Belle

That should be "curmudgeon, who's really tender" or "loveable cranky old bastard". :)

JWitt, I'm too new out of TWI to be able to offer any suggestions or help. These are wise folks here and you've gotten some great things to think on. :) I just want to say WELCOME!!!! We actually have some splayds in the Cafe for our Aussie patrons to make you feel at home.

LOL! Bliss, that's basically what they told me, too. Dottie said that she felt like I would come to see the TWI that we all loved and remembered. She doesn't realize there was never a TWI that I loved and remembered....AND....that because they are just jumping through the hoops to keep the money rolling into their bank account, they aren't going to be able to make any changes, much less waves. I wonder now, if they regret encouraging Brian to go WC. Think about it, he's got a college degree he's done absolutely nothing with. Is he going to have to continue selling his soul to Rosie and company to make a living? WC who've had to move from full time TWIt pay to "the real world" have had a very tough time of it. Shortfuse, I really think there never was anything good about TWI in and of itself. I think there were some wonderful God loving people who really did want to help others at one time, but all those folks have been kicked to the curb or lobotomized and now there's nothing left but stolen works that have been twisted and perverted to suit the desires of those who are living high on the hog. It's nothing but a sand castle.....and an ugly one at that. There's nothing left to save and, as Oakspear said, there's LOTS and LOTS of options out there - even the offshoots are doing a better job of being the TWI that people once loved....why even try to save TWI at this point? Remember Rosie is the instigator and director of all things micro-management that folks in TWI have come to be comfortable with. ;) Mr. Pipes!!! Welcome!!!! I think we'd all love to read your letter and hear the responses when you're ready. I think it's very telling that you never got a reply in writing.....they know they're so full of b.s. that they're afraid to put anything in writing any more....and especially not anything that wasn't priorly approved by the fox herself. The next round's on me!

(((((OutofDaFog))))) Post away!!! It feels good, doesn't it? I'm enthralled, reading your post over and over imagining how shocking it must have been and yet, also, confusion and concern because you really thought you were doing the right things for you and your family. They really F***ed with our heads, didn't they?

Woah!! Both of you!! You're both VERY passionate people and both of you have a way of coming across very strong-willed on the boards. JL, Rascal talked about WHAT you said - you resorted to attacking HER - not nice. :( Play nicely, even if you disagree. I read your post, JL, as recommending that TWINot get all the information he/she can - be it good or bad. Fair assessment and a balanced post, imo. I think though, that Rascal probably misread your post as basically saying to ignore the information that's here. She's very understandably concerned that TWINot be aware that there ARE lots of skeletons in Geer's closet. I think the world of both of you! Please....I think it's just a mis-understanding. Kiss and make up? I'll buy the next round!

(((((Abigail))))) I've never had to have a pet put to sleep, but from much exposure to the world of AKC breeders through all my stuff with Vixen, I've heard it likened to the "How do you know when you're in love?" question. The answer is "you just know"..... I know that doesn't help, but maybe it does. :( You love your pet and he's a part of the family, so there's a bit of denial that's normal and expected. I have always thought in my own situation, that Vixen is very independent and if she couldn't take care of herself when I'm not around during the day, that she would be miserable and I would worry that something might happen while I'm not there to help or protect her. That's when I think I would have her put to sleep. She would be able to die with dignity and still being the wonderful pet that I've come to love so much.....not totally wiped out, incapacitated and miserable. IMO, my neighbors who are like grandparents to me, waited too long to put Bettler, their schnauzer, to sleep. He would fall down and not be able to get back up. When they went out of town, I was over there every hour because I was scared to death that he might fall and hurt himself while I was gone. I dunno, maybe you do "just know". Regardless, I'm praying for you, Sushi, your wonderful boys and that four-legged member of your family and how difficult this time must be for all of you.

T-Bone - my heart breaks when I read your post. It had to be an overwhelming feeling to make you choked up - our own cyber comedian hurting - not a pleasant thought.... :( I do relate, though. I think part of it is that we were afraid of those folks because deep down we knew we were lying and we knew they knew it too. OutAndAbout - I've been wanting to see that movie and haven't yet. I love it!! I used to say we weren't acting like Christians all the time and my ex would get so mad at me and correct me because WE were "moving the word" which is bigger and better than anything some nasty ole church was doing.

Please ignore him. It's futile to try to have a mature, mutually respectful conversation with him. :) Although he does serve as a great example of how all of us involved with TWI in the 90's behaved. Thankfully, most of us grew out of that. Goey, I do think "hate" is appropriate for those of us under craig's regime. That's my opinion and others may disagree, but you've seen and heard how he yelled about homosexuals from here - it was that way about everyone else and it was constant. It came from the WC, from the HFC's, from each other.... hate permeated TWI during the 90's. At least that's what I'd call it. I've got some audio cassettes of him teaching and have been planning to pull some quotes from it sometime. I'll try to hurry up with that. If I knew how to make those sound bites from them, I'd do that because the volume, intensity and pure rage in his voice could never come across in written form.

jlawt, no rock - I'm just a news junkie. I watch Good Morning America every morning while I'm getting ready for work. GMA is the short version of the name. They probably have recaps of those stories on their website, if you want to check it out. I've got to get some reports done, but I’ll try to provide a recap later today or this evening.

Didn’t Jesus say to love your neighbor as yourself? Doesn’t the Bible say to do good unto all men? Where did all that go in TWI? How much hate do we still have lingering from our waybrains? We were taught to hate the Jews. We were taught to hate the Catholics (and to call them ROMAN Catholics) We were taught to hate those who left TWI We were taught to hate those who didn’t want to take our classes We were taught to hate those who didn’t even want to hear about our classes We were taught to hate those in the “egg sucking world” we were not to be “unequally yoked together” with We were taught to hate rich people because it was the devil prospering them We were taught to hate musicians and celebrities for the same reason We were taught to hate devil spirits We were taught to find those devil spirits everywhere Heck – I learned more RC jokes during my 13 years in TWI than I did racist jokes in my 21 years in Mississippi. I know, for me, I was constantly in a state of “on guard” ready to “confront the world with the word” at a moment’s notice. Someone walk in with a cross on? Confront them! Ask them if they’d still be wearing it if Christ was killed by an electric chair. Someone talk about volulnteering time and giving money to the Salvation Army? Confront them on giving to “designer causes” and tell them where they could better spend their money and time (in TWI, of course!). Someone in fellowship say something wrong? Confront them! That shows them that you love them and the louder you yell, the more spit you get on them, the more you love them. It was like an opportunity to take out on some innocent person all the frustration and anger that built from all the demands of TWI, although I didn’t see it that way at the time. Once I was “allowed” to leave TWI, I found my life instantly more peaceful. I no longer cared if someone was gay. I no longer cared what church they went to or what god they might/might not worship. I no longer had a “duty” to “correct” (more correctly, “judge”) others. I can enjoy the friendship, companionship and company of all kinds of people. I’ve learned bunches about different cultures, beliefs and lifestyles that I wouldn’t have otherwise learned. I’ve made and enjoy friendships with people who genuinely care about me and vice versa. I am free to help, give, donate in any way, shape or form that pleases me. When I’m ill or my grandfather dies, I get a lot of calls, letters, cards and even homemade meals because people care – that NEVER EVER EVER happened to me when I was in TWI. And I had surgery shortly before I did leave – not even one stinkin’ phone call….I take that back – ONE phone call, but it was a TWIt wanting us to do something for him. I also know that it never happened for a few others who were in my area as well. BUT, I still find myself jumping back into that “annoyed” mode or hateful and judgemental TWIt way of thinking occasionally….especially when I’m very tired. Do you? How do you handle it when those thoughts creep in? Or are you totally “over it”?

All hair removal methods have tricked women with their promises of easy, painless removal - The epilady, scissors, razors, Nair and now...the wax. My night began as any other normal weeknight. Come home, fix dinner, and play with the kids. I then had the thought that would ring painfully in my mind for the next few hours: "Maybe I should pull the waxing kit out of the medicine cabinet." So I headed to the site of my demise: the bathroom. It was one of those "cold wax" kits. No melting a clump of hot wax, you just rub the strips together in your hand, they get warm and you peel them apart and press them to your leg (or wherever else) and you pull the hair right off. No muss, no fuss. How hard can it be? I mean, I'm not a genius, but I am mechanically inclined enough to figure this out. (YA THINK!?!) So I pull one of the thin strips out. Its two strips facing each other stuck together. Instead of rubbing them together, my genius kicks in so I get out the hair dryer and heat it to 1000 degrees. ("Cold wax," yeah...right!) I lay the strip across my thigh. Hold the skin around it tight and pull. It works! OK, so it wasn't the best feeling, but it wasn't too bad. I can do this! Hair removal no longer eludes me! I am She-rah, fighter of all wayward body hair and maker of smooth skin extraordinaire. With my next wax strip I move north. After checking on the kids, I sneak back into the bathroom, for the ultimate hair fighting championship. I drop my panties and place one foot on the toilet. Using the same procedure, I apply the was strip across the right side of my bikini line, covering the right half of my vagina and stretching down to the inside of my butt cheek (Yes, it was a long strip) I inhale deeply and brace myself....RRRRIIIPPP!!!! I'm blind!!! Blinded from pain!!!!....OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!! Vision returning, I notice that I've only managed to pull off half the strip. CRAP!!! Another deep breath and RRIIPP!! Everything is swirly and spotted. I think I may pass out...must stay conscious...Do I hear crashing drums??? Breathe, breathe...OK, back to normal. I want to see my trophy - a wax covered strip, the one that has caused me so much pain, with my hairy pelt sticking to it. I want to revel in the glory that is my triumph over body hair. I hold up the strip! There's no hair on it. Where is the hair??? WHERE IS THE WAX??? Slowly I ease my head down, foot still perched on the toilet. I see the hair. The hair that should be on the strip. I touch. I am touching wax. CRAP! I run my fingers over the most sensitive part of my body, which is now covered in cold wax and matted hair. Then I make the next BIG mistake...remember my foot is still propped up on the toilet? I know I need to do something. So I put my foot down. DAMN!!!!!!!! I hear the slamming of a cell door. Vagina? Sealed shut! Butt?? Sealed shut! I penguin walk around the bathroom trying to figure out what to do and think to myself "Please don't let me get the urge to poop. My head may pop off!" What can I do to melt the wax? Hot water!! Hot water melts wax!! I'll run the hottest water I can stand into the bathtub, get in, immerse the wax-covered bits and the wax should melt and I can gently wipe it off, right??? *WRONG!!!!!!!* I get in the tub - the water is slightly hotter than that used to torture prisoners of war or sterilize surgical equipment - I sit. Now, the only thing worse than having your nether regions glued together, is having them glued together and then glued to the bottom of the tub...in scalding hot water. Which, by the way, doesn't melt cold wax. So, now I'm stuck to the bottom of the tub as though I had cement-epoxied myself to the porcelain!! God bless the man who had convinced me a few months ago to have a phone put in the bathroom!!!!! I call my friend, thinking surely she has waxed before and has some secret of how to get me undone. It's a very good conversation starter - "So, my butt and who-ha are glued together to the bottom of the tub!" There is a slight pause. She doesn't know any secret tricks for removal but she does try to hide her laughter from me. She wants to know exactly where the wax is located, "Are we talking cheeks or hole or who-ha?" She's laughing out loud by now...I can hear her. I give her the rundown and she suggests I call the number on the side of the box. YEAH!!!!! Right!! I should be the joke of someone else's night. While we go through various solutions. I resort to scraping the wax off with a razor. Nothing feels better then to have your girlie goodies covered in hot wax, glued shut, stuck to the tub in super hot water and then dry-shaving the sticky wax off!! By now the brain is not working, dignity has taken a major hike and I'm pretty sure I'm going to need Post-Traumatic Stress counseling for this event. My friend is still talking with me when I finally see my saving grace.....the lotion they give you to remove the excess wax. What do I really have to lose at this point? I rub some on and OH MY GOD!!!!!!! The scream probably woke the kids and scared the dickens out of my friend. It's sooo painful, l but I really don't care. "IT WORKS!! It works!!" I get a hearty congratulation from my friend and she hangs up. I successfully remove the remainder of the wax and then notice to my grief and despair....THE HAIR IS STILL THERE.......ALL OF IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. So I recklessly shave it off. Heck, I'm numb by now. Nothing hurts. I could have amputated my own leg at this point. Next week I'm going to try hair color...... *************** This was not written by me. I KNOW BETTER than to try that stuff on myself!

