sweet blog, delia. I still dont' totally get how something coming into your senses isn't as real as something else, but cool. I love how interactive the Zone is and this place ain't bad, but we are forced to write to each other, and that can't be bad. I can't believe how fast I can type now. And, like you, there are a lot of really good writers on these pages. Even Dickhead Duke.

^^^worst post ever!

Hey, this is such a lovely and intelligent discussion! Well done. There are GD online communities in which people are a lot kinder to each other than dead.net or philzone. People make a sincere effort to maintain non-insulting, intelligent discussions and practice giving and kindness, and over time they become very family-like. I think partly because it's on such a larger scale these bigger forums tend to run off the rails, and also because the anonymity of internet posting is less likely to make people think twice before making fools of themselves or being hurtful to others. I really hope that this new community can prove that Deadheads can still be respectful and kind to each other, and that we can act with wisdom and intelligence in our dealings with each other.

A good rule of thumb I learned at another forum: don't let yourself fall into exchanges of personal insults, and if someone is making trouble just ignore them, they almost always go away! Also subtly changing the subject is a useful tool.

Which GD online communities? Are they recruiting??

Who you callin a hippie?

Bob Weir said this about Bear, and well, I think it would work to define "Mean Hippie" for those who bemoan the fact that deadheads aren't all about pixie dust and glitter:

"always critical and questioning, but not negatively so much as playfully."

People are people, they have good days, bad days and sometimes are mean for no apparent reason. Other times they are purposefully mean.

Other times they practice unconditional kindness for no particular reason.

Stereotyping people or fans of the GD is not a good idea.

DONT TRIP ON THE NEGATIVE THINGS SOMEONE PUTS ANYWHERE. THIS COMMUNITY IS AND ALWAYS WILL BE ONE THE BEST IN THE WORLD, THERE'S ALWAYS GONNA BE THAT 2% THATS OFF CENTER. GOOD JOB ON PUTTING THOSE SMOKES DOWN.

Yea yea yea, the internet sucks we've heard it before.

Get yourself out to a show and experience the REAL furthur/deadhead scene. You know what im talking about. You remember those events where the band gets together and the fans come and the band plays and the fans enjoy it and dance. THATS WERE THE REAL GOOD STUFF IS HAPPENING BUDDY. YOUR NOT GOING TO FIND THAT ON THE INTERNET.

WGJORDAN3, Shakeit... you guys are right. There have been a lot of good points made in this thread. It was ultimately just how I was feeling at the moment. I learned long ago not to believe everything I think. I regret spreading my momentary misery around. I made a few generalizations of my own and that was wrong. Thanks for bearing with me.

(post takes random turn)

Smoking Update : It's day 8 and feeling confident. Each craving for a cigarette only lasts a few minutes and it really isn't that awful a feeling when you think about it. I mean, people act like quitting cigarettes is the equivalent of having bamboo shoots shoved under your finger nails or something. It's really just mildly annoying at best. Heck, DIETING is harder! Seriously. A cig craving sucks, but it only last a few minutes. Distract yourself and it will go away (that's what I'm doing right now!!!!). Being hungry stays until you eat, and messing with hunger is messing with something primal. We do need food, we don't need tobacco. Perhaps is we didn;t pre-convince ourselves that quitting smoking was going to be the hardest thing we ever did then... it wouldn't be.

Lynx, good luck stopping smoking!

What is highly amusing is how people give a crap what some faceless joker says to them on the internet. Who cares? Its a lark, a joke and it has no bearing whatsoever on your real life, unless YOU choose to let it......the deader than thou types who want to tell everyone how to be "kind" irritate me a hell of alot more than any of the wise asses or troills.