To All
I have been wanting to write this for quite some time. It is a Tale of a once productive member of society whose profession was in the medical Field helping people and feeling very good helping others who were having health problems. Then one day this person, (in case you haven't guessed already - ME), became disabled with nerve Damage and could not work. I felt very depressed and useless and contemplated suicide more than once. I withdrew into myself and my computer, leeching audio and Graphic Novels (comics) off of Usenet. Along with my disability came many other problems like inability to sleep and a short attention span due to enough pain medication to incapacitate an elephant. I also could not read any more due to the dwindling attention span and the medications sedating me. Radio and audio-books filled in that gap but not completely and Graphic novels helped by the action of doing some reading and the pictures keeping me awake. This was great for that part of the problem. Then all I had to do was figure out how to feel useful again.
In the meantime my wife also became disabled with Fibromyalgia further complicating my life. Both of us having been Registered Nurses we settled in taking care of each other. She settled in, still being able to read and enjoying somewhat her new life without work. She solved her problem with feeling useless by helping friends with medical problems and nurturing our two dogs but I still had a problem.
One day I was browsing the net, one of my infrequent forays out of usenet into the worldwide internet. Now being interested now in OTR, Graphic Novels, Old Movie Serials and other such things I was always interested in group sites. Every one i had tried was lacking because people were cold and self serving, thinking of themselves only and their hobbies. The administration of these sites in order to make life easy for themselves made all sorts of rules that set them above the common common members and basically set up a serfdom. You give us us all your stuff and follow all our rules and we will let you stay here. 1. Nice work if you can get it. They made the rules so that the commoners had to abide by them or they were excommunicated form the sites. Obviously I much enjoyed the anonymnity of Usenet to the other sites where i still had no connection with others and still could not help anyone.
Then one day I found Times Past that accepted me with open arms and everyone was equal and would help each other until one day it changed with a new administrator who was a product of these other sites I disliked and wanted to rule not help others. I almost left this site too at that time. Then, a miracle, he left and Times past was back to the nice site it had been. I found out that there were many others who also had disabilities like me and some that were even less computer literate than I. There were many who didn't know the first thing about posting and everything they had was from here anyways. I could help by doing a lot of posting. It made me feel good. People actually thanked me for the posts.
Time passed and I was asked to be administrator of this fine site and have worked diligently to keep it the friendly nice community it was and still is. In the process I helped myself by helping others and watching others help others.
That is my story that i have wanted to tell for some time. I thank each and every one of you for your contributions to this site and your help in making this site what it is today, a nice community of like minded people helping each other. If any of you have a story about what Times Past has done to help you or just why you like it here, please write here about it. ------------------------------------- Rick
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Replies
Hi Rick,
First of all, thanks for sharing your story with us. I am mainly a lurker on this site, but really appreciate all of the hard work that you and others put into it, and thought I would share my "Times Past" story. Three years ago, I discovered OTR online and became entranced with Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce's Sherlock Holmes radio broadcasts. I am a night time custodian at an elementary school and generally pass the time away listening to my ipod while cleaning in the evening. I had begun to get tired of listening to the same old music night after night and was looking for a change of pace, perhaps audio books or something. Stumbling upon OTR really fit the bill nicely and I found myself getting so wrapped up in the wonderful Sherlock Holmes episodes that I barely noticed that I had just gotten two hours work completed!
I remember it was around Christmas time two years ago that I first found this group. After listening to every Sherlock Holmes OTR episode that I could find, I fell in love with a few other programs, including Duffy's Tavern and The Jack Benny Show. Around the holidays, I suddenly wondered if there were a lot of good Christmas related OTR episodes available. Doing a google search on the subject somehow brought this website up and I immediately signed up for the Sherlock Holmes and Holiday groups. I was amazed to find how many Christmas episodes were available and downloaded every one that appeared in that year's "Holiday OTR" thread. Furthermore, I was impressed to find additional Sherlock Holmes episodes that couldn't be found on more common known websites.
Out of all the Christmas' that I have enjoyed, there was something really special about the Christmas of 2009. Every evening at work, I would make a playlist on my ipod with different OTR Holiday shows and would find myself laughing, smiling, and sometimes almost crying. It really made me reminisce at many moments of Xmas' of my childhood and how innocent and wonderful that time of year could be. Finding original recordings of Lionel Barrymore playing Scrooge on Xmas Eve was a treasure trove and I probably listened to the 1939 Campbell's Playhouse broadcast dozens of times that holiday season. Better yet, all of these wonderful shows forged a common link between myself and my grandparents. I remember sitting around at my parent's house on Xmas Day listening to the Jack Benny episode "Jack Buys Don Shoelaces For Xmas" and how wonderful of a time my family had listening to it. My grandfather picked out all of the actors by their voices and reminisced about when he was a kid listening to these very shows.
I guess overall, what Times Past means to me is that "little something extra" in life, that added bonus!!! Sometimes, I am having a bad day or am feeling a little depressed, but OTR is kind of like my version of Linus' blanket. They are always there for comfort, to make you laugh, to keep you at the edge of your seat, to remind of a simpler time. Many car trips in the past few years have seen OTR as a center point, Thanksgiving and Xmas now welcomes OTR into my family's traditions, work nights are so bad because of OTR, and sleepless nights become a good night's sleep when OTR is put on the ipod and a couple of ear buds are put in! Thank you Rick and everyone else for doing what you do. You provide users like me with the portal into a magical world of imagination and excitement that is OTR. Through your hard work to provide countless hours of entertainment for us, you also enable us to carry on an important tradition (OTR) that must not be forgotten and must be passed down from generation to generation. Furthermore, OTR harkens us back to a time where values were different, life was simpler, and million dollar special effects weren't needed to cover up a bad story. Thanks again for everything and I look forward to many years on Times Past....heck, maybe I will come out of my shell eventually and chat more on here :-)
-Scott
Hi Rick,
Thank you, and everyone else, for maintaining this site. The reason I like it here is, as I have already wrote once, is my dad got me interested in OTR. We use to listen to the cassettes he got from the library. He passed away when I was 19. That was over 20 years now. Listening to these shows reminds me of listening to them when I was a kid with him. Especially when I find a show that makes me think of how much the old man would have liked it.
Thanks again for everything,
Matt
Rick, I know exactly what you mean. Though I never reached the point of wanting to do away with myself, I felt kind of useless when I stopped working. I found Times Past quite by accident......i was and still am something of a computer illiterate. But I found you here Rick!!!! And though we've never had the opportunity to meet face to face I cherish our friendship, which I believe goes beyond OTR and such. I also struck up a nice friendship with Katy, who, is a very kind and giving human being. I've loved OTR for as long as I can remember. Back when Times Past was getting off the ground, we had so much fun. Like you, I felt that I was at last doing something........and sharing with others is its own reward. While I don't know many people here on a personal level, I know there are quite a few suffering from disabilities, loneliness, illness etc who have their day brightened up a bit by dropping by and finding something of interest to listen to or discuss.
You and Katy have done a fantastic job at making this a quality site. I'm not here too often anymore because I don't much care for the newer or BBC stuff........The Paranormal shows are the same old blah blah blah.....I........When I find something from the Golden Age of Radio that's not been heard for years, I give you my word I'll post it right away!!!!
And Rick, I swear by the Sweet Baby Jesus Hisself......I'm gonna give you a call one of these days!!!!-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Jim
I have found that cyberfriends have many of the characteristics as any other friends. You can count on them to lend an ear and they will help when you need it. I have found some great friends online and have also experienced the awful boards you mention, Rick. Of course, Times Past is a gem and I am very grateful to have been invited to participate in it.
I wish you and yours the best, Rick. Like my dear old English grandpa used to say to me: "Better times ahead, Steve. Better times ahead." And, I might add, Times Past is pretty great, too.
Hi Rick,
It was a pleasure to read of your experience here and in life.
I spent the best part of 40 years in the health care industry and do fully understand how it feels to no longer be able to aid people in the same way, it is very frustrating. It is difficult to accept the change because the desire to help is a strong one.
I've been around since bulletin boards were all the rage, I even had hair then! :-) It is just plain simple now to find things to listen to or to be involved with on the internet. Making the aquaintance of good folks makes life special, even if it is only 'virtual'.
Thank you for sharing your story!
Bien regard
Lefevre
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