Hello! Sorry I'm late!

Pangaea · **on:** June 12, 2009, 12:23:08 PM

Hello there! I’m over three months late in introducing myself, and I apologize for that. I admit that I joined with little or no intention of actually posting, but have since decided that I want to contribute.

A bit about me: As of this July, I will be 21 years old. I am from Minnesota, but will say nothing that could be used to pinpoint my precise identity. I am extremely shy, and have seldom posted on the Internet before (announcing myself on this site is a bold move by my standards). I am, by nature, a perfectionist and a nitpicker; something I try to suppress when I am interacting with other people, to avoid irritating them. I am also mildly afflicted with Asperger Syndrome (I understand I am not the only GoF member to have this condition), though I am unsure of how much of my quirky and neurotic personality I can attribute to this. While I believe I can safely cite my autism as the reason for my general lack of social intuition, I don’t like using it as an excuse for my shortcomings (i.e., “Hey, I have Asperger’s, so take it easy on me”).

As I am currently demonstrating, I am a very copious writer. However, due to my perfectionism, it always takes me a long time to write out something the way I want to say it (one reason I rarely participate in forums). It doesn’t help that I am hopelessly absentminded, with a memory that you might call “tactless,” “paradoxical,” or “inconvenient”; that is, while I am very proficient at spontaneously recalling certain trivial information, I always seem to draw a blank whenever I need to remember something for a practical purpose (such as an exam).

I have been obsessed with dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals (and animals and nature in general) for my entire life. For this reason, the original Land Before Time was one of my favorite movies when I was young. My interest in the series has fluctuated immensely over the years, but at this point, I think I can safely say that it is higher than it has ever been before. This has been the case for about the past six months, prior to which I had not watched an LBT film in about seven years. Then, acting on an impulse, I obtained and viewed all thirteen movies over a period of a few weeks, after which I was still hungry for more. (Sometime I’ll post a more in-depth explanation in the “Tell Your Story About LBT” thread.) My search for further LBT material led me to this site, to which I have been making regular visits ever since.

Due to my fanatical love of dinosaurs (and science and nature in general), I am something of an expert on them. I keep as up-to-date as I can on the latest paleontological discoveries, and am always eager to share the knowledge I have accumulated. (I am something of a human equivalent of Mr. Thicknose, though my conversational skills are worryingly reminiscent of Guido’s.) While the Gang of Five is hardly a science blog, I have seen a number of discussions in which the posters indicate that they would appreciate the input of an authority on dinosaurs.

While I have no paleontology credentials, I feel that I’m as qualified as anyone to serve as the resident go-to guy for information on dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals (in any case, I have enough books on prehistory to fill a small library, so I have plenty of references with which to check my facts). Thus, I will do my best to contribute to topics in need of scientific advisement. I hope I am not giving off the impression that I am barging into this forum and promoting myself as a know-it-all; I simply enjoy discussing subjects of personal interest that I know a lot about, and as that knowledge may be helpful (or at least interesting) to some people on this forum, I feel that this is an opportunity for me to engage in something I enjoy doing, while at the same time benefitting others. That said, I will probably not post very often on this site, but will do my best to participate whenever and wherever I feel I have something to contribute.

As long as I am a member of this forum, I promise to be honest and respectful whenever I post. I will never intentionally offend anyone or speak ill of other people’s opinions (though I will most certainly disagree with some of them), and will always keep a cool head when I post. The last thing I want to do is to irritate or upset anyone. (Seriously, I really hate it when I offend people, especially inadvertently. I am a social klutz with terrible self-esteem and an overdeveloped sense of guilt: not a good combination.) Also, in regard to my scientific writing, please do not hesitate to let me know if you ever need me to define or clarify something that I have described in an overly “scientific” manner. (I usually try to explain scientific concepts in easily understandable terms, but then, my definition of “understandable” is probably not the same as everyone else’s.)

Okay...hopefully this introduction has not come off as a sympathy plea or an encumbrance of autobiographical trivia; I only wanted to inform (warn?) you what to expect from me. I am, in general, a nice guy (if eccentric, introverted, and insecure) with a sense of humor and a desire to make a positive difference in the world, and hopefully I can be an accepted and active member of this site.

(Holy buckets, that’s got to be the longest member introduction in GoF history! So much for “a bit about me”...)

DarkHououmon · **Reply #1 on:** June 12, 2009, 12:31:33 PM

Hello and welcome to Gang of Five!

I, too, have Asperger's Syndrome, as well as an interest in prehistoric animals for most of my life. My fav prehistoric animals are dinosaurs. I don't have a lot of books on them myself; most of what I learn about them comes from online sources as well as programs I watch on TV.

landbeforetimelover · **Reply #2 on:** June 12, 2009, 12:50:08 PM

Hello and welcome to the forums! I live in Minnesota too. I'm glad you've decided to become a part of the community. It's sad when someone joins and doesn't post.

Malte279 · **Reply #3 on:** June 12, 2009, 12:52:55 PM

Welcome with us Pangaea!

I noticed you had logged in frequently during the last months. There is nothing like so good and thorough an introduction. Often an honest opinion of a perfectionist can be more helpful to improve things than a feedback which for politeness' sake avoids all kind of criticism, even the constructive kind.
You are from Minnesota? I spend a five months students exchange in Minnesota back in 2002 which was a really great experience for me.
I'm looking forward to read more from you

Please feel hearty invited to join our discussions or start threads of your own.

Kor · **Reply #4 on:** June 12, 2009, 01:10:00 PM

Welcome to the forum. I'm sure you'll find many topics here to respond & folks to talk to here. You've seen the 13 movies, how about the tv series? Don't feel bad about your long posts. Some folks enjoy doing long posts here. Not my style but it is of some others here. Good luck.

Saft · **Reply #5 on:** June 12, 2009, 02:37:25 PM

Hello, please don't worry about your introduction. It's perfectly fine. You and I are one of the same. I too have Asperger's syndrome and I too have an obsession with dinosaurs (when I was younger and I still do with my favourite dinosaur being an Allosaurus) which grew full blown into a history obsession (not modern history though) which I understand you what you mean...it is hard to refrain from giving lectures on a topic that is our passional interest and takes up most of our waking hours.

I understand when you refer that you hate it when you offend people albeit inadvertly, I do too. I also tend to worry that I have actually offended/angered/upset people when there is nothing of the sort and it's just me feeling like that. I suppose you feel like that too?

It is lovely to have you aboard and I am looking forward to seeing more of your input on the forum.

-Saft-

Mumbling · **Reply #6 on:** June 12, 2009, 03:25:42 PM

Hello and welcome around here

Don't worry about offending members, we won't feel offended quickly (unless you're using terms of abuse).
And you don't have to promise being honest... We have that trust in our members.

Pangaea · **Reply #7 on:** June 12, 2009, 03:53:43 PM

I thank you all for providing me with such a warm welcome. I didn’t expect my introductory post would receive so much attention so soon. Just so none of you feel left out, I will address each of your greetings and comments in turn.

DarkHououmon: I, too, obtain a large portion of my dinosaur information nowadays from the Internet. It’s the best place to find out about the latest theories and new fossil finds, and there are a number of blogs by scientists and paleontologists that I routinely visit for the most up-to-date and accurate information of all. But when I need to know about a specific topic that I can’t find addressed in sufficient detail on the Web, I turn to my book collection. (Among my staple resources are The Pterosaurs: From Deep Time by David Unwin and Dinosaurs by Thomas Holtz and Luis Rey.)

landbeforetimelover: I can’t recall exactly why I initially decided to become a member of this forum, but I do remember that my decision to start participating was inspired by a discussion of what kind of hadrosaur Ducky is. (That will probably be the first topic I address outside this one.) I spent weeks composing and editing my introduction, designing my avatar, and even writing out a few posts I planned on submitting once I had announced myself. Looking back on it, it was as if I was writing a rÈsumÈ. This is such a momentous social step for me that I wanted to be sure I did it neatly, so that I would have no regrets afterwards. (Well, like I said, I am a perfectionist.)

Malte279: I’m logged in on this site most of the time because I’m usually too absentminded to log out. Even so, I visit this site numerous times a day (depending on how distracted or busy I am with other things). My usual visitation routine involves first checking the Fanart and Fanfiction section for new stories and artwork, then skimming the other forums under the “The Land Before Time” heading to see if anything new has been posted, and finally popping into The Party Room to view the latest captions and other entertainment material. Sometimes, however, when I feel like it, I read through an entire forum topic by topic, making notes of which threads I find most interesting, and which ones I think I may want to post in. (I’m bizarre, but organized.) So far, I have gone through more or less the entire 1988 Theatrical Release forum, and up to the twelfth page of General Land Before Time. I previously browsed the Fanart and Fanfiction forum in a similar manner, but I may go back and read through it again, as I don’t feel I was quite thorough enough the first time.

Quote

I'm looking forward to read more from you

Be careful what you wish for. Apart from submissions to games in The Party Room, the majority of my posts will probably be similar to this introduction in terms of length and detail. (Of course, you, Malte, have a reputation here as a rather prolific writer yourself, so maybe you don’t mind...)

Petrie. · **Reply #8 on:** June 12, 2009, 05:20:15 PM

Welcome Pangea.

You'll find you're in good company here...none of us are the kind to be quickly offended, quite a number of our members also have been diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, and I'm a high school teacher for students with autism/aspergers.

Small world.

I think you'll particularly enjoy our serious discussion section (which you'll become a part of once you reach a certain number of posts). So don't wait too long to rack up at least double-digit postcounts.

action9000 · **Reply #9 on:** June 12, 2009, 05:38:50 PM

Hey and welcome! I'm glad you felt happy enough with our little forum to tell us your story in such detail!

Look forward to seeing you on the forum!

Nimrod · **Reply #10 on:** June 12, 2009, 06:18:22 PM

Welcome with us

It¥s really nice to have you aboard and feel free to post whatever you want and speak up your mind

Pangaea · **Reply #11 on:** June 12, 2009, 06:41:34 PM

Hello again! (You didn’t think I’d forget about the rest of you, did ya’?)

Kor: I have indeed seen all of the TV episodes. I largely have landbeforetimelover to thank for that, as I originally downloaded several of them from his website. Usually, when I watch a TV or movie series, I prefer to view all of the installments in order. This was the case with the LBT TV series, until I found out (much to my dismay) that there is virtually no continuity in the series. At the time I made this discovery, the episode clips on LBTlover’s site wouldn’t play on my computer for some reason, so “The Hidden Canyon” (included on the LBT XIII DVD) was the first episode I watched. Afterwards, I installed a program on my computer that allowed me to watch the episodes I downloaded from The Land Before Time Funsite. Since then I have purchased all of the episodes on DVD (save for “The Big Longneck Test,” which isn’t included for some reason

).

Saft: It is a pleasure to meet people with such similar interests and perspectives to my own. I feel so much more comfortable when I can see eye-to-eye with the people I’m socializing with (not eye-to-eye literally, of course

).

Mumbling: Thank you for being so trusting. My vow of honesty mainly concerns the fact that when I compliment people, I suspect that I sometimes sound as if I’m flattering them, especially since I tend to use fancy-sounding words and vivid descriptions as part of my writing style. I just want to let people know that my compliments are not sugarcoated, and that I sincerely mean everything I say (except when I’m joking or being sarcastic, which I don’t generally do when I compliment people).

Petrie: Wow. Small world indeed. I don’t believe I’ve heard of this “serious discussion” section. Not that you can expect to see me there anytime soon. At the rate I write, it’ll probably take me months just to reach Junior level. (Of course, making incorrect predictions is something I excel at, so who knows?)

UPDATE: Well, it’s been one week since my introductory post, and shut my mouth, paint me green, and call me Spike, I’ve attained Junior status!

What’d I tell ya? Sometimes I love being wrong!

action9000: If the “detailed” story you’re referring to is the one about how my interest in LBT became reignited, keep in mind that that’s just the abbreviated version. If and when I get around to posting the full story, it’ll be a whopper!

Nimrod: Thank you very much. Your open-mindedness is very reassuring. I was concerned that my ambitious and slightly self-depreciating attitude would cause people to find me annoying.

Nimrod · **Reply #12 on:** June 12, 2009, 07:02:13 PM

No way

You remind me of another member in the GOF btw. It¥s The friendly sharptooth.

Anyway, how I said. Don¥t be concerned, you are very welcome here and we are always glad about newcomers, no matter what they¥re like

Pangaea · **Reply #13 on:** June 12, 2009, 07:23:24 PM

Incidentally, after I finished writing the initial version of my introduction, I noticed that some parts of it were highly reminiscent of the intro The Friendly Sharptooth posted. I suppose it might not be pure coincidence; I’ve read most of the other member introductions, and may have been subconsciously influenced by The Friendly Sharptooth’s post when I was composing my own. I suspect that I share a number of characteristics with The Friendly Sharptooth, namely in my habit of producing extremely long and wordy posts

. Anyway, I’m just thinking out loud through my keyboard at this point. Thanks, Nimrod.

Kor · **Reply #14 on:** June 12, 2009, 10:07:36 PM

What did you think of the tv series? I know some liked it and some did not. I can understand wanting to watch things in order, even if there is no continuity in the series. For video I watch media player classic. It seems able to play many formats & is freeware and is the one I used to take most of the screenshots that I have taken.

As for long posts, don't feel bad if you do. Some folks natural style is doing long posts. Including some folks here. It's not mine but it is some.

Chiletrek · **Reply #15 on:** June 12, 2009, 10:45:17 PM

Hello:
This is a kind of late reply I guess, please accept my apologies.
I think you are doing very fine here in the page, I hope you'll get to have even better times, so don't worry about making large posts, it is better quality than quantity perhaps (but a bit of both can be good too

).
Well, enjoy your stay here and see you around!.

Noname · **Reply #16 on:** June 12, 2009, 10:46:31 PM

Wow! Great introduction. I'm sure you will fit right in to the GoF! Welcome! And don't worry about long introductions; many of us here can be wordy as well... including me sometimes!

Pangaea · **Reply #17 on:** June 13, 2009, 01:02:03 AM

Kor:

In general, I think I liked the TV series better than the thirteenth movie (though both were somewhat overly “kiddified” for my tastes). My biggest complaint is, of course, the lack of an explanation for how Ruby and Chomper came to join the gang. However, I very much liked Ruby as a character, and she quickly became a favorite of mine. (I won’t talk much about her here, as I am currently preparing a virtual dissertation on her that I plan to post in the “Character Discussion” section, though it might end up needing its own topic.)

Besides the aforementioned cavernous plot hole, my greatest frustration with the series was the songs, most of which I found to be either too juvenile, too silly, or too frequently used. Had I made the series, I would have settled for one song per episode, rather than two. Ruby’s rendition of “Remembering” was probably my favorite original song (i.e., an original melody not recycled from a movie) from the series, and I liked its tune enough that I didn’t really mind when it was reused with different lyrics (I more or less hated the other songs with which this was done). “Feel So Happy” gets old real fast, and is rather cheesy in the first place (if someone started singing that in real life, I’d run for cover), and while I thought the phrase “oops-eeps” was kind of cute, I didn’t care for the song (or its melodic mimic, “My Way”). As for the reprises of movie songs, I was okay with most of them (though I thought they used “Adventuring” a little too much). Oh, and I liked the theme song, too. (I suppose it can also count as an "original song.")

I also didn’t like the new voices for Littlefoot, Mr. Thicknose, and numerous other returning characters. Littlefoot’s voice in particular sounded so overly youthful in comparison to its earlier incarnations that I couldn’t take him seriously as the “leader” of the gang anymore. (The redesign of his face that made him look as if he was using his cheeks to store tree sweets didn’t help.)

Contrary to what I may seem to be implying, there were things that I liked about the TV series. (Heck, it’s LBT, after all!) I somehow feel obliged to mention which episodes I liked the best and which ones I liked the least. Though, like Malte, I usually tend to be rather hesitant when it comes to superlatives and choosing favorites, I think I can make relatively comfortable choices in this case. “The Spooky Nighttime Adventure” was probably the episode I enjoyed the most (in any event, it’s the one I’ve watched the most), followed closely by “Through The Eyes Of A Spiketail.” I also liked “The Mysterious Tooth Crisis,” “The Star Day Celebration,” “The Meadow Of Jumping Waters,” “The Canyon Of Shiny Stones,” “March Of The Sand Creepers” (though, admittedly, the introduction of an English-speaking crustacean was a bit over-the-top weird), and parts of “The Cave Of Many Voices.” I can definitely say that my least favorite episode was “The Legend Of The Story Speakers,” followed by “The Big Longneck Test,” “The Amazing Threehorn Girl,” and “The Forbidden Friendship” (though there were a couple of things about the latter that I liked).

Pangaea · **Reply #18 on:** June 13, 2009, 01:05:44 AM

Chiletrek: Don’t worry about the late reply; it gives me more time to respond to prior posts

. As for the length of my posts; like I said, I’m a perfectionist: I’m all about quality. The quantity is merely a side effect.

*

Noname: Thank you very much for the compliment. Wordiness is something of a trademark of my writing style; I am a very comprehensive writer. If I find myself unable to write voluminously on a subject, then that subject is usually something I’m not interested enough in to bother writing about.

*Darn, I love that emoticon! Hope I'm not overusing it...

Kor · **Reply #19 on:** June 13, 2009, 01:32:33 AM

If you want to talk about Ruby on a thread she has her own thread at: http://z7.invisionfree.com/thegangoffive/i...opic=3324.40