Then/now: What were you doing when you joined OH?

[glenn__davis]

Then - I believe I joined sometime in 2004. I remember it being the offseason we signed Tejada and Lopez and were courting Guerrero. At the time I had just graduated college and was working with my Dad as a well-driller until I found a "real" job. I saw the hangout mentioned in the Baltimore Sun and checked it out, and really enjoyed it. I remember one of my first major "arguments" being with cbird (RIP).

Now - Ten years later, I'm married with 3 kids. I don't post nearly as much as I used to, as I'm desperately trying to enjoy every minute I can with them until they grow up and don't want to hang out with me anymore I've enjoyed coaching their soccer and baseball teams and trying to pass just a little bit of my love of sports on to them. I work as an analyst at an electronics testing lab in Hunt Valley. And we cut the cable cord a few years back, so most summer nights after the kids to are to bed I find a household project to work on and listen to the smooth sounds of Joe Angel on a radio my grandma gave me years ago.

[Enjoy Terror]

I'm not going to lie, your username concerned me when you signed up. In my defense, I was in Iraq at the time.

I'm sure few people would recognize it but "Enjoy Terror" was the name of an album I was listening to at the time when I made the account. The CD cover of that band's most recent album has been my avatar ever since then.

[Baltoravensrule]

Then: Had just finished my freshman year of college

Now: Just graduated from law school (worked for a few years between undergrad and law school)

[Dipper9]

Then: I found the Hangout around 2003 or 2004. I was a night shift Supervisor, and during the long hours of the night at work, I would often search for Orioles news in the offseason. I found the Hangout by chance, and quickly realized this was the place that had ALL the latest rumors and news. I was a lurker for a while, but once I became a member, I would enjoy late night talks with my boy Moscow Bird, later Tin Cup, who was living in Russia and thus was one of the only Hangouters awake when I was. At the time I was going through a divorce and had an Elementary school age daughter. I had never touched a golf club in my life.

Now: I just turned 40 last month. I am now a Safety Engineer working day light hours. I am remarried with two step daughters, so I now have three daughters. My biological daughter just graduated High School and is heading to college to study being a teacher for deaf students. Daughter two is entering her senior year of High School and plans to attend college to become a Physical Therapist. Daughter three is entering her Freshman year of High School. I couldn't ask for a better family life. As for the Hangout, it has become so much more than a "baseball" sight for me. I have laughed and cried along with so many of you over the years, calling out all of your names would be unfair to those I miss or forget. The Hangout is one of only two websites that I go to on a daily basis. This is truly where I "hang out" in my free time. I have made real life connections and friendships with Weams, Snutchy, Tony, and others, and my new dream is to one day grow up and be Bobmc! I started golfing about 4 years ago, and shot under 100 for the first time on my 40th birthday (though to be fair, I played the women's tees with my wife, so it doesn't really count.)

[DrungoHazewood]

Then: Sometime around 2000 or 2001, don't exactly remember. Single, as in "why the heck am I still in SoMd where there's 10,000 male engineers and like 12 women" single. Bought a house a few years prior, had a couple roommates to help pay the mortgage. Engineer for the Navy. Turned 30 in 2001. Spent essentially all weekends in the fall going to Virginia Tech football games.

Now: Just turned 43, just celebrated my 10th wedding anniversary. Two kids, Nate (7) and Sam (6). Branch head overseeing 15 civil servants and 70 or 80 contractors for the Navy. Built a new house in 2008. Spend a lot of time doing kids stuff, coaching soccer, watching T-ball games.

Somewhere in the middle there I was a regular writer for the Hangout, had to drop that when I got really busy with kids and work and life. But I very much appreciate the opportunities Tony gave me.

[DrungoHazewood]

...and my new dream is to one day grow up and be Bobmc!

Isn't that everyone's dream?!

[NCRaven]

In September '03, my son had just graduated from North Carroll High School and as a crazy Ravens fan, I adopted the handle NC (for North Carroll) Raven. I was working for the State Comptroller, Willie Don Schaefer at the time.

Today, I'm the Deputy Inspector General for one of the State's departments, spend my off time with my wife or riding the back roads of central and western MD and PA on my motorcycle, hence the Harley logo for my avatar.

I spend far to much time agonizing over everything Orioles and Ravens, like nearly all of the other crazies here!!

[beardbr]

Wow, probably 96 or 97, was working in Tech and networking in harrisburg. Was always looking for Orioles stuff on the Web. Have followed during the Rivals years, and all the changes along the way. Have had different user names over the years.

Now in Florida, checking daily.

[bobmc]

Then...

I was fresh out of college, selling mortgages and making a lot more money than an irresponsible 23 year old should ever make. Thankfully, I understood that interest payments on student loans are BAD. Never got a new Mercedes thankfully, but I did climb outta debt pretty quickly. I found the hangout, thought the banter was interesting & rather entertaining, then dug a little deeper into what this place actually was and started learning a lot about baseball I certainly didn't know prior.

Now...

Well now, I obviously have it all figured out.

Bob, what do you see on those hungover 11am wake up mornings?

