Guess you could say I have moved on....

Marie5656 · Post by **Marie5656** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 2:22 pm

As I have mentioned several times in passing, I had been a moderator on a forum for small animal owners. The primary focus of the forum was guinea pigs..and I did have one when I first joined. When he passed on early last year, that was when I got Trixie.

So, not long after Scooter, the guinea pig passed, they made me a moderator. Go figure.

It was fun while it lasted, but I realized that the time had come for me to move on, and resign the position. So I sent a PM to an admin today, asking to be removed as a moderator.

It was something I had been considering for several weeks, now. I had really lost interest in being an active part of such a limited focus forum. It has its place, and I plan to contine on as a general member. But, I realized I no longer had the interest, desire or motivation to remain as a "staff" there.

Part of it has to to with this place. Since I came here I realized how much fun a lively group of adults could be. The conversations about whether or not to moderate this place is what really got me thinking. The guinea pig site, **needs** moderation. There are a wide range of ages there, from adolescent to people my age. And yes, it needed someone to crack the whip now and again. I just decided I did not want to be one of those people.

I also found that since I have been coming here, this place has taken on more of my limited online time..and I was not willing or able to give the extra time to the other site.

And that is a good thing. I am happier here, I like the general interests, and the fun times here. Now I feel I can really sit back and enjoy my time here, without thinking, oh my I should go check on the other place.

Now I feel I can go to that site, just look around, and leave...without any obligations to it.

My resignation has not yet been officiall accepted..but I know it will be soon.

Well, got to run. Want to go play a bit in the arcade.

abbey · Post by **abbey** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 2:42 pm

Their loss is our gain Marie. :-6

koan · Post by **koan** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 3:35 pm

I wasn't aware that guinea pigs were fascinating. If people are...why not?

koan · Post by **koan** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 3:36 pm

Can you give me an example of a typical 'guinea pig discussion'? I'm not mocking. Sincerely interested.

Marie5656 · Post by **Marie5656** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 3:46 pm

koan wrote: Can you give me an example of a typical 'guinea pig discussion'? I'm not mocking. Sincerely interested.

Lots of discussion revolved around, here are new pictures of my piggies, aren't they cute.

Seriously though, there was alot of informational sharing...whats good food, bedding, treats, etc. BTW, answers: plain GP pellets, pine or aspen, veggies and some fruit and lots of hay and Vitamin C

Also talk of raising baby pigs, cages, health and other issues.

A good informational site. Other small critters were discusseds...I taught the folks alot about chinchillas in the past year and a half.

But, it is basically a one note forum. If you do not have guinea pigs, there is not alot to capture, and hold ones interest. I just needed and wanted more from my internet time.

koan · Post by **koan** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 3:59 pm

Probably useful. Did the members tend to have only guinea pigs or other animals as well?

BabyRider · Post by **BabyRider** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 4:02 pm

Well, it's cool that you can still go there and check out what's happening, but I for one am glad you have decided to spend more time here. You're a wonderful addition to the Garden!!

Marie5656 · Post by **Marie5656** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 4:21 pm

koan wrote: Probably useful. Did the members tend to have only guinea pigs or other animals as well?

Primarily guinea pigs. Some had the usual run of pets..dogs, cats, fish. And there were other little critters..chinchillas, hedgehogs and ferrets. But guinea pigs were the primary threads that held them togther

Marie5656 · Post by **Marie5656** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 4:23 pm

BabyRider wrote: Well, it's cool that you can still go there and check out what's happening, but I for one am glad you have decided to spend more time here. You're a wonderful addition to the Garden!!

Thank you. I am glad for the number of folks here who seem to see me as a positive addition to the forum. FG is definatly a positive addition to my online life.

koan · Post by **koan** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 4:24 pm

From the sounds of it, you took your role seriously. That is to be congratulated. A lot of people rely on forums for a lot of reasons and it is a job to be taken seriously. Your resignation was honest and I hope you feel good about it.

Marie5656 · Post by **Marie5656** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 4:26 pm

koan wrote: From the sounds of it, you took your role seriously. That is to be congratulated. A lot of people rely on forums for a lot of reasons and it is a job to be taken seriously. Your resignation was honest and I hope you feel good about it.

