Letter From Aubrielle.

Welcome back. I hope you start reviewing again. It is refreshing to have another perspective on our hobby and you write extremely well. Glad to "hear" your voice once more. The world would be pretty boring with only radical republicans speaking.

Thank you so much! :heart: That's actually a huge compliment and it's really encouraging. :)
 
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Nothing wrong at all with taking a break from things, one must always remember to take care of you! When you can, just keep in touch and /bonk us on the heads every so often.

As for Trump, "this too shall pass."
 
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Welcome back Homeslice!

Glad to hear from you again. That's always such a strange thing to say. Because we don't actually hear you. I could say good to see you again, but we don't really see you either. Good to read you, maybe? Speaking of reading, i'm sure we'd all love to have your writing back here, but don't stress. One thing at a time. Also, Emmascribbles no longer exists, did you replace it with anything else? Hope you're still enjoying Tim Horton's coffee on game release nights!
 
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Nice to hear from you Aubrielle, wish you all of the best!

Lovely gift, really looks awesome!

+1 to reviews, even snip bits from you!

Strafe, the "lurker" that dreams to a knight
 
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:glomp:

Welcome back!
 
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Hi Aubrielle - Trump is a (dangerous) idiot, but don't let him destroy your life and happiness. He's not worth it.
 
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Nothing wrong at all with taking a break from things, one must always remember to take care of you! When you can, just keep in touch and /bonk us on the heads every so often.

As for Trump, "this too shall pass."

I can only hope you're right!

Welcome back Homeslice!

Glad to hear from you again. That's always such a strange thing to say. Because we don't actually hear you. I could say good to see you again, but we don't really see you either. Good to read you, maybe? Speaking of reading, i'm sure we'd all love to have your writing back here, but don't stress. One thing at a time. Also, Emmascribbles no longer exists, did you replace it with anything else? Hope you're still enjoying Tim Horton's coffee on game release nights!

Word!

Though in a way, we do hear each other, right? I mean, most of the time, I think our brains tend to pair text with a voice? And the way we write definitely reflects the way we think, and that itself is a kind of voice?

Thank you for saying so! I'm honored! :) I had no idea anyone would be interested in what I had to say! I've moved my blog to cassieyorke.wordpress.com (you can also get there by clicking the typewriter picture on the previous page of this post).

Haha, I haven't done a release night in quite a while, though Mass Effect Andromeda did come out while I was gone, and I am in the most unpopular camp that likes MEA, and will defend it. ;) Though I won't say so anywhere else on the forum because I'm a writer, not a rugby player…

It's great to hear from you too, Caddy! :heart:

Nice to hear from you Aubrielle, wish you all of the best!

Lovely gift, really looks awesome!

+1 to reviews, even snip bits from you!

Strafe, the "lurker" that dreams to a knight

Thanks, Strafe! :hug:

:glomp:

Welcome back!

Thanks muchly! :hug:

Hi Aubrielle - Trump is a (dangerous) idiot, but don't let him destroy your life and happiness. He's not worth it.

You're right, of course. I think at the time, nobody had any idea how he would channel all this psychotic rage on the far right. I remember the night after he got elected, my wife and I went out to pick up a pizza. Everyone on campus was kinda just standing around in little circles, talking quietly. The despair and the fear were in the air. Everybody here was scared and we all did what we could to enjoy each other's company. I think we were afraid of him, but we were equally afraid of his followers. In the years since, I've become not nearly as afraid of either one. If I refuse to live in fear or constant anger, then in a way I've won - I'm not fueling all that crap anymore.

Thank you for the words. :)

:hug:

Mostly I am a Lurker, But nice to hear from you again

But you're a lurker I know. :) Nice to hear from you!
 
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Welcome back!

Would love to see your reviews again. Maybe on some of the 100s you've bounced through on Steam? Even impressions are great, don't have to finish the game for impressions.