I see myself as you back at Whittier in the sack with three bodacious ladies (and not married) and wonder how lucky a guy can get - oh yeah he grows up and does get married! :slytf:

[OrangeJerseys]

2005 or so. I was 30 and newly single after a 5 year relationship. I was in my 5th year as a wildland firefighter. I had moved into an apartment and started keeping cichlids as a hobby. I really wasn't familiar with message boards but stumbled on one called Cichlid Madness. They had a great group of folks over there and I learned a hell of a lot about keeping fish.

One day I googled Baltimore Orioles Message Board and the OH was the second hit after the old Sun board. I didn't like the Sun board's UI and I've been here ever since.

Now I'm 39 and after 15 years of fighting fire I threw in the towel and started my own business.

I'll be going back to school this fall.

[Flosman]

Then: I had 6 kids at home at the time. I was the CFO for a distribution company that was a turn around project that we had just sold to a large publicly traded company. I was given a 18 month contract to do nothing except look pretty in an office. Basically spent most of the day on the hangout during that period. Went on to a start up CFO gig and surfed a lot less during the day. Had my run ins with SG, old fart and Trea. But loved to banter about the birds.

Now: After a serious health problem I semi retired only doing consulting gigs that only take a couple of days maybe a week to complete. I spend most of my time coaching HS football. I am not a full time school employee but on most days I run the schools ISS (in school suspension) class. Sort of a part teacher, part warden position. One of my only regrets in life is not entering coaching when I first finished school it has been an incredibly rewarding experience and I am a much easier person to be around now.

All of the kids except for my youngest son are on their on now with 2 still in college and 3 graduated for college. My youngest son is a pretty good football player and is entering his Jr year so we are on the recruiting trail a lot this year. I don't have nearly the time to spend on here that I once did. I guess like many old farts I miss the old days on here. I think it took a different type of person to be on here all the time during the dark years and many new posters don't seem to remember how bad it was just a few short years ago. But even saying that the hangout is and probably always will be my most visited site not related to football coaching.

[CA-ORIOLE]

Then: 2000/2001. Age 40/41. I was on my first shore duty assignment in the Navy after almost 10 straight years of sea duty. CO of a Navy Marine Corps Reserve Center in SOCAL. Was supposed to be a cush job but it did get intense after 9/11, still easy compared to sea duty though. Among other things, I had time to discover the internet and Oriole Blogs like the Hangout. Not to mention spending more time with my wife and kids. Time that I cherish to this day. I decided to retire about then (put in my papers) and ultimately did not leave the Navy until late 2003 after 3.5 years of shore duty (and some payback).

Now: Age 54. Semi-retired. Run a couple small online businesses and am still active in insurance and my wife's book of business. Tutor math (often for free) and substitute teach occasionally. Have considered getting my teaching credential and working with developmentally disabled kids. Two of my girls are in college now and my baby girl is a high school sophomore. I take care of our amazing horse (socalbirdfan can vouch) when my middle child is away at college.

[Snutchy]

I started lurking around December 06 and finally joined in Mar 07. At the time I had just started working for a 911 center and I was on a swing of overnights. Thankfully they allow us internet privileges because it can get awfully boring at 3am in the winter. I was also a vol firefighter for Salisbury. I was in and out of relationships. One night, at 3am, I got really bored and stumbled upon this place and never left.

7 years later, I'm married and have two daughters. One is a brunette with blue eyes and the other is a red head with blue eyes. I still work for 911, and somehow I convinced them to promote me. What were they thinking leaving me in charge of the public's safety? I've got them fooled. I'm still are vol firefighter. Earned a few medals along the way.

I've made some pretty cool friends here that I keep in contact with in the outside world.

If anyone is actually reading this, please scroll back up to OrangeJerseys reply and REP THAT MAN. I've gotten myself into just about every bad situation possible on the end of a hose line, but WILDLAND firefighters don't get the credit they deserve. Wildland fires are absolutely brutal. 15 years that man did it. I'm good for about 15 minutes.

[gmelson26]

Then:

2009 was when I started lurking. I weirdly enough have an anxiety about posting on boards; I check the boards, honestly like 20 or more times a day but post extremely infrequently.. in person, no problem whatsoever; I am extremely open and personable. I think I first posted in 2012. Anyways, I was 26 and just moved back in with my wife to my parents house to help my ailing father. As I had just moved back from college, I had no job at the time.

Now:

I am 31 with a 5 yr old girl and a 6 month old boy. My father passed away last year. I have since started my own business where we do boat detailing on the eastern shore. I actually post now.

[Snutchy]

Then:

2009 was when I started lurking. I weirdly enough have an anxiety about posting on boards; I check the boards, honestly like 20 or more times a day but post extremely infrequently.. in person, no problem whatsoever; I am extremely open and personable. I think I first posted in 2012. Anyways, I was 26 and just moved back in with my wife to my parents house to help my ailing father. As I had just moved back from college, I had no job at the time.

Now:

I am 31 with a 5 yr old girl and a 6 month old boy. My father passed away last year. I have since started my own business where we do boat detailing on the eastern shore. I actually post now.

Where at on the shore? Relocated Crisfielder here. You know, I know EXACTLY what you mean when you say that message boards give you anxiety. I get the same exact way. I've been hanging around here for years, but my 2800 or so posts are nothing compared to the totals that some other folks have here. Maybe we have a form of social anxiety? I'm very outgoing and could care less what people think about me, but if I strike up a conversation in person and then a few others start joining in, I tense up and find my way out.