What I feel right now is better. It sure takes a load off my mind, and I feel I can enjoy that forum better without the responsibility. Some there may see it as a cop out, but it was what I needed. I just do not feel I had anything more worthwhile to give them, as a staff.

I just cannot wait for it to be official, though.

koan · Post by **koan** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 4:29 pm

Marie5656 wrote: What I feel right now is better. It sure takes a load off my mind, and I feel I can enjoy that forum better without the responsibility. Some there may see it as a sop out, but it was what I needed. I just do not feel I had anything more worthwhile to give them, as a staff.

I just cannot wait for it to be official, though.

Your sense of commitment, again, is commendable. If more people saw moderating as a responsiblity sites would fare much better.

BabyRider · Post by **BabyRider** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 4:53 pm

Marie5656 wrote: What I feel right now is better. It sure takes a load off my mind, and I feel I can enjoy that forum better without the responsibility. Some there may see it as a sop out, but it was what I needed. I just do not feel I had anything more worthwhile to give them, as a staff.

I just cannot wait for it to be official, though.
Ya know....I didn't want to admit it at the time, but when admin here eliminated all moderators, it was a relief. No more having to be objective, no more playing mediator. It's not an easy job, and it caused a LOT of problems here. So, I'm glad I'm not a mod anymore. I know koan's glad I'm not a mod anymore either. (Meant STRICTLY as a joke!!!! :yh_bigsmi :yh_wink )

Marie5656 · Post by **Marie5656** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 4:57 pm

I will try my best to live up to everyone's expectations of me as a model FG member. :wah:

Pinky here is my official pet advice (memorized due to the number of times I had to repeat it at the other site.

Pay attention:

**A chinchilla is adorable. But that adorableness does not translate into being an appropriate pet for a 6 year old.

**No, you cannot have a guinea pig and a ferret together in the same room, outside of thier cages. What part of "Ferrets are carnivors, you see a cute cuddly guinea pig, the ferret sees lunch" do you not understand?

BabyRider · Post by **BabyRider** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 5:03 pm

SnoozeControl wrote: Hey Marie, do cats and ferrets get along together?
Not to butt into your question to Marie, but my girlfriend, (Tigersmeow, you've met her here) has 2 ferrets and a number of cats that I am too freaked out by to put here, and they get along fine. This does NOT mean that all cats will get along with all ferrets, though.

Marie5656 · Post by **Marie5656** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 5:05 pm

It is official, I have had my resignation accepted. I now have the status there of "verified adult". In forum speak, it means I can access the "mature forums"...thise set aside so we can talk candidly and not have to worry about writing stuff the kids on the forum should not have access to. Nothing racy or rude...just mature topics of conversation . Read that to be pretty much anything that gets discussed here.

Marie5656 · Post by **Marie5656** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 5:07 pm

BabyRider wrote: Not to butt into your question to Marie, but my girlfriend, (Tigersmeow, you've met her here) has 2 ferrets and a number of cats that I am too freaked out by to put here, and they get along fine. This does NOT mean that all cats will get along with all ferrets, though.
Well, my DIL has a couple of cats..and a ferret. SO far no problems. I think the issue, from what I was told was with the smaller, more defenseless animals, who for what ever reason cannot fightback, or run and hide quickly.

Thats it.

Rapunzel · Post by **Rapunzel** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 5:19 pm

I noticed a while back that you had links to your other forum in your public profile. A lot of people mention other forums but very few provide links which is a shame because if you find a site interesting then chances are some of us will too.

Anyway, I had a wander around your site and even though I've never owned any gerbils or hamsters or chinchillas, etc, I did find it an interesting place to mooch around in for a while. So thanks for adding the link Marie, but I can totally understand why you prefer the addictivenes of FG.

Someone else also had a good link to a Qwyzzle site that was fun to play around in. Its a shame more links aren't given. Just call me nosy! hehehehehe

koan · Post by **koan** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 6:01 pm

BabyRider wrote: I know koan's glad I'm not a mod anymore either. (Meant STRICTLY as a joke!!!! :yh_bigsmi :yh_wink )

I'm glad I'm not a moderator here anymore also. (Meant not as a joke!)

It's a crap shoot, really. Works for some places and not for others. BR and I can assure you all that mods don't sit around with each other and a cuppa tea chatting about the weather.

chonsigirl · Post by **chonsigirl** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 6:09 pm

I'm glad you're here more!

