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Welcome! => HOW TO JOIN -- READ THIS!!! Plus NEW MEMBER HELLOS and WELCOMES! => Topic started by: guest4955 on May 31, 2017, 04:38:03 AM

Title: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: guest4955 on May 31, 2017, 04:38:03 AM
Hello friends, Romans, and fellow poster nerds! After a three year near-total break from the hobby, I’ve decided to launch Collecting Round 2.0, rejoin the forums, and start collecting again.

(https://www.proprofs.com/api/ckeditor_images/FreshStart.png)

Let me re-introduce myself. I randomly walked into a movie poster store in Denver in March 2009 and immediately became obsessed with the hobby. Over the next five-and-a-half years – until Nov. 2014 - I spent most of my discretionary income on movie posters, prints, frames, linen-backing, and internet hosting fees for my two websites posternirvana.com (personal collection) and moviepostercollectors.com (educational site). Here's a pic from April 2014:

(http://i1320.photobucket.com/albums/u536/HereComesMongo1968/2014-04-15-AOTCM1_zpsxlzkqmxv.jpg) (http://s1320.photobucket.com/user/HereComesMongo1968/media/2014-04-15-AOTCM1_zpsxlzkqmxv.jpg.html)

With all this crazy spending I was stone-cold broke often. I’ll never forget one time I was on a date with my new girlfriend in 2011 and both my debit and credit cards were declined. I rather stupidly confessed my poster mania and she told me “it’s me or the posters!” We broke up soon afterward and the poster craze continued unabated. (See this recent WP article (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/soloish/wp/2017/05/26/the-dangers-of-dating-while-broke/) about dating while broke!)

I bought 1900 movie posters and prints and 100 frames from 2009-2014, spending countless hours – sometimes several hours daily – poring through the endless auctions on eBay and the independent auction sites. Meanwhile, I probably posted five times a day on MPF and APF as Dread_Pirate_Mel, generally enjoying myself – and personally meeting several APF members - but garnering several enemies, including the infamous Tom Loce.  He even filed a bar complaint against me! But it went nowhere.

(http://i1320.photobucket.com/albums/u536/HereComesMongo1968/Loce_zpszr2cgj4k.jpg) (http://s1320.photobucket.com/user/HereComesMongo1968/media/Loce_zpszr2cgj4k.jpg.html)

I left APF in June 2014 after a blow-up over “outing” a rare ET poster auction. (In Round 2, I’ll follow the current APF rule about “outing” of course.) I didn’t glance at any of the forums again for almost three years until last month.

(http://i1320.photobucket.com/albums/u536/HereComesMongo1968/download_zpseh3kfwsb.png) (http://s1320.photobucket.com/user/HereComesMongo1968/media/download_zpseh3kfwsb.png.html)

After a six-year fight with Adam I’ve decided I owe him an apology. It all started in 2011 when on a Bond forum I questioned whether he actually owned a Bond print he was selling. That was thoughtless and inexcusable. I was just being a F-ing poster nerd! He ultimately sold it for 1000+ pounds but he claimed – and claims – I ruined his reputation. I don’t agree but still owe him an apology.

(http://i1320.photobucket.com/albums/u536/HereComesMongo1968/apology_zpsfc15s8kf.jpg) (http://s1320.photobucket.com/user/HereComesMongo1968/media/apology_zpsfc15s8kf.jpg.html)

Making a very long and complex tale as short as possible, in Dec 2014 I suffered a brain injury. My walking/motion, speech, and sleep have severely degraded. I had to drop out of the practice of law in Jan. 2016 and go on disability and move from DC to Charlotte NC to be closer to family.

(http://i1320.photobucket.com/albums/u536/HereComesMongo1968/charlotte_zpsw1kxskdo.jpg) (http://s1320.photobucket.com/user/HereComesMongo1968/media/charlotte_zpsw1kxskdo.jpg.html)

To help pay my medical expenses I consigned 99% of my collection to EMP. They sold all my posters for $137K – equalling what I’d paid for them (inc. shipping costs and linenbacking 20+ posters) - and I netted $94K after EMP commissions. I  have nothing but praise for EMP. They sold my posters for significantly more than I could have gotten on eBay. They saved me countless hours as well. They even flew an EMP employee in May 2015 to DC in June 2015 to pack/ship my final 500 posters. The overall commission rate was a very fair 30%. These were my top $ sellers:

(http://i1320.photobucket.com/albums/u536/HereComesMongo1968/EMP_zpspqrifxhg.jpg) (http://s1320.photobucket.com/user/HereComesMongo1968/media/EMP_zpspqrifxhg.jpg.html)

I’m telling all this not to elicit pity but as a warning to preserve and enjoy your health and not to obsess too much about this hobby! The only path forward for me is to hang in there and tough it out and enjoy my “Life 2.0” as much as possible. I’ve decided to spend some of my remaining net to build a relatively small “3-Star” collection, ha-ha!

By the end of  2015 I was down to 19 posters out of 1900 bought in Round 1. These were the “survivors”:

(http://i1320.photobucket.com/albums/u536/HereComesMongo1968/Survivors_zpsyuq4yudk.jpg) (http://s1320.photobucket.com/user/HereComesMongo1968/media/Survivors_zpsyuq4yudk.jpg.html)

I didn’t buy any other posters until April 2017.  I checked out T’s site to peruse the new 2015-17 posters. So far I’ve rounded up these:

(http://i1320.photobucket.com/albums/u536/HereComesMongo1968/New2_zps9uqtzyu4.jpg) (http://s1320.photobucket.com/user/HereComesMongo1968/media/New2_zps9uqtzyu4.jpg.html)

(http://i1320.photobucket.com/albums/u536/HereComesMongo1968/New1_zpslkcatgdg.jpg) (http://s1320.photobucket.com/user/HereComesMongo1968/media/New1_zpslkcatgdg.jpg.html)

My new frame collection – I gave away most of my frames when I moved from DC - is posted here:

https://www.facebook.com/pg/MoviePosterCollectors/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1938634233087177 (https://www.facebook.com/pg/MoviePosterCollectors/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1938634233087177)

Here are my faves:

(http://i1320.photobucket.com/albums/u536/HereComesMongo1968/20170526_133141_zpsan24tuf9.jpg) (http://s1320.photobucket.com/user/HereComesMongo1968/media/20170526_133141_zpsan24tuf9.jpg.html)

(http://i1320.photobucket.com/albums/u536/HereComesMongo1968/20170526_133518_zpsdyxehiqi.jpg) (http://s1320.photobucket.com/user/HereComesMongo1968/media/20170526_133518_zpsdyxehiqi.jpg.html)

800 pictures of my 2009-2014 DC frame collection are here:

https://www.facebook.com/pg/MoviePosterCollectors/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1936000636683870 (https://www.facebook.com/pg/MoviePosterCollectors/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1936000636683870)

I’ve rebuilt moviepostercollectors.com as moviepostercollectors.guide to help the hobby. More on that later.

(http://moviepostercollectors.guide/MPC_Home_files/LOGO.jpg)

‘Nuff said! Thanks for reading through the longest intro in APF history. I look forward to reconnecting with my old APF pals and meeting new pals here!
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: Charlie on May 31, 2017, 07:34:29 AM
Great re-intro... I think as for the poster collecting community, your passion has been missed.
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: Damomac on May 31, 2017, 08:23:24 AM
 welcome1 back - enjoy your second coming. Ive only been collecting for two years and a member here for 18 months, so i missed you the first time around. Enjoyed looking through your framed collection, i have many of the same posters so we have similar taste it seems.

Enjoy the hunt

Damo
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: Harry Caul on May 31, 2017, 09:59:25 AM
Welcome back Mel!
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: eatbrie on May 31, 2017, 11:47:49 AM
Wow, quite a story there, Mel.  I hope your recovery is going well.  Enjoy the forum and practice restrain.  This hobby should never be a priority, but a fun past time.  There are so many more important things in life.

Welcome back,

T
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: marklawd on May 31, 2017, 01:41:39 PM
Yes, welcome back Mel. Your energy has been missed. I can't work out a theme yet from your phoenix collection.

Mark
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: hepcatpunk on May 31, 2017, 03:35:36 PM
Welcome back.  Didn't know you before, but couldn't help but catch references as I perused the forums.  Been collecting myself for 25 years or so.  Your poster-guide website is top-notch and saved me from buying an ET moon counterfeit.  Great site---hope you keep it up.  Enjoy your stay---and you're right, Loce's a d-bag.  Stay healthy!
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: Neo on May 31, 2017, 03:36:42 PM
 welcome1 back aboard, Mel.

Good to hear you're doing OK.  Very respectable of you to share your story here.

Impressive results from the mega consignment.  I think you made a good choice to consign all that stuff from round 1 and make a fresh start.

 cheers
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: Simes on May 31, 2017, 05:47:29 PM
Welcome back fella.

Hope time and Life has afforded perspective, if that was indeed the thrust of your (great) re-intro.

Love the Walk the Line poster.
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: Starling on May 31, 2017, 07:39:54 PM
You always had a way with a story, Mel,  glad to see you're back!  I hope your health is improving.

And that Sullivan's Travels poster is a pure knock-out!   bed1
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: jedgerley on May 31, 2017, 07:48:31 PM
Hey Mel great to have you back. Take care and talk to you down the road.
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: Undead on June 01, 2017, 01:07:24 AM
Welcome back Mel. I hope that you are and continue to recover.

