And For My 5000th Post I Bring You...

[Achronos]

I like Lobster Bisque.

 

[hecma925]

Cold?  I've had cold clam chowder.  It wasn't good.

 

[TheTrisagion]

* can never retire.

There's no retirement plan, is there?  Or a benevolent association I wasn't aware of?

I would be more than happy to fund *'s weekly diet of Sunkist and Banquet TV dinners.

We could all pool the money together to get him a year's worth of supplies.

You live closest to him.  Go grab him by the ears and drag him back here.  :laugh:

 

[SolEX01]

I thought I would never see this milestone and here is post 9,500.

Even 10,000 posts is a reasonable goal in the coming months.

The next level is 11,000 posts; I don't know if I'll see that goal as long as I feel happy on this board and my posts per day average continues to decrease. 

Lord have mercy.  :angel:

 

[Cyrillic]

For my 6000th post I bring burritos

 

[SolEX01]

Must ... hold ... on ... to ... 15th place ... in ... total ... posts ... Liza ... is ... closest active ... poster ... behind ... me.   

After being passed by Liza, I'm still holding on to 15th place in total posts.  Αριστοκλής and J Michael are closest active posters behind me. 

 

[LizaSymonenko]

LOL! Sorry.

 

[LizaSymonenko]

....and for my 10,000th post....(I remember being amazed that I had 300 posts, at one time).

....I bring you what is most near and dear to my heart....all the people I value and love (minus a few who are missing from the photo, whom I love very much).

May God grant them all many, happy and blessed years!!!!

 

[J Michael]

....and for my 10,000th post....(I remember being amazed that I had 300 posts, at one time).

....I bring you what is most near and dear to my heart....all the people I value and love (minus a few who are missing from the photo, whom I love very much).

May God grant them all many, happy and blessed years!!!!

Nice!!

Which one is you??

 

[LizaSymonenko]

LOL!  I'm behind the camera!!!  ;D

 

[J Michael]

LOL!  I'm behind the camera!!!  ;D

I just knew you were going to say that! ;D

 

[LizaSymonenko]

I'm in this one, though.

 

[biro]

Beautiful group shot in the church. And the dinner too.  :angel:

 

[J Michael]

I'm in this one, though.

Let's see...I'm guessing you're not wearing a long black cassock  ;D.

 

[LizaSymonenko]

I would, if I could!  ;D

 

[J Michael]

I would, if I could!  ;D

Well...you, theoretically,....could.......... ;D

Okay, so....which one is the real LizaSymonenko??  (You all look so..........Ukraininan ;D ;D!)

 

[LizaSymonenko]

Ya...ya...that's me....the Ukrainian one!  :angel:

 

[J Michael]

Ya...ya...that's me....the Ukrainian one!   :angel:

Go figure..... 8)

 

[brastaseptim]

Ya...ya...that's me....the Ukrainian one!   :angel:

As opposed to the Moldovan one?

 

[Asteriktos]

Congrats on 10,000! 

 

[Asteriktos]

I would be more than happy to fund *'s weekly diet of Sunkist and Banquet TV dinners.

I drink about 12-15 two liters of diet Sunkist a week. I will not count the TV dinners, since NO ONE should have to pay for that stuff. Anyway, I look forward to your first monthly check of about $60 arriving shortly.   

 

[LizaSymonenko]

I would, if I could!  ;D

Well...you, theoretically,....could.......... ;D

Okay, so....which one is the real LizaSymonenko??  (You all look so..........Ukraininan ;D ;D!)

Maybe it will be easier if I told you I am not a blonde....although I was when I was little...but, it got darker as I got older.

 

[J Michael]

I would, if I could!  ;D

Well...you, theoretically,....could.......... ;D

Okay, so....which one is the real LizaSymonenko??  (You all look so..........Ukraininan ;D ;D!)

Maybe it will be easier if I told you I am not a blonde....although I was when I was little...but, it got darker as I got older.

Ah ha!!  Excellent!!!

