When I cast my very limited ballot for this year-end ceremony, I probably should have added demtenjeep as well. This is likely a case where my honesty could get me in trouble, but I want to share this little anecdote here anyway. Here goes....
It was, in fact, demtenjeep (Pam) under her previous DU name who alerted me to my #8 position in the 2009 "DUmmie" list. She also started an account over on the McDougall boards at roughly the same time. I had no idea I was even being discussed at length on another message board until she linked to posts here. I may not even know now, if not for that.
The fact that she linked me over here was, at first, very upsetting due to the intense nature of the negativity directed towards Jeanette and I. It's taken me time to come to grips with that, but in the end I feel that no matter what we are all human and should strive first and foremost to just try and harmonize on some level. I guess maybe I owe Pam a debt of gratitude for helping me to mature as a person and develop a "thicker skin".
So, Pam and I exchanged some PM's, both on the DU and the McDougall boards, about the goings-on over here. And ostensibly, she was trying to gain inroads as to how to improve her condition regarding her Crohn's Disease. I was initially very happy to think that I had someone from the DU to also discuss the McDougall Plan with.
Only problem was, every time she would message me it was always about something over here. It got tiring really quickly. I don't think she ever asked me one question about food in general, or starches, or anything positive. It was always about the latest post at the Cave, or how she got Skinner to set her up with a new account so that she wouldn't undergo any more "harassment". We all know how that worked out.
Everyone here has their opinions about Pam, just as they do about me. I have no problem with her now, and never really did other than how she seemed to almost be goading me with regards to here, but that passed quickly enough when I started refusing to discuss any of it and stuck to diet-related topics. I am going to assume that she is just another person with a lot of health and personal issues who only wants to vent in a public forum, and that in some unknowable percentage of instances, the community here is being rather harsh. It just disappoints me that my brief interaction with her was so centered on anything but health improvement.
Anyway, that's my two cents. And my personal wish for Pam is that she can find improved health through diet, and inner peace. If you read this, Pam, please know that I am available to help you in any way I can with information about diet. And hell, maybe you should pull a me and actually spend some time here. Don't worry about the detractors. Not everyone here is mean-spirited and some of you guys are actually nice despite our political differences.
You are very generous to Pam. I highly doubt she has Crohn's, as if she did
that, and not CC, would have been the priority of her messages to you.
