Meet Your ATS Staff - 2013 Edition

Delete please! Dinner, kids & posting never work together!

reply to post by 1loserel2


O.K. Mods! My be off topic but I hope this person can see the rainbow before it may be banned!


It's been along while since we've had a good steak, yum, economy for us has not been good.

Enjoy two extra steaks for us and let us know how we liked it.

Don't be so down. Heck in the last two years by husband and I have been fired from our jobs. ( It was a family related thing which involved a major patriarch of our family involved in some really, really bad people and things! It was a total SHOCK! None of us talk or have anything to do with him anymore and are better off without his sociopath ways! )

Anyways he really put the screws to us to put it very nicely. We almost lost our home. Credit went to crap. We were lucky I stocked up on some goods so food was not so bad. ( The basics where all covered). This is one reason my kids LOVE steak! We went over a year without a bite. Even now I save for when my husband is home from work to enjoy. This is not often. Bad economy = family sacrifices to make it all happen. I wish I could share when I could..... I really do! We where in a REALLY bad place just 2 years ago!

Today we are well feed, have no debt but our mortgage, happy, healthy kids and so much more to add to be thankful of .....!

Loves Restless

Great idea for a thread which turned out to be very very cool !!

Strangely enough, ever since the first day I joined, I never really saw staff members as staff members but members first. Never had a run in (touching wood) with any of you guys (and gals), exchanges have always been nice and courteous. So, reading on a more personal side from each of the Mods who've posted thus far is reinforcing the feeling that some of the greatest members here have been promoted - and for the good reasons.

Still intimidated by the Lord Overlord though...

Also just found out that one Mods whom I thought was male is female...

Awesome thread !!

Oh ho, NOW it all makes sense, we have a Banker ( elitist ), a cop ( militarist enforcer ) and an ex Marine ( Uh, another militarist enforcer?), so ALL those threads about how ATS is cointel, we now know are true.


BTW, If all 3 of you say you're a mason, I do believe my head will literally explode

Now I'm glad I didn't mention earlier that I was once in a CIA trainee program, hehe.... It was only for a little more than a month (the program got axed, not me), when the Russian coup happened (so that tells you how long ago it was). Was going into the FBIS branch (now it is under a different name, it would now also be part of the whole PRISM scandal...so I wasn't too surprised). After that, went back to college more for just business. Would have been a cool gig though.... Alas...

Worse, I'm actively looking to join my local Masons group, hehe.... Still just getting settled here though.

Also just found out that one Mods whom I thought was male is female

Yeah, we have quite a few female mods, many of which aren't exactly announcing their gender.

reply to post by Gazrok


Hi Gazrok

Do any of the mods know each other in person it's always made me wonder

I have never met another member in person although that will change this weekend after my trip to France

When I where my ATS T shirt I do get some double takes but no-ons has as yet approached me

Cody

Originally posted by cody599
reply to post by Gazrok

 

Hi Gazrok

Do any of the mods know each other in person it's always made me wonder

I have never met another member in person although that will change this weekend after my trip to France

When I where my ATS T shirt I do get some double takes but no-ons has as yet approached me

Cody

Question i often ask myself... do the Moderation team get together when possible face to face?

Hopefully the Gendarmerie will let Cody and myself out to go back to work the Monday afterwards?

Kindest respects

Rodinus

reply to post by cody599


A few of us have met up since we've been on staff - there was a meeting of most of the UK based Mods a couple of years ago, and a number of the US based mods have met up on a couple of occasions.

I've met a decent number of staff and members over the years. All great people, except Springer, but that's a given.

I've also had people approach me when I'm wearing an ATS hat or shirt and I've had a couple of people claim to know who I was after giving them my ATS name although I tend to think they were claiming more knowledge than they really had when it came to the site, and me.

Thanks Steve and Nef...

So, when you Boys and girls actually get together, is it mostly "work talk" so to speak or do you all managed to get some quality time out and enjoy yourselves together? (Apart from enjoying yourselves here on the Forum that is?)

Kindest respects

Rodinus

reply to post by Rodinus


Depends on circumstances - when I met Mark and Stephen we went for a meal...

When the UK mods met up we got slowly drunk and talked about the board.

The US Mods, on the other hand had a camp/party/concert/expended an awful lot of ordinance and held an on-location ATS Live! show.

Originally posted by neformore
reply to post by Rodinus

 

Depends on circumstances - when I met Mark and Stephen we went for a meal...

When the UK mods met up we got slowly drunk and talked about the board.

The US Mods, on the other hand had a camp/party/concert/expended an awful lot of ordinance and held an on-location ATS Live! show.

edit on 29/7/13 by neformore because: (no reason given)

Thanks Nef

Sounds like a typical kind of work (so to say "relationship")...

Shame that the UK and/or European Mods could not also at least have a once every 2 year face to face get together/bash with on-location ATS live show?... But understandable when you have to take into account logistics and finances!

I will free my field up and provide wine

Kindest respects

Rodinus

I was originally trying to get an ATS get-together set up here in Central FL, this fall, but that may have to wait until next year, due to some recent changes in my household. I may still try and do it sooner rather than later though. Basically, there are a lot of members in this area, oddly enough, so whether mods or members, I'll try and invite those who can make it (will be a thread in the Members forum).