I'm glad you liked it T-Bone, but I can't take credit for it. Sorry I didn't make that clear...this is an e-mail that was passed around some time ago. I did bust a gut reading it. There's another one about a girl trying to wax herself. I'll see if I can find that one, too. I cried my eyes out laughing so hard at that one.

I'm glad he won the plagiarism case against him. Very interesting premise, but some of the "evidence" is a little too hokey for me. I really liked "Angels and Demons" better. I'm glad I read it and wished I hadn't taken so long to do so, but it's a very good mystery novel. What'd you think of it? Any particular aspect you want to talk about? Lately on GMA they've been interviewing top people from all the secret societies mentioned in the book. It's been very interesting to see those segments.

And here's a humorous look at the experience..... Power Outage During a Mammogram

I actually kept my mammogram appointment. I was met with, "Hi! I'm Belinda!" This perky clipboard carrier smiled from ear to ear, tilted her head to one side and crooned, "All I need you to do is step into this room right hereee, strip to the waist, thennnn slip on this gown. Everything clearrrr?" I'm thinking, "Belinda . try decaf. This ain't rocket science." Belinda skipped away to prepare the chamber of horrors. Call me crazy, but I suspect a man invented this machine. It takes a perfectly healthy cup size of 36-B to a size 38-LONG in less than 60 seconds. Also, girls aren't made of sugar and spice and everything nice....it's Spandex. We can be stretched, pulled and twisted over a cold 4-inch piece of square glass and still pop back into shape. With the right side finished, Belinda flipped me (literally) to the left and said, "Hmmmm. Can you stand on your tippy toes and lean in a tad so we can get everything?" "Fine", I answered. I was freezing, bruised, and out of air, so why not use the remaining circulation in my legs and neck and finish me off? My body was in a holding pattern that defied gravity (with my other boob wedged between those two 4" pieces of square glass) when we heard, then felt a zap! Complete darkness and the power went off! "What?" I yelled. "Oh, maintenance is working. Bet they hit a snag." Belinda headed for the door. "Excuse me! You're not leaving me in this vise alone, are you?" I shouted. Belinda kept going and said, "Oh, you fussy puppy ... the door's wide open so you'll have the emergency hall lights. I'll be righttttt backkkk." Before I could shout "NOOOO!" she disappeared. And that's exactly how Bubba and Earl, maintenance men extraordinaire, found me, half-naked and part of me dangling from the Jaws of Life and the other part smashed between glass! After exchanging polite "Hi, how's it going" type greetings, Bubba (or possibly Earl) asked, to my utter disbelief, if I knew the power was off. Trying to disguise my hysteria, I replied with as much calmness as possible. "Uh, yes, yes I did thanks." "You bet, take care" Bubba replied and waved good-bye as though I'd been standing in the line at the grocery store. Two hours later, Belinda breezes in wearing a sheepish grin and making no attempt to suppress her amusement, she said. "Oh I am soooo sorry! The power came back on and I totally forgot about you! And silly me, I went to lunch. Are we upset?" And that, Your Honor, is exactly how her head ended up between the clamps........

