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

Hi,
I don't know you and I don't believe you know me. Despite this, you left a message in my personal space asking why I am such a pain. I left a reply three or four days ago and there has been no further communication. I guess I'm just confused as to why you would feel free to attack me like this. As far as I know I haven't done anything to you, so I am looking for some explanation.

Wayde

ok, ok, you do deserve a response - sorry for the delay!

Although I have been an active member of the limerick forum for many a long day, I have perforce been absent for some weeks. I have never previously seen anything other than a limerick line before!!

When I returned last week I could not believe my eyes after reading James-Hamid's offering (6813) that your response (6814) seemed to be a personal attack on his posting - I had naturally expected the next line in the theme!!

I feel that personal criticisms should be posted to the person's personal space - or use the icon provided -

It seemed boorish to me that you should take issue with him about your dash/underscore logon in the limerick forum; it spoils the thread don't you think?

Having said all the above, you have not done anything to me personally. However, I always seem to be on the side of the underdog so there you have it.

friends?

Perhaps if you knew the whole story, you would find that I WAS the underdog in this situation.

I drop in on the limerick conversation now and then and have enjoyed reading them and adding a line here and there. Like you, I was surprised to log in one day and find that, instead of adding another line to a limerick, James-Hamid had attacked my last entry. I don't know the exact number of it, but I had offered a second line of a limerick that was grammatically incorrect (as J-H pointed out) but really fit the limerick well (I thought).

If J-H wanted to tell me something about my grammar, I agree with you, wholeheartedly, that he should have done so in my personal space. He didn't, though. He did it in the limerick forum. Not only that, but he went way out of his way to look at my personal space first, just so that he could quote me back at myself, from my bio, as he pointed out that my line was grammatically incorrect, a fact of which I was well aware when I posted it.

I only thought it was fitting, after he had gone to so much trouble to criticize me in the limerick conversation, to point out to him, in the same venue, every error in his message to me, which included the hyphen/underscore thing. For someone who apparently prides himself on his precision to such an extent that he is willing to publicly criticize other peoples' grammar, one would think that he would be more careful of his facts and his spelling when he does so.

So, I think the worst that should be said of me is that I stooped to his level, ... but a pain? I'm hurt. Here I am, innocently posting a fun entry here and there, and when I defend myself against public attack, it is I who am the villain?

Thanks for hearing me out. I'm willing to put the whole unpleasantness behind me.

Hi again,
Just as a follow-up, I went back and found the entry where J-H first broke the limerick thread to become the Keeper of the Grammar. It was entry number 6706. As I look around at the surrounding pages, I see that J-H was quite free with his "corrections" and comments that have nothing to do with limericks. Me, I have avoided the whole forum since that incident because I was minding my own business and ended up being attacked twice; once in public and once in private after I defended myself. I figure I don't need that kind of fun.

mia culpa (is that right?) I am often accused (quite rightly I suppose) of jumping in with both feet before studying the whole issue.

I now offer you my unequivical (sure that's not right either) apologies!!

If you take less notice of people like me, you will continue to enjoy the limerick thread - do have another go - I'd like to go head to head with some verse with you.

take care

Hi,
Sorry for the long delay since my last post. I'm a high school principal and I have numerous end-of-school-year things going on and just couldn't get to my computer for a couple of dates. On top of that, I have comprehensive exams this Thursday for the doctoral program in which I've been studying for the last three years. As you can imagine, it's a pretty stressful time all around.

There's no need for you to apologize, although I do accept. Judging just by the part of the conversation that you saw, I certainly did look like the offensive one. I'll get back to the limericks as soon as I can think straight again after my comps.

Considering our bi-continental time differences, it may be difficult for us to be on the thread at the same time, but I'd be happy to give it a shot. You're okay by me!

Wayde

Hi Friend (?)

Only just seen your earlier reply by some roundabout means. So glad that you responded. Your designation sounds really interesting - High School Principal - I have long been an advocate of education, with my in-laws having been involved in the educational process here in the UK.

My Daughter has recently Graduated from Lancaster University with a BSc in Mathematics and has made several close friends at Uni with students from the US.

Isn't it amazing that we can communicate with people that we have never met and unfortunately; are never likely to meet. The internet has many scary situations; but the scope for interaction is truly wonderful don't you think?

Keep in touch - it would be interesting to relate our different worlds

Take care

Sure, we could say we're friends, but maybe we should come up with a new name for our conversation...

Congratulations on your daughter's graduation! My first degree (undergraduate) was also in math, double-major with that and computer science. I did computer work for thirteen years, but had always wanted to work in education. So, with some twists and turns, I went back to school for the proper certifications and started teaching. I've worked my way up to principal (up? many teachers would disagree) and would like to be a district superintendent one of these days.

Like you, I've always been interested in the educational system. I know that the US and UK systems are very different, but I don't have any first-hand knowledge of yours. Most of what I "know" of the UK system I've picked up from reading (a lot of Bill Bryson lately, but many, many classics over the years) and from whatever British sitcoms (we call them Britcoms) we get over here. So if it's possible to learn anything from watching reruns of "Keeping up Appearances," "Are You Being Served?" "As Time Goes By," "Waiting for God," and "To The Manor Born," among others, then that's about all I know.

Most of what I know about Great Britain in general I learned from pursuing a Master's degree in English Literature. There is still an awful lot of emphasis on British Literature in our degree programs here, which, as far as I'm concerned, is just as it should be. I also do a lot of reading for pleasure. It's pretty much my main hobby, and right now I'm embroiled in a biography of W. Somerset Maugham.

So, tell me, what's an O-level?

Wayde