Good luck with collecting round 2.0 and look forward to seeing some good posts from you in the future. I know first hand what it is like to have to part with portions of the collection to cover life's curve balls. I hope you have the chance to replace the most prized that were sold and look forward to seeing any additions you do make going forward.
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: Monster_A_GoGo on June 01, 2017, 02:26:35 AM
Zowie! The Dread Pirate Mel! You are somewhat of a legend around here. Welcome back. I have heard amazing things about your (previous) collection and often wondered WHY you gave it all up and sold everything (and deleted the photos on your posts so us newbies couldn't see them and drool...). I must have just missed you by a few months. I joined in January 2015. I am sorry to hear about your brain injury---jeepers! --but it sounds as if you are recovering nicely---and with such enthusiasm. I am glad the legend has been reborn. I look forward to seeing you on here now that you are B-A-C-K!

CHEERS!
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: Tob on June 01, 2017, 02:35:23 AM
Welcome back, Mel! I missed your posts and it's good to see you back again. Sorry to hear about your health problems, I hope you're doing ok and this hobby of pretty paper is bringing you smiles.
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: guest4955 on June 01, 2017, 03:47:24 AM
Thanks for the warm welcome!

(https://fiec.org.uk/images/sized/images/articles/a-warm-welcome-570x375.jpg)

I'll try to restore some of my best images from Round 1.
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: Ed_209uk on June 01, 2017, 12:18:47 PM
Welcome back Mel. To echo others, I'm sorry to hear about your injury and I wish you a speedy recovery (is it something that you will totally recover from eventually?)

It looks like your collection 2.0 is off to a good start anyway.

Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: paul waines on June 01, 2017, 12:27:11 PM
And Welcome back here too Mel, take it easy and don't end up in a financial hole.... ;)
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: guest4955 on June 02, 2017, 01:54:46 AM
..... I have heard amazing things about your (previous) collection and often wondered WHY you gave it all up and sold everything (and deleted the photos on your posts so us newbies couldn't see them and drool...).

Let me assure you I did not delete my images to harm the forum. In Round 1, I hosted 90% of posted images on my personal website posternirvana.com and 10% on Photobucket. As you can see, hosting on my own site allowed - and allows -  me to post much larger images:

http://www.allposterforum.com/index.php/topic,9215.msg221061.html#msg221061

But operating and updating my own site was very cumbersome. In May 2014 I opened a page on Facebook to host my personal collection and other image showcases:

https://www.facebook.com/MoviePosterCollectors/

My web hosting contract ran out June 13, 2014, coincidentally just days after I left APF. I didn't want to spend $100 a year just to preserve my images on APF so the site and its images disappeared.

It was a pretty cool site. You can see the archived version here:

https://web.archive.org/web/20140210142443/http://posternirvana.com/Main/Home.html

Like I said I'm doing my best to repost my best images from Round 1. Today I probably uploaded 200 images and linked to a thousand more.





Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: guest4955 on June 02, 2017, 02:04:23 AM
Welcome back Mel. To echo others, I'm sorry to hear about your injury and I wish you a speedy recovery (is it something that you will totally recover from eventually?)

No, unfortunately. I consulted the top doctor/expert in the world on my particular brain syndrome in 2015. I went to the Mayo Clinic for four days in 2016. I've had 5 freaking head MRIs. Nothing has really helped.

(http://scans-mri.weebly.com/uploads/1/9/7/4/19747409/6743646.png)
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: crowzilla on June 02, 2017, 02:23:08 PM
Welcome back Mel.
Good to have you on the forums, and wish you continued betterment in your personal life.

Sean
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: 50s on June 03, 2017, 12:25:23 AM
Wow, Mel, really great to see you back here! Sorry your world was turned upside down. All the best in your recovery. Like a member mentioned, your passion for collecting was greatly missed. This forum, from when you joined in the very first days of APF till when you left, your posts (in the top few members in quantity)  generated really high highs and deep lows(!). APF stats - 'people online' records broken at times (though that was during the lows!). You've always said what you thought and were quite open about yourself, rather than keeping a quiet profile like most of us. You are sounding the same with the same collecting passion as before. I suspect we will be all taken along for another rollercoaster ride for Mel 2.0. I look forward to your next quizzes and, dare I say, poems, haha.
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: rdavey26 on June 03, 2017, 03:51:19 AM
Welcome back Mel. I haven't been around much myself. Busy life. I hope all is well.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: CJ138 on June 03, 2017, 08:08:00 AM
Good to see you back posting Mel! I am very sorry to hear about your injury. Looking forward to checking out your collection 2.0!

Best regards,
Conor
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: guest4955 on June 04, 2017, 05:24:51 PM
Howdy Conor, Steve, Sea, Paul, Ed, and all others, good to "meet" you again!

I'm image-posting addicted in Round 2, to wit:

(http://netrightdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Cartoon-Old-Acquaintance-Be-Forgot-ALG-600.jpg)
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: guest4955 on June 04, 2017, 05:34:30 PM
I meant to mention in my intro that I strongly encourage you to buy short-term and long-term disability insurance:

(http://www.lifehappens.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Stat_DI_61percent.jpg)

I never thought I would have health problems, so I didn't. Very fortunately for me, unbeknownst to me, as an employee of the US gov, I was automatically covered by its relatively-generous LTD program. It saved me financially. I'd be on welfare and/or dependent on my relatives without it. Don't make my mistake....
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: Neo on June 04, 2017, 10:26:43 PM
The 3 basic insurance plans - life, health, and disability - are so important.  Good to hear that you're covered, and thanks for the advice.

It's good to see you around, sharing cool stuff, your collection 2.0, etc.

 cheers
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: kovacs01 on June 05, 2017, 03:34:30 AM
Welcome back Mel!
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: AdamCarterJones on June 05, 2017, 08:04:54 PM
After a six-year fight with Adam I’ve decided I owe him an apology. It all started in 2011 when on a Bond forum I questioned whether he actually owned a Bond print he was selling. That was thoughtless and inexcusable. I was just being a F-ing poster nerd! He ultimately sold it for 1000+ pounds but he claimed – and claims – I ruined his reputation. I don’t agree but still owe him an apology.

Welcome back Mel  welcome1

Look guys, I'm not daft - I know none of you want to hear this, but I must state the facts  imbecile.gif

Mel, you wrote to me on May 24.
I replied to you and accepted your apology with open arms and thanked you for it (it was completely out of the blue - a nice surprise!).
I told you the most important thing in all of this was your health and I wished you all the best in staying/getting well  happy1

I have not heard from you since  waiting1

Now, just like in my reply to you, it is important I correct the inaccuracies with your version of events regarding me  sm1
Your feud with me did NOT start on a Bond forum, as you still claim - I don't know where you're getting this from  ???
It originally started on MPF (instigated not by you, but T) and carried over to APF. Following many posts, both you and wonkabars then followed me to two different Bond forums  <OO

You didn't question anything in all those posts on APF, MPF and the Bond forums like you say…you actually stated your opinions of me as a matter of fact and sadly some people believed you  sad.gif

It wasn't all about a Bond print like you also say  uhno
It was about my collection and me on a personal level even before the Bond print became an issue with you.

The reason why I stated (not claimed) you ruined my reputation was because you did in fact do just that with many across the forums.
I am astonished after everything you have been through you still don't understand this  hmmm.gif

You weren't just being a poster nerd - you were far worse and I think you know that because you said what you did was thoughtless and inexcusable.
You know the score and whilst it would have been lovely for you to have acknowledged the whole truth, in the end, I again thank you for your apology as it truly meant and means a lot to me  qip

Finally, my invitation for you to visit me if you step foot in the UK again is still open, so do take the train ride from London and say hi!
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: Neo on June 05, 2017, 08:34:58 PM
Welcome back Mel  welcome1

Look guys, I'm not daft - I know none of you want to hear this, but I must state the facts  imbecile.gif

Mel, you wrote to me on May 24.
I replied to you and accepted your apology with open arms and thanked you for it (it was completely out of the blue - a nice surprise!).
I told you the most important thing in all of this was your health and I wished you all the best in staying/getting well  happy1

I have not heard from you since  waiting1

Now, just like in my reply to you, it is important I correct the inaccuracies with your version of events regarding me  sm1
Your feud with me did NOT start on a Bond forum, as you still claim - I don't know where you're getting this from  ???
It originally started on MPF (instigated not by you, but T) and carried over to APF. Following many posts, both you and wonkabars then followed me to two different Bond forums  <OO

You didn't question anything in all those posts on APF, MPF and the Bond forums like you say…you actually stated your opinions of me as a matter of fact and sadly some people believed you  sad.gif

It wasn't all about a Bond print like you also say  uhno
It was about my collection and me on a personal level even before the Bond print became an issue with you.

The reason why I stated (not claimed) you ruined my reputation was because you did in fact do just that with many across the forums.
I am astonished after everything you have been through you still don't understand this  hmmm.gif

You weren't just being a poster nerd - you were far worse and I think you know that because you said what you did was thoughtless and inexcusable.
You know the score and whilst it would have been lovely for you to have acknowledged the whole truth, in the end, I again thank you for your apology as it truly meant and means a lot to me  qip

Finally, my invitation for you to visit me if you step foot in the UK again is still open, so do take the train ride from London and say hi!

Some things never change.

