Come to think of it, I think that one reason Barbelith is one of the few places I post on-line is that (at times) it's like the online equivalent of the slow food movement (in some ways--the lightning speed of the Feminism 101 thread of recent memory notwithstanding). I visited my belle soeur in France recently and had a bunch of (shock) really good meals. One meal lasted more than 5 hours. It was fabulous.
I came back and went to a conference in Chicago one day later. After a day of meetings with people who I really like but don't get to see very often--and we hadn't had a chance to just "talk" yet--we sat down to a very good meal in a very nice restaurant. I found that I had taken two bites of my salad when they were ready to take it away. Ditto the soup. Ditto the main course... Wait! I wanted to say, and kind of did say, but the plates eventually just piled around me...
Some threads on Barbelith develop very slowly; some start very slow and then suddenly develop a fiery interest (here I'm thinking of the Femme discussion in the Headshop), and then linger. Some just hang on for years, periodically being given the Lazarus treatment. Some of course are never likely to go anywhere, but it remains true, I think, that some just haven't gone anywhere yet.
Some of those may be like an old grand cru that shouldn't be touched for a few years while the thought comes of age...ok ok, before this analogy chokes on its own stomach acid, I like that about the place.
And kudos for starting threads. I start almost none, myself, but I admire people who stick their necks out and give it a go, particularly if it's clear they've really made an effort to appeal to the community's interests, intellects, and love of whimsy. |