I've met a MOD in RL. He's long and tall and much, much smarter than he looks. What up Redneck!

Me and another moderator once met in Copenhagen.

reply to post by Rodinus


I've partied with with Simon, watched chrisonabike sing and hunt ufos, I've shared many laughs with Springer and SO, had the pleasure of spending time staring at the skies with the no longer anonymous Johnny, forced Nef to say the word "boards" in person, listened to Silk moan with delight over an incredible meal, met some elusive staff members and always had a blast but spending time with William One Sac will stand out above all the rest.

Has the always beautiful Asala had her bambino yet?

...late to the party as always...though in my defense I've been busy with work, home, kids and a million other things.

Awesome to see such a thread - so that our valued and valuable ATS Membership can take a bit of a peek into who we are as Staff and what may make us tick as individuals...though hope that isn't too scary for you guys...




Surfing With the Alien

5 internet-points to any fellow guitar-buff who gets that reference...


What brings me to ATS and the Staffing Team?

I've been around ATS since it was originally about airplanes...so...since it began.
I'm also the longest serving Staff Member, so I fart ATS dust...

Like many of you I'm here for lots of reasons.
I have a passion for conspiracies, an extreme reluctance to take anything on face value - and particularly anything my own Govt or other agencies tell me is *truth*.
I come from a history of active protesting within my country, New Zealand - though mainly focused on land protests and such relating to my own people - Maori (might want to google who we are as Maori). So getting up in the face of 'the system' is something I've had more than a bit of experience of.
these days however - and likely due to my age and just chilling out a bit - I'm not so active and aggressive in those pursuits and prefer to find more amicable solutions to issues.

I have a keen interest in Spirituality and the Paranormal.
I tend not to post much here on ATS...rather I tend to skulk behind the scenes and read and/or take care of the more boring staffing duties. When I do post, its usually within something discussing the Paranormal or spirituality.


Bit about my own background/upbringing:

The paranormal, things that go *bump* in the night, spirits and spirituality are things that are pretty common every day things to me and my culture. We as a people have a somewhat different perspective and approach to such things...and that was how I was raised. So seeing, hearing and dealing with what many may term as *spirits* is not at all uncommon.
In my spare time I'm part of a Paranormal Investigation group in the city I live in, and am also called upon regularly by people within my culture to come and assist them with spiritual issues they may be experiencing.
Certainly not saying I know everything about it, as like everyone else we learn new things each and every day...


A HUGE part of my life is my family.
My family are my heart and soul.
My wife and I are blessed with two of the most amazing angels on earth - an almost 4 year old boy and an 8 month old daughter.
They are my centre and my stability...my peaceful pool when everything else around me turns to mud.


Other interests I have:

Guitar playing.

Motorsports - I have a number of particularly interesting cars in the garage, and am regularly involved in track-racing, dragracing, modifying and fixing various vehicles. Theres something just so invigorating about burying the boot on the back straight, getting pegged hard into your seat as the tarmac just gets swallowed up at ever-increasing knots...love it!

Outdoor activities such as tramping, diving, hunting, fishing and whatnot. I was raised within the bush and waterways, taught to be self-sufficient and appreciate the wonder of nature...but also how to exist within it for extended periods of time.

Firearms - I hold licences that allow me to own restricted class weapons...so I also enjoy spending time on the range blowing big holes in stuff with funky *bang-bangs* I do find it somewhat humorous when I read people comment that New Zealand is a disarmed country. Heh. Guess they've never taken a peek into the firearm lockers of myself or many people I know - as I bet there's more 'heat' in there than within their own...


Workwise:

My career has been within Mental Health - having worked in MH now for 20 years...right from the grassroots level of a MH Support Worker, to a Team Coordinator, to Inpatient Acute Wards, through to my current role as Service Manager of the largest MH Service of its type in my country.

Its a passion for sure...every day brings learning and growth...and I love it.
Doesn't mean it isn't hard and tests you in every way...but I wouldn't want to be doing anything else.
My approach isn't the usual medical-model approach either...far from it...in fact I'm extremely anti-medical/anti-medication.
While I do acknowledge that for some those processes yield benefits, I am deeply concerned that the default setting most services have is simply to medicate, to risk-manage and to do little if anything else to actually assist the person to heal, to grow, to flourish and achieve their inherent potential.

I personally believe its an extremely ineffective and downright lazy service that jumps straight to chemistry rather than compassion...pharmacology rather than person-centred approaches.


Anyway...thats a bit about me...see you on the forums...

Cheers

Originally posted by alien
Surfing With the Alien

5 internet-points to any fellow guitar-buff who gets that reference...

Not a guitar-buff, but I do get that reference.

reply to post by restlessinMT


Thank you for the kind words of encouragement. I was down, I'm trying real hard not to be.

It's been a very rough 2 years for my friend (who is like a mom to me and myself, this year being the worst) or maybe it was last year, but between the last two years, it's been a struggle. I guess it would be this year because we keep getting behind with the most standard of things.

Well, I keep trying to think there has to be a reason for all of this, one day hopefully I'll figure it out.

And I used to play in a symphony orchestra for a little while. I don't have any recording of it, but we played The Hall of The Mountain King the way it usually sounds (almost). Not like Portsmouth Sinfonia's version of it.: