chris OConnor · Posted: Wed Apr 02, 2003 11:47 am Post subject: Re: Hello, Jim

Thurkon:

I'm really sorry to hear about your mother dying. There isn't much to say about that other than I feel for you. My mother died when I was only a child so the pain was much less than what you're going though I'm sure. Hang in there and feel free to chat with us about it as much as you like....or don't if that makes you more comfortable.

Chris

Thurkon17 · Posted: Thu Apr 03, 2003 10:11 am Post subject: Chris

Chris,

It's such a terribly strange thing...death. I've never dealt with it so intimately before, and half the time I'm still walking around in a daze.

The grief I'm feeling is twofold. At first, it was the intial shock and misery of the moment itself. My mother fought cervical cancer (stage four) for three years, undergoing chemotherapy the entire time. Watching her slowly decline into a dessicated shell of misery was no picnic, but the entire time I was preparing myself for her death. She had little to no chance of recovery once she was diagnosed at stage four. However, I don't think I ever expected to be there when she died.

The night before, I was sitting at her bedside alone. It was around 2:45 a.m. and my brother was coming to take my place at 3. She couldn't speak because the respirator tube was down her throat, so I was talking to her and holding her hand. I stood up to leave and told her my brother was there and I would be back in the morning.

Suddenly she started trying to say something to me. It took a lot of effort, but she kept silently mouthing the same two words over and over: "Don't go."

I told her I wouldn't. I told her we would sit there and watch the sun rise together. She died about five hours later, as I was still sitting there...holding her hand.

Now, months later...it's just the absence that gets to me. Whenever I pick up the phone, I wish it was her voice on the other end. Her things are still around my parent's house...the place where she sat on the sofa is empty...

Damn, I miss her.

Timothy Schoonover · Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2003 8:13 pm Post subject: Re: Chris

Thurkon:

I haven't really gotten the chance to know you; although our mutual participation on these boards bestows, in my mind, a certain sense of comradery between us. Words are miserably inadequate things. What could I possibly say? What comfort is there to be had? Even so, I want to post here...to offer solidarity at least...when the words themselves are vain...and to beg forgiveness for the impudence of such a gesture.

Tim...


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