Crazy personal introduction (back after many years)

13 years ago

Hello, I have just joined the gardenweb forums after having been away for 12 years! I thought I would write up a personal introduction and blurb about myself.

First I have an interesting story to tell about myself- it is kind of crazy, and it actually is related to something that happened on the forums here. It is slightly strange and I seriously doubt there is anybody on here that will remember this, but I am hoping that by some miracle somebody will remember me. So here goes:

My name is Matt and I live near Seattle. I originally was on these forums when I was a teenager, probably 15 or 16 years ago. I had many friends online and I posted regularly..there was rarely a day I didn't visit the forums. Some of the women on the forum had practically "adopted me" as a son. (we used to joke)

I was using my dad's computer at the time, and it broke, so I was unable to post to the forums for several weeks. Coincidentally, at that time there were some serious catastrophes in Washington such as flooding, and so some of the folks on the forums started to worry about me since I hadn't posted in weeks. So they frantically called all kinds of places trying to find out if I was ok. If I recall correctly, they contacted the Seattle Times newspaper, and I was contacted through them.

Eventually everybody found out I was ok, and I got my "15 minutes of fame" when my story was featured in the newspaper! It was embarrassing because I was in high school at the time and I was a huge nerd and then everybody saw the article. Hilariously, the newspaper article ended to the effect of saying "a lot of other kids think gardening is nerdy..but then again they aren't getting emails from Ingrid in Sweden."

Sooooooo, that is my ridiculous story, and I don't know if anybody on here remembers that or if there are even any of those folks on here anymore, but I truly hope there are so we can talk again.

Now a blurb about myself as a fresh introduction:

When I was a teenager I was really into plants, and then life happened and I drifted away from it. Well things have changed and I am 30 now, and I have been hit with the "gardening bug" again. Suddenly I can't stop thinking about gardening...I am addicted and I keep buying more plants.

Lately I have been working on my rock garden. Just like years ago, I am interested in strange and unusual plants. Hence my username on the forums "meLikesThePeculiar". I like alpines and dwarf plants, carnivorous plants, and huge plants like gunnera. I've been searching for some rare and hard to find rock garden plants lately.

Another hobby of mine is photography. I also enjoy writing. Currently I do web design for a job. Recently I have realized that my heart is with photography and writing, and that web design is not what I should really be doing. I think it's a good time to make the switch to do what I truly love as a career. Life is too short to work at something you don't like.

Well, that's my crazy intro. I would love to make new friends here, and by chance rekindle old friendships. Take care!

Matt

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Comments (15)

anneliese_32
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Matt, welcome back. I remember you, but I was just an occasional lurker at that time, cruising through the Garden Web. Often wondered what happened to the only youngster.
lindac
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I also remember you.....and I was also a teenager at the time ;-)))
There weren't all the gardening forums on Garden Web at that time...so you came here for advice.
Glad to hear we were a good influence!
Linda C
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posieh
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Hey ! I wasn't here until about 2001 although my site says different. Welcome, I also have a "Mini" garden but in my climate it is difficult to find plants that survive here. Good Luck!
sheila
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Hi, Matt, welcome back. I remember you. I don't post here much anymore, but I'm glad I dropped in today and found you. I was probably still using the name Bedale back then and still living in California. Now I live not too far from you, in Port Townsend, Wa. and I too have taken up photography and I love it.

Do follow your heart - you (I hope) have a lot of years ahead ...be happy in them. I hope you'll keep posting here, I might even come back more often to visit.
mawheel
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Hi Matt, welcome back; I was only lurking at the time you were posting, but I remember you, too.
mwoods
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I remember you too Matt and what fun to see you back here. What was your user name back then?
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Matt, I totally remember you! Our long lost son! What a frenzy your 'disappearance' caused. I think you'd be quite surprised by all of the people who remain active in the gardweb after all of these years.

Be sure to visit some of the other gardening forums that might appeal to you. I'll be looking for you.

Dorie
melikesthepeculiar
Original Author
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
This is fantastic! I am so happy my friends are still here and doing good. Thank you everybody, including new friends, for welcoming me back so graciously.

sheila, I am glad you dropped in and found me today also. Now that you mention it, I do remember quite clearly the name Bedale that you used. I have a feeling I will probably be on here a bit, so it would be a pleasure to have you visit more.

mwoods...I don't remember my username from back then. Your mwoods name seems familiar- is it the same from back then?

So again, thank you all for the welcome back- it just makes my journey back into gardening that much more exciting and fun.

I attached a link to some pics of my current garden. It's still in progress and I have a lot to do..I have been renovating it and swapping out plants and adding rocks. All of the rocks you see are local rocks from my backyard..I wanted to use them since they are free and they blend in since they are naturally from here. Please let me know what you think of the pics.

I will probably be around in some different forums- I noticed the alpine and rock garden forum is not really active, so I will be trying to change that. I am also looking for rare and hard to find rock garden plants, so I might be in the trading forum or asking around in the alpine forum.

Great to be back!

Here is a link that might be useful: Snapshots of Matt's Garden July 2010
Janis_G
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Matt, I wasn't around back then but I would still
love to say welcome back.

Your garden is lovely.
calliope
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I've heard of staying away for a long time, but twelve years is really pushing the envelope Matt. I remember you too. We also had Vinh who was about fifteen at the time. I remember long discussions about things like whether wearing leather shoes was immoral for a vegan.
meldy_nva
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Welcome back!

I don't remember Vinh, but I do remember you :)

The fact that this site could attract a 15 y.o. is one of the reasons I kept coming back. I missed you when you stopped posting.
melikesthepeculiar
Original Author
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
janis_g,

Thank you for the kind words about my garden.

calliope,

I don't remember Vinh. That's hilarious about the leather shoe debate though.

meldy_nva,

Thanks for the welcome. Honestly I wish I had never left the forums either. It was so long ago, I can't remember the actual reason I stopped coming on here. But I am glad to be back.
instar8
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I remember you too, i used to be lynniebabes and imago ...funny how this place keeps drawing you back...
bigfoot_liz
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
welcome back matt, i remember you too...there are lots of us re-finding this place! ~ liz (wife of robert bigfoot)

Here is a link that might be useful: our story...
tisha_
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Hi Matt.

I've been around here for probably 12 or so years. I'm 33 now, so am just a bit older than you, and used to be one of the youngesters over on the Houseplants forum.

When that forum's regulars went away with the change to IVillage, I stopped posting as much. We used to have a community over there, very similar to what is here at the Party forum.

I'd still come around once in a while, over the years, but was never active again until I realized what the Garden Party forum was. Now I try to keep up with all the goins-on around this place. It's a great spot here on GW, to keep in touch with some really nice folks.

Welcome back! And keep posting. :-)

-Tisha

Crazy personal introduction (back after many years)

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