 

[mike]

20000th. Trying to list all churches I've ever been to:

St. Nicholas in Białystok

Holy Spirit in Białystok

All Saints in Białystok

St. George in Białystok

St. Mary Magdalene in Białystok

Resurrection in Białystok

St. Elijah in Białystok

St. George in Jurowlany

Holy Myrhbearers in Czarna Białostocka

St. St. Peter and Paul in Wasilków

St. Pantaleon in Zaścianki

St. George in Siemianówka

St. John the Baptist in Grzybowszczyzna Stara

Annunciation in Supraśl

St. John the Theologian in Supraśl

http://www.wspolczesna.pl/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=GW&Date=20121019&Category=REG06&ArtNo=121019583&Ref=AR&border=0&MaxW=666

[img]http://www.wspolczesna.pl/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=GW&Date=20121019&Category=REG06&ArtNo=121019583&Ref=AR&border=0&MaxW=666
St. Gabriel the Martyr in Zwierki

Intercession in Puchły

Dormition in Zabłudów

St. St. Anthony and Theodosius in Odrynki

Nativity of the Theotokos in Bielsk Podlaski

St. Michael in Bielsk Podlaski

Resurrection in Bielsk Podlaski

St. Michael in Orla

St. Symeon the Stylite in Orla

St. Michael in Stary Kornin

St. Anne in Stary Kornin

St. John the Theologian in Augustowo

St. Nicholas in Białowieża

Holy Trinity in Hajnówka

St. Demetrius in Hajnówka

"Joy of All Who Sorrow" Icon in Tokary

Nativity of the Theotokos in Mielnik

Transfiguration in Grabarka

"Joy of All Who Sorrow" Icon in Grabarka

St. Humphrey in Jabłeczna

St. Mary Magdalene in Warsaw

St. John Climacus in Warsaw

St. Gregory the Archimandrite in Warsaw

St. Alexandra in Stanisławowo

St. Nicholas in Radom

Dormition in Cracow

St. Michael in Sokołowsko

St. St. Cyril and Methodius in Wrocław

St. St. Peter and Paul in Jelenia Góra

St. St. Peter and Paul in Ełk

Dormition in Wojnowo

St. Nicholas in Gdańsk

Transfiguration in Połacak

Elevation in Połacak

"Joy of All Who Sorrow" Icon in Miensk

St. Michael in Synkovičy

Holy Spirit in Vilnius

Christ the Saviour in Moscow

Dormition in Varna

St. Blase in Sveti Vlas

St. St. Cyril and Methodius in Prague

St. St. Peter and Paul in Trebišov

St. George in Istanbul

St. Stephen in Istanbul

I missed a handful (or two) because I forgot or cannot identify them. I listed active EOrthodox churches. I skipped shrines of other confessions (Old Believer, Catholic, OO, Old Catholic, Lutheran, Calvinist, Jewish, Muslim and what else). I also did not list buildings that no longer function as churches. I at least entered each of them. All but a handful, I attended services in. I omitted churches I've seen only from the outside.

 

[Asteriktos]

Congrats on 20,000!

 

[LizaSymonenko]

Wow!  That's a lot of churches...and even more posts!

Congratulations!

 

[mike]

Congrats on 20,000!

Not really convinced it is a thing to be happy about

If I weren't a mod I would have 4-5k posts less.

 

[Maria]

Congrats on 20,000!

Not really convinced it is a thing to be happy about

If I weren't a mod I would have 4-5k posts less.

Beautiful photography. Did you shoot all those pictures?

 

[mike]

Congrats on 20,000!

Not really convinced it is a thing to be happy about

If I weren't a mod I would have 4-5k posts less.

Beautiful photography. Did you shoot all those pictures?

I shot none.

 

[Asteriktos]

To celebrate my reaching the 25,000 mark:

 

[hecma925]

To celebrate my reaching the 25,000 mark:

Flailing tattooed girl, my favorite.

 

[J Michael]

To celebrate my reaching the 25,000 mark:

Flailing tattooed girl, my favorite.

This would make a great new avatar for Shiny!

 

[SolEX01]

My hold on 14th place is getting perilous as J Michael and Mor Ephrem are within striking distance.

I approach 10,000 posts with steadiness and patience.

 

[Asteriktos]

A realistic goal, based on your current posts-per-day average, would be to hit 10,000 by the last week of February.  But I say: away with such talk! Send it to the outer darkness of discussion hell! Rather, be perfect even as the posters ahead of you are perfect. Truly, set your goal for 10,000 by the end of January! You can do it! :angel:

 

[Mor Ephrem]

My hold on 14th place is getting perilous as J Michael and Mor Ephrem are within striking distance.

I approach 10,000 posts with steadiness and patience.

You can win, even if I do. 

 

[Asteriktos]

To celebrate my 26,000th post... I present to you a story from my youth, involving the first world problems I had to endure at the time, but which, like fire in the furnace, made me into the fine person posting this today. It was maybe 1987, and I had my heart set on getting the GI Joe aircraft carrier for my birthday. I mean, just look at that baby!

