h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

IF you can find it, I originated in the village of Formosa, Ontario. Some maps only go down so small as Walkerton, where I attended higher school. So I am a small town kid, say populations of 300 to 1,500 souls. SImple and nice.

Some of the h2g2 relationships have indeed surprised me. The fact that some fail does not, ... seeing the personalities as they go. In the over-all though, that people from such dissimilar backgrounds and distance can meet, find that heart connection, it is such a sweet surprise. A few of my friends are in that category, and I am happy for them.

Small town? my "village" has around 950 people - a church, a pub (which never seems to be open) a bakers and a place which sells drink by the crate (water, pop, beer etc)

I guess that's a small town too?

As part of a very small online community of 9 women who all "met" online, but have been a close-knit group for 5 years now (a sort of online quilting circle) I'm not as surprised as I should be at online relationships. I suppose it's as good a place as, say, the pub, for meeting people.

And on-line, you don't see all the warts and bumps and stuff, eh? You can kind of make people appear as you wish them to be if you like. Or if you get to know some-one really well over the wires, then when a real meeting does happen, appearances are long past any need or considerations. Some days and ways, I can't quite find the words for what I'm trying to express.

For myself, I have been using the internet in ways for perhaps 13 plus years. And oddly enough, h2g2 was and is the only person-to-person site I've dealt with. It really is a novel community thing.

I've met up with a few people from hootoo, and they were generally as I expected (if not physically, in spirit, if you know what I mean?)

But from the other place I frequent, I have met up with all the Europeans and we are all exactly as we are online. But then, that's a special case and I wouldn't expect it to be so if our forum wasn't private.

Most of the folks that I get into long-term chatting with tend to be 'real', ... no on-line persona being played. And in most cases, either by e-mail or just in that little 'window' of MSN Messenger, piccies are exchanged. SO there'll be very little surprise factor next year, I think.

I don't expect there to ever be an h2g2 Meet of Canuck researchers either. We've got this thing called flippin' huge distances between us all. At a guess, the two closest to me, at about 3 hours drive each, would be Mudhooks and FundamentallyFlawed. Heck, even my only child and her children are about 1,300 miles away.

even though we will drive a good distance for something, we don't have anything like that here.

'Tis all a matter of what you grow to be familiar with. I'm as close to my parents as I have ever been, since I left living under roof. Only 4 hours away.

It has it's benefits, mind. Not many family folks decide to drop by unannounced. Because if no one is home, it IS a lot of wasted driving time.

omg, can you imagine??
but then, frankly speaking, I never visit someone on spec. (well,I have sprung surprise visits on family in the UK before, but not without cooperation of someone there to help things)

If someone turned up here unannounced, I'd have a attack! The place is a complete tip 99.9% of the time

Milady loves to state that our place is horrifying, a shambles, just simply beyond any company. In reality, 'tis always clean, dusted and perfectly healthy. There simply will always be something that is briefly out of place, or without a home yet. So the very rare time that any one drops in un-announced, it is a bit of a flurry for her, but nothing serious.

Once, ONLY once, my parent-in-laws came to visit without warning. We lived along the south shore of Nova Scotia at the time, and so it was but 5 hours drive for them. (They are currently 12.5 hours, 750 miles away, ... did that drive last month ) Anyway, we were both at work !!! Fortunately, it was a small military station and the commissionaire at the gate knew us both well, and entertained them for TWO hours !!!

They have made a point of calling since then.

that certainly is a cure!

It only takes once.

We have always found ourselves most content by being no closer that 4 or 5 hours drive from any family. As well-meaning as both sides will be, too close can often be too intrusive. And we are both of independent minds and ways, liking to make our life and home as WE wish it to be.

Mind, in the very same reguard, it is a very good thing that my daughter (first marriage) is as far away as she is. Because I am certain that our best intentions would otherwise be seen as intrusive.

my family (well, both families) are in a different country

It has its drawbacks, mostly to do with contact for the Gruesomes and grandparent/babysitting arrangements
But we'll survive

My daughter is soon 25, and hasn't seen her grand-parents (my folks) more than 3 times in her life. The last time in perhaps '90. Newfoundland is quite distant from southern Ontario. And as she was my daughter, my parents haven't made the effort.

In the other direction, milady hasn't yet met our most recent gandson, soon to be 2 years old. When it was christening time, she hadn't enough vacation time available, her boss would NOT allow time without pay, ... It really eats away at her.

I just saw your current journal (Info page). I have no answers, as mostly the people I know don't seem to suffer as much as I see a lot of people on h2g2. All I can suggest is a quick once around to your if you're really concerned. Blood-work quickly ought to clear up if it's general run-down-ness, or anything obvious.

Beyond that, well as I said, ... there are more than a-plenty of sufferers of nearly every malady around h2g2. I can only wish you luck and health.

oh thanks

I feel such a drama-queen when I think about going to the

I think I'll have some

Quite often, a little introspection and a good, quiet caffeine hit can help.

Being long'ish married, I find the 'quiet' hard to achieve.

long'ish...

I'm long'ish married myself. Of course, his being a and, therefore, largely absent isn't much help mostly. By the time he gets home I'll be asleep and there won't be time to talk in the morning.

Ah, just feeling low and sorry for myself.

It's what the Germans call Lebensmüde, I think.

It's been too long since I had any German influence in my world. Once my GrandDad was buried ('72) in fact.

As to the long'ish, yesterday made 3 married years for my daughter, and 19 for us.

ah you young whippersnappers... we just passed 21...

I swear it's because we only see each other twice a week.

That made our first 4 years go easiest. She was still a shift-working military and I a shift-working techy-

And hey, if'n that first missus hadn't been so flighty and , I'd have passed anniversary #25 in April. So