Btw, I just checked the thread you started over a year ago - "Selling Bond Collection."  You still have not replied to Jeff's comment, nor have you posted what is for sale or any photos - a rule that Holiday enacted. http://www.allposterforum.com/index.php/topic,10588.msg212133.html#msg212133 (http://www.allposterforum.com/index.php/topic,10588.msg212133.html#msg212133)
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: 50s on June 05, 2017, 10:15:59 PM
Adam vs Mel 2.0

New rule?: Mel and Adam only talk about each other as of 2.0 (now) onwards (as differences/disputes are all past related and hopefully circumstances have now changed)

Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: guest4531 on June 06, 2017, 04:18:13 AM
Some things never change.

Btw, I just checked the thread you started over a year ago - "Selling Bond Collection."  You still have not replied to Jeff's comment, nor have you posted what is for sale or any photos - a rule that Holiday enacted. http://www.allposterforum.com/index.php/topic,10588.msg212133.html#msg212133 (http://www.allposterforum.com/index.php/topic,10588.msg212133.html#msg212133)


There is an African proverb saying when "When elephants fight, the grass gets hurt".    As for the facts and chain of events, can we start from the dinosaur extinction because I lost a chapter :)

But yeah, after reading this and your "selling Bond collection" thread, I can understand that not providing pictures with listing is somehow problematic... not that we don't trust you, just that it is a common rule to follow in collector forums and we all had experience once with some opportunists doing the middle-men.    Having an answer would clarified things.

Be cool, have fun, peace !!
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: guest4955 on June 06, 2017, 06:36:30 PM
Who says women don't like MPs? My neighbor popped into my apt. today and proclaimed:

(http://i1320.photobucket.com/albums/u536/HereComesMongo1968/Neighbor_zpsyzcawnwy.jpg) (http://s1320.photobucket.com/user/HereComesMongo1968/media/Neighbor_zpsyzcawnwy.jpg.html)

PS Not my actual neighbor's pic - found this pic searching for "friendly neighbor"
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: eatbrie on June 06, 2017, 06:44:22 PM
No woman will ever say that she loves a single guy's apartment unless she wants to hop in bed with him.  It will not happen.  So what are you waiting for?

T
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: guest4531 on June 07, 2017, 03:06:00 AM
No woman will ever say that she loves a single guy's apartment unless she wants to hop in bed with him.  It will not happen.  So what are you waiting for?

T

For someone to remove the posters lying on the bed :)

Unless she really likes movies and art/image...  until the day you give a try and say with a nudge "You know, aside romantic movies and musicals, I also collect exploitation and sexploitation movies".   Bam !!
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: guest4955 on June 07, 2017, 04:02:29 AM
Jerem "i collect posters!" is mocked on 30 Rock:

https://www.reddit.com/r/videos/comments/24iowz/30_rock_had_a_one_off_character_jerem_that/ (https://www.reddit.com/r/videos/comments/24iowz/30_rock_had_a_one_off_character_jerem_that/)

(http://i1320.photobucket.com/albums/u536/HereComesMongo1968/Jerem_zpsro2dnd4g.jpg) (http://s1320.photobucket.com/user/HereComesMongo1968/media/Jerem_zpsro2dnd4g.jpg.html)
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: guest4955 on June 07, 2017, 05:56:32 AM
100 posts, I'm officially a poster nerd again!

(http://i1320.photobucket.com/albums/u536/HereComesMongo1968/MSH_zpsap9e1fg7.jpg) (http://s1320.photobucket.com/user/HereComesMongo1968/media/MSH_zpsap9e1fg7.jpg.html)

(https://guideimg.alibaba.com/images/shop/2015/08/05/94/nerd-poster-geek-chic-poster-size-16.5-inch-x-11.7-inch-bedroom-poster-home-decor-geek-poster-nerd-retro-poster-blue-art_7201294.jpeg)

Of coure, I posted 7,000+ times in Round 1, so I've got a long way to go....
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: 50s on June 07, 2017, 08:10:34 AM
That must be the fastest to their first 100 posts too. An average of 14 a day must be a record too!

Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: Monster_A_GoGo on June 07, 2017, 02:09:12 PM
(http://i1042.photobucket.com/albums/b428/Mr_GoGo_/Mel%20Posts_zpswbvgcy4n.jpg)

Ha!  How strange. Your stat shows 100 on the right...but only 98 on the left.
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: CJ138 on June 07, 2017, 06:48:14 PM
This thread made me smile.
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: guest4955 on June 08, 2017, 08:18:15 AM
This thread made me smile.

This poster - one of my favorites from Round 1 - encapsulates this thread:

(http://i1320.photobucket.com/albums/u536/HereComesMongo1968/Big%20Lebowski%20The%201998%20Italy%202P_zpsogszfmsq.jpg) (http://s1320.photobucket.com/user/HereComesMongo1968/media/Big%20Lebowski%20The%201998%20Italy%202P_zpsogszfmsq.jpg.html)]
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: guest4955 on June 10, 2017, 01:16:56 PM
(http://i1320.photobucket.com/albums/u536/HereComesMongo1968/Screen%20Shot%202017-06-10%20at%201.07.34%20PM_zps3a17lhr6.jpg) (http://s1320.photobucket.com/user/HereComesMongo1968/media/Screen%20Shot%202017-06-10%20at%201.07.34%20PM_zps3a17lhr6.jpg.html)

No, it was nothing but a long-running joke. You're not the only one who took it too-seriously. Real life intent doesn't necessarily translate well online. It's too bad most of us will never meet in person.

(http://i1320.photobucket.com/albums/u536/HereComesMongo1968/Im-kind-of-a-big-deal_zpsu69h8bun.jpg) (http://s1320.photobucket.com/user/HereComesMongo1968/media/Im-kind-of-a-big-deal_zpsu69h8bun.jpg.html)



Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: 50s on June 10, 2017, 06:15:03 PM
(https://sd.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/i-w600/keep-calm-and-rewrite-history-1.jpg)

Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: guest4955 on June 11, 2017, 01:31:41 AM
Landed a girlfriend in 2014 who dressed as a flapper for Halloween. I inserted her pic into a 1920s flapper poster. Hey she claimed she liked it, ha-ha...

(http://i1320.photobucket.com/albums/u536/HereComesMongo1968/Laura-Lee_zpsv9jke8ih.jpg) (http://s1320.photobucket.com/user/HereComesMongo1968/media/Laura-Lee_zpsv9jke8ih.jpg.html)

(http://l450v.alamy.com/450v/f0ybxr/hot-stuff-1929-06-movie-poster-f0ybxr.jpg)
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: 50s on June 11, 2017, 02:10:23 AM
Impressive flapper

Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: AdamCarterJones on June 14, 2017, 01:32:33 PM
Some things never change.

Btw, I just checked the thread you started over a year ago - "Selling Bond Collection."  You still have not replied to Jeff's comment, nor have you posted what is for sale or any photos - a rule that Holiday enacted. http://www.allposterforum.com/index.php/topic,10588.msg212133.html#msg212133 (http://www.allposterforum.com/index.php/topic,10588.msg212133.html#msg212133)

Nope, you're still goading me. Lovely.
I am entitled to set a few things straight and I was sincere in my corrections of Mel.
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: Neo on June 14, 2017, 02:25:17 PM
Nope, you're still goading me. Lovely.
I am entitled to set a few things straight and I was sincere in my corrections of Mel.


I'm not "goading" you, Adam, although you may feel that way.  Like I said, some things never change. 


H enacted the rule, that sales posts should have a list and photos of what is actually for sale, and you simply ignore it.  Did you see TheBigBoss's comment?




There is an African proverb saying when "When elephants fight, the grass gets hurt".    As for the facts and chain of events, can we start from the dinosaur extinction because I lost a chapter :)

But yeah, after reading this and your "selling Bond collection" thread, I can understand that not providing pictures with listing is somehow problematic... not that we don't trust you, just that it is a common rule to follow in collector forums and we all had experience once with some opportunists doing the middle-men.    Having an answer would clarified things.

Be cool, have fun, peace !!

Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: guest4955 on June 14, 2017, 07:46:07 PM
My 7yo niece text messaging me:

(http://i1320.photobucket.com/albums/u536/HereComesMongo1968/IMG_0532_zps6fcgfsfd.jpeg) (http://s1320.photobucket.com/user/HereComesMongo1968/media/IMG_0532_zps6fcgfsfd.jpeg.html)

So funny that Internet/email showed up in 1995, the year I graduated from law school. Text messaging in 2005. Kids today it's as normal as breathing.
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: guest4955 on June 18, 2017, 11:29:38 PM
In my first 20 days back on APF in Round 2:

- 200 posts
- 500+ images uploaded to Pbucket
- two flame wars with other APF members.

In sum I'm just as annoying as I was in Round 1!

(http://i1320.photobucket.com/albums/u536/HereComesMongo1968/Screen%20Shot%202017-06-18%20at%2011.25.09%20PM_zpspknrul2t.jpg) (http://s1320.photobucket.com/user/HereComesMongo1968/media/Screen%20Shot%202017-06-18%20at%2011.25.09%20PM_zpspknrul2t.jpg.html)
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: 50s on June 18, 2017, 11:40:12 PM
Is this a joke?

No, this is not a joke


Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: jayn_j on June 19, 2017, 11:23:07 AM
Rats!   And I was hoping you had MELlowed :(   ;D
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: guest4955 on June 24, 2017, 04:53:26 AM
So a couple of anecdotes to entertain all the poster nerds enthusiasts hereabouts.

First, my personal assistants' boss visited me today.I'm an atypical client. 98% of their clients are both elderly and suffer moderate to severe dementia. Anyway she's a 24yo grad student. Upon entering my apt., for two minutes she "sang the praises" over my framed MP collection, "wonderful" etc. Of course,I pay her salary but she sounded sincere. She's quite frank about the abysmally low salaries they pay her and my assistants and she's moving into my apartment complex to save money. So I don't think she was BSing me about the MPs. (No there's no romantic interplay here T!)

(http://www.prettyopinionated.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/How-to-GIve-a-Compliment-300x228.jpg)

Second, a non-MP ditty. As I mentioned earlier I was forced to leave my beloved city of D.C. to move to the red-state purgatory of Charlotte NC to be closer to my family. That's the bad news. The really good news is that I randomly picked an apt. just a few feet from the middle of the apt. pool. It was the middle of the winter when I moved and I just picked a random 1st floor apt., didn't care about its proximity to the pool.

As it turns out, on summer weekdays 5-10 hottie bikini-clad coeds hang out by the pool for several hours. Zero cheeseball dudes in sight. On weekends 20-25 babes descend on the pool along with 10-15 hombres. Needless to say, I often find myself gazing at the amazing bounty of beauty just feet away from my couch. No doubt I'm a perv especially since these lasses are half my age but can you blame me?

(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3644/3418027516_d193d055b3.jpg)

The average age at my DC apt. was 65yo, by stark contrast. It was perfectly normal to rent all your life and not own a car, totally bizarre scenario in 98% of the USA of course.

Anyways today I ventured out to my porch today to ... er ... admire the view and clumsily dropped my new $1000 iPad Pro two feet onto the concrete floor. No biggie I thought since I had bought a plastic protector for it and Apple vaunts its Gorilla glass. But to my horror the screen was badly cracked and several cracks spidered throughout most of the screen:

(http://i1320.photobucket.com/albums/u536/HereComesMongo1968/IMG_2323_zpsndn9pacj.jpg) (http://s1320.photobucket.com/user/HereComesMongo1968/media/IMG_2323_zpsndn9pacj.jpg.html)

(http://i1320.photobucket.com/albums/u536/HereComesMongo1968/IMG_2331_zpsnqszz5iz.jpg) (http://s1320.photobucket.com/user/HereComesMongo1968/media/IMG_2331_zpsnqszz5iz.jpg.html)

After my initial panic subsided, I again thought no biggie , it's probably cheap just to replace the glass. To my dismay I learned that Apple charges $550 to fix the screens of iPad Pros. A local shop quoted me $450. Oh sh*t, I thought. Being a horny bastard cost me $500 today!

Out of desperation I consulted the Google God again and learned that I could buy AppleCare+ for 60 days after purchase for "only" $100, which covers screen repairs for $50. Cool I thought I'll just take a couple of minutes online and sign up. It took me more than THREE HOURS to complete the process. Making a long story short, the total incompetents at Apple required me to run a diagnostic test on my iPad. But the tool button was non-functional in emails sent to FIVE different email addresses. Each time I had to fill out endless forms to get the email sent to a new address.

I finally called Apple. The first person wasted 20 minutes and didn't believe the diag buttons were non-functional in my emails. Finally he elevated my call up the chain until somebody competetent solved the situation. 'Awesome' he said at the end, I guess hipster dialogue is the norm nowadays in customer service.

(https://d26oc3sg82pgk3.cloudfront.net/files/media/uploads/zinnia/Awesome.jpg.644x750_q100.jpg)

In sum being a creepster looky-loo "only" cost me $150 and three hours. 'Nuff said. Can you believe you just wasted five minutes of your life trudging through this endless post, ha-ha....

(http://www.americasleadingmediapitchcoach.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/waste-of-time-283x300.jpg)
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: eatbrie on June 24, 2017, 12:41:07 PM
Some good storytelling skills there, Melvin boy.  A fun read.  Post a "real" picture of the view when you get a chance.  Hopefully it was all worth it.

T
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: guest4955 on June 24, 2017, 08:11:24 PM
Post a "real" picture of the view when you get a chance.  Hopefully it was all worth it.

Er, my 32yo degenerate personal assistant snapped this one:

(http://i1320.photobucket.com/albums/u536/HereComesMongo1968/FullSizeRender_zpssdraos6w.jpg)

I really should fire the bugger....

(http://brucemctague.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/animal-house-peeping-tom.png)
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: eatbrie on June 24, 2017, 08:55:26 PM
OMG, what's your address?  On my way!!!

T
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: 50s on June 24, 2017, 09:14:11 PM
Nice view. That should help your recovery. Are the bars to keep you away from them?

Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: CSM on June 24, 2017, 10:03:14 PM
This is quickly moving towards an unsettling Rear Window vibe...
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: guest4955 on June 24, 2017, 11:14:44 PM
This is quickly moving towards an unsettling Rear Window vibe...

maybe but where the hell is Grace Kelly?

(http://i1320.photobucket.com/albums/u536/HereComesMongo1968/Annex%20-%20Kelly%20Grace%20Rear%20Window_01_zpsvhho6lc9.jpg)
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: guest4955 on June 24, 2017, 11:25:13 PM
OMG, what's your address?  On my way!!!
First, I'm coming to L.A. The "Rear Window" view there:

(http://i1320.photobucket.com/albums/u536/HereComesMongo1968/big-natural-tits-in-bikini-850x1278_zpsncnol1sf.jpg)
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: MoviePosterBid.com on June 24, 2017, 11:25:32 PM
This is quickly moving towards an unsettling Rear Window vibe...

more likely this

(http://www.comic-art.com/apf/peeping_tom.jpeg)
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: 50s on June 25, 2017, 12:55:42 AM
Nice personal assistant to take photos of young nubile women for you

Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: guest4955 on June 25, 2017, 08:27:32 AM
Nice personal assistant to take photos of young nubile women for you

Of course I took it, ha-ha.

more likely this

And really Rich, don't be so f-ing nasty. It's all in good fun around here. And I recall when you asked me about your legal options against Andrew Rawls (I think that was him), who was crazily-hounding you for months all over the Internet, including YouTube, as I recall. Now you're almost indistinguishable from him.
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: 50s on June 25, 2017, 09:13:16 AM
I'd take a photo too, no one would believe otherwise. I wonder why they are there as the apartment complex seems for older people?

Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: guest4955 on June 25, 2017, 09:27:36 AM
I'd take a photo too, no one would believe otherwise. I wonder why they are there as the apartment complex seems for older people?

My D.C. Apt. was forolder people.My immediate neighbor was 94yo and had lived there for 40 years. She lamely told me she had NEVER visited the apt. pool in all those years! But she did hilariously tell me she had had three heart attacks and was to cheap to take an ambulance to the hospital so she just ordered a taxi when they occurred!!

The complex in Charlotte - typical for US - attracts mostly college kids and 30somethings. Most peeps here smartly buy a house as soon as possible and escape the treadmill of perpetually renting as common in DC & NYC.
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: MoviePosterBid.com on June 25, 2017, 01:03:40 PM
And really Rich, don't be so f-ing nasty. It's all in good fun around here. And I recall when you asked me about your legal options against Andrew Rawls (I think that was him), who was crazily-hounding you for months all over the Internet, including YouTube, as I recall. Now you're almost indistinguishable from him.

good lord Mel, you are such a dope
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: guest4955 on June 25, 2017, 03:52:34 PM
Alright the joke's run its course but I can't resist posting one more pic for your "enjoyment":

(http://i1320.photobucket.com/albums/u536/HereComesMongo1968/IMG_2521_zps634iwjdm.jpg)
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: guest4531 on June 27, 2017, 04:51:56 AM
Girls at the pool with Birkenstock sandals, dude that's hot !!!
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: guest4955 on June 27, 2017, 08:39:08 AM
Girls at the pool with Birkenstock sandals, dude that's hot !!!

You noticed the shoes? 😳

I can only say me and my assists think the view is either hilarious, frightening, or awe-inducing depending on who plants their @ss outside my porch. It was super-chunky femmes and hombres yesterday. 😬

Well I guess I'ma 5 Star perv nowadays. I snapped this pic from my TV this morning. The local NBC traffic reporter is a friggin supermodel-in-the-wings fer sure:

(http://i1320.photobucket.com/albums/u536/HereComesMongo1968/IMG_2763_zpsycfii7to.jpg) (http://s1320.photobucket.com/user/HereComesMongo1968/media/IMG_2763_zpsycfii7to.jpg.html)

PS I was an employment defense atty for 20 years. I never handled a "you're fired b/c you're too beautiful for the work environment" case but it was fictionalized on Ally Mc Beal when Courtney Thorne-Smith's boss transferred her to appease his jealous wife.

(http://i1320.photobucket.com/albums/u536/HereComesMongo1968/IMG_2771_zpswuhgqixk.jpg) (http://s1320.photobucket.com/user/HereComesMongo1968/media/IMG_2771_zpswuhgqixk.jpg.html)

Of course 95% of discrim plaintiffs are crazy-as-hell. One cuckoo looked up my FB page and submitted screenshots of my politically-incorrect posts to the court.

