Another lovely day in Oklahoma. . .

[leebee]

I finally found this thread buried on PAGE 7! I hope this means that you're all having such a great summer that you haven't had time to post!

Recovering from my hiatal hernia surgery was more rigorous than I'd anticipated; having gastric sleeve bariatric surgery almost 5 years ago was easier! I'm back on my feet now and have no limitations, although I'm finding that soft food is still easier to digest. Still, I'm moving forward. It's been a busy summer. DH and I went to NOLA to visit my sister and BIL on July4th, stayed for a week. We didn't do too much, other than eat some great food, sit some cool lounges, and spend a lot of time hanging out, talking and visiting. It was good to see them again. After returning and working for a few weeks, DH and I rented a cottage on the southern Maine shore for the last week of July and the first week of August. Our first week there was pretty busy, visiting old friends in the area, hanging with my sister and nieces, and going to MA to have lunch with cousins, but it was fun. The second week was just relaxation, and it was glorious. The weather was warm during the day, cooled off at night, and the ocean wasn't even paralyzing! I grew up swimming in the Atlantic every summer, and I know what COLD water really is, but this wasn't bad... it was about 68degrees, which is pretty "warm" for the Atlantic!
Now that we've been back for a bit (and I have everything ready for school to start again on August 30) DD27 and I are going to slide down to Florida for 4 days. Probably not the best time to do it, given the delta/covid situation, but a dear friend is terminally ill, so this is my chance to go see him- maybe one last time. DD and I fly down late on Wednesday, and then will visit him on Thursday, go to MK on Friday, take a pool day Saturday, and go to Disney studios on Sunday, flying home on Monday. Just a quick trip, but hopefully relaxing and fun. I personally am PSYCHED that Boma will reopen while we are there; I'll be online to make our ADR when the window opens at 6am on Wednesday!

SO... that's my summer in a nutshell. What have y'all been up to over the past few months?

 

[PollyannaMom]

SO... that's my summer in a nutshell. What have y'all been up to over the past few months?

We had one glorious week early in the summer spent in upstate NY visiting family we hadn't seen before the pandemic.

Then before things could really get into a good routine, DS was sick in the hospital with a stomach condition. No sooner did we get him home when FIL was in for emergency intestinal surgery. So basically, July was a blur, but they are both OK now.

Things are hopefully settling down for August, and I'm finally getting to the decluttering projects I was planning.

I've also done a lot of reading, and a few outings with a friend and her little ones - the zoo, a juggler at the library, out for ice cream...that sort of thing.

Enjoy your trip, and best of luck with the new school year!

 

[Micca]

I finally found this thread buried on PAGE 7!

At least it wasn't cremated! Happy to hear y'all had some fun times over the summer, health issues not withstanding.

We had an uneventful summer, spent lots of time with the DGDs which is great. Keeping them busy was a full time job when DD and her ex weren't available.

Leebee when I saw your thread asking about Boma I was so happy for you! Boma is one of our favorite spots on property and your trip timed out just right for you to be among the first to visit upon the re-opening. Fingers crossed that everything will be just as it was before the closure. We have an October trip planned and we will be trying for a reservation tomorrow morning too.

 

[ronandannette]

Back "in the day", when Willy, I and several others were moderators here on the cb, there was a lot of interaction between the moderator type people and everybody else here. Not so much now. We would get threads going every day/night to stimulate interaction between the members here. They were sort like live chat. A lot of back and forth 'small talk', 'quick talk'. Also, there was actually a 'chat room' here on the dis back then (I don't think there is one any more). It was moderated, ran from like 8-10/11 every night. We each took turns moderating that also.

As you know from when Willy was here, he is a very knowledgeable guy and a very eloquent, entertaining, amusing writer. Also, it was known that Willy liked to 'tip a few' now and then, for real. NyQuil has a pretty high percentage of alcohol as one of its ingredients (I do think it is blown out of proportion in everyday conversation though). He started to incorporate in his writings here in threads and chat that he would be sipping on his NyQuil during the evenings. It became part of his brilliant persona.

He was such a blast, both here on the cb as well as when he was either moderating the chat room or just participating. He would have people in stitches. He is such a character.

Here on the Wayback Machine is the forum lineup back in 2001. The seven people we had on the cb were such a great mix of people, including WillyJ. They are all gone from here now, along with almost all of the other forum moderator type people from the other forums. Lots of good people there.


https://web.archive.org/web/20010502163654/http://www.disboards.com/forums/

Thanks for shouting out to Willie.

It’s a little painful to see what a shadow of it’s former self the glorious CB has become. I was just noticing again this morning how new threads have dwindled yet again and even posts to existing threads are limited. It’s almost as if the big no-Covid-thread-crack-down permanently broke something that was already on shaky ground...

Any ideas how we can revive it back to the interesting, sometimes evocative and fun place of interaction we all loved?

 

[Micca]

Any ideas how we can revive it back to the interesting, sometimes evocative and fun place of interaction we all loved?

I think social media has splintered the once thriving internet forum. When you think about the early days of the Dis, there wasn't a ton of competition or options. I'm not involved in FB, Twitter, Instagram, etc. so I hang out here and a couple of other forums.

I guess it's on us to keep it interesting

 

[PollyannaMom]

...I was just noticing again this morning how new threads have dwindled yet again and even posts to existing threads are limited...

I assumed people were just busy - either with the start of school in some places, or trying to seize the last days of summer in others.

Any ideas how we can revive it back to the interesting, sometimes evocative and fun place of interaction we all loved?

Another thread I belong to did a question of the day (QOTD) for a while to increase chit-chat. It worked almost too well at one point - I could hardly keep up.

 

[leebee]

Leebee when I saw your thread asking about Boma I was so happy for you! Boma is one of our favorite spots on property and your trip timed out just right for you to be among the first to visit upon the re-opening. Fingers crossed that everything will be just as it was before the closure. We have an October trip planned and we will be trying for a reservation tomorrow morning too.

Thanks!! I'm gonna set the alarm clock tomorrow morning to make sure I'm up and have a shot at an ADR. Boma has always been one of our favorite restaurants anywhere. In fact, one year we decided to skip Boma and go to Jiko instead, and while Jiko was excellent, we rearranged some plans so I could squeeze in Boma, last minute. This trip is just DD and me, so we have our fingers crossed.

Actually, we've been to FL quite a bit in the past year. Not the best time to travel, but we have a dear friend in Cocoa Beach who is terminally ill, so we've been trying to get down to see him. DH and I went together once, DH, DD, and I went to see him in April, DH went down in June, and DD an I are going this weekend. Fortunately DH and I both have a bunch of SW points, and we each have a Companion Pass, too (bad planning, but he needed a new business card for his consulting, and SW has always worked for us, so...) so it's allowed us to do a fair amount of flying. Of course our wings are about to be clipped. DH's sabbatical ended last Friday; he'll go back to teaching 17 credits in a couple of weeks as well as consulting and doing his own research. We had to open new sections of organic chem lab as some students didn't take it last fall as it was given remotely. I will be supervising 7 TA's, teaching 2 lab sections of my own (32 students- which is a ton of grading lab reports and quizzes every week), and setting up chemicals and restocking them for 16 sections every week, as well as dealing with all the chemical waste. I am not sure I can keep up with it; I'm estimating it's gonna take about 50hours a week, minimum, to do a good job with it all. Gotta tell ya, I can take full retirement in Nov'22, and it's never looked better!

Oh... and did I mention that DD is getting married on Oct. 2? No, no stress at all in our lives this fall!

 

[NFLDERS]

I assumed people were just busy - either with the start of school in some places, or trying to seize the last days of summer in others.



Another thread I belonged to did a question of the day (QOTD) for a while to increase chit-chat. It worked almost too well at one point - I could hardly keep up.

hmm.. sounds interesting.

 

[NFLDERS]

OK I'll bite, I mean start

leebee: Do you have more than one (Wedding) DD?

PollyannaMom: Your husband's laundry joke?

OR, is it post a general question for anyone to answer?

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

It’s almost as if the big no-Covid-thread-crack-down permanently broke something that was already on shaky ground...

It's been a very very long time since I've been on this thread, I think I stopped getting alerts and it just faded away

Back in February there was a HUGE shakeup on the DIS, without being able to go into detail quite a lot of posters jumped ship here on the DIS for a different social media platform. While a lot of those posters were more on the actual Disney planning side there are multiple that also frequented the CB, there was a lot of controversy and what appears also to be banning of posters left and right without much provocation. I can't even speak much about it really. Then you had the "only related to travel" covid crackdown you speak of above and it pushed it even further. I did notice some posters fall out of the DIS last year either because of life got too busy, the pandemic got to them, possible banning or points but I sure hope those posters didn't leave/stop posting on the DIS for some other health related/life crisis

The CB def. isn't the same as it used to be even since when I joined nearly 6 years ago. I even think back to several years ago when I was more active on this thread and my life is fairly boring these days lol mostly due to covid/pandemic. However I am quite excited for a Disney wedding we have next May and hopefully Ron and Kitty get to be there (fingers crossed!!) as well. It would be the first time we've had all of our KC DISers in Disney if that happens. It will also be the first time we'll be back in WDW since 2017 although we did go to DLR twice in 2019 when my husband was out there in CA on the power plant project.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Thanks for shouting out to Willie.

It’s a little painful to see what a shadow of it’s former self the glorious CB has become. I was just noticing again this morning how new threads have dwindled yet again and even posts to existing threads are limited. It’s almost as if the big no-Covid-thread-crack-down permanently broke something that was already on shaky ground...

Any ideas how we can revive it back to the interesting, sometimes evocative and fun place of interaction we all loved?

It is a shadow of what used to be. Using that cliché, back in the day, we used to have 7-8 pages of CB threads, daily. Not all new threads for sure, but many older ongoing ones, along with new ones. Today, usually a struggle to go 2 pages. As Ron said above, social media, FB, Twitter, etc., have diluted/drained the pool here. I have friends whom I have met here on the dis where they have left for various reasons, many voluntarily, some not so. They have asked me, more than once, to come on to FB and interact with them. So far, I have said, no, don't want to deal with FB.

I know recently the board was filled with daily questions from a couple posters and I finally put them on ignore to save my mind. The board looked pretty lean then. Each page takes 30 (if I recall correctly) threads. When I started the ignore on those 2 posters, the board shrunk to about 18-20 threads per page (it does not seem to fill up with non-ignored threads to fill out to the 30). Lately though, it seems to be getting more threads showing, maybe fewer questions? Possibly, those incessant questions drove even more people away? Don't know. But that's what ignore is for.

I do not have a real good answer for you, Annette, I wish I did.

 

[ronandannette]

It is a shadow of what used to be. Using that cliché, back in the day, we used to have 7-8 pages of CB threads, daily. Not all new threads for sure, but many older ongoing ones, along with new ones. Today, usually a struggle to go 2 pages. As Ron said above, social media, FB, Twitter, etc., have diluted/drained the pool here. I have friends whom I have met here on the dis where they have left for various reasons, many voluntarily, some not so. They have asked me, more than once, to come on to FB and interact with them. So far, I have said, no, don't want to deal with FB.

I know recently the board was filled with daily questions from a couple posters and I finally put them on ignore to save my mind. The board looked pretty lean then. Each page takes 30 (if I recall correctly) threads. When I started the ignore on those 2 posters, the board shrunk to about 18-20 threads per page (it does not seem to fill up with non-ignored threads to fill out to the 30). Lately though, it seems to be getting more threads showing, maybe fewer questions? Possibly, those incessant questions drove even more people away? Don't know. But that's what ignore is for.

I do not have a real good answer for you, Annette, I wish I did.

I've had a few ideas that I've proposed (and put into play myself) but it hasn't helped much:
1. Those of us that at the inane questions should each post a thread a day of some other sort - ideally something that evokes thoughtful conversation not just one or two line answers.
2. Those of us that remember the "good old days" should look back 200 pages or so and bump a thread from yesteryear that was vigorous and good-natured fun.

I've always thought the anecdote to dumb threads is interesting threads and the cure for no threads is for people to start threads! If anybody here is up for it, count on me for support!

 

[low-key]

Hey willie part of your charm, is you just go where the wind blows, BUT all these years later you friends are keeping this thread alive cause they miss you, bet in RL you dont have nothing like this

 

[Micca]

I am quite excited for a Disney wedding we have next May and hopefully Ron and Kitty get to be there (fingers crossed!!) as well. It would be the first time we've had all of our KC DISers in Disney if that happens. It will also be the first time we'll be back in WDW since 2017 although we did go to DLR twice in 2019 when my husband was out there in CA on the power plant project.

I wish you all could meet Mackenzie & her DH, they are such nice folks, DW and I am very fond of them. We're old enough to be their parents...maybe their grandparents, but because of our love of Disney the age difference doesn't matter much. I'd love for us all to meet up at WDW, but that's tough,

 

[PollyannaMom]

OR, is it post a general question for anyone to answer?

It was a general question, like "getting to know you" games from school or "what would you do" from those book of questions things.

The joke was just about a basket of laundry magically getting folded. Nothing actually hilarious, just funny to me at the time.

I did notice some posters fall out of the DIS last year either because of life got too busy, the pandemic got to them, possible banning or points but I sure hope those posters didn't leave/stop posting on the DIS for some other health related/life crisis

Me too! I'm particularly worried about about one who started a lovely supportive thread during the early quarantine period. We haven't seen her in some time.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Me too! I'm particularly worried about about one who started a lovely supportive thread during the early quarantine period. We haven't seen her in some time.

Oh no!

Posters sure have a way of touching us ya know. I still think about amberpi every now and then, hoping her family is doing well and I sure appreciated when her husband came on to post and give us updates, it meant a lot I think to the community here

 

[Micca]

amberpi

Wow, there's a blast from the past. What did happen with her? I remember following the story for a while but now I don't recall how it turned out.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I wish you all could meet Mackenzie & her DH, they are such nice folks, DW and I am very fond of them. We're old enough to be their parents...maybe their grandparents, but because of our love of Disney the age difference doesn't matter much. I'd love for us all to meet up at WDW, but that's tough,

Ron that is incredibly sweet and kind of you! Trust me when I say Aaron and I feel the same way about you and Kitty and well the rest of the gang

We sure have found such great true friends who we can talk shop on but also just share in each other's lives and when it's not about Disney or Universal too. Your "dad" jokes are invaluable let me tell ya We will always be so grateful for the friendships

 

[Kitty 34]

Thanks for shouting out to Willie.

It’s a little painful to see what a shadow of it’s former self the glorious CB has become. I was just noticing again this morning how new threads have dwindled yet again and even posts to existing threads are limited. It’s almost as if the big no-Covid-thread-crack-down permanently broke something that was already on shaky ground...

Any ideas how we can revive it back to the interesting, sometimes evocative and fun place of interaction we all loved?

I agree. Definitely different around here. It's too bad. Maybe someday the climate here will change. (Hopefully I didn't offend anyone with the climate change statement. ) But this thread did start because of weather.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Wow, there's a blast from the past. What did happen with her? I remember following the story for a while but now I don't recall how it turned out.

She passed away suddenly almost 2 years ago (gosh time has flown). She did have medical issues in the past (I think balance issues might have been part of it) but her husband disclosed it was an autoimmune disease and cirrhosis that ultimately caused her passing. He came on to verify her passing but also to let us know how much the community had meant to her and that he was thankful for all who posted about the loss of her and spoke with her over the years. I just think about her posting about the struggles of dating life, her meeting of her husband, her becoming a new stepmom, her vibrant life every now and then and just hope her family is doing well these days, as I do honestly of some of the posters I never see any more (or on the other social media platform being used) even the ones I didn't always agree with them because in the end we're all people