Becoming Part of the Initiated

Greetings, fellow ATSers!

Some of you may recognize me, most of you probably don't. I have cautiously lurked in the background of ATS for many years. Several times I almost made an account but my social anxiety would not let me go through with it.

Several months ago, I was compelled to finally take that step and I signed up. The plan was to share the one bit of information I had come across regarding the topic and then immediately go back into hiding.

That worked quite well for awhile but then another thread popped up that I had found some pertinent and fun info for. Again, I cautiously typed out the 2 sentences, posted the link and slinked back into my corner.

This cycle went on a couple more times until

IT happened.....

the Great National Solar Observatory

Conspiracy of 2018 struck!!

My addictive personality traits kicked into high gear! Post after post, thought after thought, I could not stop myself! The thrill of reading all the different possible takes on what was going on, the excitement of envisioning what was really happening in the hills of New Mexico, the euphoria when finding a possible piece of the puzzle after scrolling through countless pages, on numerous search engines...
it completely sucked me in!

All the different aspects of the story, the lack of information (both official and otherwise), the amount of speculation, the endless number of theories, the fact that we're closing in on 3000 comments (as of now) on the thread and just how little trolling, in-fighting, arguing and name calling there has been is astounding! Stories and threads like this is the reason I became so enthralled with ATS so many years ago.

Now, I am no longer the guy that is content with sitting back, reading threads and withholding info that could possibly contribute positively. From now on, if I think I have something of some importance, I will share it.

It took that post and it's subsequent journey for me to finally take the plunge and not allow myself to be content with simply tossing some info or a link out there and then retreating. I had never really planned on becoming a contributing member thus I didn't feel the need to go through with an introduction.

Well, my mind has officially been changed and now I am here. Like all my brothers and sisters before me, I shall do the initiation and post an introduction (a rather wordy one I must say. My apologies).

With that said, I will conclude with this...

I now consider myself one of you and

that is truly a privilege and an honor.

My name is Tanga36 and I am a proud ATS'er!

a reply to: Tanga36

ATS is the perfect place to get kicked square in the balls when you're off base. And thats why I love it.

"Fear knocked at the door... Faith answered... No one was there."

Hello and welcome!

a reply to: Tanga36Welcome! Stay curious!

Welcome to our little corner of teh interwebs! It was a hell of a thread, enjoyed the banter with you and the rest of the new faces the thread brought around and glad to see you’ll be joining in on juicy threads more often.

Welcome to ATS

a reply to: BigDave-AR

It definitely has been one helluva ride over there. Even the off-topic comments that would typically derail a thread seemed to fit right in. It's almost like the regular posters were a team and we worked fairly well together. I will keep my fingers crossed that there will be plenty more threads like it but part of me feels that it was a lot of anomalies that came together at the perfect time. Either way, I know that I'll always remember how my days at ATS "officially" began and it'll be a fond memory that I'll have, probably the rest of my life. That thread was a lot more, for me, than just trying to figure out the puzzle, it helped me deal with some of my anxiety issues. Even though none of you realized it, you helped me and I appreciate that.

a reply to: IgnoranceIsntBlisss

Getting kicked square in the balls is something we all need from time to time. I'm up for whatever comes my way

originally posted by: Subaeruginosa
"Fear knocked at the door... Faith answered... No one was there."

I've always loved this proverb. Thank you! It can be very profound, depending on how you look at it. Similar to a lot of things here on ATS.

originally posted by: Night Star
Hello and welcome!

Hello and thank you to you, NightStar!

originally posted by: JohnnyCanuck
a reply to: Tanga36Welcome! Stay curious!

Thank you, Johnny! Curiosity may have killed the cat but he still had 8 more lives. I have always enjoyed coming here and seeing the takes other inquisitive thinkers had on a subject. In the real world, I've rarely felt like I fit in because most people aren't trying to ask questions or figure out how something works and why. Here, it's like being at home.

a reply to: stonerwilliam

Thank you for the introduction and welcome. I appreciate you stopping by and saying hi.

a reply to: Tanga36

Either way, I know that I'll always remember how my days at ATS "officially" began and it'll be a fond memory that I'll have, probably the rest of my life. That thread was a lot more, for me, than just trying to figure out the puzzle, it helped me deal with some of my anxiety issues.

Sweet!
So glad you are on board!

a reply to: SeaWorthy

Hey! A lot of the praise for me finally coming out of my shell is because of you. You are the one that made the original post about the Observatory and helped to stuff me down that rabbit hole!

Therefore, if anyone here decides that they liked ATS a lot better without me, just remember that it's SeaWorthy's fault! Hahaha!

Glad to finally be a contributing member of ATS and glad that I am a part of your thread.

a reply to: Tanga36

Welcome to ATS.
The Solar Observatory was a bit of a rabbit hole. Lot's of new ATS accounts showed up, as well as dormant accounts. So we got some trolls.

I cried and whined to BigDave-AR about it.
I cried to BD-AZ to make it stop.

But let's make this official then!

😁😁😁😁👍🤗

a reply to: Bigburgh

Haha! Oh I'll totally agree that we ended up with a few trolls on there but with 3000 posts, it's kind of expected. Comparing it to the threads I've read, in the past, I feel like 'our' trolls were only 50/50 trolling. It was like they were respectable trolls. Lol! A couple of them come to mind, in particular (I think you are thinking of one of these) and while things got a little out of control, it wasn't ever anything close to what you may experience on other sites. Even during the trolling attempts, ideas were being tossed around and they weren't over the top ideas. Brainstorming sessions help out. I'm just trying to spin it as positively as possible! Hahaha!

Happy Abduction Day!?! You mean they're actually gonna come back? I thought maybe they were mad at me after the last time.
I'll be waiting like a kid on Christmas for them to show up!

a reply to: Tanga36


Bwaaahahahaaaaaa..

A couple acct got the Ban Hammer, but the good folks remained. That thread was in true ATS spirit. We'll be talking about it for awhile. I think another Solar Observatory thread literally just went up in the last few minutes.

Remember that, no one knows who you are in real life. No need to be shy here at ATS. No need to hide in a corner. Contribute when you can if you please.

Now we to get you an avatar and a background 👍

a reply to: Tanga36

That thread was a great example of what makes ATS great. Even with all the political games and stupidity this remains the best site of it's kind.

Welcome and enjoy your journey.

a reply to: Bigburgh
Another thread on the Observatory? Hmmmmm... I'll have to check it out. Been researching fairly consistently over the last 2 weeks and wandered off onto countless tangents with it. Curious as to what new info would require a new thread because I've not seen anything new within the last couple of days. Guess I'll head over there and see if I've missed anything.

I've been contemplating on what exactly I want for an avatar and background. The anxiety that's coupled with my indecisiveness is part of what kept me in the shadows for so long so I'm trying not to think too much about those for now. Lol!

Gotta say, you've got some of the best GIFs around. Heads up that I'm swiping them. Probably won't ever use them but still swiping them