'Nuff said....
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: 50s on June 27, 2017, 06:39:33 PM
The weather girl looks like she just farted

Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: guest4531 on June 28, 2017, 02:04:59 AM
The weather girl looks like she just farted

Or just a normal little hangover followed by a line of coke with coffee at 8am and brunch with champagne, just before the noon weather forecast !!   

https://68.media.tumblr.com/4ee75d604b77d6f321deadf52c45efae/tumblr_nt2l2eVH2p1tu5xkwo1_500.jpg
http://www.splitting-images.com/JulieBarnett-LesleyGuinness.jpg
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: erik1925 on June 28, 2017, 02:08:33 AM
Or just a normal little hangover followed by a line of coke with coffee at 8am and brunch with champagne, just before the noon weather forecast !!   

https://68.media.tumblr.com/4ee75d604b77d6f321deadf52c45efae/tumblr_nt2l2eVH2p1tu5xkwo1_500.jpg
http://www.splitting-images.com/JulieBarnett-LesleyGuinness.jpg

 Badda bing, badda boom.  verydrunk.gif  potroll.gif

Gotta enjoy those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer, no matter what it takes.
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: guest4955 on June 28, 2017, 04:26:32 AM
Don't forget Stevie Wonder is down under, so it's snowing like crazy there now! Er maybe:

(http://i1320.photobucket.com/albums/u536/HereComesMongo1968/a_zpslp551omt.jpg)
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: 50s on June 28, 2017, 08:34:40 AM

Yeah, you can tell it's cold as he is wearing a warm hat to keep his head warm



Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: Gingerman on June 28, 2017, 12:18:24 PM
It's a pleasure to meet you Mel. My name is Chris. I 100% understand your path down the rabbit hole into the addiction that we all know as poster collecting. I have been very hit and miss lately. I have around 600 or so in my collection. Continued discontent has cause endless delays for my website. I want it to look and feel a certain way, and have yet to fulfill that desire. I may just suck it up and let it be, and release it....

I am somewhat of a completest on certain titles, again hit or miss.  My main focus in the hobby is Horror roughly 80's and up, but I do dabble with others that catch my eye. Purely for aesthetic value of course, For example I acquired a French 1p for Scream of Fear because I adore the art. I also collect Disney OS and INTL OS. I do not buy any non US/INTL versions of Disney posters. I recently painted a mural for my daughter in her bedroom. I placed a 27 x 40 snap frame in the middle of the main wall. She currently has Moana on display. Which is appropriate considering the mural is an underwater scene. There is a post here with pictures and such if your interested. I believe it is in the life thread???  I also collect Monsters, UFOS, and Dames in distress. Though this part of my collection is mainly budget driven, I have some pretty cool stuff if I do say so myself. Like a 1960R of King Kong from Argentina, beautiful red white and black palette. Or some original B & W stills from films like Godzilla, Kong,  Them!, or Saucermen. This part of my collection I have mostly horded away and quietly collected.

So, welcome back. Who knows, maybe I will post a little more in the near future.

Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: guest4955 on June 29, 2017, 04:45:02 AM
It's a pleasure to meet you Mel. My name is Chris. I 100% understand your path down the rabbit hole into the addiction that we all know as poster collecting. I have been very hit and miss lately. I have around 600 or so in my collection. Continued discontent has cause endless delays for my website. I want it to look and feel a certain way, and have yet to fulfill that desire. I may just suck it up and let it be, and release it....

I am somewhat of a completest on certain titles, again hit or miss.  My main focus in the hobby is Horror roughly 80's and up, but I do dabble with others that catch my eye. Purely for aesthetic value of course, For example I acquired a French 1p for Scream of Fear because I adore the art. I also collect Disney OS and INTL OS. I do not buy any non US/INTL versions of Disney posters. I recently painted a mural for my daughter in her bedroom. I placed a 27 x 40 snap frame in the middle of the main wall. She currently has Moana on display. Which is appropriate considering the mural is an underwater scene. There is a post here with pictures and such if your interested. I believe it is in the life thread???  I also collect Monsters, UFOS, and Dames in distress. Though this part of my collection is mainly budget driven, I have some pretty cool stuff if I do say so myself. Like a 1960R of King Kong from Argentina, beautiful red white and black palette. Or some original B & W stills from films like Godzilla, Kong,  Them!, or Saucermen. This part of my collection I have mostly horded away and quietly collected.

So, welcome back. Who knows, maybe I will post a little more in the near future.

Thanks for sharing. Great you're involving your daughter. My STRONG advice for you and everybody else on APF:

START A FB PAGE TO SHOW OFF YOUR STELLAR COLLECTION


It's free, easy to use, can post a zillion pics organized by album, peeps can post, etc. Nobody except T needs a stand-alone website now.  FB/social media sites have taken over.....

Mine is:

https://www.facebook.com/MoviePosterCollectors/ (https://www.facebook.com/MoviePosterCollectors/)
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: Gingerman on July 04, 2017, 01:39:59 AM
[quote author=TheSundanceKid link=topic=12107.msg222419#msg222419 date=1498725902
It's free, easy to use, can post a zillion pics organized by album, peeps can post, etc. Nobody except T needs a stand-alone website now.  FB/social media sites have taken over.....

Mine is:

https://www.facebook.com/MoviePosterCollectors/ (https://www.facebook.com/MoviePosterCollectors/)
[/quote]

I will checkout the site. I have the site for me, more so than sharing. While I have no problem sharing, it is really for my own viewing pleasure. I can accomplish this with Facebook but its not really my preference! I like the feel of something I own.

Plus the site Ed Shannon built is amazing. Mine will function in very much the same way using WordPress.

Now to look at your goodies!!!!

Happy collecting,
Chris
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: guest4955 on July 05, 2017, 01:15:10 PM
A little health "overshare" but primarily I'm serving as a warning that something similar could happen to you and to appreciate/protect your own health.

I suffered a rare but not unique brain meltdown in Dec. 2014 when I discontinued an FDA-approved prescription drug I had been taking for 20 years. For good cause I'm not revealing the drug but millions of men (INCLUDING PRES TRUMP) world-wide take it. Best guess is that 2000 peeps suffered the same fate as me - some youngsters were hit after discontinuing the drug AFTER ONE WEEK - but my disabilities are MUCH worse than the typical victim. Tragically, MANY victims have taken their lives bc the main disability is so god-awful. 99.9999% of peeps talking this drug have no clue about it. As of 2014 there were 500 lawsuits pending against Merck related to this brain syndrome but for valid reasons I never sued despite 20 years of legal experience. So always fully investigate any drug b4 you take it.

That's the bad news. The good news is that some of my disabilities have ameliorated over time.

First, I had severe "double vision" - a very cool Foreigner song but misery-inducing in real life. I had to wear a comical and unsightly eyepatch all the time. For whatever reason this has cleared up except when I'm very tired so I just close one eye to deal with it.

(https://68.media.tumblr.com/059562b4c4fd91113e36325953b4f25e/tumblr_omj3myLD4h1vkzuj9o1_500.gif)

Second, I've had to use a walker since April 2015.Through 2016 I could teeter along for short distances sans the walker but now I'll experience a scary painful uncontrolled fall if I don't use the walker100%. I had boatloads of rehab and they told me 50+times to take VERY LONG strides. But over time I forgot this advice and it became extremely difficult to "walk" with the walker. Fortunately, a couple of weeks ago, I recalled the old advice and overnight my walking improved 75%.

I permanently lost my natural voice in Dec. 2015. Overnight my "voice" became very rough and high-pitched. No doc understands what happened but my vocal brain functions were evidently damaged. I ... had ... to ... speak... one ... word ... at ... a ...time ... for ... years. Fortunately I can speak now in full sentences but it is still hard for me so I generally handoff complex conversations to my relatives and assists.

No good news about sleeping. In Dec. 2014 I stopped sleeping AT ALL and became very depressed. By March 2015 I was 48 hours from death for lack of sleeping and other reasons I won't detail. Fortunately my sister flew in from Londonand I was hauled off to the hospital FOR TWO FRIGGIN MONTHS. The docs made me take 20 pills of various sorts daily and my normal sleeping returned.

BUT six months ago overnight I STOPPED SLEEPING AT ALLagain and this time drugs were no help at all. 2-3 times per 24 hours I will feel very sleepy and I rest for one hour but do not/cannot sleep. I'm certain that I've had ZERO R.E.M. sleep in six months. I read that would kill you for sure w/in 2 weeks but the top sleepdoctor at the Mayo Clinic tells me I should be OK.

Nuff said except I weirdly rarely feel sorry for my self. I've always been 100% agnostic and just accept that it's my fate and I'll just have to deal with my health reality the best I can....


Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: eatbrie on July 05, 2017, 01:42:14 PM
Well, all I can say is that hopefully it all gets better soon.

The walker thing...  I believe you were a triathlon and marathon runner.  So am I.  16 marathons and counting.  So I can only imagine how hard it must have been.  I don't take meds and never have (knock on wood) but I know anything can happen at any moment.  And with my two kiddos, I have responsibilities.

Thanks for reminding us to not take health for granted.

T
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: Antoine1973 on July 05, 2017, 04:06:22 PM
That's truly heartbreaking Mel, I'm very sorry to hear about your various health woes.  I hope things will get better for you on the sleeping front, I can't imagine how tough not being able to sleep for weeks on end must be. 
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: 50s on July 05, 2017, 06:54:55 PM
Sounds awful but glad you have the right frame of mind and support to help you. You don't seem affected through your posts as your posts read well, so that is a very good thing. Good luck getting better.
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: CJ138 on July 05, 2017, 07:23:08 PM
I had to google "ameliorated", but I assumed it's meaning. I hope things are turning around and you feel better soon Mel.
Conor
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: Simes on July 06, 2017, 05:34:08 AM
I would have had to look it up were it not for the fact ameliorer is actually a French verb, To Improve.  I learned the French before knowing its existence in English...

Mel, tough story indeed fella.  Sounds a real ride but fair play for the attitude and get-up-and-go you're demonstrating.

