It's time.

[only_more_love]

There are some new folks on my f-list, and since I don't remember doing a post like this before, I think it's time. 

Re:  "friending/defriending":

• Here in my journal, every day is defriending amnesty day.  That means you -- the general you -- should feel free to defriend me whenever you want.  No explanations required.  I don't take friending/defriending personally.  Actually, I think the term "friending" at LiveJournal is a terrible misnomer.  Some of the people on my list have become friends, some are acquaintances, some are lurkers or silent readers, and with some of them I have no idea why they added me.  :)
• I like to talk to new people; don't be shy. 
  
• You should also feel free to add me.  However, unless I know you offline or from another place on the 'net, I will not automatically add you back.  The reason for that is very simple:  I do post some personal content in this journal, so I like to have a sense of who's potentially reading. I don't always notice when someone's added me.  If you want me to add you back, just drop me a note. I add people at my discretion.
  
• I do make occasional use of LiveJournal's filtering capabilities.  That means that some of my personal posts are not viewable by every single person on my list. 
  
• I generally leave a note before adding random people, but if I forgot to do that and added you anyway, please know that it's probably because I found something interesting about your posts. 
  

Why I'm here at LiveJournal:

• To share my own fanworks and be exposed to others' fanworks.
• To post my thoughts, analyses, and squee about fannish obsessions and life in general.
• To vent.
• To be a part of communities of people who share similar interests.
• To talk to people and share in their interests and personal journeys.
  
• To exchange ideas, debate, disagree, and be involved in passionate but well-reasoned discussions.  Not to fight with people, call them names, or threaten them.  You won't often find me fighting with anyone in my journal or in others' journals.  I believe you can respectfully challenge the substance of someone's opinion without insulting that person or needlessly personalizing the discussion. 
  
• To read and write and talk about both.

A few things about how I perceive the world:

• I see a lot of grey in the world now.  When I was 16, I saw many things in black and white.  At 30, I see things I didn't see at 16.  I've since had life experiences I didn't have at 16.
• I don't hate many things, but I detest the notion that if you are critical of something, that makes you a "hater" or a "bad fan."  To me, that's as preposterous as saying that you don't love your family and friends if you dislike or disagree with any of their actions or words.
• I believe in thinking critically.  Passion is good.  Feelings are good.  Knee-jerk reactions are not so good.  I'll be 31 in August; I try my best to conduct myself like an adult and not indulge in fits of drama.  Sometimes I succeed.
  
• I'm generally slow to anger, but if someone bites me, I just might bite back.
  
• I'm thoughtful -- full of thoughts. 
  
• I know I'm not perfect, and I don't expect perfection from others.
  
• I'm interested in people and what motivates them, frightens them, uplifts them. 
  
• As I recently said to trilliane, I am often aware of how fortunate I am because of the time and place in which I live; I don't think the freedom to speak, dissent, and yes, even laugh, can be taken seriously enough. A different spin of the wheel and I could live in a place where to speak is to risk death.
• I laugh a lot -- at my own faults and foibles and those of others.  It's one of the ways I process and cope with the world; life is long.

Comments

[plazmah.livejournal.com]

I didn't know you were 30! Due to the nature of the internet, I always assume everyone is younger than me. ;)

[lerdo.livejournal.com]

Yes'm, I am 30. :)

I hear you. I've sometimes assumed the same thing -- and then discovered that the person in question was decades older than me. *g*

You're in your twenties, right? (Forgive me if I'm wrong; I think I read that somewhere in journal at some point.)

[tempertemper77.livejournal.com]

In contrast I have a friend around here I chatted to for ages, assuming her to be similar in age to us (I'm 31... I think you know that ;) ANYWAY... turns out she is much younger, just damn mature ;)

[pinktealeaves.livejournal.com]

That makes me the oldest? I'll be 35 at the end of July, it's a bit scary, but on the other side it's funny to be an adult that is aware of many things she wasn't as a teenager, but still behaves like one sometimes.

I like this post, by the way.

I know I'm not perfect, and I don't expect perfection from others. -- > I try this to be like a commandment for me.

[lerdo.livejournal.com]

That makes me the oldest?

Depends on who you ask. :) I believe makd is somewhere in the neighborhood of 55-60.

One can be a teenager at heart. ;)

I try this to be like a commandment for me.

If practiced enough, it's a pretty useful way to live.

[lerdo.livejournal.com]

You just never know. *g* (And yes, I know you're 31.)

[plazmah.livejournal.com]

Indeed; I’m 27 and not looking forward to the big 3-0.

Interestingly enough, sometimes I friend people who I assume to be in their mid-twenties and then it’s a shock to find out they are teenagers!

[lerdo.livejournal.com]

*g* 30 might be better than you think. I find that I actually like who I am at 30 better than who I was at 20.

Interestingly enough, sometimes I friend people who I assume to be in their mid-twenties and then it’s a shock to find out they are teenagers!

You just never know. Sometimes it can be pretty tough to pinpoint age.

[heather-berry78.livejournal.com]

Lovely post! (I'm 30 too - what's up with that!)

*I laugh a lot -- at my own faults and foibles and those of others. It's one of the ways I process and cope with the world; life is long.*


Amen!

[wimseynotes.livejournal.com]

Sorry pinktealeaves, I was about to enter high school when you were born! I think (barring other confessions) I win the eldest competition!

