Stu

Agreed with all, Scary! Wayne has been a HECK of a drive, although I sure miss everyone. Hopefully hours will return to some semblance of normal for us night critters!

You n' me both, my friend! Turned out to be a really great time. But, hey, I should see you Friday(?), yes? Thanks for the thought as always!

Aw, thanks, Tron -- my first Birthday gift! Thanks for thinkin' of me.

Our next east-side Goth meetup, Rendezvous Gothique, will gather on FRIDAY, AUGUST 13th at 7:00 PM! If you're a Goth or into Goth culture, it's your lucky day! WHAT WE ARE: A bunch of Goth-obsessed Michiganiacs looking for food and fun on Southeast Michigan's suburban east side. WHAT IT COSTS: Nothing (other than the food you buy)! NEW FOR THIS MEETUP: New location! It was suggested (and now approved) that this meetup be held at the Ram's Horn Restaurant, 30500 Dequindre Rd, in Warren, just south of 13 Mile road. We (the organizers) have had meetups with other groups at this location and the staff tolerates our craziness. Special goodies! Since our first two warm-up meetings, this will be our "charter member" event. This means that any/all attendees will receive some Gothswag commemorating our fledgeling group. Food aside, you won't leave home empty-handed! Planning! This is the meeting where we'll discuss what members would like to see and do at future meetups. We're also going to discuss our first special "field trip" to a local venue sure to appeal to our Gothfam and their friends. Your input is encouraged! If you want to stay informed of any and all things Rendezvous Gothique, then sign up on our Meetup page at: https://www.meetup.com/rendezvous-gothique/ If you use Facebook, join our group at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/rendezvousgothique (Look there for individual event pages/signups!) HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!

It seems that our new eastside event, Rendezvous Gothique, has gotten some unfair criticism and judgment. I'm here to clear things up. First: IN NO WAY is Rendezvous Gothique intended to interfere with, disparage or otherwise damage "The Gathering." In fact, we scheduled it for Fridays specifically to AVOID a scheduling conflict for those who might want to attend BOTH. This also avoids conflict if The Gathering was moved back to its original day as well. Secondly: LONG BEFORE any infighting there had been talk of having another Goth event on the east side of our area as Wayne County is a LONG WAY from some of us. So again, this isn't a replacement, but an option, and perhaps even a supplement for those wanting more socializing! We started it not as a reaction (timing aside), but to fulfil an idea that is well over a year old now. Third: In online chats, direct conversations, emails and other messages, some in the Goth community were becoming upset that other subjects unrelated to Goth were being "pushed" onto them, to the point where they stopped attending, or distanced themselves from those interested in things that they weren't. So we have crafted Rendezvous Gothique as a meetup entirely focused on GOTH and associated topics. While we certainly don't prohibit people discussing what they like, we don't put non-Goth topics on our discussion list, nor do we force unrelated subjects onto attendees. Discussions, then, are about Goth music, culture, fashion/clothing, ethos, worldview, etc., OR they're things individual attendees might bring up. No one dictates what is acceptable or what is not. Lastly: yes, there WAS a rift..... A certain member was kicked out of The Gathering due to a personality conflict. I am not rendering judgment as to the validity of this except to say that said member is entitled to having a social life of their own and discussing the world of the Gothic with likeminded friends. Rendezvous Gothique is their creation, fulfilling that long ago proposed east-side meetup idea, keeping out certain topics that some find distasteful AND allowing an "unpopular" former member to have some semblance of a Goth-centered social life. I hope this clears up any misunderstanding. Please feel free to direct any questions, comments or criticisms to me, either here or to my email: DJStuCrew@gmail.com Thank you for your understanding! ~Stu

No ethical options? That's a rather myopic view! First of all, we do need some stuff. Secondly, we have a right to exist, and if carbon and resources are going to be released/consumed as a result, these are VALID reasons to do so! The problem isn't to eliminate ourselves or ALL emissions/consumption, but to not do so wantonly, unnecessarily and harmfully. Hence ethics. That "higher" ethical quandary aside, my gal, Moe, gets a lot of her Goth clothing from a company called Killstar, and another outlet called Vampire Freaks. Of these, I have absolutely NO idea of what their ethical pedigree might be. I just know that they make cool stuff. Wish is actually just a front company that represents tons of individual companies, mostly Chinese, and as a result they're hit-and-miss. (And in my experience, more misses than hits.) Still, you can't beat the prices most of the time! Just my two rubles....

I miss HUGS. I'll never EVER take them for granted! I miss my mom. You'd think that would lessen over the years. It's been the opposite. I miss the gang at S.T.A.R. at Wayne State University. I was such a young punk back then...they were my intellectual idols! I miss the beach. Really gotta get out there this summer! I miss doing yard work with my lil' buddy, J. We had some really good chats working outdoors. I miss my colleagues and students at Irene's. Hope to be back with 'em one day soon. I miss good manners; common kindness. I miss Small's, Leland City Club, the old pre-fire C.J. Barrymore's, Wooly Bully's circa 1988, Nitro's, LaNotte's (and its successor, Chaplain's Comedy Club). I miss "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." I miss Weight Watchers chocolate mint pops. And Choc-O-Malts! I miss the Dutch Elm trees that made the streets look like leafy tunnels, and the mighty roar when the wind blew through them. I miss J.L. Hudson's, Sears (AND Roebuck), Arlan's (Mt. Clemens) and Neisner's "dime store." I miss the Bob-Lo boats AND Bob-Lo island! AND Edgewater Amusement park! I miss "The Top of the Flame" restaurant downtown. I miss Leonard Nimoy, Mark Lenard, DeForest Kelly and Jimmy Doohan... and the great stories they made. I miss playing in the woods. (And the time for play in general.) Ah, I could go on. I won't.

To some, Goth is a look. To others, it's who they are. Nothing wrong with dabbling, I guess, but Goth is more than make up and black clothes.

There REALLY needs to be a "haha" button on here.... 😆

I'm bored with Zoom. Great for work. Not so hot for socializing. I would be totally up for in-person gatherings again.

Seems to me that if a god or gods were actually in charge, there would be no COVID to be saved FROM. We humans care for our kids by removing hazards from their environment and keeping a close eye on them. We don't drop an angry pitbull in the room and then snatch the baby away "just in time" for the baby to think, "Thank mom/dad for saving me!"

Agree with Scary; we've seen how theocracy works in other parts of the world. "Freedom" only goes to those who are part of "the failthful."

I think you would be amazed by what a good massage could do for you. A good therapist with a medical focus (avoid the "woo-woo" crowd) can do wonders.

Wow, I missed it, too! Hope it was an awesome birthday!

Uh, oh! Guess what day it is? GUESS what day it is? <Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap....!> Okay, here we go, 1, 2, 3, 4.... "Happy Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday YOU! Happy Birthday Tron From your ol' buddy, Stu!" WHOO HOO!!!!! Hope it ROCKS HARD!!!

SUCH A DEAL I have for you! LOL! 😆

Aw, thanks! Didn't really DO anything.... but am happy to help if I can. Hope the truck STAYS fixed! 😊

The topic is fascinating and she's quite entertaining!

Such a cute piece of fuzz n' needles!

Wait.... what did I do? 🤗

Aye, Captain! Thanks! ❤️

Anyone remember Neisner's? My folks always referred to it as "the dime store." Also Arlan's in Mt. Clemens. Loved their toy section as a kid!

Obviously most of us white folks can't imagine what it must be like for our black friends, family and fellow humans. A lot of us seem to want to jump right to the end, saying "why does color even matter"? And while that is the ideal, and a day may come when such a thing is forgotten, that day is NOT at hand. Not by a longshot. Change is hard, especially when it involves hearts and minds. I just hope that this isn't just another moment that passes by without any significant change. I'm hopeful that we can seize this day and, this time, make it stick. This killing has to stop. The hatred has to stop. And, yes, it looks like we've got our hands full educating the ignorant as well. <sigh>

Let's make this more basic: 1. Murder is wrong. Full stop. 2. Bigotry is wrong. People who might be different than you are in some way are still PEOPLE. Do not abuse or mistreat them. 3. Right now, black people are being targeted by government employees acting in MY NAME. If I don't speak up, roll up my sleeves and ACT to stop it, then I am complicit. I refuse to condone state-sanctioned murder. 4. Diversity is a STRENGTH. How rich is our culture because of all of the different people from all walks of life who immigrated here? How lucky are we to be able to experience such diversity, right here at home? How much better is our country because of it? THAT is the definition of being "blessed." We need to celebrate our difference as much as we celebrate our unity. 5. We need to be here for each other. We're all we've got. We need to stand up for our fellow human beings. Sometimes the oppressors are our friends and family -- we cannot hide, slink away or bury our heads in the sand. We need to challenge their bigotry and work to change hearts and minds. We (as white people) need to CLEAN HOUSE. Tolerance is complicity; just as the cops who stood by as their colleague murdered Mr. Floyd. Don't stand idly by. Speak up. Educate. And, for pity's sake, HELP. Make your representatives know your name! (Do you know theirs?) Let them hear from you weekly, if not daily. BE A PEST. 6. Make it about LOVE. Don't shirk the word. We talk a lot about "hate crimes." It's easy to hate. We hear that word a LOT. So where's the love? Don't we ALL want it? Don't we all crave it? And doesn't it feel SO much better to GIVE it? WHY can't life be about love? Why can't we help, nurture and lift up our fellow human beings and help them achieve their dreams? It costs nothing to offer words of encouragement, or simply staying the hell out of someone's way. Even though I'm an atheist, I've always liked the "do unto others as you would have them do unto you" ethic., but I also add the other half: "do NOT do to others anything you do NOT want done to yourself." Think of the person you love the most. What would you be willing to do for them? Now think of a stranger and ask yourself, why WOULDN'T you do the same for them? We're never going to make it as a species if we cannot learn to love one another and see and accept the humanity of EVERYONE. Right now, it MUST be about black lives matter. The killing must stop. The situation is untenable, and injustice cannot be tolerated anymore. Maybe one day we can ALL look back and say, "those were dark times, I'm glad that's all behind us." But that time is NOT now, nor is it anytime soon. Not without work. Not without unity. We need to be relentless: as the Marines like to say, adapt, improvise and overcome. And, frankly, I don't care WHY some people or groups ally themselves to this vision. If they do it out of guilt, pride, virtue signaling, anger.... whatever.... as the old saying goes, "the enemy of my enemy is my friend." Welcome aboard. We love you, too. Just my thoughts and ramblings. If you've gotten this far, thanks for your eyeball time.