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It Ain’t Easy Being Green.




Ahhhh, the off season. The time to contemplate the reason for our existence and wait until reall football is played. A strange thought occurred to me while in the shower this morning. Why do I get a small thrill when my post goes green? It’s so silly. It’s absurd. What I’m getting at is, why is there any satisfaction in it at all. Baisicly we are all faceless people posting on the internet, with no real connection with those we interact with. Why would anyone care if five people happened to "recommend" their post? But I do. For some strange reason, it gives me pleasure. I really don’t care what most people think of my often brilliant ideas in real life (I’m lying, I care.) but for some strange reason, it gives me satisfaction when my post goes green.

I’m not exactly an internet warrior. I don’t do Facebook. I don’t do twitter. Back in the late nineties, early 2000’s I played an online game called Everquest that an employee of mine turned me on to. That was my first real foray into the world of online interaction. Years later, while hunting down Texans news, I stumbled upon this place. At first, I just read the posts and comments. Then in September of 2011, I decided to join in the madness. Damn, that was almost eight years ago. I’d never been part of a public forum like this. The people who were writing, and posting comments were all so cool. They knew so much about football. I was a casual fan at the time. I had season tickets, but most weeks they went to friends and employees as gifts. I really had no knowledge of the nuts and bolts of the game. I watched every game, but my understanding of it was enhanced by what I’d read here on this crazy blog. Back in the day, every new poster on the comments page announced that they were a new poster and were granted a "newbie green". To my utter dissapointment, mine didn’t. I felt cheated. I can’t remember, but I didn’t get the response from Tim that most first time posters get encouraging them to hang around and post either. I wasn’t deterred though. I tried all kinds of stupid things to get that green post (it only took three rec’s back then) I would try to be "first" on a thread. Nope. I can’t even remember exactly what it was, something about the stupidity of starting two rookie cornerbacks (KJ’s first year) or something that I finally got my three rec’s. It was a thrill. I know it sounds stupid, but I felt accepted at that point. In 2011, green posts were not that common. We didn’t have green parties. We had people like Rivers, BFD, MDC, TGC, Tim, and a slew of original posters on this blog that all started with DGDBD. They were like the founding fathers around here, and suffered no ignorance. But my point is, that green posts weren’t just handed out. You had to earn them. You had to say something with real substance. I still remember Rivers dressing me down about something stupid I said. I was new at this and it actually hurt my feelings. I don’t know why. I wouldn’t know Rivers if he walked up and knocked on my door. Why would I give a shit about what this guy thought of me? But I did. There used to be a guy who posted here under the name Andrethegreat. He posted something that I didn’t agree with, and I disagreed with him. A week later, after the game, he made a comment about him owing me his soul because I was right. We had some fun with that for a while. I told him I was keeping that in a jar in the pantry and would return it one day if he was ever right about something. But damn, I got a few green posts out of that. I was part of the group now. I still didn’t know that much about football in comparison to the "old guard", but I was learning. It was fun. It’s still fun. I love this blog. I’ve met a few of y’all personally and consider them my friends. A few more of you are also folks I’m sure could be friends, yet we’ve never met in person. Mrs. B sent me video tapes to watch when I was laid up after my altercation with a bull. I speak with Dillo, and Gerbilogic on a weekly, if not daily basis. We’ve never met in person, but they are my friends and one day, we will meet. Hopefully soon.

But, as usual, I digress. The point of this post is that getting a green comment for some reason gives me, and I’m sure others, a little thrill of being accepted. I’m guessing that this is the attraction to Facebook and Twitter. People looking at your stuff and liking it. If it wasn’t so unpersonal, I would think it’s a good thing. I’ve read comments on some of the twitter posts you folks provide, and some of them are beyond vile. I’ve been told by my wife (the Facebook queen) that things are a little better but not much there, as you have a bit more control. But to say, follow JJ Watt and have him respond to your post would be titilating. A connection. A fake one, but still. So, after being a regular commenter on this place for almost eight years, I still feel some weird sort of satisfaction for getting a post to turn green. It’s shallow and silly, but there it is. How about y’all? You know, the three people who will actually read this bullshit. How does it make you feel? Are you immune to it? Do you have a jaded point of view to share? (Kidding). It’s the off season, let’s talk about something rather than argue with each other about the downfall and eventual resurrection of the Texans, cause it ain’t easy being green.

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