Hi all

[Bren]

Just dropping in to say hi. I'm new to the board, but not to SRL. I've read all his books, some more than once. It looks like ya'll have a lot of fun round here, so I decided to stop lurking and jump in the mosh pit.

Quick intro...name is Bren. I work for NASA. Yeah, a rocket scientist, so all those things it doesn't take a rocket scientist to do, I can't do. Favorite avocations: reading, writing, drawing and painting, biking, attending and upgrading my sword and knife collection, ham radioing with my other half and chasing after my two dogs.

Let the games begin.

[CynanMachae]

Hi Bren! Good to have you! And yes, we have a lot of fun around here, at least, when I'm not ruining it.

[Bren]

How do you ruin it? Please tell me. I have a couple of parties I really need to break up...

[Child of Immanuel]

Welcome!

[dgan]

NASA, wow! I can't wait to hear some of the stories you must have. Also, I would be intrigued to know your thoughts on Dream Thief and Empyrion, if you've read them.

[luv1another]

Gday Bren...welcome to SRL I have to say the people here are awesome...right from day one they made me feel welcome and like they cared...some of the best people out there I think...I hope you will stay around and get to know us.

[karenee]

Bren! Welcome to the...um...fold, forum, fortress, ship...(choose what appeals to you.)
Thank you for jumping in!

I look forward to... well, finding out more about you and having someone new to drag into my favorite threads. I highly recommend you seriously consider participating in the Never Ending Story in the word games, Sherwydd in RPG, and the Passage and Piece game (If you love SRL books, you'll definitely enjoy yourself.). I'd be glad to give you any info you feel you need to participate fully.

Welcome!

[dafyd]

Hi Bren.

A big welcome from Germany. NASA, great!
Hope you'ce a lot of stories

Greetz, Dafyd

[Bren]

Thanks for the welcome...um, to the...fortress. Nah, how about castle? The one I have planned on paper and would build one day...if only... A much warmer welcome than I am used to getting on message boards...a big ignore. I knew this would be a good one to join.

dgan, I have read Empyrion and Dream Thief, a couple of times. I enjoyed them so much. Sci-fi has changed character so much from when I first started reading as a wee one, to my great disappointment. These books were a real find for me back...some years ago. I have to admit to thinking up my own sequels, but haven't gone so far to write them down. To discuss particular plot points, I really need to look back over the books. It has been a number of years since I read them. I respect that SRL doesn't want to go into sci-fi again...but what a loss for the world of SF that is. I have won over a handful of friends to SRL through these books, friends who were SF'ers and went on to read other SRL works because they were so impresssed by his writing in Empyrion and DT.

As for stories about NASA, I have a ton of them. I must be the old head around here. I just completed my 25th year with NASA. I came to work here just after the first flight of the shuttle and spent most of my 25 years working on it. From the worst to the best, it's all happened. I was sick sick sick for a couple of days after Challenger, not eating or sleeping literally, because I thought my component was what caused the explosion. That's a story... Although I knew better at the time of Columbia, it was no less painful. But the great moments are there too...from the huge success of the Hubble servicing mission to the recent station servicing. Wow...that was a mission. If any of you haven't gone out at night to look at the station go over, you should. Now that they've added those other solar arrays, it's the brightest thing in the night sky!! It's comparable to seeing Venus, except Venus doesn't move that fast. I got a million stories. What do you want to know??

I've had a look at the word games section and the RPG and I hope to get involved soon. Kinda busy right now with work and a book commitment. In a week or so, things will calm for a bit then I hope to jump in.

Thanks again for the warm welcome!

[Bren]

Oh, one other thing...is it my geekness or does that symbol to the upper left of the picture of SRL look like a radiation warning sign??

[dgan]

LOL. Never noticed. I'm sure Twyrch could shed light on the background of where those graphics came from...

*waits for Twyrch to respond*

[Dred]

Great to have you with us Bren.

I always enjoying seeing new followers of SRL show up and share their thoughts and feelings.

Sounds like you've really lived through the highs and lows of your profession.

Great to have you with us.

Have fun.

[karenee]

If memory serves correctly, I don't think you're the first to have noticed the similarity in those symbols, Bren. I don't know the story, though. *shrug*

[Dred]

You've heard the words to the effect of being in a radioactive area being a hot zone?

Well, this board is so hot we're radioactive.

[Maidryn]

I haven't been around here too long yet either but I thought I would check in and give you my "Welcome" as well. I'm up in Canada and I think I might be an "old timer" too. Most people on this board don't seem to be on the flip side of 40 like myself. Lot's of fresh perspectives of when the world seemed new and EVERYTHING seemed to matter so much.
Hope to read some of your posts in the future.