Are We Really This Old?

[heiditandy]

No: HPFGUIDX 187824

Happy (one day belated) birthday, y'all! The Elf Squad was working on this email earlier in the week while I was sitting at Universal Studios' CityWalk area, waiting to go to a reception for the announcements about the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, which opens next spring in time for Infinitus2010.org (July 15 - 18) and spent some time flipping back through posts I made and read here back in 2000 through 2003, which is when I was most active on the lists. I've hovered around since then and while I was completely offlist in 2004, I don't think I ever will be again. 

Too much history in this place. 

So, the survey/meme thing: 

How long have you been a member of HPFGU? Since the day before GoF was released. 

How did you find us? There was an article in the Washington Post about a Yahoo Club called Harry Potter for Grown-Ups and I spent over an hour looking for it via Yahoo's then-mediocre search engines. I joined - and posted within about 30 minutes. Yeah, I know. But I did read a few days' posts before I did. I swear!

What was your best and/or most unexpected experience here? Every group meetup I've had with people I met on HPfGU was fantastic. Meeting a dozen HPfGU-ers at Serendipity's on what turned out to be the Saturday before 9/11 was the first time, then Nimbus 2003 and POAIMAXNYC in 2004 and al1 the other events since. 

Most unexpected experience? Probably the fact that the ban on fic discussion on this list in early 2001 led, in a roundabout way, to the creation of FictionAlley in the summer of 2001, which led to me being quoted in an article on the front page of the NY Times in May of 2002, which is just something one never expects to have happen. 

What's been your favourite topic of discussion? Draco, and/or Sirius. I loved the Black family before we even knew they were one family!

Favourite post of your own to the group? mmmm, probbaly my last paragraph here - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/52462 - although I admit being incorrect in saying that Draco was not a "Black" character, 'cause he is, on his mom's side. ;)

Favourite post of anyone else's to the group? Alix's Sirius Black Is Dead Sexy, JKR Told Me SO: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/255

If you were given the chance, what would you ask JKR? What stories didn't you get to tell on the pages? Also - "chest monster" Seriously? That's the metaphor you wanted? 

Have any of your online friendships here gone on to real life
meetings/friendships? Yes. I may be able to technically count it at a thousand or so, by this point, because of all the cons I've attended. Fandom is my fandom!

Heidi T, Listee since 2000


Come full circle in Orlando at INFINITUS 2010
July 15 - 18, 2010
http://www.infinitus2010.org