So, what do you want to know?

[phoenix_indigo]

Well, I figured I've been lingering around on here for a few weeks now, so I might as well make myself a cozy little thread and see what you all might want to know about yours truly. Here's a few basics to get ya started.

I'm female, 28 years old (will be 29 in about a month). I am married and will be having a 2 year anniversary the beginning of November. I'm not originally from these parts, but now I live here in Essex.

I have suffered from various mental illnesses in the past, but am every day getting stronger and better; however I still find it hard to meet people and get to know others, which is why I try to spend time online to meet people who maybe can become not just online buddies but real life friends.

I'm not religious, but do believe in spirit.

I don't have any kids, but have three black cats.

I enjoy the occasional drug (when i can find them), but not big into alcohol as it just tends to make me feel ill. I do however smoke weed quite a bit, but haven't smoked fags since i was 21.

I love to read, enjoy music, watching tv, and movies.

I don't tend to go clubbing, though I used to; but now enjoy a night home more than most other things.

That's all I can really think to post at the moment. So, I open myself up to your questions, poking, and prodding. Just be gentle. :)

[dapablo]

I know a little about Essex, being a Dagenham boy.

Are you rural or town based, and why Essex ?

[phoenix_indigo]

You might know more about Essex than me. :)

I'm town based, fairly close to Basildon in fact, and not too far from Southend.

I moved here to Essex, because it is where my husband is from and where his parent's live. So, I've made it my home, for the time being.

[Peace-Phoenix]

So what drew you to these shores, and what made you leave America? How does Britain compare to the US?

[phoenix_indigo]

Well, my main reason for coming here was my husband. He's originally from here, and well things were alot rougher financially in the U.S. of A. I was pretty far away from my family in the States (though not quite as far as an ocean), and his family lives less than 5 miles from us now. So, the extra support from family closeby was definitely an added plus.

So far, I definitely prefer Britain. I've done a few tourist-like things this past year, like visit Camden, see Stonehenge, and the White Cliffs of Dover. The heritage and landscape here is amazing! It still blows my mind that you guys have buildings here that have been around for hundreds of years, and going to Stonehenge completely blew my head out of the water when I saw how long that had been around. I mean, for the most part, America is pretty "new" so it's amazing when you see houses and such that have been around for 100-150 years, unlike here where there is history seemingly everywhere.

Crime here is different. I honestly am a bit more worried at times about being knifed on the street, but I think that is cause I'm not used to the upclose violence of knives. Hearing about someone being mugged with a knife is a lot different to hearing gunshots on a daily basis.

There is a lot less convienence here, but I'm not 100% sure that's a BAD thing. At times it's annoying, but overall I don't mind it.

And well, as long as Bush is still President. I won't even be thinking of returning to the States. That wasn't my primary reason for coming here ... but I had been talking for years of moving to Canada to escape. ;-)

[paulfreespirit]

hi phoenix ....................:) .who influences you musically ?

[lithium]

What is the largest animal you have killed?:)

[phoenix_indigo]

hi phoenix ....................:) .who influences you musically ?I would say Beethoven definitely. He has always been my fave composer.

More modern, I'd say Tori Amos and Trent Reznor. Maybe also the sounds of Portishead.

I listen to MANY other varieties, but for actual influence/inspiration, these are the ones I'd turn to.

[phoenix_indigo]

What is the largest animal you have killed?:)when i was 19 i accidentally hit a possum when i was out driving and it died. i thought at first it was a cat, and i started crying and freaking out. i still felt bad that i killed the possum; but i didn't then have to face going to some little old ladies house (how my mind presented the theory) and having to tell her that her one companion she had left in life had just been killed by a stupid teenager driving too fast close to home. http://www.hipforums.com/forums/images/smilies/sad.gif That was so horrible ... i'm going to cry now.

[J0hn]

Essex. My memories are bad ones. Trying to find my way around Essex was a nightmare. But when I left car at home and took C2C into Southend, I was quite happy going to the Kursel and walking up and down the longest pier in the world.

