The Idea of the TGR Board

[Odin]

What is it? Who are those that populate it? Why do I choose to patronize it?

In idea, the very semblence of an Utopian society be it electronic or not turns my stomach. Within the length and bredth of a perfect society the inequalities are pushed far behind in order to further the effort/mental picture that everything is okay.

However in this case the opposite is almost guaranteed to be true. Within this ragtag group of members the shortcoming is almost guaranteed to be the common uniting factor. You might say that the board is a few thousand strong reveling in the addiction factors of skiing, typing, routine, drugs/alcohol and boredom.

Now really some of the strongest members are rather not those that choose to spend all their time on the board but those that actually choose to partake in the activities that surround the general membership. It is within this model that some see (what they consider) the best TR's, the best cogniscent feelings........ right? Well, this is not always the case as you can tell. We have writers and skiers and filmers; really everything under the sun. Just because they can contribute and formulate a phrase doesn't mean that it has any emotional impact. For example the numerous: "I saw the sun glinting off the crystals on the summit, expanding the consciousness of my mind reminding me why I am better than a cube drone. "

As with all human beings we have the inevitablity to be sucked into the varying ended spectrum of boredom and pain (allusions to schopenhauer)
So within this area of the society we have the addiction that forms. We all think that by surfing these pages more and more that answers or camaraderie will form. Unfortunately though there are no more answers within the pages of TGR than there are in the pages of the National Enquirer. Friends can and will form, but your basis is upon a purely speculative shell. Much like a new date things can be great at first and later you will realize that although this is a good fellow, he isn't your type of person.

I do not question the loyalties or the bonds that have formed from this group. Nor do I question the idea of the board itself. It is only a thing that is created by the people that populate it. However as with most systems, once people populate and force their own opinions upon it they look to fill their "predefined" rolls on the board: The joker, the bastard, the black sheep, the druggy, the asshole, the kind one. All these do is reinforce the fact that we try to play out the reality that we wish to present to others.

If any of us were to actually be in this not for acclaim or acceptance then we would actually never tell of the exploits.

While typing this, the one thing that comes to my mind is that I spend far too much time trying to reach out to an indifferent group. There are cliques and groups, both geographical and fraternal, that support and proclaim their own. For a few there are none, and those few tend to feel that there is an oversight of what happens to them. This idea is a false thought. Within the rancour of acclaim is everpresent the notion that someone must care what ideas someone else thinks of him. What does it matter if someone from Utah or CO has an opinion about your line or your skiing technique. What matters is that your actions have an affect upon your life.

I believe the reason that I actually patronize the board is that I want acceptance for something that I do. I liked the recognition of having a response to something that I have done, even though by my own contradictory nature it is never enough. That is because within my own capacity I am never happy with myself.

You cannot actually solve your problems though by externally turning towards the void of flattery and fawning. These things do not help fill what needs to be done.

Therefore, what will keep me posting in the future? The connections that I have made will keep me here even if I am not around. However I think the scale of contributing will be cut back, especially on the areas of gloating and claiming and reporting. They do not serve a purpose for anyone.

[Below Zero]

Wow! Well written! I'll need some time to think about this one.

[basom]

but i'm sure you'll make sure to kick me in the nuts every time you are in lyon

[Svengali]

"Expectations of Adulation for One's Insight are a Guaranteed Path to Loneliness" unknown

[Buster Highmen]

However I think the scale of contributing will be cut back, especially on the areas of gloating and claiming and reporting. They do not serve a purpose for anyone.

May I object? At least for this insignificant anomaly of the American wastelands, your reports do serve a purpose for me. Witty, insightful, piercing and occasionally bonerific, they serve to titillate my dreams and hopeless ski obsession.

So there.

[snowsprite]

I'm just here for the free lotion samples.


This board is less about the TRs for me (though I do read them and I love the pretty pictures). I simply enjoy reading all the various points of view and commentary about skiing, life, and everything else.

It's great to be able to commune with folks who love snow sports as much as I do , and who are located all over the place. It gives me a new perspective on far away places and lifestyles I'd never know about. I have also really enjoyed meeting people from this community in real life. Inevitably, I am never disappointed with the person I meet.

Last but certainly not least, I view this place as a great support group over the summer...to get me through the snow-barren times.

I'll always be coming back to read & post. I may be quieter than usual at some points but I'm always here, taking it all in!

Sprite

[Dexter Rutecki]

May I object? At least for this insignificant anomaly of the American wastelands, your reports do serve a purpose for me. Witty, insightful, piercing and occasionally bonerific, they serve to titillate my dreams and hopeless ski obsession.

So there.

Yes.56789

[Foggy_Goggles]

What Odin said...I think. While I have formed more that one great friendship through this board, there is more drama than I care to participate in. I like to share thoughts and opinions with those whom I have much in common. Problem is, I feel I have less and less in common with the vibe of the board lately.

[Buster Highmen]

Likewise. But like the tides, there is ebb and flow.

Anyway:
PLASTIC SURGEON IN CALIFORNIA -- "Let Us Pick Your Nose!"

*FUNERAL HOME IN NEVADA -- "Drive Carefully. We'll Wait."

*AUTO DEALERSHIP IN TEXAS -- "The Best Way To Get Back On Your Feet Is To Miss A Car Payment."

*GYNECOLOGIST IN NEW YORK -- "Dr. Jones, At Your Cervix."

*TIRE SHOP IN UTAH --"Invite Us To Your Next Blowout."

*ON AN ELECTRICIAN'S TRUCK IN MONTANA -- "Let Us Remove Your Shorts."

*SACKS 4TH AVENUE IN MANHATTAN --"You Could Shop Here If You Were Poor, But That Would Be Stupid."

*ELECTRONICS WORLD IN FLORIDA -- "You've Got Questions, We've Got Geeks."

*B.B. GUN STORE IN TEXAS --"Keeping Kids Off Your Lawn For 40 Years."

*CONDOM FACTORY IN PENNSYLVANIA -- "Extra long is our specialty."

*PSYCHIATRIST'S OFFICE IN MAINE -- "Consciousness. That Annoying Time Between Naps."

*SEX THERAPIST'S OFFICE IN NEBRASKA -- "Bisexuality Immediately Doubles Your Chances For A Date."

*SEX CHANGE SURGEON'S OFFICE IN ILLINOIS-- "Eat, Drink and Be Mary."

*COUPLE'S THERAPIST IN NEW JERSEY --"Marriage: Cures Your Fear Of Being Alone."

*LOCAL BREWERY IN GEORGIA -- "Beer Is The Proof God Loves Us And Wants Us To Be Happy."

*SPORTS SHOE STORE IN MICHIGAN -- "Just Buy It, You Tub Of Lard."

*TIRE STORE IN WEST VIRGINIA -- "We Skid You Not."

*PLASTIC SURGEON IN MASSACHUSETTS -- "The Breast Is Yet To Come."

*ELEVATOR OPERATORS' UNION IN CHICAGO -- "We Do It Going Up And Down."

*FINANCIAL ANALYST'S OFFICE IN FLORIDA -- "Bankers Do It With Interest."

*LAWYER'S OFFICE IN OREGON -- "We Do It In Our Briefs!"

*STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICE IN WASHINGTON D.C. -- "Diplomacy Is The Art Of Saying 'Nice Doggie' Until You Find A Rock."

*U.S. MINT IN WASHINGTON D.C. --"Blessed Are the Young, For They Shall Inherit The National Debt."

*MANHOOD ENLARGEMENT SPECIALIST IN VIRGINIA -- "We make mountains out of molehills."

*HOT CHESTNUT VENDOR IN MANHATTAN -- "For toasty nuts, try us."

*TAX ACCOUNTANT IN IDAHO --"Many Happy Returns."

*VACUUM CLEANER SHOP IN VERMONT -- "We Suck!"

*LAWN SERVICE IN VIRGINIA -- "Let Us Kiss Your Grass."

[Spicoli]

As far as internet sandboxes go, there is a lot less cat poop here. And, it's easy to avoid the half buried turds, if you so choose. Plus it's fun to poop and then lurk, and then see who steps in it.

This place promotes thought. It provides entertainment. It forces some of us to expand the grey matter and log on to dictionary.com. It lets people see places some will never see. It may change an ignorant thought process, it may not. It may inspire or it may ire. It may even lead to the total decline of the world as we know it. And who knows, it may even lead to a cure for herpes.

Of course, there's always that "burying the poop" thing.

[snowsprite]

Likewise. But like the tides, there is ebb and flow.

Very well said Buster, and I agree.

Sprite

[Odin]

ahhhh monsieurs.....

I am not advocating a changing point, or that I truly know the interests of those upon the board. Merely that this has become my viewpoint and as such I thought that I would share it with the group

(call it my vanity)

So therefore I decided to butcher a bunch of schopenhauer and kant, and mixed it with a manic depressive in order to skew a viewpoint.

[Yossarian]

Solid. xxxxx

[shmerham]

I basically echo sprite's sentiments. None of my "real world friends" have quite the passion that I and my maggot brethren have for skiing. It's good to be able to share it with others who do.

Also there are a lot of people that are a lot more funny than the "real world people" I know.

[yogachik]

Odin, I always read and like your posts, even the ones you delete.

Here's the thing about bbs' and me - if I don't like a thread, I don't click. If I read the whole thing but have nothing else to offer and don't want to bump it, I don't post. Some people just have to get in the last word around here, but that's true in life. And, like my local Peets, there are some people who I find interesting and some who are gas bags.

But I love it all, the stoke, the TRs (even parties and strip club TRs), the advice, the camaraderie...I've even learned how to remove a toilet. Most of all, I love my tgr drinking and skiing buddies.

[backpack]

Most of all, I love my tgr skiing buddies.

Yup... if it wasn't for GT, Meats, and now FlyK (and in the past MD9 before he defected to St. Louis/Denver), I wouldn't get out nearly as much as I do.

[Woodsy]

So therefore I decided to butcher a bunch of schopenhauer and kant, and mixed it with a manic depressive in order to skew a viewpoint.

we would expect nothing, Lester.

[splat]

He posts, therefore, he is.

-Descartes, mixed with a little AKPM (although the same could apply to me lately)

[gonzo]

However as with most systems, once people populate and force their own opinions upon it they look to fill their "predefined" rolls on the board: The joker, the bastard, the black sheep, the druggy, the asshole, the kind one. All these do is reinforce the fact that we try to play out the reality that we wish to present to others.

Stop making me think, "mr. deep thinker"!