Places to Chat
Reunion thread! Hey
Chatterbox: Chirp at Cricket
Reunion thread! Hey
Reunion thread! Hey everybody! Valentine's Day is coming up in less than a week. Some of you already know this, but if you don't, February 14 is a day for old CBers to come back and say hi. I know I'm a little early, but I wanted to make sure there was a centralized place for old CBers to pop up so that we're not spread across eight threads in all corners of the CB. I'll post a longer, more personal hello once this gets posted, but I wanted to leave the intro pretty short so that we don't all have to scroll through it.
Also, just so it's clear: I'm the one posting this thread, but it isn't my thread! It's just a centralized place for CBers new, old, and somewhere in between to reunite. Feel free to add your own hello's, no matter if you're a visiting or current CBer. See you on Valentine's Day! :)
~Starseeker
submitted by Starseeker, age 204 moons, Class of 2022
(February 8, 2022 - 9:59 pm)
(February 8, 2022 - 9:59 pm)
Hello! I was active on the Chatterbox from around 2011 - 2015 (10 years ago - yikes, I'm old) but thought I'd stop in to say hi to old faces!
I'm probably best remembered here for starting the ski lodges and being kind of a weird teenager, hahaha. It's cool to see a lot of CBers I recognize from the later years of my time here. A couple months ago, I ran into an old CBer on Twitter, and that reminded me that I should check in this Valentine's Day.
Right now, I work as a translator doing a whole bunch of everything. I've subtitled a lot of anime (including shows some of you probably watched, but sorry, I'm not allowed to talk about which ones) and work on games, books, and more. Right now, I'm translating my first book - a fantasy novel for teens - which is due to release this summer. Maybe some of you will read that too! Many thanks to Cricket and the CB for encouraging my love of reading and writing which have helped me a lot in this career.
I'm also due to graduate college in a few days (whoo!). Apart from school and work, I do outreach and advocacy for people with schizophrenia and other severe mental disabilities. Up until a few months ago, I worked with kids of all ages and loved it, and so I still do some tutoring on the side for fun. I love hearing the ideas of younger people. You all have amazing things to say!
Hope everyone is doing well. Take care of yourselves! I'll be around to chat on this thread for a few days if any old friends want to say hi.
(February 14, 2022 - 11:07 am)
Hello! You absolutely would not recognize me, as I joined 5 years after you left, but its wonderful to see you! I've dug through some really old chatterbox posts, so I've probably seen you around before. I'm so glad you remembered to check in with the chatterbox. It is still thriving and it has both changed a lot and not changed at all since you were here. I think Valentine's Day reunions are pretty amazing. Have fun staying on the chatterbox for a little while, and then with the rest of your life.
(February 14, 2022 - 11:57 am)
Hello, WordSong. It's nice to meet you! Thanks for the warm welcome. You're right that the Chatterbox is the same in that everyone is still so friendly and creative, but I am very surprised to see how open the chat has become about discussing LGBT+ things. Back in my day (shakes cane, pops in dentures) we had to walk uphill both ways in the snow and didn't hardly talk about anything like that. I remember it was pretty taboo to even mention having a crush on someone of the same gender. So seeing this kind of acceptance is really pleasant! Back when I was teaching, it surprised me how often people your age and younger were open to talking about liking people of different genders and also being different genders. So I'm glad to see that the CB is continuing to change to be more open and friendlier for everyone. You're all doing an amazing job. :)
(February 15, 2022 - 1:06 am)
Hi Ruby! I'm glad you're doing so well and working on such incredible projects. I'm not sure whether you remember me, but I definitely remember interacting with you. I always found you such an interesting and kind person, and you truly made me feel like I could be a part of this community right from the beginning. The things you did, like including me on compliment threads or picturings, meant a great deal. It's something I tried to learn then and now continue doing, making sure that others feel welcome and a part of community spaces. Paying attention to the newcomers or those who seem a little "outside", and inviting them to take part.
Congratulations on your upcoming graduation! I hope many good things continue to come your way. It's so good to see you again!
(February 14, 2022 - 12:57 pm)
Hi, Cockleburr! Yes, I definitely remember you. I'm very flattered that you have such positive memories of our interactions, and kudos to you for carrying that forward. You've grown up to become quite the admirable person! What are you up to these days?
(February 15, 2022 - 12:29 am)
Hi Ruby! I don't know if you remember me, but I definitely remember you--honestly, I always really looked up to you. Like Cockleburr said, I'm glad that you're doing so well, and that you have such an (imo) objectively cool job. There's just something really heartening about seeing someone who I knew on the CB way back when out there thriving and living successfully as an adult.
Congratulations on your upcoming graduation, and (even though it seems like you have things more than under control already) good luck with this whole adulthood thing!
(February 14, 2022 - 10:52 pm)
Hi, Indigo! Yes, I do remember you. Good luck with your second semester of senior year. It's so exciting that you're about to graduate! Do you have any plans for the summer? Hopefully you'll be able to relax a bit and take it easy, especially with a gap year. What are you doing for a job?
Thank you for your kind words as well. I think my job is pretty cool too! It's a ton of work at times, but I love almost every moment of it, and I'm so happy to be achieving my dream. Adulthood is turning out to be much, much better than childhood ever was, so I hope you enjoy the adulthood thing too. Good luck with it as well!
(February 15, 2022 - 12:52 am)
Thank you! Hahah, honestly it's pretty surreal for me. I think because the pandemic means I didn't have a lot of the usual experiences teens do as they age, my impending adulthood hasn't really sunk in yet. Sometimes it almost feels like I'm going to get a call one day telling me I never finished out my 2020 school year and I need to get back in my sophmore classes ASAP.
Honestly I don't really have any summer plans. I should probably figure it out soon, but recently I've just been so busy that about as far ahead as I can think is when my next paper or presentation or exam is, lol.
The gap program I'm applying to is a language immersion program, so if I get in I'll be spending a year abroad. Honestly, the whole thing is a little scary, and unfortunately I don't really think it would qualify as being relaxing, but I'm really excited about it--I think the experience would really help me grow. I've always wanted to travel, and I love learning about other cultures, so this just seems like such a fantastic opportunity for me.
If I don't get in, I'm just going to take some classes at my local community college and then transfer, since that's a lot cheaper than going straight to a four year. I've already taken some classes there because of the program I'm in, and I've had a pretty good experience overall with that, so I'm not really worried. I'm actually taking an architecture class with them right now with them that I'm really enjoying--it's so cool to hear about all the philosophy and culture underlying different buildings and different styles, and I'm unreasonably delighted by my new ability to identify some (very basic) features on the buildings around me.
My job isn't very interesting, just an average minimum wage costumer service job, but it's pretty chill, and the hours are really convenient, too. It's funny because I used to go to my workplace as a customer, and things look totally different from this perspective than they did as a customer.
I'm so glad to hear that! Thank you! Like I said, adulthood doesn't seem quite real to me, and I'm honestly pretty anxious about all of it, but I'm trying to be optimistic <3
(February 16, 2022 - 1:42 am)
Oh man- there are really some people here who are wayyy older than me lol. So cool to see the older peeps graduating to bigger and better things
(February 15, 2022 - 1:16 pm)
Hi! I'm Peregrine. I know you don't know me, but I wanted to say how cool I think it is that you know another language well enough to be a translator. I would love to be that fluent in two languages. I'm working on it, it's going very slowly. How did you learn another language?
(February 15, 2022 - 7:45 pm)
Hi, Peregrine, nice to meet you! It's awesome that you're working on acquiring another language. What language are you learning? It really does take a long time and a whole lot of practice to be fluent, and even longer to be at native speaker level. So keep working at it every day, and you'll keep making progress!
Japanese is my third language, and I started self-studying (kind of) when I was 11. I also took a class in it for a few months at school and enjoyed how easy it was for me to pronounce as compared to languages like Chinese. Maybe not the best decision making at work, but... at least I don't have to worry about tones (much). Then from seventh grade to twelfth grade, I studied it in school. After graduating high school, I started translating for fun/practice and eventually went pro last year. So I've been working with this language for about ten, eleven years, but even then there's still a lot I don't know. I'm a strong reader but struggle with speaking and writing since I don't do it much. But the best way to better get at these things is to practice! So I started taking classes again and self-studying a few months ago. Keep practicing, making sure to have a large variety in your practice, and be patient with yourself as you make mistakes. The mistakes are how you learn. You've got this!
(February 16, 2022 - 8:36 pm)
Thank you for your encouragement and for sharing how you learned Japanese! It is really inspiring, and I'm grateful for the encouragement. The journey of learning another language seems daunting at many times. I'm learning Mandarin Chinese, and the pronunciation gets me frequently.
Japanese, both the culture and the language, fascinates me. Maybe I will try learning it after Chinese. Have you ever been to Japan?
(February 19, 2022 - 2:00 pm)
Happy Valentine's Day everyone! It's so great to see everyone coming back to say hello and I have really enjoyed reading everyone's posts.
I am Peregrine, after the falcon. I love reading, writing, knitting, crafting, and spending time outdoors, but my passion is practicing and playing the violin. I play mostly classical music, though I do enjoy playing bluegrass, folk, and fiddle.
My current knitting projects are a pretty lace cowl (it's going very slowly with frequent ripping) and a pair of socks. I ususally knit socks with very thin yarn, so knitting this pair of socks with thicker yarn is something new and I am hoping they don't turn out looking like huge wooly tubes.
I hope to see all of you next Valentine's!
(February 14, 2022 - 12:33 pm)
Oh wow, it's been a whole year since I left the CB, huh? Feels like three! So much has happened...
Oh, where are my manners? My name is Ella Starburst, and my claim to fame is being the founder of the Monthly-check ups or MCUs that frequent the This Month page!( Yes, post-Ella chatterboxers, those used to be all me! Twas exhausting, but worth it...) My old MCUs featured my AEs, Andrea...
Hiya! I represent Ella's right brain!
Zeke...
Left Brain.
And Kazmara-
(*)-Whose name you definetely did NOT forget and had to scour This Month for reminders!(*)
shhhshshshshs.
And Sammy...poor Sammy...
Let her soul be rested.
(*)Still miss the girl. But hey Ella, what have you been up to since you left!
I'm glad you asked! Well, I recentely moved to Wisconsin-
Stop saying recentely. You moved there late October of last year.
still a party pooper, I see. ANYWAY, I joined a school that is a lot more polite and well-kept! I also joined debate club which was-
An incredibly rewarding experience-
And the most stressed we've ever been. Holy CRUD.
yeah, but I made a lot - okay Zeke FINE - a few really good friends and improved my speaking skills a lot! I'm also doing a production of Shrek the musical at my new school. We're really close to show week!
but yeah, that's all I can think of right now! I'm sure I'll have some better things to say later and I'll do my best to answer any questions y'all might have! and maybe I'll sneak around on OTHER parts of the CB...
(February 14, 2022 - 2:40 pm)
Hey Ella! I'm not sure if you remember me, but I certainly remember you and your MCUs. They were so much fun! Your enthusiasm and kindness was always so inspiring. It's great to hear from you again!
(February 15, 2022 - 11:23 am)