All the best.
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: marklawd on July 06, 2017, 01:02:03 PM
The health reports you are giving Mel are staggering. If you had not mentioned on this forum in Part 2 that you had been unwell I would never have guessed there had been any change in your circumstances from Part 1. Having met you previously and enjoyed your lively company for two or three hours its even harder for me to comprehend. Two things are certain. Your positivity is an inspiration and you are an incredibly resilient individual.

Mark
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: guest4955 on July 06, 2017, 03:57:57 PM
Thanks gents! I appreciate your appreciation;)

That said, I'll probably never mention my health quandary again. We've all got various and sundry real-life issues (financial, health, job, sig other, kids etc.) and an MP forum is not really the appropriate forum to air them.

So back to MP matters....
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: guest4955 on July 06, 2017, 05:05:45 PM
So more overshare but this time MP-related.

Rest assured I'm not posting this info to brag - well maybe a little ;) - but b/c it's obvious my MP journey has been somewhat ... er ... unusual and interesting , e.g. 100+ MP frames (prob the most ever), 2,000 MPs purchased, 8,000+ APF posts (10,000 images wiped out when PosterNirvana.com bit the dust in June 2014), notorious endless feuds with other collectors/dealers, $50K loss on the hobby, etc.

So let me clarify/update my story. On June 1, 2015 an EMP employee flew in from Nowhere, MO, and stripped my DC apt. of my last 500+ posters/prints out of approximately 1900 purchased in Round 1, which began "out of the blue" on March 20, 2009, when I randomly walked into an MP store in Denver, one of the very few surviving MP stores in the world.

I was left with the four posters in my office which were:

(http://i1320.photobucket.com/albums/u536/HereComesMongo1968/Christmas%20Story%20A%201983%20int%201S_zps2bpye6lx.jpg)

(http://i1320.photobucket.com/albums/u536/HereComesMongo1968/Pacific%20Vibrations%201971%20US%201S%20linen_zpsezdikor9.jpg)

(http://i1320.photobucket.com/albums/u536/HereComesMongo1968/Gone%20With%20The%20Wind%201939%20SSR%201972rr%20Japan%20B1_zpsl46asz4b.jpg)

(http://i1320.photobucket.com/albums/u536/HereComesMongo1968/Walk%20The%20Line%202005%20US%201S%20DS_zpski5u9a8f.jpg)

*****

I quickly earned $$$ from EMP consign proceeds so ... er ... engaged in a mini-orgy of spending ($14,377, mostly on BAT and Sullivan's Travels) on 14 more MPs, which lasted from July 25-August 24, 2015. This makes PERFECT sense since I had ditched the hobby... ugh no it doesn't....

(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/SrWRaGtfKfk/maxresdefault.jpg)

*****

For various reasons, I did not spend another penny on the hobby until May 14, 2017. I've already forgotten the exact thing that reinvigorated my interest in the hobby, but my first purchase was Laurent Durieux's exquisite GWTW 24x36. (I do recall marking it WTB on ExpressoBeans and another member there sold it to me for a decent price.).

(http://i1320.photobucket.com/albums/u536/HereComesMongo1968/Gone%20With%20The%20Wind%201939%20US%2024X36%202017%20Mondo_zpsyhkxgb44.jpg)

*****

In the month-and-a-half since then I've invested/blown $10,845 on MPs, for a current total of 97 MPs, 13 MP art prints. My currents:

POST 1990 MODERNS

(http://i1320.photobucket.com/albums/u536/HereComesMongo1968/MODERN%201A_zpsmrotbop8.jpg)

(http://i1320.photobucket.com/albums/u536/HereComesMongo1968/MODERN1B_zpshgjj80lp.jpg)

(http://i1320.photobucket.com/albums/u536/HereComesMongo1968/MODERN2_zps7ju7i1rb.jpg)

(http://i1320.photobucket.com/albums/u536/HereComesMongo1968/MODERN3_zpshy9cdxzz.jpg)

****

PRE-1990 CLASSICS

(http://i1320.photobucket.com/albums/u536/HereComesMongo1968/CLASSIC1_zpsei2rujm3.jpg)

(http://i1320.photobucket.com/albums/u536/HereComesMongo1968/CLASSIC%201B_zpsdfmtygu4.jpg)

(http://i1320.photobucket.com/albums/u536/HereComesMongo1968/CLASSIC2_zpsgyhkmgob.jpg)

(http://i1320.photobucket.com/albums/u536/HereComesMongo1968/CLASSIC4_zpsi9lnonfk.jpg)

*****
 
ART PRINTS

(http://i1320.photobucket.com/albums/u536/HereComesMongo1968/Prints_zpsqpu2udvf.jpg)

*****

So I carefully track all MP expenses, so here's the dealio...

(http://i1320.photobucket.com/albums/u536/HereComesMongo1968/ROUND%201_zps4e66ilay.jpg)

(http://i1320.photobucket.com/albums/u536/HereComesMongo1968/ROUND%202_zpsvpyb0lx7.jpg)

****

I'm trying to buy higher quality MPs in Round 2, bought boatloads of mediocre posters in Round 1, which resold for next-to-nothing.

What do y'all think?

(http://soshable.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/What-do-you-think-of-Instagram-now.jpg)
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: eatbrie on July 06, 2017, 05:18:42 PM
$50K loss on the hobby

Btw, I completely disagree with this statement.  In the 6 years you were collecting, I believe you had a lot of fun doing so, interacting with others, showing off your crazy collection, your pink bathrooms, telling us stories about the ladies who visited your apartment, about your co-workers, about your feud with crazy Loce, things that cannot be bought and are, in my mind, the most important aspect of this hobby.  So you didn't lose anything.  You bought enjoyment.

T
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: guest4955 on July 06, 2017, 05:55:38 PM
Btw, I completely disagree with this statement.  In the 6 years you were collecting, I believe you had a lot of fun doing so, interacting with others, showing off your crazy collection, your pink bathrooms, telling us stories about the ladies who visited your apartment, about your co-workers, about your feud with crazy Loce, things that cannot be bought and are, in my mind, the most important aspect of this hobby.  So you didn't lose anything.  You bought enjoyment.

T

Well said and said well, French Fry!

(http://i.imgur.com/dveobkB.jpg)

Er maybe not such a good idea to insult one of the forum overlords, but that's the way 3 Superstar MP Collectors/Maroons roll....
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: eatbrie on July 06, 2017, 07:42:01 PM
As long as you don't call me Freedom Fry, like all those idiots in the GOP, I'm good.

T
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: eatbrie on July 06, 2017, 08:31:54 PM
If I understand correctly, you spent $11k in a month.  That's $132,000 a year, which is starting to be a little bit of money.  Be careful, it's a dangerous trend.  What are the highlights so far?

T
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: guest4955 on July 06, 2017, 10:03:52 PM
If I understand correctly, you spent $11k in a month.  That's $132,000 a year, which is starting to be a little bit of money.  Be careful, it's a dangerous trend.  What are the highlights so far?

T

Yeah, I have the same concerns but...

1) I've seen boatloads of docs, had 5 MRIs, etc. and it's clear that I've done all I can about my med issues, so I don't expect any more med bills. I just shelled out 22k to the Mayo Clinic, for example.

2) I still have 50K from my Round 1 EMP consignment proceeds, been sitting in my checking act for two years.

3) I get 4K disability a month tax-free so I'm OK income-wise. Like I said previously, everybody on this forum should buy disability ins. RIGHT NOW. I would be in serious financial trouble if the feds didn't cover me.

4) I will quickly curtail my spending b/c I won't buy anything I can't frame and I only have 15 or so frames, although I am buying Italian and French 1P frames soon.

5) If worse comes to worse, I'll just reconsign my MPs. Last time I took a 30% loss on resale but this time I'll do better b/c I'm paying FMV and buying higher-quality MPs.
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: eatbrie on July 07, 2017, 11:47:09 AM
4) I will quickly curtail my spending b/c I won't buy anything I can't frame and I only have 15 or so frames, although I am buying Italian and French 1P frames soon.


We shall see, Mr. Melon.

(https://doesthispenwrite.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/thornton-melon.jpg)

T
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: guest4955 on July 09, 2017, 09:03:05 AM
Well once again, I will inappropriately and profanely overshare to amuse, educate, and warn you of life’s awful/wonderful possibilities. Without further ado….

*****

I was born on Dec. 6, 1968, in Alabama to way-too-young but insanely-cool 20yo college students:

(http://i1320.photobucket.com/albums/u536/HereComesMongo1968/PS0_zpsrk43ficz.jpg)

(http://i1320.photobucket.com/albums/u536/HereComesMongo1968/ps1_zpsbal2rmu4.jpg)

*****

Fast forward 25 years. During these 25 years, neither my parents, grandparents or my other relatives EVER-NOT-EVEN-ONCE mention or reference my parents’ anniversary or wedding. No pics of my parents’ presumed grand and wonderful wedding EVER surface.

NOT-EVEN-ONCE does this curious and bizarre omission EVER bother or concern me OR my whip-smart two younger sisters.

But one morning when I was 25yo I wake up and out-of-the-blue think “WTF is going on with my parents’ history?”

I could have just ASKED them about said subject. But as everybody in this hobby will tell you, 5 Star Mel is kinda-cool but pretty much a freak. Accordingly, I JUST ORDER my parents’ marriage license from the great state of Alabama.