Glad you didn't end up in a camp or deported or any of the 3rd Reich examples you feared would come to pass. :) Looks like the USA will keep on ticking for the forseeable future at least. Its survived worse.

My mom has a 1945ish? Underwood typewriter in her house for longer than I've been alive. Dont know anything about it other than it looks ancient, weighs a ton, and has Underwood written on it in giant letters. Guessing at the year because it was brought home by her parents at the end of the war. Your typewriter is beautiful. Crazy that we've been typing pretty much the same way for 100 years.

(please forgive my double post!)

Sorry I missed this post - it was tucked right at the very end of page 1. :-/

Believe me, I'm glad for that too. I know it seems funny now to look back and think that I was afraid of that, but from where I was sitting, it did seem like a very real possibility at the time. I'm glad that we're all more or less okay. :)

Hey, I'd love to see a picture of your mom's typewriter if you ever get a chance to take one. It could be even older than that - typewriters in those days (especially big names like Underwood) were built to last for generations and become heirloom pieces, and Underwood was a popular brand name in the 1910s and 1920s. :)
 
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After long absence I come here and the first thing I see is your letter. It's interesting that you've got rabbits. Although at first I actually thought that you're in a forest and writing about real rabbits hopping around in the bushes, haha. I forgot that people do make pets of rabbits sometimes.

Don't allow external circumstances to define your life. You have only one.
 
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After long absence I come here and the first thing I see is your letter. It's interesting that you've got rabbits. Although at first I actually thought that you're in a forest and writing about real rabbits hopping around in the bushes, haha. I forgot that people do make pets of rabbits sometimes.

Don't allow external circumstances to define your life. You have only one.

Ah, yeah. I suppose I should make my title "crazy rabbit lady" - we have four rabbits right now that own us. I've bonded with bunnies in ways I've never been able to with dogs or cats. :)
 
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Wow, weird that this happened today...So, I'm walking up the sidewalk this morning and there's a wee bunny nibbling on sidewalk crack! He's really into it and doesn't notice me until I'm about 3 feet away. The little dude is brave! She just turns so that she can watch me better, but finishes all the little weed sticking up from the crack and then hops to the next crack. I talk to the little bunny till I need to swipe my badge for timekeeping :) I have no idea of the sex of bunnies, so switched it up. It was brown with a little white-ish tail and might have weighed a pound.
 
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Welcome back, Aubrielle. This site can always use more articles and columns, so I personally would welcome anything you feel like writing up.

And just stay out of the P&R section, it does wonders for one's sanity. :)
 
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Wow, weird that this happened today…So, I'm walking up the sidewalk this morning and there's a wee bunny nibbling on sidewalk crack! He's really into it and doesn't notice me until I'm about 3 feet away. The little dude is brave! She just turns so that she can watch me better, but finishes all the little weed sticking up from the crack and then hops to the next crack. I talk to the little bunny till I need to swipe my badge for timekeeping :) I have no idea of the sex of bunnies, so switched it up. It was brown with a little white-ish tail and might have weighed a pound.

Awww! How sweet! I love wild buns. I have to assume it was an Eastern Cottontail, just because I know you live in the US and statistically that's the most likely. I wish they could be domesticated as easily as house rabbits. They're sweet. :)

Welcome back, Aubrielle. This site can always use more articles and columns, so I personally would welcome anything you feel like writing up.

And just stay out of the P&R section, it does wonders for one's sanity. :)

Thank you!

Oh, I plan on it.

And most of the rest of the site, too.

And Twitter.
 
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Best wishes Cassandra, we've missed you. Not only were you a super editor and author, but a great person to have around. Sorry I missed your post until today. When I'm busy I only scan the news section. I hope you're doing better. I'm not sure how young you are, but I've seen lots of politicians come and go, and though I often have to shake my head at the levels of stupidity and cruelty I see, the pendulum almost always swings back the other way. (Both the way you'd like it to go and then back again the way you'd rather not see it go).
 
