I appreciate all the positive suggestions we receive.
I have something for all to consider when the reputation system gets your knickers in a knot:
Take a moment and think about all the people you know in real life - not just close friends, not just the people you *know* really well, but everyone you know, whom you've met, who know people who know you. Then there are people who have only heard of you and are slightly familiar with what you do. Include people from work, people from school, people from class, people from church .... That circle of people becomes quite large.
If someone who knows someone who knows you talks crap about you ... how pissed are you going to get? What if they continue to talk crap about you? What if they complain to the other someone-you-know about something they hate about you?
Exactly how much does this bother you? And exactly how much *should* it bother you?
If someone you've never met but only heard of and who's only heard of you sees you at the store and tells you you're an idiot, what are you going to do? Deck 'em? Shoot 'em? Call 911?
If any of those three or similar, you'd be SERIOUSLY overreacting.
And what in the world are we going to do about people talking about us behind our backs?!? Do you really think you can control what people say about you when you're not around? Just because you don't know about it doesn't keep it from happening.
You know, ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING. You're either going to try to take your rep points to the bank, or you're going to put them on the shelf and admire how twinkly they are. Could you live without them? Sure. Do they count for much? MMM ... that depends on you and YOU ALONE.
Frankly, the reputation system here supplies members with an opportunity to provide an honest, anonymous opinion and the recipient the opportunity to consider the words and decide how much they will affect that person's persona, thought process, etcetera.
Mandated honesty and the controlling of others to the extent where they cannot even provide their opinion is so Orwellian that if we ever go that far here, I will close my account immediately in Libertarian protest.
Now ... on to more important topics:
Artichokes.
Is it a vegetable? a fruit? what? Exactly how much excuse do I need to suck something fatty off the leaves of a plant? Ah, no. Put my mayonaise or "magic dressing" on my cheeseburger, thank you - tastes better.
And ... could ya do the same with Rhododendron leaves? They're not as poisonous to humans as you may think.
What about Cactus? ever eat cactus? I hear it's REALLY fibrous.
And here's a serious question for ya ... how are you supposed to eat a pomegranate with aplomb? How would Miss Manners eat one at a formal dinner?
Would it be rude to pull out my tanto folder and pick the seeds out of my teeth? Could I use it to cut the fruit open? Maybe I should bash the fruit with a stick ... OH OH OH! I know! I'll split it open with a jumping back kick ... unless someone moves it ....
*sigh*
... so many options ... so little time ....