Fast forward two more weeks. The license dutifully shows up via snail mail.  I open it up and buried-in-the-fine print it states:

DATE OF MARRIAGE: APRIL 25, 1968

I’m occassionally intelligent and I instantly-struck-by-lightning figure out:

1) I WAS A SHOTGUN BABY!!!
2) MOM WAS SEVERAL MONTHS PREGGERS WHEN THEY GOT MARRIED!!!
3) THEY PROBABLY NEVER HAD A FAMILY/FRIENDS-INVITED WEDDING!!!

(http://www.chameleonredphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Chameleonredphotography_JessieReed_wedding-12.jpg)

So the next time I saw them I just ASKED them about their history, w/o mentioning the license revelations.

They just laughed, said we knew you would eventually broach the subject, Dad “knocked up” Mom unexpectedly, we didn’t know what-to-do but were madly-in-love, so one day we just walked down to the courthouse and got hitched with no notice to friends/family, and you just showed up in the normal fashion, and our friends/family just dealt with reality.

What a wacky/charming story!

But left forever-unsaid was the obvious. They MUST have considered … er … um … uhuh … abortion and then splitting up forever. That’s PROBABLY what I would have done. But I “lucked out” and they didn’t. 

*****

Six months after I was born was father was drafted as part of the Vietnam War. He could have been killed or physically/mentally scarred for life.

(https://media1.britannica.com/eb-media/41/142841-004-F8EAF62D.jpg)

This time Dad lucked out. Although he was currently super-healthy, as a teen he suffered horrific exema/rash. Apparently the Army docs decided their uniforms would re-trigger his condition and gave him a pass.

So like his father and grand-uncle, Dad trudged off to law school…

*****

Basically my immediate family was dirt-poor for the first five years of my life, middle-class for the next five, and FILTHY FREAKING RICH-AS-SH*T for the next ten.

So what's your superpower Batman?

(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/jz5B4Icit58/hqdefault.jpg)

Basically, my father turned out to be a ROCK STAR LAWYER. He successfully handled HUNDREDS of cases/trials for 20 years all over the country, landed $$$$ clients, became a MANAGING PARTNER by 30yo of a very successful 45-attorney law firm, and was a SELF-MADE MILLIONAIRE by 35yo in 1982 with a ginormous near-mansion home, home swimming pool, fancy Cadillac, country-club membership, etc.

(http://i1320.photobucket.com/albums/u536/HereComesMongo1968/DAD_zpssyvl8jox.jpg)


My mother meanwhile somehow transformed into a ROCK-STAR BLONDE BEAUTY:

(http://i1320.photobucket.com/albums/u536/HereComesMongo1968/MOM_zpsceuvld1m.jpg)

All my friends were insanely jealous of our wealth and deliriously in love with my ROCK STAR BLONDE SUPER-BEAUTY sister:

(http://i1320.photobucket.com/albums/u536/HereComesMongo1968/R_zpslzqhbmwj.jpg)

That’s the good news. The bad news is that my father was NEVER around and was basically a super-sh*t-head to his wife/kids when he was. BUT he was a ROCK STAR ALCOHOLIC. He would come home, knock back 5 mixed drinks, then progressively polish off not one but TWO bottles of wine. The alcohol barely affected him, merely making him mellow and cool, and he became nice to his kids for an hour or so. He would eventually pass out on the couch. He would arise the next morning, 100% sober and not remotely hung over, and report to work or travel. This exact scenario occurred hundrds of times during my teens.

(http://www.desicomments.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Beautiful-Glasses-FOr-Vine-Glasses.jpg)

*****

But then the George Bush 1 recession hit in 1990 and my father’s career/firm collapsed. Cut to the chase. As I later learned by examining relevant court records, my father’s law firm creditors sued him PERSONALLY and won $20 MILLION in  judgments against him and his partners JOINTLY AND SEVERALLY LIABLE.

Of course my father should have filed for bankruptcy like some of his partners. He would have lost ALL of his assets, including the family mansion, but he could have starteed fresh and debt-free.

But no, he was too proud/kookoo. He spent the next 18 YEARS DESPERATELY fending off piranha creditors, somehow squeaking by and holding onto his house, lost 99% of his clients, etc.

Meanwhile, my mother unhelpfully devolved into a ROCK STAR PILLHEAD, losing her looks, sanity, and husband. After I graduated from law school in 1995, I would write nasty legal threat letters to her MF pain pill docs and they would drop her like a hot rock. But she would quickly find three worse docs or buy “off the street.” By the 2000s she was 99% dead, 10% coherent, frequently homeless.

(http://kotv.images.worldnow.com/images/11979558_SA.jpg)

My Dad eventually gave up on her and divorced her in 2005.

*****

THEN the Bush 2 recession hit in 2008. This was a miraculous event for my Dad! Most of his creditors went the way of the dodo bird in the financial chaos:

(http://sgtreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Picture-22.png)

Continuing his good luck streak, Dad then met a GF who was/is a gazillionaire. She has the most insane ginormous 8,000 sq. ft. McMansion I’ve ever seen PLUS a very nice lake house.

(http://99percentinvisible.org/app/uploads/2016/10/15-columns-not-holding-up.png)

So Pops just married her and is set for life. He shows no scars from downing oceans of alcohol back in the day (and both he and #2 wifey can still knock them back).

But my stepmother’s story is far from simple. She was a ROCK STAR WATERSKIIER back in the day … until another boat full-speed ran over her in the water. She suffered terrible injuries and was 99% dead. (I know the feeling….) She spent the next six months in the hospital in traction. 45 years later she still hobbles about. But she and her 1st husband became obscenely rich selling commercial glass.

Mom is still a “hot mess” overall but hanging in there, watching boatloads of B&W classic movies. Everybody agrees that she ran through her nine lives long ago. So take a hint from her and don’t touch pain pills with a 100 foot pole.

*****

‘Nuff said….
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: 50s on July 09, 2017, 07:05:04 PM
Interesting columns

Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: CJ138 on July 09, 2017, 07:29:22 PM
I started calculating my parents wedding against my sisters' birth, but I quickly stopped lol.  You really resemble BOTH of your parents Mel. That first picture of your father, the mannerisms are very similar to yours (at least what I have seen in pictures). This is not m forum, but I think you should feel free to share as much as you like. All things considered, this is a small community.

Conor
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: guest4955 on July 19, 2017, 02:56:58 AM
ROUND 1 BIDDING STRATEGY:

- check out EMP/HA to determine FMV of desired poster
- bid FMV at last minute to prevent ladder-bidding by bidder foes
- win 50% of time

ROUND 2 BIDDING STRATEGY:

- too lazy to figure out FMV
- bid early bc can't be bothered to figure out when auction ends
- bid ridiculous amounts
- hope bidder foes don't bid more than FMV
- win 90% of time, mostly for FMV

(http://i1320.photobucket.com/albums/u536/HereComesMongo1968/s2_zpsyyijp4za.jpg)

(http://i1320.photobucket.com/albums/u536/HereComesMongo1968/s1_zpsfjmykhsz.jpg)
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: guest4955 on July 19, 2017, 03:55:56 AM
You really resemble BOTH of your parents Mel. That first picture of your father, the mannerisms are very similar to yours (at least what I have seen in pictures).

Thanks! A few have said that but others openly wonder whether/how he could have engendered super-blondie kids like me and middle sister/supermodel Rachael.

Dad, being an A level lawyer, once reportedly said "Thank God Katie [youngest sister] actually looks like me!"

I, being a B+ lawyer, present the following evidence:

(http://i1320.photobucket.com/albums/u536/HereComesMongo1968/Katie_zpszfjr7ru2.png)

Could have been supermodel too but married an investment banker instead.

Yes, she is riding a mechanical bull, Captain Obvious.

Will obnoxiously post that pic on FB....
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: guest4955 on July 19, 2017, 04:08:01 AM
Well, all I can say is that hopefully it all gets better soon.

The walker thing...  I believe you were a triathlon and marathon runner.  So am I.  16 marathons and counting.  So I can only imagine how hard it must have been.  I don't take meds and never have (knock on wood) but I know anything can happen at any moment.  And with my two kiddos, I have responsibilities.

Thanks for reminding us to not take health for granted.

T

16 freaking marathons!!!  notworthy.gif

Never ran more than 10K myself, best time 52 mins.

Nowadays I bike 1hr every day on stationary bike, way more than I worked out back in the day.

(http://assets.academy.com/mgen/82/10355382.jpg?is=500,500)

I kinda wish I was fit as that unknown dude....
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: eatbrie on July 19, 2017, 11:42:14 AM
16 freaking marathons!!!  notworthy.gif

I was at a party Saturday, limping my way around because I had just ran 14 miles and I was in pain.  I run 10-14 miles every weekend, which to me is a feat.  I met this woman by the pool and I complained, because that's what French people do, probably also trying to impress her somehow, when she told me that she knew how I felt because she had ran 100s of marathons.  100s!!!  Wtf!!!  Sometimes every other week.

Feat no more.  I stopped talking and complaining and walked away.  Fuck her.

T
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: eatbrie on July 19, 2017, 12:49:32 PM
Never ran more than 10K myself, best time 52 mins.

Btw, am I dreaming or didn't you say a long time ago that you had ran a bunch of Triathlons?

T
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: pratschm on August 03, 2017, 08:38:23 AM
Nice to know you and your super awesome amazing website are back, Mel!
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: guest4955 on October 11, 2017, 06:04:34 PM
Btw, am I dreaming or didn't you say a long time ago that you had ran a bunch of Triathlons?

