Go into your SJ Inbox and you will find some funny (and heartwarming) shit

So, the other day, I was in a bind. Had an issue on the road. Without going into detail, I had no access to my phone or my laptop. So I had to use the hotel business center and use a long-ago disused Yahoo email account to let the office know I was having a problem.

I use this Yahoo account to do some fantasy stuff, which is the only reason I remembered the password, but I haven't used it for email since the 2000s. So I was curious what the oldest email in the account was? It dated to 2004. One of the top five oldest emails was my original confimation that I was officially part of SJ. Another old one confirmed a sock puppet I used at one point I had totally forgotten about that referenced a former boss.

So whilst down this rathole, I wondered what my oldest SJ DM was? Unlike the pre-2006 posts that were wiped out by Asian dong or whatever it was, the DMs exist right back to the very start.

It was a fascinating trip back in time. My first DM came from the much-missed OnTheRiver, whom I know (and knew then) in real life.

There was an outpouring of support in 2005 when my wife and I lost a child before birth.

There are JDV controveries, the board split, the State Of The Board TM stuff, the SJ novel (proud to be a part of that to this day), the bruised egos and huzzahs. It was some fascinating shit.

These days, with irregular posting on my part, and with other means of electronic communication, I don't think I've even received any DMs in ages.

Take a trip down memory lane and check yours out.

 

From October 2005, it's ... a gnocchi recipe. The person who sent it to me hasn't been on the board since 2012, but I'm still not sure if I have leave to post it.

 

Jan. 29, 2005. Ballscribe thought I was a woman and sent me a "Tennis babes, unite!" message.

Maybe the first, but certainly not the last, misunderstanding of me on here.

 

poindexter--i was just thinking we haven't seen you recently, and you turn up just to shred me?? I am crushed.

I see the disappearance of sportswriter has put bspolice out of business. Please don't turn your radar on me.....

Hope you're having a good summer.......21

21, Aug 13, 2003Report

 

Oldest one in this iteration of SJ (post-crash) goes back to 6/22/05 from zoucrew (who hasn't posted since 9/9/13):

Don't know what the trouble is with my PM - as far as I know, my zoucrew name should work. Sorry about that.

Anyway, if there's anything you want to know, feel free to reply to this one.

A week later, 7/1/13, spnited and I traded a few messages including this from him:

Sorry about the jackass comment..it was uncalled for.

I was going to post on the vacation rant thread that I just started a month of vacation and with no writers to bitch at, I'll just be picking on shit here until I go away next week ;D

----

On a related note, this month is my 20-year anniversary at SJ.

 

I've done this before. I found some fun conversations with people who are long gone. The oldest DM I have is from spnited (RIP) offering information about a job situation. I've also found some really ugly conversations, some with people who are still around. I really can be a pain in the ass.

 

Oldest DM is from Moddy in 2008 explaining why a thread was deleted.

Second oldest was from Shockey (RIP), and it was his story about how he got Bob Sheppard to do a tape to announce his wedding party.

 

That was fun. Lots of fantasy messages, some politics & religion early on - all respectful and mostly nice. Some other conversations with some of you that I had forgotten. Thanks for the idea.

 

a lot of nastygrams, most of which were deleted on sight and unread.

 

NEW SIG EVERYONE!!!!

Like Bubs, I have a Yahoo account I only use for fantasy leagues & SJ.com. The first DM I have is from Webby in 2004 telling me the new SJ has been set up and...

I put your signature, posts, personal text, etc. back on your account.

Awesome deal, glad everyone can see 18+ years later that I still have the fourth-most posts under the BYH moniker even though I haven't posted there in like eight years! What a dork.

 

My first was a pretty milquetoast conversation with Sonner about living in DC.

I did find a pretty funny conversation I had forgotten about, with Dick Whitman when I realized that he annoyed me because he reminded me too much of my ex-wife.