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Best wishes Cassandra, we've missed you. Not only were you a super editor and author, but a great person to have around. Sorry I missed your post until today. When I'm busy I only scan the news section. I hope you're doing better. I'm not sure how young you are, but I've seen lots of politicians come and go, and though I often have to shake my head at the levels of stupidity and cruelty I see, the pendulum almost always swings back the other way. (Both the way you'd like it to go and then back again the way you'd rather not see it go).

You're right, of course. :) It's just not easy when you're among those in the crosshairs, you know? That's when it gets scary. Though I think you're right - I didn't watch the clip but I saw somewhere that Noam Chomsky said that he's (I don't want to say his name) just a distraction. And I think that could easily be right.

But thanks for all the really awesome things you said. :heart: I guess it's easy to take for granted sometimes that people hate me and/or don't want me around, so you saying what you said means a whole lot. I'm really grateful that you feel that way. Thank you. :)
 
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Hi Aubrielle.

I'm really happy to know that you're doing well and there is more joy in your life once again. I remember being a bit worried as you left so sudden, but I understand why you wanted to take a break from everything due to u.s politics. That by the way is not surprising at all since even for a foreigner it has been quite a difficult task to fathom such dramatic change in the quality of U.S leadership.

However, I'm delighted to hear that your book project is proggressing steadily and you keep typing it on a word at a time. The most difficult aspect of writing for me has been always the starting point, so I'm glad you've crossed that obstacle with flying colours!

Like others have said, that is one awesome typewriter and such a cool gift for a writer. Perhaps you'll end up writing a bestseller with it. And hopefully we get to see you more often here. :)
 
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Hi Cassandra, it is good to hear from you and especially the read that you are still alive and kicking. I'm sorry though to read about your struggles. You already had your fair share of that in your life and I certainly wished for you not to deal with any more crap. Unfortunately as far as Trump goes, he probably will still be here for another 2+ year. Luckily, you do have a very supportive wife who also gave you an awesome looking typewriter.

I miss our conversations. I really valued those. We had quite a few of them and I know that some of these conversations lead to results that were disappointing for you, or perhaps even frustrating, but you still managed to regularly make me see things from a different perspective and I certainly thank you for that.

Like others I also would like it if you came back, or perhaps toss a message or review our way every now and then. I have never removed you from the team, nor have any intention to do so. Your spot is still there, your seat is vacant. it is fine if you have no intention of filling it in the near or far future. I however still prefer to keep it open like this as I like the thought that someday, somewhere in the future you might decide to try it out again.
 
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Hi Aubrielle.

I'm really happy to know that you're doing well and there is more joy in your life once again. I remember being a bit worried as you left so sudden, but I understand why you wanted to take a break from everything due to u.s politics. That by the way is not surprising at all since even for a foreigner it has been quite a difficult task to fathom such dramatic change in the quality of U.S leadership.

However, I'm delighted to hear that your book project is proggressing steadily and you keep typing it on a word at a time. The most difficult aspect of writing for me has been always the starting point, so I'm glad you've crossed that obstacle with flying colours!

Like others have said, that is one awesome typewriter and such a cool gift for a writer. Perhaps you'll end up writing a bestseller with it. And hopefully we get to see you more often here. :)

I would seriously like that more than anything - it's honestly a dream of mine, if I can admit to being naive. :)

Thank you for totally getting where I'm coming from. It's still a little scary, but it's some comfort that it's almost impossible to get anything done in Washington, even for a master politician like Obama (love him or hate him, he's an excellent politician - you gotta hand that to him). T isn't half the politician, so hopefully Washington filth and gridlock will keep him paralyzed. It's the future I worry about, though, since we don't elect presidents for now as much as we elect them for how they change the next twenty years...

Hopefully I'll get to see more of you as well! Thanks so much for the kind words! :)

Hi Cassandra, it is good to hear from you and especially the read that you are still alive and kicking. I'm sorry though to read about your struggles. You already had your fair share of that in your life and I certainly wished for you not to deal with any more crap. Unfortunately as far as Trump goes, he probably will still be here for another 2+ year. Luckily, you do have a very supportive wife who also gave you an awesome looking typewriter.

