Have you ever wondered?

Cookie;

Good question. I can't speak for anyone else but I can give you a convoluted answer to why I picked my avatar.

The Inspector was and is one of my all-time favorite characters. Don Quixote with a French accent. He just kind of bumbles along but he always gets to the root of the issue and solves the crime.

He drives his superiors crazy but they keep coming back to him because they know he gets the job done.

Do I look like him? If I lost 20 pounds, had more hair, grew a mustache and you squinted your eyes real hard with your glasses off...... Nope still isn't going to do it.

I started to use one that said 'I love the smell of Jet fuel in the morning' because I was an aircraft mechanic for 26 years in the Navy, but I decided I really didn't. Didn't like it in the afternoon either.

Hey pick one that has meaning to you. Have some fun with it. The thing is, you can change it any time you want. It doesn't actually put the picture in the blog, it just does a call so the current one is the only one that anyone will see. Kind of like changing shoes. 

Mike Heemer http://24.23.126.8/ Petition for choice (5 or 7) in Nov.

Cookie, I was amused at your confusion of my avatar. It's not a mouse (unless there is someone here with Mickey as an avatar, I have the only rodent) it's a rat named Rat from the comic strip Pearls Before Swine written and poorly drawn by Stephen Pastis. Pastis is a dark comedy genius. (Curiously, with all his comic genius he seems unable to give his main characters names.)  If you don't read this strip you will not get the reference. Rat is one who is not only self absorbed but also has a very low tolerance for inanity and injustice. He also doen't care for catch phrases. I can't recall exactly which one it was but one of the characters uttered a phrase and Rat whacked him. I was so amused I wrote him an e-mail giving kudos and also suggested that another catch phrase I would like to see done away with is "back in the day". From my perspective, if you are under eighty years of age you have no business saying "back in the day". It's just ludicrous. So, most of the time when you see Rat posting something, it's a sign there is some inanity or injustice I am addressing. Not to be remiss and mention, I DO look exactly like Rat. :>)

Lily's Lore "I don't ever want to be rescued And I don't ever want to be saved I got a feelin' that I'm gonna be alive forever Dancin' on the edge of a grave..." Jim Steinman

Thanks for the explanations. I very amused by what you had to say. I also learned something as well!

Lily;

Well DUH! Boy am I dumb. I read Pearls every day and never caught the resemblance to your avatar. However, I like the crocs the most.

Now the light is on. Speaking of lights I almost lost me coffee again with the light bulb in the Peanuts lamp this morning.

If there were only two comics in the world I'd have to go for Pearls and Dilbert. Though Non-sequitur comes close to winning a place. Especially with today's!

Mike Heemer http://24.23.126.8/ Petition for choice (5 or 7) in Nov.

Lily, I like the Pearls Before Swine too. I like your Rat. I have to say I like the duck who is pig's loyal friend. He's a little violent and unstable for a duck. He sits in a bunker on Pig's front lawn, defending the property against mailmen, girl scouts and offensive neighbors. On any given day he'll squeeze off a couple of RPG's and neutralize the threats on the front lawn.

Cookie,

Actually I do almost no wondering about peoples avatars or pictures, I pretty much focus on the conversations. I've probably been targeted more then anyone else for my picture and I have wondered about that. Most of the time it is when someone is in direct dissagreement with me and it appears they are lacking any productive rebuttal so they take a swipe at my picture.

The last one to do so was Karen Lake, and she is also the only person who has repeatedly had this fixation so far.  We all talked about avatars many many months ago and no doubt it will continue to come up in conversation every once in awhile.

If her picture is a recent one then your comment about her looking 20yrs older sure won't feel good.

The picture of me in here was the only decent picture of myself that I had on my computer when I joined that was scanned a long time ago.  It is not "decades" old as K2L has suggested, it is exactly 10yrs old and I was probably 30lbs lighter.  It's a picture taken with perfect makeup, hair, lighting, etc.  In the everyday world you can never look exactly like a picture like that whether it's five minutes later or 5yrs later, it was taken under "perfect" conditions.  Create the same conditions, hair, lighting, makeup etc and the difference will be that my face is not so thin, I had lost too much weight when my first husband died and at that point was trying to gain weight back.  My face was too thin but my backside looked great!

How much I look like that picture now is subjective to several variables one of which most importantly is each persons opinion.  Those that know me well, family, longtime friends see the same person, acquaintances or strangers, both male and female are likely to have both similar and differing opinions.  I can only say there is no intent to be misleading, if that were the case I wouldn't have been honest about the picture over a year ago, and I certainly wouldn't be making efforts to meet the bloggers and attend public meetings where I run into people who read what I write in here.  I always like to put my best foot forward, whether it's behavior or appearence.  I have no doubt that if I change it at some point someone will take a shot at that one too.  Like I said, other then this thread right here where I am not specifically mentioned, anytime anyone has ever questioned my picture or been insulting it has come in the midst of a dissagreement over an issue.

This could however, be a good time to change the picture to prove my point.  I've got two teenagers who are always wanting to take pictures of me that I normally resist.  I don't really consider myself to be photogenic unless it's a professional picture. 

I would never make fun of anyones picture, there's alot more to a person then a physical appearance so there is definitely so much more to a person then a moment of time captured for others to see.  When I was 18yrs old I was better looking then some and not as good looking as others.  At 49yrs of age that reality still exists, as it does for everyone.  Personally, so far I believe time has been very kind, and I have some really good genes, and am very comfortable with how I look as I get nearer that half century mark. 

You do look great. I'd leave the picture. If I had a decent one, I'd post it. As far as Karen Lake goes, I didn't mean to take a swipe at her, I was just pointing out that her picture makes her look younger. I saw her with glasses and possibly that was the difference. Certainly she looks fine.

I really enjoyed learning about the Rat. I thought it was a mouse. Goes to show how much I know about critters.

... would be a much safer place to reside in if we all had a loyal Guard Duck like Pig, Angela. My sister has a duck she raised from an egg. Frankly, the way that duck goes after the dog, I think ducks are pretty much violent and unstable.   :>)

 Finder: Here is more info at the PBS site.  http://www.comics.com/comics/pearls/html/cast_PearlSwine.html

Lily's Lore "I don't ever want to be rescued And I don't ever want to be saved I got a feelin' that I'm gonna be alive forever Dancin' on the edge of a grave..." Jim Steinman

Marsha, Cookie, et all,

Since the subject came up months ago, as Marsha stated, I've thought that any average person would wonder what the person was like, going only by the picture in the blog.  That's just human nature.  At Marsha's blog social, I got to meet the people I conversed with, picture or no picture.  I came away from that social with the primary impression of, "What a great bunch people."  Personally, I think that's fairly high praise for people who agreed/disagreed with me, people who might have contributed to my knowlege & understanding, people whom I had never met before.

As far as the pictures go, I think it a personal choice & the reason shouldn't matter.  So if there are any fellow bloggers out there who might be deciding whether or not to include a picture or update a picture, do what you think best, what you want to do.  Just don't do it because of what someone else may say or might think @ you.  Hey!  How 'bout those CUBS?  JATFUR.

RichK 

Lily I always remember some of my friends getting little cute yellow ducks for Easter. I never thought of them being as violent and unstable. Of course they never stayed around long after the fluffy yellow cute part and Easter was over. I don't know what happened to them either. I did have some friends that had a goose. Now that was one violent and unstable guard goose. I spent some time running from him! I know one thing no one ever messed with him including the dogs.

I think we all need a guard duck and a loyal friend.

Marsha I've seen you on tv and I've seen your picture both looked good.

My worst fear is one day I'll look like my drivers license.

Ya know what, i always thought that the picure finder posted was him like thirty years ago, i had envisioned a now older man with great knowledge under the wrinkles who had held true to the mustache.  Now i have a whole new outlook at the man, old, twenty pounds heavier than the picture no mustache and no pun intended.

Lilyslore:  I have not seen many Pearls Before Swine comics but I have always liked your Rat avatar.  It gives the impression---I have something to say and I want you to hear it!   

After looking at the character descriptions, I think I might be Zebra. 

I have looked at free avatars but have never found one that said “me”.  

Angela, I can tell you what happened to the duck I was given by a school lunch-time friend in Jr. High.  We were playing with it on a picnic table in my backyard and I walked away only to look back and see a cat attack it in a flash. Traumatic.  Nothing you can do after the fact.   