Also there was plenty of lovely places to walk and going to Thorpe bay. However Places like Upminister are as far as I can take.Upminster stinks. No wonder the Hammersmith and City Line stops quite far from Upminster. The District line seems brave enough.

[phoenix_indigo]

Essex. My memories are bad ones. Trying to find my way around Essex was a nightmare. But when I left car at home and took C2C into Southend, I was quite happy going to the Kursel and walking up and down the longest pier in the world.

Also there was plenty of lovely places to walk and going to Thorpe bay. However Places like Upminister are as far as I can take.Upminster stinks. No wonder the Hammersmith and City Line stops quite far from Upminster. The District line seems brave enough.I've only actually been on the C2C once, in order to go sightseeing in London (since I'd never been there). And, well, the only place I recognize out of everything you wrote was Southend. LOL ... guess I need to get out more.

As I haven't been able to sleep all night, I'm waiting a few more hours in order to go out to the local boot sale and try to find some more cheap books to read. :) I'll be sad when the season ends for cheap books.

[phoenix_indigo]

Oh, and I totally understand about the bad memories. I live in the Basildon area, and in the 1 year i've been here, i've had 2 cars stolen. There was someone mugged at knife-point less than a 3 minute walk from where i live as they were coming home at 11pm, and someone else muggled less than a 6 minute walk away around 12 in the afternoon on a weekday!

Makes me feel VERY lucky that I still have a car now, and don't have to walk around and wait for the bus. I get nervous going outside sometimes because of the brazen violence that seems to permeate the community i live in. And, it still makes me go nuts when I think about it, as I came from an area where you could hear gunshots on a nightly basis in the distance, but I lived in the heart of the city there for over 10 years and never even had my car broken into.

[Peace-Phoenix]

What would your answer be to the crime problem?

[experimenting youth]

what are your cats names?

Did you name them?

whats your favourite website?

[phoenix_indigo]

What would your answer be to the crime problem?Well it would be really naive of me to think that any answer I could come up with would be accurate. I don't think guns are the answer, and I hope that the police over here do not start carrying them on a regular basis as I've seen too many gun-crazy cops in the States.

I do think that it would be better to invest more money in patroling problem areas, as opposed to leaving those areas to basically breed more crime while the areas that have no crime get patrolled all the time. I still find that odd. I mean, I certainly don't think the policing done in the states is the greatest, but I know when you lived near a ghetto or in a ghetto you would see cop cars ALL the time (which was annoying if you wanted to sit out on your porch and have a joint); but it kept the more violent crime at bay. However, in suburban areas that weren't as violent to begin with, you'd maybe see a cop cruise round once a week. In contrast, from what I've at least seen here in the Basildon area, the suburban/non-crime breeding areas have TONS of patrols; but where I live, where the crime rate is a lot higher for both petty and violent crimes there seems to rarely if ever be a patrol going round. The only patrols we have are neighborhood watch patrols.


what are your cats names?

Did you name them?

whats your favourite website?
My hubby and I named our two girl kitties. They are twin sisters, the only difference in their appearance is the fact one is short-haired and one is long-haired. The short-haired one is Sheba and the long-haired one is Cleo (short for Cleopatra). They are the queens of the house. :)
Our male cat, we adopted and he was already named Thomas. We don't particularly like the name, but he's used to it, and we can't think of an alternative that sounds similar.

My favourite website ... It's going to sound cliche, but I rather like the hip forums. I spend most of my online time either here or on E-Bay. I guess I'm pretty boring like that. I do like watching videos though on e-baumsworld and youtube.

[experimenting youth]

cool i have got a cat called clio, I didn't name it and its not short for anything, ok more questions:

1, What is your favourite sport?
2 Do you prefer to play, spectate, manage, referee etc?
3 What job do you have and what would your dream job be?

[phoenix_indigo]

cool i have got a cat called clio, I didn't name it and its not short for anything, ok more questions:

1, What is your favourite sport?
2 Do you prefer to play, spectate, manage, referee etc?
3 What job do you have and what would your dream job be?
1. my favourite 'type' of sports are extreme sports (skateboarding, snowboarding, bmx street style, inline skating) not really into many other sports though back in the States I used to love watching an occasional basketball game but well ... you guys don't seem to follow b-ball at all over here

2. always spectate :)

3. currently am not working as i care for my hubby. if i could do anything i'd do my life long dream of being a concert pianist ... but well, don't much see that happening at this point.

[dapablo]

You care for your husband !

Is this a big part of who you are at present ?

[flowerchild17]

Ah you're from the US, where are you from here?:)

[phoenix_indigo]

You care for your husband !

Is this a big part of who you are at present ?Was that first part a question? Yeah, I'm not some sort of submissive housewife or something, but I used to suffer from severe mental illness myself and wasn't able to work or practically leave the house for years. When I met my husband, I progressively got better; but he still suffers from really severe mental illness (depression/anxiety/panic and such) so I look after him.

And well, yeah, I guess it would be a big part of what I do; but not necessarily who I am. I would not like to think that what defines me as a person/being would be equated to doing laundry, cooking meals, and making sure the shopping is in (And all the other socially involved tasks that my husband is too ill to deal with). Being his wife is a big part of me, but I am my own person and individual. I think that I would fairly say that having the compassion and open-mindedness to realize that severe depression, anxiety, and panic are real illnesses and not just made up psycho-babble is definately a big part of me, as i spent so many years caught up in the struggle myself. And well, now, for the most part, that is behind me - hopefully permanently behind me.

Ah you're from the US, where are you from here?:)Born in Ohio (but only lived there for about 3 years), spent most of my life in Rochester, New York (and the surrounding areas) - and despite everyone complaining how cold it is here, it's nothing in comparison to what I was used to back home. My family (for the most part) is down South now, around North Carolina.

[lithium]

What are you most thankful for?

[phoenix_indigo]

What are you most thankful for?
Only one thing? If I were to pick one it would be being able to breathe.


If I can expound, I'd say: love, feeling more in touch with myself than I ever have in life before, creativity, warm purring fluffy kittie cats, and wonderfully supportive in-laws.

Those are the things I'm most thankful for every day.

[Peace-Phoenix]

Is a half full glass full enough?

[phoenix_indigo]

Is a half full glass full enough?only if you're not very thirsty. ;-)


(all of a sudden i feel like i'm in a different thread)

[dapablo]

What are the major differences between our christmas season and your own experiences ?

[MisterEm]

My hubby and I named our two girl kitties... The short-haired one is Sheba and the long-haired one is Cleo (short for Cleopatra)...

Our male cat, we adopted and he was already named Thomas...

My favourite website ... It's going to sound cliche, but I rather like the hip forums. I spend most of my online time either here or on E-Bay. I guess I'm pretty boring like that. I do like watching videos though on e-baumsworld and youtube.

I have two cats. The male is all black, short-haired, named Toby. He's the active one. The female is gray, short-haired, and named Yoko Ono. (The name came with her. My roommate adopted her from someone else.)

I have a YouTube account. My online name is "tvjack". One of my videos shows both cats playing in and around paper bags.

By the way, nice to meet you. I live in Wisconsin.

[phoenix_indigo]

What are the major differences between our christmas season and your own experiences ?

no christmas cookies (it seems) but christmas 'biscuits'? (but I'm going to make my own)


no snow (i was from NY and well haven't checked but normally this time of year we'd be under 4-5 feet of snow.


ornaments are baubles


you guys call it 'Cringo' and call them 'Prezzies'


Artificial trees are widely accepted (still hate them - i know it's bad to sacrifice a tree for a holiday ... but i love the smell of natural pine - and if i had a garden i'd get the living kind you can plant later)


no eggnog (least not that i've seen)


not nearly as much commercialism (which i don't consider bad - as you guys start putting up Xmas things in late Octoberish and in the States you'd see Xmas things start going on sale in early September - which doesn't count the 'Christmas in July' sales)


you have Panto plays


Kids can do Nativity plays in school (that one shocked me as that would start a lawsuit in America)

Overall, I find Christmas nice here. Few things I miss, but there aren't really any majorly noticeable differences (i had to think hard to come up with those ones up above). The biggest thing I miss (and I'm not kidding here) is the long drive down from NY to NC to visit my parents and family at Xmas. I loved driving through Pennsylvania at Christmas time as it would almost always be blizzard-like conditions (and i'm not talking about the English concept of a 'blizzard' but literally not being able to see a foot in front of you blizzard) and the snowfall would be absolutely beautiful. Long drive (about 12-13 hours depending on weather could tack on another 2 hours) but I always loved driving home for Christmas and then watching my mom cook way too much food for the people we had over for the holidays.

Oh, and to add to the list of things I miss (which is really more of a family tradition for us) proper Southern biscuits (not cookies) with Virginia salt-cured ham slices and scrambled eggs on Christmas morning. Very nice way to wake up for the day. =)

[phoenix_indigo]

I have two cats. The male is all black, short-haired, named Toby. He's the active one. The female is gray, short-haired, and named Yoko Ono. (The name came with her. My roommate adopted her from someone else.)

I have a YouTube account. My online name is "tvjack". One of my videos shows both cats playing in and around paper bags.

By the way, nice to meet you. I live in Wisconsin.Hello Wisconsin! (sorry been watching too much That 70's Show)
are you a cheesehead? ;-)

I'll have to check out those vids later. Just logging off now as I have to do some laundry and need to get it started before the neighbors complain it's too late.
I love videos of cats doing weird things. I have a blurry picture (which is why it's not posted) of my one cat Sheba who had crawled inside the paper wrapper that is around big balls of yarn. Her hind legs and tail were sticking out one end and her head and front paws were sticking out the front.

At first, I thought she was stuck with the way she was rolling around. So we pulled it off of her, and then she IMMEDIATELY dove right back into the paper tube. Guess she wanted to get in touch with the feeling of being yarn.

:)

[lithium]

Would you like to be invisible? What would you do?

[phoenix_indigo]

Would you like to be invisible? What would you do?Very good question ... the first part doesn't take a second's thought. Yes I'd LOVE to be invisible ... or at least have the power of invisibility.

I'd probably go out and do stuff that normal non-obsessed people do - like go to festivals without blinking an eye or go shopping without the fear of people pointing and laughing - cause they couldn't see me!

On the other side of the super human power coin, I'd also have to use the ability to maybe be a bit of a Robin Hood type figure and take from the wealthy to give to the poor - anonymously. I've always wished I was rich so I could not just have nice stuff myself but so I could secretly give others things that I never had. Like find a family or families that are down to their last 10p have little food in the house and several days till they have a way to get more money and just leave money in their mailslot and run away.

It'd be cool to have the power of invisibility I mean in the wrong hands it would be horrible for someone to have that power. But if enough people that wouldn't just use it to look out for themselves only had such power maybe the world could change some and be a better less scary place to live.

[fountains of nay]

If you had to get a mullet, what type of mullet would you get?

[phoenix_indigo]

omg ... i think i just died as i thought of myself with a mullet ...

hang on going to mulletsgallore.com now to see what mullet choices there are ...


after purusing and nearly vomiting several times i have chose tne "dreadgothmullet" as it would allow me to keep the dreads, look dark (though i'm not) and still have the creepiness of the mullet. If you want to take a look it's number 69 under section 7. There were a few other nice choices, but I think I'd go with that one.

http://www.mulletsgalore.com/assets/images/classifications/08/dreadpomp.jpg oh i'm clever figured out how to import the dreaded (pun intended) mullet pic.

[fountains of nay]

I tried to go to that website and it was just a naughty site with bums and swinger offers etc and your picdoesn't work :(

I'll await the mullety goodness :D

[phoenix_indigo]

I tried to go to that website and it was just a naughty site with bums and swinger offers etc and your picdoesn't work :(

I'll await the mullety goodness :Dno wasn't trying to send you to a swinger site ... that's really weird the pic worked originally :(

here's the link to the site : mullet site (http://www.mulletsgalore.com/)
i promise it's not a porn site


and here's the link to the god-awful mullet hairdo: god-awful mullet do (http://www.mulletsgalore.com/assets/images/classifications/08/dreadpomp.jpg)


hopefully those will work

[coco]

Cant for the life of me understand why you are here at all. Its a website for gays, not nutters! Your not gay but definetly nuts. Go see a shrink - SOON!

[FreeWind]

Do you know anything about the native americans?

What are the reservations bean like?

Are thery treated well?

Do they still wish to live like they used to?


IIf you havn't bean then it's ok but if you have plz tell me!

( I like native americans)

:indian_br :indian_ch

[phoenix_indigo]

Do you know anything about the native americans?
A little bit, but definitely not a scholar by any means. I've had a few friends that had Native American blood in them, but honestly I don't think I have ever met a full-blood Native American, at least not knowingly.

What are the reservations bean like?
I've only ever really seen reservations in the New York/Pennsylvania areas. Generally as you approach a reservation there are a lot more farmlands, less traffic, etc. There was one in particular I was near (but unfortunately can't remember where it was) that was STUNNING the surrounding wilderness was beautiful and there were great gorges running through the forest. The Native Americans that live on the reservations i've been to seem to live typically in small houses or trailer homes.

Honestly the one reservation which was the stunning large one I was driving through as there was a highway or something that cut through the land. The other ones I would visit because of the cheap petrol and when I smoked cheap fags.

I would say though that most Native Americans do not live on Reservations.

Are thery treated well?
Well, that depends on how you look at it. There are those like myself that would tend to revere the knowledge that say an old Native American might have and be interested to learn about their life etc. There are other people that are still just as rascist as they ever were about them. I mean, how can you say anyone is treated well when their land was basically taken from them in exchange for beads.

Native Americans (those with i believe 25% tribal blood or more) don't have to pay tax though. So, that is a bit handy. It is also why they setup petrol stations on reservations and sell fags because they buy them without tax and then they dont' have to charge tax (though the government wants to change that bit) so obviously most people that can will go there to buy petrol and fags as then they save loads of money and all that money spent goes right to the pockets of the tribe.

I dont' know if you heard btw, but one of the Native American tribes recently bought the Hard Rock Cafe franchise. So I would believe that that would mean the Hard Rock Cafe is now tax free as well and all profits will go to support that tribe.

Do they still wish to live like they used to?
Probably would depend on the person. The ones I knew though liked their life as it is now. Don't think they would want to go back to living in huts and not having electric, etc.

IIf you havn't bean then it's ok but if you have plz tell me!

( I like native americans)

:indian_br :indian_chNative Americans are very cool. Hopefully as they gain more financial power they will start weilding more power in general with the American government. Seeing a tribe acquire something as massive as the Hard Rock Cafe is one step towards tribes having more power. I know it is just a restaurant, but it is an iconic symbol of America that you find in several places around the world and it is really cool in my opinion that it is now owned by a tribe and not just by a group of white business men.

[FreeWind]

That sounds prommising

I have some friends who run a native american style shop. When i asked them about the resevations, one said it was bad but could be worse and the other said it was horrible! which one off these is more accurate???

[fountains of nay]

no wasn't trying to send you to a swinger site ... that's really weird the pic worked originally :(

here's the link to the site : mullet site (http://www.mulletsgalore.com/)
i promise it's not a porn site


and here's the link to the god-awful mullet hairdo: god-awful mullet do (http://www.mulletsgalore.com/assets/images/classifications/08/dreadpomp.jpg)


hopefully those will work
LMFAO!!

I love it :D

[phoenix_indigo]

That sounds prommising

I have some friends who run a native american style shop. When i asked them about the resevations, one said it was bad but could be worse and the other said it was horrible! which one off these is more accurate???really depends on the res ... i'd go with the bad but could be worse ... but some can be quite horrible as there is a lot of crime mainly from drunken behaviour, etc.

as i said before ... the majority of indians do not choose to live on the reservations - there must be a reason, right?

[fountains of nay]

Are ya gonna come to Beautiful Days?

[phoenix_indigo]

*looks puzzled* Beautiful Days? Have I missed something? (knowing me, probably have)

[fountains of nay]

Festival down ere in Devon in August! :D

also, what type of beard would you choose to go with your mullet?

