S
saucywench
I have been asking myself this question, oh...off and on for a few years, but I especially want to pose it to you now.
I reallize that pudgy started a thread that is kinda-sorta similar--What has Dimensions taught you--but my take is a little different, so I hope that responses will be different. My question is really two, actually, so you could possibly respond to either or both parts.
The first part of the question is this: Suppose either (a) Conrad did not exist or (b) Conrad did exist, but was not a fat admirer/fat advocate. I suppose we could even then extend that further to (c) suppose that Conrad did exist, was a fat admirer/fat advocate, but had no interest in computers, or web design, or hosting a site such as this, yada yada. Suppose he was just a regular guy--maybe some FA who yearned for a place like Dimensions, but who lacked the interest or the drive or the stamina and endurance or the dedication or the money--whatever (maybe like many FAs out there)--to bring it to fruition? Or maybe he was just a regular guy, a non-FA; certainly in that instance, there would be no Dimensions. What if?
What would your life be like without Dimensions? What would be different? Try to imagine, if you can--to go back in time, prior to you finding Dimensions. What was your life like then? How did you spend your spare time--the time that you now spend here? How would your life have played out to this point if Dimensions wasn't factored in? For some of us--many, I would presume--it would be vastly different. For some of us, Dimensions has been such an integral part of our lives, it truly is hard to imagine. But I want you to try.
The second part, or the second question...I really don't want to be morbid about this...I know Conrad to be very fit and healthy, and I for one expect Conrad and Dimensions to continue to be around for us for a long, long time. But--what if?
Two things happened this past weekend in my town that really registered with me, in that you never know when your time will come. This psychotic kid went to the local Wal-Mart Superstore, one I frequent from time to time. He got out of a car and, out in the parking lot, grabbed a woman's purse. As he ran off, he turned around and started shooting randomly. He shot and killed a 40-year-old man who was walking toward the store with his wife and kids. The man was on his way to get a haircut, but stopped by the store to pick up something real quick. You know, a simple in-and-out. Only he never made it in, and he certainly didn't make it out. The next night was a minor league baseball game between the Arkansas Travelers and the Tulsa Drillers at the brand-new Dickey-Stephens ballfield. Tulsa Drillers coach Mike Coolbaugh died after being struck in the head by a line drive, a hard-hit foul ball off the bat of Tino Sanchez, as he stood in the first-base coach's box. He was 35 years old and left behind a wife, two young sons, and a third child due in October. So, I'm saying--anything could happen. What if?
I can't help but wonder this, every time Dimensions goes down because of problems with the server. People panic. People count on chat to be here for them. They count on the boards to be here for them. Yes, the friendships made here are wonderful; the community as a whole is wonderful. But it wouldn't be Dimensions without Conrad. Would it?
Because he is my friend, his loss, his absence--for whatever reason--would have a far greater impact on me than just the loss of Dimensions. Yet I ponder both of these things: What if I lost my friend? What if there were no Dimensions? It would be like The Day the Earth Stood Still.
To my knowledge--and I think I might know as well as anyone--there are no contingency plans in place for such an event. There is no sidekick to take over. There is no one who has as vested an interest in Dimensions as Conrad. Simply put, without Conrad, there would be no Dimensions. Is there truly an alternative? If there were no Dimensions, where would you go? Would it be the sort of site where we would all feel comfortable going? Would the camaraderie be as great? What if the webmaster were an ogre, a tyrant, a bastard, a control freak? Or would we break apart and scatter to all 'corners' of the internet?
So maybe my question can be distilled into one: Where would you go, what would you do, who would you be...if there were no Dimensions?
I reallize that pudgy started a thread that is kinda-sorta similar--What has Dimensions taught you--but my take is a little different, so I hope that responses will be different. My question is really two, actually, so you could possibly respond to either or both parts.
The first part of the question is this: Suppose either (a) Conrad did not exist or (b) Conrad did exist, but was not a fat admirer/fat advocate. I suppose we could even then extend that further to (c) suppose that Conrad did exist, was a fat admirer/fat advocate, but had no interest in computers, or web design, or hosting a site such as this, yada yada. Suppose he was just a regular guy--maybe some FA who yearned for a place like Dimensions, but who lacked the interest or the drive or the stamina and endurance or the dedication or the money--whatever (maybe like many FAs out there)--to bring it to fruition? Or maybe he was just a regular guy, a non-FA; certainly in that instance, there would be no Dimensions. What if?
What would your life be like without Dimensions? What would be different? Try to imagine, if you can--to go back in time, prior to you finding Dimensions. What was your life like then? How did you spend your spare time--the time that you now spend here? How would your life have played out to this point if Dimensions wasn't factored in? For some of us--many, I would presume--it would be vastly different. For some of us, Dimensions has been such an integral part of our lives, it truly is hard to imagine. But I want you to try.
The second part, or the second question...I really don't want to be morbid about this...I know Conrad to be very fit and healthy, and I for one expect Conrad and Dimensions to continue to be around for us for a long, long time. But--what if?
Two things happened this past weekend in my town that really registered with me, in that you never know when your time will come. This psychotic kid went to the local Wal-Mart Superstore, one I frequent from time to time. He got out of a car and, out in the parking lot, grabbed a woman's purse. As he ran off, he turned around and started shooting randomly. He shot and killed a 40-year-old man who was walking toward the store with his wife and kids. The man was on his way to get a haircut, but stopped by the store to pick up something real quick. You know, a simple in-and-out. Only he never made it in, and he certainly didn't make it out. The next night was a minor league baseball game between the Arkansas Travelers and the Tulsa Drillers at the brand-new Dickey-Stephens ballfield. Tulsa Drillers coach Mike Coolbaugh died after being struck in the head by a line drive, a hard-hit foul ball off the bat of Tino Sanchez, as he stood in the first-base coach's box. He was 35 years old and left behind a wife, two young sons, and a third child due in October. So, I'm saying--anything could happen. What if?
I can't help but wonder this, every time Dimensions goes down because of problems with the server. People panic. People count on chat to be here for them. They count on the boards to be here for them. Yes, the friendships made here are wonderful; the community as a whole is wonderful. But it wouldn't be Dimensions without Conrad. Would it?
Because he is my friend, his loss, his absence--for whatever reason--would have a far greater impact on me than just the loss of Dimensions. Yet I ponder both of these things: What if I lost my friend? What if there were no Dimensions? It would be like The Day the Earth Stood Still.
To my knowledge--and I think I might know as well as anyone--there are no contingency plans in place for such an event. There is no sidekick to take over. There is no one who has as vested an interest in Dimensions as Conrad. Simply put, without Conrad, there would be no Dimensions. Is there truly an alternative? If there were no Dimensions, where would you go? Would it be the sort of site where we would all feel comfortable going? Would the camaraderie be as great? What if the webmaster were an ogre, a tyrant, a bastard, a control freak? Or would we break apart and scatter to all 'corners' of the internet?
So maybe my question can be distilled into one: Where would you go, what would you do, who would you be...if there were no Dimensions?
