What? Only one meta diary on the Rec List? After last week's meta-frenzy, we're slacking a bit here, Kossacks. Can we do better? Yes, we can...
I made this comment in blue husky's thoughtful diary, summing up how I arrived here and why I stayed:
dKos: came for the politics; stayed for the community.
A couple of you seemed to agree with that sentiment. Which got me Meta-musing, on another lonely Hump Day evening here on my isolated island in Vermont...
How did you stumble on Teh Great Orange? Why did you come here in the first place? What keeps you here, other than the extremely high pay per diary and comment (ka-ching--thanks, Markos!)? And who is your favorite Kossack? Your fave Front Pager?
I know these are hardly original questions. Hey, you want original? UP MY F***ING SALARY, KOS!!! But if you're up for a little Hump Day Meta Fun [TM pending], join me over the flip.
I don't remember eggzactly HOW I heard about dKos...Keith Olbermann, perhaps? But I came here in January 08 with one year to go before Inauguration Day. In full primary freak-out, convinced the Dems were going to find a way to eff this one up. My man Barry was in a death match with Hillary, and I really didn't want to move to Quebec and marry a maple syrup farmer. Which was pretty much my only option if the Rs won/stole it again.
I needed a place to vent about politics...without using my real name. 'Cause I work as a journalist, and even though I don't cover politics, I believe we should keep our traps shut--more or less. And certainly that we shouldn't advocate publicly, much less work for candidates.
And so I jumped in. And vented. And vented some more. The winter and spring turned out to be very rough for me personally, as well. And I found myself here. A lot. I found places I could relax, and even laugh. Who is this JeffLieber guy? For all I knew, this "screenwriter" was a 23-year-old kid with a laptop at a Starbucks. But his diaries rocked, and I met all kinds of regulars there who became, dare I say it, friends?
One night, in one of Jeff's diaries about his kids, FireCrow mentioned his sons, whom he'd adopted out of rescued from being sent to foster care. [Thanks for the correction, FireCrow!] I mentioned that this was my probable path to parenthood, and wondered if my daughters were already out there somewhere, waiting for me. A stunning interaction with my new fellow Kossacks ensued. A bunch of commenters jumped in to say what a wonderful mother I was going to be, that I had a big heart, etc. Say what? I'd been here a few months at that point, and was blown away that anyone even recognized me, let alone was expressing such beautiful thoughts. How could they perceive the inner goodness of "earicicle?" Based on little comments I was dashing off on a "political" website behind a wacky pseudonym!
It's these kinds of interactions that keep me here. I had a rough week last month, and threw up two WATB diaries. You blew me away with your love [yes, I said LOVE] and support in the comments. It simply amazes me that we KNOW each other so well through these little pixels. Even though there is much about my life that I DON'T share here, I have to say that many of my fellow Kossacks KNOW me better than some of the people who've known me IRL for years. And who SHOULD know me.
You see me for who I am inside. That's why I stay. There's something about this community, and what we do here, that gives us insight into each other. Maybe we can be more honest, just sitting behind our keyboards and our pseudonyms, and just typing. I don't know.
My favorite Kossack? browneyes. She's passionate and compassionate, and loves this community as much as I do. She's funny, and a hellraiser, and the most loyal friend I know. If she loves you, she will do anything for you. Anything. You can trust her with your life.
Other faves: TheTermite, droogie, JeffLieber, gchaucer2, begone, noweasels, D Wreck, shortgirl...I'm sure I'm leaving a ton of people out. Communities: TopComments and IGTNT. Fave FP is Meteor Blades, of course, but...are you sitting down?...I like DH in MI a lot too. For his passionate defense of pseudonymity here at dKos. And 'cause he left me a super-cool YouTube of Queen in a diary once. Freddie Mercury, in tight pants, jumping around and singing his cute ass off? C'mon...who can resist that!
UPDATE: Fave I forgot, the inimitable [and thank God he can't be imitated, because we couldn't handle more than one] DemocraticLuntz. The dirtiest 21-year-old college boy EVAH, and that is saying a lot. But he always makes me laugh, even if I have to pick my jaw up off the floor. Oh, and...Rec List? Really? Why, er, um...it's my first time! DL...wanna make a filthy joke about that?
UPDATE THE SECOND: Yikes...also forgot Haole in Hawaii, that b**tard who makes me painfully homesick with his jawdroppingly beautiful photos of my native Islands. And Colorado is the Shiznit for making me laugh, and for being my friend. And wewhodream and SomethingTheDogSaid for making me think. Damn--that's not supposed to happen!