A lesson was received to think ahead and that cats are sneaky because I never even knew it was there. 

I thought we were given the avatars to choose from so that there could be some anonyminity to voicing our opinion so that we could truly voice our true thoughts without being "known" in the real world, i.e. the workplace, in our comuunity where we live, where our kids go/went to school, etc. If you really knew who I am personally, I would not be so open about my comments and true feelings.

LOVE the new picture Marsha, although I thought your old one was fine.

I must confess to wondering what my fellow bloggers REALLY look like, but since I changed mine from my picture to a Larry Boy cartoon a while back, I don't expect that to happen anytime soon. BTW, the reason I changed my picture was not necessarily to protect me, but my young kids. I'm a big girl, and can take care of myself, but I felt the need to protect my babies like any mother hen. There was a comment made about my picture that spurred me into thinking maybe I should change it. (Not for the person making the comment, but for any stalkers out there.) Paranoid? Maybe. Protective? Definitely.

I completely understand the lack of pictures and abundance of avatars.

KC

Don't give up critical analysis for wishful thinking. -Joey Skaggs

Anonyminity is the major reason behind an avatar... once the mystery is exposed, if someone doesn't agree with you they know who you are and what you are all about.

I changed mine almost daily for a while, because I was trying to find my perfect one. I think I settled on the current one because it is jimmaxie in the picture.

when I first started every one thought I was a guy because of my user name, I didn't tell them any different until I was exposed.

The MCS blog party was held a few weeks back and thanks to Marsha we all had a lovely time, got to put names with avatars and faces with the user name. A very nice bunch of people.

Below are a few of the avatars that I have used in the past. Depending on what is going on in my life or what kind of mood I want to convey. 

(Okay, I know this is superficial) but I can't help myself!

The new avatar is great!  Marsha, you look younger in the new avatar.  I have never been a fan of "glamour shots". I don't know you, but my impression of you is--a pull no punches, no nonsense, kind of woman who has a very fun, wicked sense of humor! The new avatar gives that impression!

Oh my gosh. I love the new picture of you. It does make you look younger by years. We are probably the same age. It does help to have a face with the picture. I understand you more. Great picture.

Cookie,

Thanks for starting the thread, as I've said several times I had thought more then once about changing it but refused to do so on principle whenever someone chose to take a shot at it.  I would end up forgetting about it until the next time someone wanted to hurl a personal insult because they had nothing better to say. Your thread gave me a reminder that wasn't personally directed at me.  My daughters took the picture on our back porch over the weekend. I will be 50yrs old in December.

My BFF has always said that picture made me look older then I really looked, I thought she was just being nice although she's one of the most honest people I know.

Angela & KC

I keep forgetting when you speak in front of the BCC you're on the tube, I don't have cable so I never get to see it. Thanks for your kind words.

CV,

Glad you like the new picture, the reason I had those professional pictures taken was because I was making an effort to begin anew and it was something frivilous and fun that helped to distract a grieving widow.  I agree they aren't really realistic.  I think you've got a good general feel for my personality in your description.  I really do have a sense of humor, and I do have a wicked streak, my daughters all think I have a "wicked laugh". 

What people use for names and avatars is a personal choice, and there is no real way for me to articulate why mine was to just be who I am without it being misunderstood as criticism by someone who has chosen with one or both to not make the same choice I did.

 http://24.23.126.8/ Petion for Choice in Nov  7 Commissioners or 5

Marsha, Cookie or whoever,

OK, I give up.  Everyone is raving @ Marsha's new pic.  Where the heck is it?

RichK

I was and still am having problems with that myself. It has to do with clearing your cookies, cache etc. Aol is giving me problems with it, one minute its the new one, the next it's the old one. 

http://24.23.126.8/ Petiton for Choice in Nov 7 Commissioners or 5

I Felt That…. By GhostWriter - Sun, 05/13/2007 - 7:54pm

The response to my first blog explains my Avatar. I think it would be kinda cool for all of to go back and post our  first blog that we have written.   

I Felt That…. Wada wellllcome!

Thank all of you for the feelings of warmth, Yesss! Even you U.R,. Don’t assume that I am a he; please, but then again I could be. Who am I? I am the GhostWriter I could be your best friend, or your worst enemy. I could be your neighbor. Richk that is a scary thought! I will tell you who I am not. I am not related to the Ghost Whisperer. Ahh! But I am invisible; the power of invisibility makes me invincible. I will stay in the shadows and watch and wait for my chance to strike at the one’s who proclaim to be something that they are not. You know who you are. I don’t care to be fare and balanced, or politically correct. My opinion is mine and not one can take it from me. The power to conquer is in the pen, not in the sword.  The power from within comes from choice. The choices that I make create the character that I so choose too be that day. And the ones that challenge me give me the strength to conquer the pen I put to paper, but today I choose the most powerful of all, I choose friendship. After all that; I just hope I can make a positive contribution too this site.  Thank all of you for the warm welcome! GhostWriter           

.. to Marsha's post.

Man I hate when you have to clear your cookies!

Mike Heemer http://24.23.126.8/ Petition for choice (5 or 7) in Nov.

Marsha--thanks for the "old" avatar history. I enjoy things that "fill in the blanks" I bet the old pic really did help with the fresh start!  I also appreciate that you changed the picture when YOU wanted to, not when someone took a tacky swipe.  You set a good example for those daughters you (occaisonally and quite proudly) mention! I respect a woman who stands her ground!

Sort of off the avatar topic but pertains to "filling in the blanks"  If anyone has any influence over Pioneer--I would love to see another family story.  I believe she said there were more?

How about it Pi?????

Marsha,

I know that we're all good blog buddies & stuff, but isn't telling some one to clear their cookies a little personal?  I mean when I clear my mind, clear my throat, clear my nose, clear my sinuses or clear anything else, I try to do it in private & wouldn't dream of telling another person to clear something as personal as their cookies.  After all, what would Miss Manners say?

But on a serious note, I've got a cookie/pop up blocker & wouldn't know how to clear my cookies if my life depended on it. I guess I'll wait till my computer godess gets home & consult her.  After all, that's why she's making the big bucks.  But thanks for the heads up.

RichK

Clayvoter,

This is off topic, but CV asked and Pioneer answers!

I really appreciate that you and others have enjoyed my stories that I posted in the past. Actually, those were very spontaneous and posted without much thought. Now I'm under pressure and putting thought into it to decide what story to post. If I put too much thought into it, it might not be near as good as the ones I've already done and my fear is that it will disappoint my loyal readers.

I just returned from a genealogical sojourn to North Carolina and found an original cabin built by more 4th great grandfather in 1758. Then it was on to Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Accomac Co., VA, in search of other grandparents and stories from the 1600's.

Last stop was St. Mary's City, Maryland--Maryland's first capital. My grandfather from 10 generations ago was a noteworthy citizen there. We attended a ribbon cutting, lecture, and tea honoring this relative and the opening of an exhibit featuring him. ( If you remember what happened to poor Calvin Hastings, you also remember that many of my relatives would hot have been honored with such a distinguished ceremony!)

At my family reunion, I always have some tale about an ancestor to tell. Believe me, I will be able to hold their interest this year.

Look for my next story right before Memorial Day. I hope to write about my Florida pioneer great great great grandfather who settled almost 200 years ago in Clay County.

Pioneer,

There's always been a part of me that was envious of people who could trace their heritage back a # of generations.  How far back do you intend to go?  Hope that you find your distant relatives were royalty or something like that.  We could all use a bit of class & bragging rights.  Good luck.  Looking forward to future posts on this.

RichK

Pioneer

They have DNA kits out on the market that will also help you in tracking your roots.

They send you the kit and you swab your mouth, send it and send the results

backhttp://www.familytreedna.com/kit.html

TRUTHHURTS

Solo,

This is hard, tedious work, especially since no one in my family knew squat beyond parents and grandparents (And most people in the family don't give diddly squat about their past!!.) .

The further back you go, the harder your ancestry is to document, unless the line goes to royalty. I have one line that appears to go back to Old King Cole and Lady Godiva. Whether that connection can be proved in my lifetime is another question. I started years ago with just paper and pencils and only 2 surnames. I am sure I have several hundred surnames now.

Proving royal roots matters not to me. There's nothing better than being a good old Clay County Pioneer that loves this hallowed ground, family, and friends.

I hope one day the genealogy bug will bite you. Beware, though, once bitten, the ITCH stays with you!