T

My favorite pic of moi:

(http://i1320.photobucket.com/albums/u536/HereComesMongo1968/2013-09-08%20Nations%202_zpszbil5jwu.jpg)

*****

Nice to know you and your super awesome amazing website are back, Mel!

Thanks!
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: guest4955 on October 11, 2017, 06:15:20 PM
Well I never intended to revisit this thread but I have some “good health news” I’ll share solely for the purpose of encouraging others, not bc I think it’s appropos to discuss health issues on an MP board.

First a short recap and some new details. Like millions of men world-wide, I took an FDA-approved drug for 17 years daily to stop my retreating “widows-peak” baldness. It totally worked, no further hair loss at all. Seemingly a miracle drug! I religiously recommended it to others.

Bc the drug caused one problematic but not “traumatic”  side-effect, I discontinued the drug in Dec. 2014. Within 10 days I suffered extensive brain damage. Consequently, I stopped sleeping at all, I was very dizzy and could barely walk, I had very severe double-vision, the area of my face near both eyes turned very black, my facial hair stopped growing entirely, and the worst three side effects I won’t discuss.

I found out a few thousand men world-wide had suffered an identical fate. I also consulted the world’s top doctor/expert on this “syndrome.” The worst effect – for which there is no effective treatment or cure and is considered permanent - was so horrific and ego-crushing that 40% of victims considered suicide and a fair number had followed through.

I was somewhat lucky that many of my maladies resolved naturally within a year. But the insomnia, walking/dizziness issues, voice impairment, and the very worst malady continued. (Totally impossible to believe, I have not slept one second in the last 10 months but I usually feel fine except for persistent dizziness.)

*****

So my repeated message to you is:

(1)   Treasure and preserve your health bc it just might disappear suddenly,
(2)   Buy disability insurance RIGHT NOW. Luckily, the fed gov (my former employer) provides this insurance for free to all its employees. If it didn’t, I would be permanently financially ruined.
(3)   Carefully research of all known side-effects of every drug you take.

My new message is:

(4)   Continue to hope and believe you will get better no matter how poor the prognosis. Also impossible to believe, my very worst malady resolved recently overnight after 2.5 years of zero improvement. To the best of my knowledge, only a handful of victims – it could be fewer than 20 out of thousands – have recovered from this horrific malady.

*****

(http://i1320.photobucket.com/albums/u536/HereComesMongo1968/70354-hope-against-all-odds-quotes_zps5fpk19bk.jpg)

*****

To end on a lighter note....

I was "torture-teased" by work colleagues a few years ago:

"Ask me anything ... about poodles!"

(http://i1320.photobucket.com/albums/u536/HereComesMongo1968/Note_zpsaofgmszy.jpg)
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: 50s on October 11, 2017, 07:27:44 PM
Good precautionary tale to share

On a more exciting note, pointing out your worst malady is now looking on the up and up must give you great strength in going forward.

Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: Harry Caul on October 11, 2017, 08:18:06 PM
Glad to hear you are turning the corner on this Mel!  thumbsup.gif
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: guest4955 on October 15, 2017, 05:17:42 AM
Thanks hombres. I should add that EVERYONE has been effusively friendly to me bc I'm partially disabled, opening doors for me, saying hello in the hall, etc.

Except one time I fell in the hall. One guy walked by and said "are you OK" but didn't try to help me up.

But I guess it was karma!

I rarely interacted with disabled peeps, mostly bc they were few and far between.

One time five years ago in DC I helped a blind woman across the street. Looking back, I was much too aggressively helpful.  I just grabbed her arm and hauled her across the street. She kinda angrily said "I didn't need your assistance."

A couple of months later I was standing on one corner of a very busy intersection. One of the roads was four lanes and usually many cars were drivingly by at 40MPH.

As it happened both roads were totally clear of traffic. I glanced at the other corner and noticed this young woman very awkwardly approach the corner from the sidewalk. Without stopping or looking around she entered the street and began walking DIAGONALLY across the intersection. I was shocked. Nobody EVER crosses an intersection diagonally bc you are crossing in the path of oncoming traffic.

After a couple seconds I was sure she must be blind, even though she wasn't wearing sunglasses or carrying a walking stick. She was crossing very awkwardly in a curved not straight path. I SHOULD have run out into the street to help her. But I didn't do or say anything bc there was no traffic and I assumed she would get angry like the prior woman.

Eventually after 30 seconds she made it across. (She missed the corner and instead walked onto the sidewalk.) I lost track of her but saw again inside the Best Buy store. No question she was totally blind bc a BB employee had linked arms with her and was describing the products in the aisle to her.

I felt guilty as hell for NOT acting to help her before. (Of course, she was very foolish for walking around without any help.)

So always ACT and don't be a useless onlooker like me...

(https://verseotheweek.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/useless.jpg)
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: brude on October 15, 2017, 01:21:56 PM
Good for you, Mel!
 clap clap clap clap clap clap
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: guest4955 on October 16, 2017, 04:53:15 AM
Why are you still reading my intro thread 5 mos. after I rejoined! I don't have anything better to do with my time since I both stopped sleeping and working, but surely you do!  :-*

****

Well we're in the trangender rah-rah era, so I'm going with a femme avatar for the first time eva  ;D

(http://i1320.photobucket.com/albums/u536/HereComesMongo1968/WOMEN%20LOVE%20DIAMONDS%20AFTER_zpsqa8lbn7f.jpg)
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: guest4981 on October 19, 2017, 03:07:55 PM
Also impossible to believe, my very worst malady resolved recently overnight after 2.5 years of zero improvement

Was just posting in greeting section and saw your story. Was curious, you mention not sleeping for 10 months, but that your "worst" malady recently resolved. Is there actually a worse malady/symptom than not sleeping for 10 months? Or are you saying that's resolved and you're sleeping now?
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: CSM on October 19, 2017, 03:27:48 PM
How many years until the Class Action suit is resolved?
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: crowzilla on October 19, 2017, 03:53:50 PM
Not sleeping actually sounds cool to me, could free up an extra 4-5 hours a day to do other things.
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: guest4955 on October 20, 2017, 05:02:01 AM
Sleeping is a long story. I was a perfect sleeper until summer 2014, when I suddenly started sleeping no more than 4 hours a night but I felt fine, found a GF etc.. By by Nov I could only sleep 1-2 hrs and then I stopped sleeping at all until April 2015. I was not "fine" at all. My entire head felt like a rock, I could not speak a word, and I just lay on my couch 24 hours a day, no TV, no Internet.

So I was later told I was "24 hours from death" when I was hauled off to the hospital for 2 months. I have no memory for first two weeks. My docs put me on two drugs (remaron/nortriptylin) which restored normal sleep until Dec 2016, when I once again just stopped sleeping at all. No drugs work but impossibly I feel fine. For the last month I've "gone to bed" for 7 hours and my brain goes into a relaxed state but I do not sleep a wink. Progress?

*****

Not maladies but caffeine and alcohol no longer affect me at all! Sucks all 'round.

(http://i1320.photobucket.com/albums/u536/HereComesMongo1968/Beer%20Shower1_zpsybprtdzx.jpg)

*****

There is a class action in Canada but not in the US. Last I checked there are 500 lawsuits in the US. I can't sue bc my case is impossibly complicated. For starters I was hit by 10 maladies, twice as many as others, but 7, including the worst one which virtually nobody else has recovered from, resolved eventually for no known reason.

*****

DL it's not much fun being wide-awake at 2 am and no on else is....

(http://i1320.photobucket.com/albums/u536/HereComesMongo1968/IMG_1248_zpsdxlmz3tp.jpg)

Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: guest4955 on October 29, 2017, 05:26:57 PM
The thread will not die!

But related to life finis, I donated blood for the first time in 20 years. (I was on the verboten list while taking  the anti-baldness drug.)

(http://www.moviepostercollectors.guide/Storage/Blood.jpg)

PS The Jigsaw movie is sponsoring a blood drive:

http://www.jigsawblooddrive.com (http://www.jigsawblooddrive.com)

(http://cdn.movieweb.com/img.site/PH7cvGCcGWN8ag_1_l.jpg)

(http://cdn.movieweb.com/img.site/PHGADcKmdXZdKJ_1_l.jpg)
Title: Re: Mel: Collecting Round 2.0 begins!
Post by: guest4955 on January 23, 2018, 12:08:56 AM
Just a quick public service announcement/health update:

I met a 60yo man in my apt. complex with a similar health experience. He was perfectly healthy until age 47, when he became 100% permanently blind in 3 months due to internal optic nerve damage. He “foolishly” quit his high-paying IT sales job and lost/dropped his health and disability insurance. He told me he would be getting $8.3K per month from dis ins, instead of the $2.8K he gets from SS. Lesson: Employers are required to “reasonably accommodate” your health issues, so don’t quit your job and retain your health/dis ins. But good news: He’s a pretty happy, married man who’s “hanging in there.”

As for me, my dizziness/disorientation/”druggy” sensations became much worse two months ago BUT I can sleep semi-normally now, after IMPOSSIBLY going sleepless for a year. So really no lesson, except “hang in there” bc things might get better/worse.

Please don’t publicly reply to this bc a MP forum is not really the right place to discuss life’s up and downs. Happy to PM with you. (Two other APFers have corresponded extemsively with me about health issues.)

*****

On a lighter note, my whole "mess" developed bc of an anti-baldness drug. Should have gone this route:

(http://i1320.photobucket.com/albums/u536/HereComesMongo1968/IMG_1994_zpsosboo6fe.jpg)