When I started 'social networking', I assumed everyone was 18 or younger (and let people assume that about me, too). Now I know differently, and I love talking to people of all ages from all over the world.

Perfect is boring, lerdo - go for eccentrically interesting!

[tidbit2008.livejournal.com]

Excellent use of bullet points, my friend. hee. I like this post. It's interesting and very informative. I think I generally knew some of these things, but it's always nice to be reassured.

Now! Quick! How old do you think I am? No cheating! (and yes, I'm aware that you quite possibly already know, and that then this is pointless)

[lerdo.livejournal.com]

Duh. Do you think I don't know who you are at this point, A.? *g* I don't know your exact age, but I know you're 17 or 18. We've talked about this before. Plus you just graduated high school and are off to college in August, and I know you weren't five years behind in school or something. :P

As for the bullet points, they were fun to use. They just look neat. (Yes, I am easily amused.)

[tidbit2008.livejournal.com]

I was just checking :P hee. And yes, I am 18. Although, I've been accused of being both younger and older.. o_0 go figure.

They do look neat. And I'm easily amused as well, s'all good.

[kaydee23.livejournal.com]

Wow! You're so young! I'm 46. I can barely remember 30.

[lerdo.livejournal.com]

Wow! You're so young!

Ha! I suppose it depends on which side of 30 one's sitting on. *g*

[makd.livejournal.com]

[Does Numfar's Dance of Joy, to the tune of the theme song from "Rocky".]

Hello, I'm 63, and pretty sure I'm the oldest person here. :-)

[lerdo.livejournal.com]

You're also adorable. *g*

[late-heart.livejournal.com]

Well, crap.

There I was, hoping to get on the old bat train and take my place as an elder and who should trump me but makd, with 11 years.

Old bats rule, baby! 52 and counting.

[lerdo.livejournal.com]

You and makd could still mud wrestle for the title of Grand Old Bat. *plants tongue firmly in cheek*

[siapom.livejournal.com]

This is what I like about you! You just put it all out there, matter of fact as can be. :-D

As for age, I appear to be falling right in the middle at 34. But, I agree that perception of life gets better with age. Heck, maybe in the next decade or two I'll even be able to find some true wisdom! lol

[mdemvizi.livejournal.com]

I thought you were a lot younger. I so put you at about 25.

Most likely one of the youngest here - 15! Will be 16 in November.

[freevortex.livejournal.com]

Hmm, 15 here too, 16 in October.
Wow. I feel young...

[soulwhispers.livejournal.com]

age on the internet amuses me b/c i never guess correctly. given that my 56 year old mother can't even turn on a computer, i'm proud that others can.

some friends i've made have turned out to be just very mature 14-17 year olds. btw my birthday was saturday and i'm freshly 22. :)

[http://users.livejournal.com/_missmargaret_/]

Just saw you'd had a birthday and thought I'd say "Happy Birthday!" Yay for the 20-somethings. (I'm 23.)

And I agree about guessing ages, I gave it up a long time ago when I realized I was never right! :)

[soulwhispers.livejournal.com]

aw thanks, it was a pretty crappy one. my own mother didn't even call me. *sigh*

[http://users.livejournal.com/_missmargaret_/]

Good to know you a little bit more Lerdo. :)

Really though, I like this post. It's nice to get to know where we're all coming from.

[bea-tricks.livejournal.com]

this is a great post.

i myself am 27, but i don't usually pay much attention to age. (sometimes i have to stop and calculate) i'm looking forward to thirty, i guess i should count myself one of the lucky ones who really doesn't give a damn about the numbers. i'm just looking forward to knowing then what i don't know now.

[http://users.livejournal.com/alderaan_/]

I don't usually pay much attention to age. (sometimes i have to stop and calculate)
Mwhahahahaha Me too.
I'll be… *calculate*… 35 at September xP

Besos

[inanna-ishtar.livejournal.com]

Lovely post :0)

I love how in almost (if not) everyones comments there is a mention of age. I'll continue that ;-)
I don't know what age ppl would put me at based on my LJ. I have flailing fangirly moments a lot, and I think that tends to lower my age (and possibly my IQ) somewhat.
I don't act giddy and silly offline unless you know me REALLY well. At work I'm very mature. The funny thing is, I LOOK young.
I'm 30 in January, but no one's ever guessed higher than 23 when guessing my age, and I still get ID'd for alcohol (the legal age is 18 here) and when trying to get into pubs.
Infact I recently shocked a lot of ppl at work when I said to one girl I'd trade places with her: she could have my 30th birthday if I could have her 21st. Suddenly I had a bunch of wide eyes and open mouths all around me. One girl sat there for a good five minutes just staring at me, repeating "Really?.... Really?....REALLY?" I've been asked to produce ID to prove my age on more than one occasion around workmates.

So age is really a funny thing, and because of how messed up mine seems to be I don't really focus on it when friending ppl.
If I like what they post in their LJ, then age doesn't matter.

I love reactions to ages though. It cracks me up IRL, and the comments on those two numbers you put in your post have been really interesting.

[soyan.livejournal.com]

How appropriate - I was just about to leave you a note saying that I made a separate fandom journal, and I'd realized I'd never friended you, which seemed odd. So, uh, this is gah_warrior saying hi and friending you :D

More on-topic? This, along with everything else you write, was lovely to read :D