I miss our conversations. I really valued those. We had quite a few of them and I know that some of these conversations lead to results that were disappointing for you, or perhaps even frustrating, but you still managed to regularly make me see things from a different perspective and I certainly thank you for that.

Like others I also would like it if you came back, or perhaps toss a message or review our way every now and then. I have never removed you from the team, nor have any intention to do so. Your spot is still there, your seat is vacant. it is fine if you have no intention of filling it in the near or far future. I however still prefer to keep it open like this as I like the thought that someday, somewhere in the future you might decide to try it out again.

Hey Myrthos. :) I honestly don't mean to sound downcast. I'm getting a lot of stuff sorted out and with any luck I can be decently halfway productive soon. Or at least be able to think straight.

I'm surprised - and grateful - that my spot is still open. Thank you for that. :) I do have an idea for a column I'd like to run by you. It's not exactly edgy so I hope you'll like it. I'll throw you a message and see what you think. :)
 
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It's a bit strange for me to say this, given I'm a lurker and haven't posted anything in two years, but it's good to see you around here again; I always enjoyed the work you did for the site and insights you shared when you were more active, so it'd be great to see you getting involved again with reviews and other snippets.

The big unspoken question I sense in the air these days is why'd you leave? If I can be candidly honest, the election of 2016 really knocked the wind out of me. I'm not ashamed to admit it. You'll find that a lot of my fellow Far Leftists are also artists and writers like me, and we tend to feel things really deeply. It was a scary time, and seeing everyone gloating and carrying those stupid tiki torches (and they were really stupid, come on - dweebs in ugly polos carrying tiki torches? it's like you all finally got off the P&R forum and organized yourselves into a stormtrooper unit…for us to laugh at)…it's hard not to think of Italy in the early 1920s, or Germany in the early 30s. I'm also an introvert (believe it or not) with really serious depression (which isn't hard to believe), so over the following months, I sort of…careened back and forth, kinda like on one of those racing games when the car steers too much to one side and you can't control it.

You're absolutely right. Politics has taught me that no matter how loud I shout, how righteously angry I get, how much I plead with my enemies for empathy and understanding, it won't matter. But going inward with pen and paper, trying to be utterly unabashedly honest, maybe that will make a difference somewhere, someday. :)

I feel like I understand where you're coming from; it can be difficult at times to maintain a healthy and optimistic mind-set when when we look around and are confronted by such needless suffering and destruction, particularly for those of us who are empathetic and would like to see the furthering of justice and kindness in the world. In the face of that, it can sometimes be difficult to not be overcome with despair and/or rage at the state of things, at their seeming inevitability, at the apparent ineffectiveness of influencing others to see likewise and to act, at those who gleefully extoll and enact the very things you abhor with seemingly nothing to mitigate them; this can, if unchecked, degrade and wear you down mentally and emotionally.

Being subsumed by all this is defeating on two points; not only does it impede your own ability to appreciate and engage with the stuff in life that you take pleasure in (being with family, hobbies etc.), but it also cripples your ability to try to pursue the kind of changes and vision you wish to see; after all, nothing was ever accomplished by people thinking they couldn't, nor the great changes we see in history accomplished by people who believed it impossible. Hence it's important that we disentangle ourselves from that poisonous state and keep our bearings as much as we can; I'm happy to hear that you're in a better place now, and hope that you continue to remain so. Best of luck for your literary endeavours :thumbsup:.

To cap this off, here is a quote from a writer I follow that touches quite closely to all this:

Ian Welsh said:
And give yourself permission to quit. There are seven billion people in the world. It’s not all on you. The graveyards are full of essential men: The world will continue without you, and it’s not all on you. Take the breaks you need, even quit if you must. Above all, don’t let the bastards see you sweat, and don’t let them take away your enjoyment of the real pleasures that life offers.
 
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