[phoenix_indigo]

yeah, sorted out what Beautiful Days is ... not sure if I'll be able to go though. Don't have any camping gear or a van or anything to sleep in. Honestly not familiar with a lot of the bands (makes me feel all out of the loop) the only one I'd maybe go out of my way to see is Alabama 3 but £90 is a lot to pay to see one act. I'll have to see how it goes. Would be cool to do a festival sometime, just not sure if it's doable this year. :(


Oh, and hmmm ... beards .... don't know a lot about beards ... unfortunately know more about mullets than beards ... let's say a nice Amish style beard. it would really confuse people with the dready mullet. :)

[fountains of nay]

Aye, good choice mate :D

[Peace-Phoenix]

You should come to Glastonbury, best festival in the world I reckon. Got till tomorrow to register.


Anywhoo,

What's the most amazing time you've ever had, where were you and who were you with when you had it?

[Peace-Phoenix]

Bumpity bump....

[phoenix_indigo]

Snap i never saw that question. :(

The only reason I feel weird about Glastonbury is (1) the cost. (2) I'm not good with crowds and neither is my hubby - in fact he's worse with them than me. (3) it's a long drive to get there as well and that costs money as well and things are kind of tight at the moment. :(

The most amazing time I ever had:

I'd still say it was with my hubby back when he and I were just engaged. He was visiting me in the States and it was the 4th of July. It was raining, not like you get here, but torrential rain and they were still going to do the fireworks. We were staying about 6 city blocks from where the fireworks were being held so we walked there, as it had stopped raining, then it just downpoured non-stop for about an hour. we were absolutely soaked to the bone. all layers of our clothing were dripping wet. but we stood there and waited for another hour or so, the rain stopped, and then they did the big 4th of July fireworks display out over the river (we were standing on a bridge with a bunch of other people watching). Then, when it was all done, we made our way home ... being sure to hop in as many puddles as we could and got out of all those wet clothes (you could wring a bucket of water from our underwear alone) and got washed up and snuggled under a blanket together to stay warm ... and well ... the rest is quite mushy and soppy and a bit personal. ;)

[Peace-Phoenix]

Is your husband on the forums? You should introduce him....

[phoenix_indigo]

he's not actually. he tends to hang out on GameSpot instead. :)

if there were a UK Game forum ... he'd be here.

I checked the normal Hip Game forum and it seems people talk alot about Nintendo . http://www.hipforums.com/forums/images/newsmilies/leaving.gif

[Peace-Phoenix]

Ahh, I'm still a bit of a strategy/RPG geek at heart, always good talking computer games with people....

[phoenix_indigo]

i like Strategy/RPG types ... he's more into the First Person Shooter/war games. in fact he's on XBox Live at the moment playing Gears of War. we both are nocturnal people, when we can be.

[Peace-Phoenix]

What's your favourite strategy game? What's your favourite RPG?

[phoenix_indigo]

strategy game would have to tie between Sims 2, and Zeus.

I don't have any new games unfortunately. :(

Don't really have a fave RPG. I'd like to check out Oblivion, but haven't done so yet. Last one I played that I really liked was Dungeon Siege.

[Peace-Phoenix]

Have you played Baldur's Gate 2?

[phoenix_indigo]

Nope, can't say I have. Haven't been playing many games lately, just been reading and working on some cross stitch when I have free time. :)

[lithium]

Name contenders for your three favourite

albums
films
books

[phoenix_indigo]

Could this question be ANY harder?

Ok... I can't just pick one for each, that's impossible. But here's a few selections for each one.


Albums:

Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral
The Cure - Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me; Wild Mood Swings, Disentigration
Pink Floyd - Pulse


Films:

Trainspotting
A Clockwork Orange
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
The Big Lebowski


Books:

A Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (and the following 5 books) - Douglas Adams
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas - Hunter S. Thompson
Galapagos - Kurt Vonnegut
Trainspotting - Irvine Welsh

[lithium]

If you had to execute one person who has posted in your thread, who would it be, and why?

No cop-outs, you *have* to!:tongue: