I come from the age of handwriting letters, journals, notebooks and non-electric typewriters. For those of you who came out of the womb, typing before you could speak, and using computers most of your lives, as well as playing all the varied electronic gaming systems ever invented, and for those of you who are technologically savvy, either by brain design, where you went to college or university, or jobs you had or have, I say God Bless You, even if you don't believe in a Higher Power. Maybe I should say, More Power To You and I'm truly being sincere.
I joined this site because I wanted to try something new, something outside my comfort zone, to use a cliche. I joined because of the simple and friendly, almost-Methodist (Open Hearts. Open Minds. Open Doors.) invitation to "Read with us. Write for us." Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that the reception would be so ███████. It was at the polite suggestion from Aerobe to join IRON NODER and I will honor that commitment.
I'm fully aware I come across like a bat out of left field hell or someone whose brain is oozing out. I get too distracted by the catbox and since learning it can be turned off, will probably not be in there as much, although if you message me, I'll thank you for your feedback, good, bad, whatever. I don't "node for numbers."
For reasons I can't explain, I put spaces where I personally like there to be spaces. I also prefer left justification. I've had my days of writing, editing, publishing and going to poetry readings. It was and continues to be a door to another world.
The choice of categories and what to label my writing seems to be an issue for some concerned readers. All I can say is, it bothers me as well. I'm just trying to follow the established rules. Apparently, I'm doing a poor job of labeling what I write. I half-heartedly apologize. I thought content would take precedent over format. My mistake, my fellow readers and writers. I will try to do better.
For the most part, I've been enjoying this experience, but if there's one thing I've learned in real life and it seems to hold true in this microcosm, is that you can't please other people most of the time.
Someone will always find a hole to poke their finger in, no matter how strong you think your armor is or no matter how hard you try to write a brick wall. I love to read and learn new things, even if I don't fully understand the topic.
If I don't give all the details or am unclear or rambling, it's either I'm very excited and/or deliberately guarded. I believe change is crucial to growth of the mind, and of society, and of the world. Conversely, I believe stability in life is just as important. I believe when something doesn't work, it's often because there's a flaw in the underlying design. Concrete examples for the last two sentences are family meals at the dinner table (stability) and my newest kitchen garbage can (design flaw).
How I manuever through E2: I hand write half of the time, other half I type in and use gedit to rewrite and refine, choose words or concepts I want to emphasize by linking to E2 write-ups. I read 20 times faster than I type, slower if I want to really savor something.
I click on and read all the links in a write-up, my own as I work and others, voting mostly UP as I go. I try to refrain from down voting for a variety of reasons, sort of like choosing to smile at someone instead of looking away. I check who C!ed and often go to their home page and read what's there. I take voting of any kind very seriously and will vote on write-ups even if the writer is no longer current, thinks or writes differently than I do, or is new and has something to say, albeit with spelling mistakes or improper linking techniques. We all have a story.