In the nearly eighteen months since I subscribed to this board, I have solicited constructive commentary and advice on my meager efforts, and I have offered the same. And I have learned a great deal

I have opened myself to the board on matters as absurd as feigning ignorance of Barney the Purple Dinosaur, and matters as serious as the recent death of my mother.

I have, when faced with a fellow subscriber's very real distress, replied with constructive, meaningful words of encouragement and practical advice, WHICH THE ORIGINAL POSTER TOOK IN THE SPIRIT INTENDED, AND APPRECIATED, only to be publicly flamed, and my words deemed offensive, by others whose responses to the original poster's distress consisted entirely of meaningless platitudes, resulting in a flame war that had to be quashed by the moderators.

I have had a completely and utterly inoffensive word -- the surname of the title character of a classic 1970s sitcom -- redacted by the board's autocensor, with nobody providing any explanation of why that word would be considered offensive.

I have made what, on any other board to which I have ever subscribed, or any of the email list servers to which I have subscribed, would be regarded as deliberately absurd offhand remarks, only to have them treated as insulting.

Over the course of my previous 1279 posts, I have, without exception, endeavored always to conduct myself with all the appropriate humility of a self-described dilettante, who has never stacked layers, much less tiers, and I have shown nothing but respect to the professional bakers and decorators here. Some have treated me with kindness, but others have treated me more condescendingly than I would treat a stray cat.

At this point, I'm starting to wonder what I'm doing here.

thanx

I think that you will understand the reference and exactly what it means that it is the Brave New World & Big Brother is watching..................and in our lifetimes.   Who would have believed it in our youth???  Also I'm A Heinlein fan, have you read him?  Can you even believe that every single piece of mail that you send or receive through the U.S. Post Office is photo copied.  Every phone call logged and recorded. Every tiny single stoke on your keyboard can be recovered. This isn't our grandparents world anymore.

 I'm  watching, learning, gaining knowledge, progressing in my skills.  But honestly, and simply put - if this were a Sobbing Sara Saga or a Miss Agony Aunt Column  all about peoples daily foibles and misfortunes in life and not about baking, caking, decorating, cookie or candy making.  This would be the Dr. Phil-Maury Povitch-Monteil Williams show and not CakeCentral. 

You ask why you are here. You can answer that only to yourself.  Have you  tried out some new recipes? An icing that is not butter & sugar mixed with  a fork?  Piped roses & leaves with a good consistency icing. Hopefully you have enjoyed some of the fun, and learned to bake & decorate a bit better.

Can you believe that we all own Capt. Kirks hand held communicator, or that all of the doors at big businesses open and close without ever touching a handle......just like on the Enterprise??  big changes.  This too shall pass.

AJames, i'm looking forward to your next cake-- i came across an old old recipe that was most popular in the 70's & 80's and i've been thinking about suggesting that you or anyone get some silicone molds and make some cream cheese mints -- your guests will go nuts for the cream cheese flowers and leaves -- just as a potential idea of something very doable you could add to your repertoire someday -- my husband and i are literally aghast at the goings on and the timing in the other thread --

but let me try out the mint thing first-- not that you're gonna be running out tonight to try it or in the next two years either or anything -- but the mints can be made way in advance and kept frozen -- but i haven't made any in eons so let me see how they do in the more intricate molds we have these days -- and i will post about it going forward -- might be an idea to consider --

do you have anything planned for the holidays? i mean something you bake every year?

or perhaps I missed the point altogether, as I'm oft to do...............the playoffs are distracting me.

Oh, what unpleasantness is happening in another thread?  Rats, I can't find it.  Oh, maybe I shouldn't announce that I do occasionally follow along just to see what goes on, kind of like watching a soapie.  I hate it when I comment on a thread and later get a notice about more posts and it has been deleted.  I always wonder where and how it turned bad.  Anyway, cream cheese candies are just as fabulous as ever, yummy little sugar bombs.  I haven't tried them with newer silicone molds but the gray live palm rubber ones are fantastic and last forever.  There are also ones that are yellow and they aren't as stretchy and easy to pop out as the gray ones.  My  mom tried some in one of the clear plastic molds, more like what you would use for chocolate or candy melts and she didn't have any luck with those for a mold for the cream cheese candies, they didn't come out nicely.  Cream cheese candies are wonderful little no brainer treats you can pop out sitting watching tv.

I don't think you are condescending.  I do, however, find your posts to be odd, like many things on the internet written by people that I don't know personally. I find you to be very eccentric.  You don't make typical comments and ask typical questions about cakes and this is a cake website.  If you don't mean to be condescending or offensive, you know your true intentions so don't get too upset if people don't like what you write.

Uffda, I found it.   I did have to read the foot ball post twice to get the joke, can I blame it on being late?  It is a funny/wry comment so I will have to repeat it to my husband.  If you find pleasure in participating on Cake central, continue on.  If you don't, then don't.  But let it be your decision.  And perhaps don't do anything rash for a few weeks, you have enough emotions going on already.  My sympathy in the loss of your mother.

A

This!!! ^^^

"miscommunication" happens when we all don't agree to speak a common language that is accepted and understood by all.

It is something to consider that people from America, England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, New Zealand, Australia, France, Spain, Germany, The Caribbean Islands (at least those are the CC members who post whose countries come to mind) and if this is going to be a forum with the common language of English.........then it is best to communicate in simple straightforward common and current English words. 

Avoiding complicated archaic encyclopedia jargon and  ancient off-the-wall uncommon references;  which makes communications murky and confusing, and translation impossible; is thoughtful and considerate.

AJames, you come here for the same reasons as every one else. To share and to learn. Each person puts their own angle and spin on those two. If one can't control themselves and try to control others...they belong on their own blog. Not a forum. I am sorry for your loss. Now, that being said, I don't believe this is a case of humor vs mourning. Timing of this is unfortunate. Nor do I believe this is a case of others miffed at an inside joke shared with folks outside the circle, nor obscure references than waiting with baited breath to be asked to explain and gleefully doing so. I don't believe this is an example of the strain of reading $1000 words chosen over $.99 ones, nor nationality/ dialect. The man was asked if he was disrespecting CC members or his own mother. Something else happened that we, the general public are not privy to. I hope I am right. I'm not saying all this is called for, nor warranted. I know that I do not have the right to know. But I hope it does get explained.

Quite honestly, I do expect anybody who's sufficiently educated enough to be here in the first place to be educated enough to figure out that "equine masticatory orifice" is an intentionally silly way of saying "horse's mouth," and to recognize "straight from the horse's mouth" as a metaphor for truthful and accurate information, direct from the source (and "looking a gift horse in the mouth" as a metaphor for ingratitude for, and/or questioning the value of, something one didn't have to pay for).

And when I explained it, I did not do so "gleefully," because I expected to do so; rather, I was surprised and annoyed that I would have to do so.

By contrast, if I'm telling the "get the quarter back" joke, which actually DOES involve gleefully explaining something that SHOULDN'T be instantly obvious, I don't actually wait for anybody to feed me the obvious straight line (i.e., asking me what I'm talking about); I deliver the punchline as soon as the non-sequitur of football being "way too much fuss over a lousy 25 cents" starts to sink in.

Then again, I dunno whether it's grief, politics, or both, but I seem to have a short fuse this week.

all bereaved people have short fuses although you have conducted yourself just fine short fuse or not and then when you get cyber bullied on top of it it's mind blowing and egregious -- what those people revealed about themselves is embarrassing -- 

http://www.cakecentral.com/t/779378/to-fill-or-not-to-fill#post_7549678

as @hbquikcomjamesl said in this thread ^^      ......"Miscommunication can lead to grief."  

my post above is in agreement with that statement.

James, you're a hoot.  If others don't get or understand your humor, don't worry about it.  I've discovered that my warped (as my father told me) sense of humor doesn't go over well in print and people are so quick to take offense at anything these days.

I made a comment a couple of years ago, strictly in fun, and was treated to a ripping like I had never received before.  It was deleted almost immediately, but not before I saw it.  Since then, I don't post photos and I try not to say much on the forums.  But this is where I get inspiration, encouragement, ideas, etc., so I keep coming back. 

I haven't yet seen the thread in question, but I'm going to look now.  Don't let them get you down.

My condolences on the death of your mother.

Jan

Anyone else think this was a thread about condensation and humidity?? I swear I was one huge big "HUH??" when I opened it and started reading