We're talking about a 7 1/2 feet long and 3 feet wide bundle of pure American kick-butt-edness. YEAH! Just look at those kids in the bottom right corner... that would be me! Sure it was like $100, but I was totally worth it!

I told everyone of my yearning: my mom, my grandparents, and I even considered tracking down my father. Everyone had to know that I wanted this. I needed it.

Then finally the day of my birthday arrived. Before I left for school in the morning my mom said something like "there will be a present here for you when you get home". !!!!  ;D  YES!  Now, for most of my youth we didn't have a lot. Like I remember for one birthday I got a $5 action figure or something, and that was it. No big deal, that was fine. But this year... this year I could just feel it. It was going to be big! I knew my grandparents had bought me something, and I knew they'd give me what my heart desired.

I was so excited that day at school that my innards were practically filled to bursting with joy. And then finally the moment of truth arrived and school was over. I rushed off the bus past the poor saps who didn't have a birthday that day; I was running, running, like there was no tomorrow running. It was glorious. I burst into the door, ran through the apartment, and into my room. This was it! This was going to be it! And... and... I looked around. Where is it? WHERE IS IT? #$#$%&^%*&$#%?

It was not there. I had been betrayed. My hopes dashed. My soul crushed.

I went back out into the living room. "Do you like it?" my mom asked. "Like what?" I said dejectedly. "Didn't you see it?" she asked. "No." I said dejectedly. "Well why don't you go look again?" she asked. "OK." I said dejectedly.

So I went back into the room. Dare I get my hopes up again? No. You don't look around a 80 sq. ft. room and miss a 7 1/2 foot long toy. It wasn't there. Still... something had to be there. Would I care? How could I?  Yet... there was more to this life than that ship. Maybe it would be a fun toy. Maybe a video game system or something? That'd be cool. Maybe it could even be great? My hopes began to revive. Here goes...

As I walked in the room I still saw nothing out of the ordinary. I see no toys. I see no video games. I see no martial arts equipment ordered from Black Belt magazine. What gives? Then I saw it. I saw that most useless of inventions, that device which has destroyed more lives and robbed people of more productive hours than any other horror. It was a television.

A television? What was I going to do with a television? I mean, seriously now, what? What? We didn't even have cable much of the time, and when we did I could watch TV in the living room. I was devastated, my life lay in a heap of shattered and bloody rags. The end was near.

But the end was not near. I eventually recovered from this experience, a little wiser, if a lot more cynical, about the world, and the ability of family members to stab you in the back when you weren't looking and twist the knife and giggle in glee at your girlish cries to "stop! make it stop!"  Years later I realized that it had been a good thing that I got the TV. I would have sold the toy at a yard sale or something, but I continued using that small stupid TV for like 8 years. Many were the great adventures I had in my youth on that TV. Role playing games, Star Trek... everything exciting a teenager could do I did on it. Thus while I still carry a sense of the betrayal that people are capable of from that birthday, nonetheless I am now grateful, not to the gift giver, but to the gift itself, for it became for me something my family could not have fathomed. It was glorious after all. Just not the way that I thought it would be.

But such are the lessons of life so often. We think we know what we want, but we don't. And really, if there is one thread of truth running through the tapestry of my 26,000 posts, one abiding life lesson I wish to share with you all, it can be found in this story I have shared from the wellspring of my soul. Discern, learn, and share this with those worthy of it.

(And for those naysayers, who probably think this entire thing is made up, I can honestly tell you that about 85% of that story is true)

 

[LizaSymonenko]

I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

Congratulations, on reaching 26,000 posts!

 

[Asteriktos]

I hope laugh, or at least not cry from thinking I'm forever scarred! The true stuff was my hoping for that particular toy on that particular day, about how I was told something would be waiting for me, about my getting much more use out of the TV, etc.  The fictional stuff was all the stuff about how devastated I was and how it made my cynical and so forth. I mean, how do you realistically capture the letdown and negative emotions felt by an 8 year old boy who doesn't get what he wants without a little melodrama and exaggeration?  :angel:

 

[LizaSymonenko]

We've all been there.  I know I have.

I no longer "expect" anything from anyone, and therefore, the smallest thing that someone sends my way is truly appreciated and valued.

 

[LizaSymonenko]

...and for my 11,000th post, I give you: