member to L.O.O.N. members

[joym999 at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 23476

To: all members of L.O.O.N.
Fr: Joywitch M. Curmudgeon -- Really, Extremely Anal Leader of the 
League of Obsessed Nitpickers (R.E.A.L. L.O.O.N.)

It has come to my attention that our efforts are not universally 
appreciated.  I refer to the very gentle, polite, and kindly-offered 
criticisms made by members of the R.E.S.T. (Reading for 
Entertainment, Style, and IntenT) members of HP4GU that our obsessive 
nitpicking is sometimes annoying.

Now, as you all know, we have some world-class nitpickers among our 
ranks.  However, we must keep in mind that nitpicking is a lot like 
any other kind of insect hunt.  For example, take butterfly 
collecting.  To some people, a butterfly collection is the proud 
trophy of a delightful sport in which the beautiful, delicate 
butterfly is chased through the wilderness by the intrepid collector, 
who fights her way through thorns, pushes his way through rubble, 
climbs over boulders and crawls through the dark, damp underbrush in 
order to snatch the elusive quarry.  To other people, it is a bunch 
of dead bugs.

So, you see, when someone spends hours crafting an intelligent, 
lengthy commentary about some profound aspect of the HP books, and 
the only response he or she gets in return is some whiny little 
nitpick from some L.O.O.N. who just HAS TO point out that it was Dean 
Thomas who said that and not Seamus Finnegan, you can see why he or 
she might get a little miffed.  And, as someone who is guilty of 
making many, many of the aforementioned whiny little nitpicking 
posts, I have to (seriously for once) apologize for any offense, 
annoyance or hurt feelings which may have resulted.  And I would like 
encourage all L.O.O.N. members to be more sensitive to the fact that 
not everyone shares our obsessiveness, which I might remind everyone 
is probably a good thing.

Sometimes we tend to get lost in the details, particulary since, as 
has been pointed out, we have picked so much of the meat off the 
Harry Potter bones that we are in danger of perishing of hunger until 
the next scrap of food is thrown our way.  But we must practice 
Constant Vigilance so that we do not become so completely obsessed 
with the details that we lose sight of the sheer beauty and pleasure 
of the Potterverse.

So, on behalf of all the L.O.O.N.s, R.E.A.L. L.O.O.N.s, and even 
L.O.O.N. wannabes (like David Frankis) I would like to again 
apologize.  We will try to be less L.O.O.N.y, but please R.E.S.T. of 
HP4GU, try and forgive us even when we are obnoxious pests, for we 
are obsessed and have trouble controlling our impulses.  And whatever 
you do, dont take our nitpicking personally.  We are not criticising 
you when we correct your posts.  In fact, we love you for feeding our 
needs.  And we do actually listen to the MEANING of your post, even 
though we can not always find something meaningful to say in return.

Oh, and one more bit of L.O.O.N. business.  I have to say a word here 
about one of our newer members, Ben Jones, whose collections of HP-
related color references are truly breathtaking.  I will be 
nominating young Jones for L.O.O.N. president at our next convention, 
since I predict that our current president, Amanda, is probably 
afraid to continue in her current postion for too much longer.  (Look 
what be president of L.O.O.N. did to me -- although I AM feeling much 
better since they increased the dosage.)