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

*gets out the scissors and snips something from the thread about the London Stone. Gets out the glue pot and sticks it over here*

"A little lurking leads me to believe you are someone else but as I have fallen into that bracken disguised trap before, I jump to no conclusions."

How interesting! I can assure you I am my own fish and no-one else, but I'm a little curious about who you thought I was! Perhaps I can help pull you out of the bracken and introduce myself instead of just popping up out of the blue.

I've been on h2g2 for 3 and a half years, long before it was a BBC site and I've met many interesting people here. Some have become very good friends. I give very little of my personal details, but it is common knowledge that I read here far, far more than I post and I am online here far more than my presence on the "who's online" would ever indicate. I often come across people who put *Waves to lurkers * in their postings or journals.

Despite few personal details, I have revealed over the years that I am a single mum to two teenage daughters that I name here Sunshine and Moonlight due to their personalities and outlook on life. Sunshine is the happiest, sparkliest teen ever and makes everyone cheerful, like the brightest and best day in summer. Despite being a bit of a dippy blonde sometimes, she's got a sharp head on her shoulders and is destined for greatness along a very academic path. Moonlight is far more prickly to know and currently full of teen angst alternating with childlike delight. Her opinions on anything and everything are refreshingly different, much like the way that a shaft of moonlight can cast a silvery beam and make an ordinary thing look special in the darkness. She too is destined for greatness, along a very different path and one day, who knows, perhaps people will queue overnight for her books.

I'm a 6th form teacher (hence my ref to sub editing for a living - I meant marking) and seemingly suffering from chronic relocation syndrome which means I keep moving house but have no proper place to call home at the moment. My journal entries over the past year tell the story. However, who knows, I may find somewhere and stay there! For a while anyway...

My h2g2 name has remained the same for all my time on here, so if you are confusing me with someone else, I've never hidden my identity. The name suits me well. Like the wonderous old blue fish I appear from nowhere, say something and then disappear. People know I am around but I am hard to find. To know more about the fish, look here http://www.dinofish.com to know more about my name then you could read the analysis done in a long thread by another researcher which I knew I'd never find easily so I saved it for myself. A578216

Now you can see why I don't post or write much. I'm far too wordy! The London Stone entry was an epic and my other 2 solo entries are just as bad. I've written for the Post in the past as well but I refuse to have badges on my page despite the best attempts of my dear italic friends to pin a few there.

Have courage, boots and let the tears flow when you need to.

You are beautifully wordy. Thank you. I just get so confused. How can you lurk and not be on line? It's the the technology thing with me I just don't understand how it works. One day perhaps the penny will drop.
You sound lovely and your children equally so.
I have to do a little work now. Ravager pup is reconnecting my internet at home so maybe later I can lurk again.
I am crying but it doesn't make it better. I know time will but I was never very good with patience.
Speak soon
boots (who is so grateful for friends both new and old)

I always log out from h2g2. You can still read everything, it's only when I want to post that I log in. Mind you, it relies on the ability to remember the log in name and password and I did have a panic once!

Your old and new friends will always have the virtual on. You must be sick of it in RL by now!

I knew it! I say nothing for weeks, pop up to chat and immediatley find myself on the "researchers with the longest posting in the last 24 hours" list on the <./>info</.> page. Happens every time.

Beautifully wordy is a really nice way to say that I can't shut up! Mind you I'm like it in person as well. However in my profession an ability to waffle on and sound knowledgable is a positive advantage. I liken my job to stand up comedy and you have to be able to deal with hecklers.

You should read my Prof Branestawn entry. It was written as a fun challenge given to me by a couple of other researchers. Loads of waffle about someone who doesn't even exist! (Vanity suggests that you read the unedited version. I wasn't too happy with the sub ed's work.)

Where will I find it? The unedited one that is>
take care
boots (not such a professional lurker and bone idle to boot!)