I've been squished. A few times. No, it's not pleasant and I feel like I'm playing "Twister" with my body when I'm in there, but the ladies are so kind, modest and really do a good job of putting me at ease. I'm sure most of us know at least one person, if not more, who have had to deal with breast cancer. Just this year three of my friends have been diagnosed with it. It's certainly better to be safe than sorry and the earlier it's caught the better the chances of a positive outcome.

HAPPIEST OF BIRTHDAYS TO YOU, PIPES!!! So glad you've joined us here in the Cafe! You contribute an awful lot to our little corner of cyberspace!

Thanks, Outofdafog. I appreciate the kind comments. :) Yes, this July will be the 2nd Anniversary of Dottie Moynihan “allowing” me to “take a break” from fellowship and my ex-husband divorcing me for “turning my back on God” because I wanted no more to do with TWI. I wonder if rickyg is one of the ones who was trying for years to find out the identity of insurgent and is peeved….or maybe he has a crush on me and just wants to pull my hair. Georgio, I missed that you were getting married. Congratulations!!! I hope, despite TWI’s influence on the guest list, it was a wonderful day for you and your new bride. Thanks for sharing ricky, sincerely. How do you reconcile that with the information that Georgio just posted? It’s not much different from a lot of other things people have shared here that happened recently with their own family who is still involved with TWI….there’s a wedding thread around here somewhere on that very attitude from TWI folks.How did they communicate that fellowships are now self governing? What does that mean, exactly? Is the money that they give, or a portion of that staying in the fellowship to help folks? Do they still have to find free places for larger meetings, or are they allowed to use some of that money to rent nice, decent places for them? How big is your branch, ricky? Limb? Region? Why do they want folks to come back? Do you know how many folks have come back? How many folks in the USA are faithful TWI followers right now? Will they tell you? No bad mouthing going on about who on the internet? TWI or me or folks who post on sites like this? I’m not sure who “you guys” is… I’m honored to get so much of your attention, though. Are folks allowed to participate in whatever they want if they are in debt? Are they allowed to take classes, attend specials, etc. if they don’t abundantly share or at least tithe? What if they want to give part of their tithe or ABS to groups outside of TWI? Why do you think it’s a good example, ricky? Have you ever actually studied the word itself outside of using TWI resources? Really worked it for yourself or just taken a leader's word for it? Look at these two threads and then tell me if you still think TWI is teaching it correctly. http://www.greasespotcafe.com/ipb/index.ph...ndpost&p=121778 http://www.greasespotcafe.com/ipb/index.ph...ndpost&p=121782 Are they teaching the first sin of mankind at all? Is homosexuality mentioned at all? From what I read in the latest magazine, they aren’t really “researching” anything, but rather learning where certain topics can be found in different TWI literature and what’s written there – “why reinvent the wheel when WE’VE ALREADY done all the work for you?” sort of attitude. That’s what they were saying for the last few years before I left and they were still saying it up until the time I did leave. Now they’ve even made it a formalized class for the WC training. Do you know anyone who has presented information contradictory to what TWI teaches? Do you know anyone who would even bother trying? I know plenty of folks who have. Maybe you could research one of the things here that has been proven to be wrong doctrine and present your findings to see how receptive they really are about wanting to get to the accuracy of the the word. ricky, I don’t mind asking questions and if you want it with “pretty please with sugar on top” I’ll give it to you and even throw a cherry in to make it sweeter. I’m also interested in how many Way Disciples went out and how many new people they put through classes and how many of those folks stick around. I looked in the latest magazine and they never talk about actual numbers. Would you pretty please, with sugar on top and another cherry, tell us that information, too? I'm also interested in the answers to Tom's questions. :ph34r: We're not asking too much, are we? I know it takes time to compose these posts and, especially when so many questions are tossed out there. I really do appreciate your willingness to have civilized discussions with us and to share what you do.

Welcome, TWINot!! There have been many, many discussions about CG here. In the top right corner of the page is a "Search" option. Click on that and enter "Geer" you'll find not a few threads where he is discussed. Many first hand accounts are shared on those threads. There are a few folks here who support him, but the overwhelming impression is that he is just as dangerous and deranged as vee pee and craig were/are. After all, he was vee pee's right hand man. I personally only know what I've read here and heard in TWI before I left and, understandably, none of that was good.

:P :lol: Y'all are cracking me up!!!! Don't stop!!

Amazing the grip they had on us, isn't it? :blink: It's so surreal now to look back on it. I was constantly looking over my shoulder just waiting for the other shoe to drop. I still catch myself doing it every once in a while....it's crazy. My two year anniversary of being out and free is coming up in July. Maybe that's why these thoughts are resurfacing....I've heard anniversaries can be difficult for some people and last year it was extremely difficult for me. I know what TWI taught was b.s. and I know my life is 10 Ba-zillion times better than it was when I was married and oppressed by TWIt doctrine and micromanagement. I just can't believe that these thoughts still creep up on me. Abigail I suppose that's what I'm doing, too. I keep reminding myself that TWIt doctrine was b.s. and then run through the list of things that have gone right since leaving. WN Believe it or not, I remember that thread now that you mention it. :) It just sucks that we even had to go through that whole thought process to begin with. Strange One - I'm taking up collects to send me to Mexico this year for hurricane season - La Jolla de Misbehavin'. You can send your contributions to: Belle, PO Box 666, Orlando, FL 32806. djs - Thank you. That was very nice and comforting to read. :) Garth you shore know how to make a gal feel spay-shul! Thank you! It does sound rather arrogant, doesn't it? All for ME?? That'll be an easy one to remember when those thoughts creep up on me. Bow I can't even begin to imagine how upsetting and terrifying that must have been for you! I'm glad you're okay now and isn't it amazing how thankful we can be now that we were kicked out? Bramble Reading your post reminded me of the surgery I had while I was still "in" - not one person called to check on me, sent a card, dinner, nada..... a non-TWI co-worker brought me dinner and my office mates sent flowers and a card. There were personal cards on my desk waiting when I got back to work. Those things I listed before also taught me how wonderful my non-TWIt neighbors and friends are and how it feels when people do things because they CARE and LOVE you. I had people at my house constantly cooking, cleaning, visiting, just checking on me, running errands for me, etc. Just amazing all the things they did to help me out without my even asking....heck, they did stuff I would have never dreamed of asking someone to do. BIG - BIG DIFFERENCE between TWIts and the "egg sucking world", eh? JustLoafing - You better watch it or I'm going to come stay with you and Radar for the whole season!!

and CW adds a PIMP to hers.... (peeing in my pants) TY TYVM said in my best Elvis impersonation (Thank You Thank you very much)

ROFLMAO!!!! We learned all too well how to argue semantics and the definitions of words, didn't we? Glad to see you haven't abandoned us!!! May I buy the next round?

:P Where's CW with that spanking smilie when you need it?

For those of us who left during the craig regime and were told that horrible things were going to happen to us and/or our families because of us leaving "zion" - how did you handle that in your mind - especially when things DID go wrong? For example shortly after my ex moved out and I was officially "out" of TWI I had: - A car crash (not my fault) - Hurricane Charlie - The flu so bad I really did think I was going to die - Hurricane Frances - Sprained both my ankles - Hurricane Jean None of it major considering the whole scheme of things - but one right after another with no time to breathe or decompress in between each event. I really started thinking I had screwed up....even though I knew that I had done the right thing. How did you handle it when "life" happened and you still had those doubts, worries and fear in your life because of TWIt doctrine?