Dandelion::::
Oh, oh...get your delete- machine warmed up... per Millymucas


Mr. Dark!
Welcome back from the hospital. Hope you are mending in... "leaps and bounds".....

[This message has been edited by Nard Kordell (edited 10-08-2002).]

Mr Dark, it seems you know how to breath, live, and savor that moment from when your eyes open in the morning till when they close weary at night. I agree there is more to life than reading Rays works, but he cuts a fine sweet jasmine edge on life. With a fine passionate perception that has helped me apprectiate that moment between asleep fuzzy, then awake to wonder what new experience lays in my path that day.
I have read his works since I was 11, I am now 42. I love books, film, music, and all forms of media. I am a Graphic Illustrator working in a University Library,
in an Interlibrary Loan office. Rays books are a leavening for the fantasy bread that sometimes needs just a little bit more push to rise beyond the edges of the pan to fry, and burn on the bottom of the oven to get our attention so we can eat our fill, but still have the burnt smell in our mind till we come back for another slice. I don't think ever of cornflakes when reading his work I think of small meals. If you have not started to taste another book after reading a bit of Bradbury then you are truly starving for something more. He celebrates life by living, purely that is how he has written. Lily or Dandilion they are both flowers either one can be weeds it just depends on your point of view. Millymucus
contributions, observations, introspections,
focus on the man, and his work it is vast speaking for itself, do not tread lightly where others have been able to succeed.
There are Many other Authors you could go read if you would like. uncle

The truth is, Ray Bradbury's writings (first experienced back in 9th grade) were the catalyst to much of what has been good in my life. Reading F451, Martian Chronicles and Something Wicked This Way Comes, opened up an entire new world for me. In my life, it would be very difficult to overestimate how much influence he has had on me.

If I am reading Mmucas' message(?!) correctly - I have some difficulty with foreign languages - than expressing one's ideas thoughtfully is a waste of time, existence in the doldrums, a sign of old age, and definitley the last thing any really cool person would ever do.

Well, since this is a Ray Bradbury site, and since at the age of 82 yrs. young Mr. B still gets up every morning without any hestitation to compose at least a 1000 words of original ideas (he has done so for 60+yrs.) and is as well-read in all areas as any high flying academian (remember now he formally only finished grade 12), I'd say that Mr. Dark has been "inspired" by the works and life of one of the greatest authors of the past century!!

Not a bad thing to hold to, don't you think?!
Bravo, Mr. D!

Wow. I was attracted to this burning folder, old-testament style, like it might contain something vital and important. Boy. Was I wrong or right? I'm not quite sure. I suppose, Mr. Dark, that the only thing I'd contribute to this quagmire is that, yes, these posts are juvenile, and take up valuable portions of a genuine, academic website. Delete them, yes indeed, delete them. That's what these kids expect, anyway. But, there is a spirit of joy, fun and hell-raising to this asinine glop that should be secretly treasured. Doing dumb stuff like this is part of being a kid, something which I believe Mr. Bradbury understands and appreciates in almost all his work that centers around childhood experience.
So, Mr. Dark, delete away. Sweep them into oblivion. It is the right thing to do.
But, try to have a sly smile on your face, and nostalgic shake of the head, while you are doing it. If not, then perhaps you are doing it for the wrong reason. Academics are academics. Kids are kids. Smile. You moderate a great site.
Most sincerely,
Dan

I am an old moralist from way back. I confess to it gladly.

But that doesn't mean I don't enjoy the exhuberance of childhood and adolesence. I was there myself, and goofing off and laughing were big parts of it. But my goofing off and laughing were typically associated with "real" activities as opposed to posting crude, useless comments on sites like this. I have a daughter who IMs constantly. I say, more power to her. It is great fun for her and her friends -- both virtual and real. But her posts aren't crude, and because they are in a venue set up for that, they tie up no one else's time.

Fortunately for the site, I'm not the moderator -- just a kind of unofficial whiner, I suppose. But I will say my offense is that Bradbury and his work are real and impact lives and this site is for the promotion of that. This is a site for Bradbury and his fans. Dandelion performs the function as a moderator, and she is much more patient and carries a far greater anti-censorship ethos than I do. She does a great job with the site.

Believe me, I would delete faster and with a broader sweep -- perhaps to the detriment of the site. She has done a good job giving people space to breath, but stepping in when things get out of hand.

Hi,


I'm Crystal.I love Ray's Books. I had to read Fahrenheit 451 for a school report.It was a great book.I loved it so much,I read it 3x!!!!


A thankful Fan,
�Crystal�

Dear Mr. Dark,
As being a kid, I can tell that you pride yourself in not being one. But if you can not let one joke, one's sense of humor slide, you obviously need to step back and look at your self concepts. Is there really need to cause commotion over something so little?

who's the kid now?

The question, of course, is, who actually caused the commotion? At best, I counter-punched.

But this site has better things to do than to argue incessently about matters of taste and decorum. When it gets out of hand, I have developed a confidence that Dandelion will monitor with grace and judgement.

But I must say, as a personal confession, it is hard for me to abstain from reacting when it gets crude or personal. I can live with "irrelevant" longer, but I confess even that annoys me after awhile.

It's interesting to me, though, that you are able to make character assessments about whether or not I have a sense of humor when we have never met. I presume the basis of this would be that I think the site ought to promote the works and vision of Bradbury, and not venture into the toilet the way it was for a short period?

On the question of humor, what is funny to some is just cheap, crude, stupid and juvenile to another. I respect a sense of humor that is based on wit, timing and a kind of twisted interpretation of the human condition and the foibles of each of us. Prattle about nothing is just not humor to me. It is just non-intellectual waste -- an absence of wit. But I confess that at least some of that may be a judgement call. It is interesting to me that Steve Martin, a great humorist (sometimes slapstick and sometimes witty) holds a degree in Philosophy. Just acting stupid is not humor.

you folks sure manage to work your selves up.

Well, speaking only for myself, I guess some of it comes with old age . . .

;-)

I love Bradbury's works. I guess when the juvenile postings get trivial, I should relax a bit more. But when it gets crude, it's like watching someone spit on my girlfriend. I find it offensive.

Also, as I get older, I realize that people die. We don't have forever. It think the point of life is to live it as fully as you can. Youth don't understand that (with some wonderful exceptions). But maybe that lack of understanding is what gives them time to grow, and take risks, and figure out who they are.

Well, speaking only for myself, I guess it comes with old age.

The annoying trivia can be borne, but when it gets crude, it is like watching someone spit on my sister and I don't like it. I love Bradbury's works. They changed my life. This is an academic site and there are a lot of places to go do this IM-ing stuff.

I think the annoying trivia bothers me just because it represents such a waste of everyone's time and such a lack of understanding of the value of each day. But it seems to be the nature of youth not to understand that (with some notable exceptions). However, it may be that this lack of gravity is what allows young people to grow up taking risks, laughing and getting to know who they are.

Sorry for the double-posting. It disappeared, so I re-did it, and then they both appeared. It is not letting me delete it, so there's an annoying double-posting. Rather ironic, when it occurs when I'm whining about wasted space on here. I guess I deserved it. Time to up the Paxil!!!!!



[This message has been edited by Mr. Dark (edited 11-19-2002).]

I dunno, Mr. Dark, I find it kind of an interesting example of the type of writing revision so often displayed by Bradbury. He must not believe his published words are carved in stone, the way he changes them!

Woah! What a discussion!!! Even Dandelion is really active today! And so is Mr. Dark. I am pretty sure Mr. Dark is one of the biggest fans because I've seen him since the day I joined...And Mr. Dark and Dandelion are quite right. It is not appropriate to ruin this forum...We have to have a respect for Mr. Bradbury. By the way I have a couple of questions for Dandelion. Are you a close friend of Ray? And does Ray ever visit this website?
Thanks!