What made you decide to get a chinchilla after your guinea pig passed away?

BabyRider · Post by **BabyRider** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 6:24 pm

koan wrote: BR and I can assure you all that mods don't sit around with each other and a cuppa tea chatting about the weather.

:yh_rotfl :yh_rotfl

cars · Post by **cars** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 6:41 pm

Marie, you're a definate asset to our FG garden, your posts are thoroughly enjoyed!

valerie · Post by **valerie** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 7:55 pm

SnoozeControl wrote:

I don't know if they're even legal in Utah, I know they aren't in California.

They aren't legal here, but that doesn't stop the local PetSmart from

selling EVERYTHING you need for your ferret.

BabyRider · Post by **BabyRider** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 8:05 pm

SnoozeControl wrote: That's an interesting point. It'd be like the old time head shops (remember those?) with all the paraphenalia that they claimed was used to smoke tobacco. Those places had the best incense! Aaah, the good old days.
OOOOOO, I have 2 freakin' AWESOME head shops within 5 miles of me!!! The Road Show, and the Plum Pit. When I have to buy Bullet a present, (the toughest man in the world to buy for) I always hit one of those stores. Medieval stuff, dragons, cool knives....but that's all I buy there....really...it is....I swear. Why are you looking at me like that?? :yh_rotfl

Marie5656 · Post by **Marie5656** » Tue Jun 20, 2006 4:05 am

chonsigirl wrote: I'm glad you're here more!

What made you decide to get a chinchilla after your guinea pig passed away?

Here is the story, a couple of weeks after Scooter died, I was still feeling kind of sad. Who knew one could get so attached to a guinea pig! Thing was, he had been sick for several weeks, I was giving him alot of extra care and attention..had to syringe geed him, etc.

So after he died, I suddenly had nothing to do..and it was a bit of a let down.

One Sunday, Rick said, you really miss having Scooter around, why don't you go out and get yourself another. So, I went looking. One place I stopped at had no guinea pigs on hand, but they had a litter of chinchillas. Now, I knew a chin was something Rick wanted...and I called him. He talked with the pet store lady (also a chin owner) on the phone) and then we decided what the heck..something different.

I had already done some research, and knew the care was different, and personalities were different.

So, now we have had Trixie for over a year. In the fall she will be 2 years old.

Marie5656 · Post by **Marie5656** » Tue Jun 20, 2006 4:07 am

Rapunzel wrote: I noticed a while back that you had links to your other forum in your public profile. A lot of people mention other forums but very few provide links which is a shame because if you find a site interesting then chances are some of us will too.

I also like seeing where everyone goes when they are not here. Gives good insight into them. I will have to check the game site you mentioned, as I live playing games.

Check back though, as I plan to change the links now and again.

Marie5656 · Post by **Marie5656** » Tue Jun 20, 2006 4:12 am

SnoozeControl wrote: Marie, you might've already said, but what's the average lifespan for a chinchilla?

All the literature says 10+ years. But on the chin site I go to, it seems that few have actually lived that long. I notice that many who have passed have been from 4-7 years. But then, those were due to illness. One person's chin was 12 when it passed!!

cherandbuster · Post by **cherandbuster** » Tue Jun 20, 2006 6:34 am

Marie, I am going through a similar thing with a forum I belong to about chihuahuas. I've thoroughly enjoyed my time there, but after awhile . . . how much can you write and read about one topic? I feel myself 'burning out' on that site. I check in occasionally but my *heart* is no longer invested in that forum.

I find myself spending much more time here in the Garden. It is so wide open and varied that I could (and sometimes do!) spend hours here.

Marie5656 · Post by **Marie5656** » Tue Jun 20, 2006 6:47 am

Cher, I agree. This is a great place. You will see that I do not contribute to many of the discussions, but I do enjoy reading what people have to say about various things.

I love reading the philosophy and religion areas here.

CARLA · Post by **CARLA** » Tue Jun 20, 2006 7:26 pm

Marie5656 I'm glad you like it here, we sure like you and thanks for putting up with our disfunctional family just like home..

Cherandbuster glad you fell at home here as well we really are a good bunch of people..:p

AussiePam · Post by **AussiePam** » Tue Jun 20, 2006 7:56 pm

Isn't the Simpsons the archetypal dysfunctional family, Carla? Yer saying wer'e like Marge and Homie... heee heeee.... Nomad is ??? Bart like??? I wanna be Lisa with the sax appeal!! Who you gonna have fer yer role model, Marie????

Attached files

Marie5656 · Post by **Marie5656** » Wed Jun 21, 2006 9:06 am

AussiePam wrote: Who you gonna have fer yer role model, Marie????

I could go against type and say Krusty the Clown. But I think that I, too have a bit of Homer in me. :yh_doh

AussiePam · Post by **AussiePam** » Wed Jun 21, 2006 3:42 pm

Ned Flanders????????????? Nar, we better not diddlyogo there...

At least it's the Simpsons. Not South Park.

Screw you Guys I'm going home to get coffee.. NOW

HEY>>>>> lookeeeee... Screw is not a asterisked out word in FG !!! WOW

Marie5656 · Post by **Marie5656** » Wed Jun 21, 2006 3:46 pm

AussiePam wrote: HEY>>>>> lookeeeee... Screw is not a asterisked out word in FG !!! WOW

screw

OK, just checking.

Marie5656 · Post by **Marie5656** » Wed Jun 21, 2006 3:47 pm

Pardon me, but have I had another thread hijacked? We went from my leaving a moderator post, to chinchillas....to the Simpsons and South Park.

Not to mention Screws.

AussiePam · Post by **AussiePam** » Wed Jun 21, 2006 7:40 pm

So - ya gotta problem with this, Sista???? Wanna make something of it !!!!!!!! ???

OK!!! You name the place. I'll name the weapon. Tomato ketchup squeezie bottles at ten paces. You don't gotta chance, capeesh.

We probably won't need seconds.. but that drop dead gorgeous Texan JB might run the book. I can see the billboard........................

Pernicious Pulper Pam

v

Malicious Masher Marie

(Just between us, Marie, these events usually draw a huge crowd. We charge a gate fee, ham it up a bit, and then divvy up the proceeds later, giving the bookie a small cut - and some actual cuts if he protests)

Marie5656 · Post by **Marie5656** » Thu Jun 22, 2006 7:20 am

AussiePam wrote:

Pernicious Pulper Pam

v

Malicious Masher Marie

(Just between us, Marie, these events usually draw a huge crowd. We charge a gate fee, ham it up a bit, and then divvy up the proceeds later, giving the bookie a small cut - and some actual cuts if he protests)

I am game, if you are Aussie. Now we need to come up with some eye catching outfits. What do you suggest?

BabyRider · Post by **BabyRider** » Thu Jun 22, 2006 7:22 am

Hey, Marie.....don't you think it's time you changed the title of your thread here to "Guess you could say I've moved IN"?? :yh_rotfl :yh_bigsmi

We're glad to have you here, if I haven't said that before. xo

Marie5656 · Post by **Marie5656** » Thu Jun 22, 2006 7:34 am

BR..thanks. I have had many of you make me feel very welcome. Where else can one sit back on a lounge chair, drink margharitas and just have grand old conversations about anything in general.

And, see..I have even changed the title.:-6

BabyRider · Post by **BabyRider** » Thu Jun 22, 2006 7:37 am

Marie5656 wrote: BR..thanks. I have had many of you make me feel very welcome. Where else can one sit back on a lounge chair, drink margharitas and just have grand old conversations about anything in general.

And, see..I have even changed the title.:-6
Good for you!!! It's only fitting, you know! :yh_bigsmi

Marie5656 · Post by **Marie5656** » Thu Jun 22, 2006 7:52 am

I have been thinking of this Malicious Masher persona I will be having. I think the role needs some appropriate tattoos...any suggestions.

AussiePam · Post by **AussiePam** » Thu Jun 22, 2006 2:58 pm

Appropriate tattoos... That's a thought. Mmmmmmmm.... Wonder if the tasteful funnelweb spider lovingly branded (sorry BR) on my left cheek isn't frightening enough??? I'll hafta give that some thought. As for our uniform, Marie... I'll be wearing those black fishnet stockings Nomad likes and my Sunday best green koala feather boa. Four inch stilettos? Whaddya reckon? Five inch??? Kangaroo hide Boots????

Sheryl · Post by **Sheryl** » Thu Jun 22, 2006 3:07 pm

ok got my rubbers on.....let the ketchup squirting start.