Obituary

April 14, 2005 7:35 PM

An active MeFi member, poopy, has passed away.
posted by Zurishaddai to MetaFilter-Related at 7:35 PM (337 comments total)

Damn. He was a good guy. Condolences to his family.
posted by jonmc at 7:38 PM on April 14, 2005

I'm not sure we usually acknowledge such a thing in a public way. Something about the nature of this community makes it unsettling to put together a screen voice with a fuller life that has ended. But it seemed wrong to see this news and keep it to myself.
posted by Zurishaddai at 7:41 PM on April 14, 2005

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posted by LouReedsSon at 7:41 PM on April 14, 2005

I'm genuinely saddened. It's inexplicable, really.
posted by Kwantsar at 7:43 PM on April 14, 2005

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posted by SeizeTheDay at 7:44 PM on April 14, 2005

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what happened?
posted by amberglow at 7:54 PM on April 14, 2005

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posted by felix betachat at 7:58 PM on April 14, 2005

this sucks.
posted by amberglow at 8:00 PM on April 14, 2005

;-(
posted by mischief at 8:08 PM on April 14, 2005

thank you, poopy (i'll never forget that)
posted by amberglow at 8:10 PM on April 14, 2005

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posted by dg at 8:14 PM on April 14, 2005

Godspeed, Eric.
posted by yhbc at 8:15 PM on April 14, 2005

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posted by melissa may at 8:16 PM on April 14, 2005

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posted by Doohickie at 8:20 PM on April 14, 2005

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posted by matteo at 8:24 PM on April 14, 2005

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posted by fionab at 8:26 PM on April 14, 2005

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posted by stray at 8:35 PM on April 14, 2005

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posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 8:38 PM on April 14, 2005 [1 favorite]

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posted by obloquy at 8:41 PM on April 14, 2005

poopy was hilarious & a great contributor. This is terrible.

Anyone have backstory? Must be him on the left. Judging from the site, he really had a close family who loved him.
posted by dhoyt at 8:43 PM on April 14, 2005

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posted by sugarfish at 8:47 PM on April 14, 2005

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posted by pieisexactlythree at 8:49 PM on April 14, 2005

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posted by Stynxno at 8:49 PM on April 14, 2005

My profound condolences to his family. It's just so sad...
posted by Space Kitty at 8:50 PM on April 14, 2005

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posted by quonsar at 8:57 PM on April 14, 2005

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posted by dobbs at 9:13 PM on April 14, 2005

Jesus Christ. I LIKED POOPY! Goddam, and he has a brother named Shane, too.

Damn.

I can't believe this is real.

Good luck, poopy, wherever you are. You were one of my favorite MeFites.

Eric's family: I'm so sorry.

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posted by Shane at 9:18 PM on April 14, 2005

My condolences to his family. This is sad.
posted by riffola at 9:21 PM on April 14, 2005

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posted by hackly_fracture at 9:25 PM on April 14, 2005

Damn, this is really sad. Rest in peace Eric, you will be missed.

I just looked at his account and realized how depressing it is to know this bit of data will never change again:

posted by mathowie (staff) at 9:25 PM on April 14, 2005

Matt, has this (an active member passing away, and the passing being discovered) happened before? If you know, of course.
posted by yhbc at 9:30 PM on April 14, 2005

God bless
posted by caddis at 9:30 PM on April 14, 2005

That'd be PST on the last visit. I can't recall knowing any members that have died before, he may very well be the first.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 9:41 PM on April 14, 2005

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*sighs*
posted by mediareport at 9:57 PM on April 14, 2005

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posted by Tarrama at 10:10 PM on April 14, 2005

Not that it matters, but does no one here know the cause? Zurishaddai, how did you find out?
posted by jonson at 10:16 PM on April 14, 2005

obituary. No details are given, though.
posted by crunchland at 10:18 PM on April 14, 2005

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If Eric's family is reading this, I'm truly sorry for your loss.
posted by bshort at 10:21 PM on April 14, 2005

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posted by The God Complex at 10:21 PM on April 14, 2005

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posted by dhruva at 10:22 PM on April 14, 2005

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posted by mediamelt at 10:22 PM on April 14, 2005

Oh, god. I've been dreading seeing a post like this. Poopy was a sweetheart, and this is just unspeakably sad. My heart goes out to his family.
posted by taz at 10:36 PM on April 14, 2005

35? way too young.

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posted by whatnot at 10:47 PM on April 14, 2005

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posted by First Post at 10:47 PM on April 14, 2005

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posted by unrepentanthippie at 10:51 PM on April 14, 2005

My heart goes out to his family.

He was a great member of our big, dysfunctional family, too. For what little it's worth, he'll be missed.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 11:00 PM on April 14, 2005

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posted by ramix at 11:04 PM on April 14, 2005

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posted by Quartermass at 11:05 PM on April 14, 2005

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posted by cali at 11:31 PM on April 14, 2005

Eric's design entry for the Metafilter Redesign contest.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 11:47 PM on April 14, 2005

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posted by stet at 11:51 PM on April 14, 2005

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posted by librarina at 11:53 PM on April 14, 2005

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posted by squeak at 11:55 PM on April 14, 2005

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posted by jmd82 at 12:07 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by scody at 12:10 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by arto at 12:13 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by swordfishtrombones at 12:26 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by mattr at 12:26 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by sgt.serenity at 12:37 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by mr.marx at 12:48 AM on April 15, 2005

Anyone have backstory?

Google was pretty much a bust, but Yahoo led me to a resume and his design studio, which he apparently ran with his wife Tammy. Here's his Sandman catalogue, too; like a lot of us, he was a Gaiman fan.

Sorry if this info makes anyone more sad. His posting history here shows him in such a good light. I don't know if his last AskMe answer would give his family and friends any relief, but folks here might find it somehow appropriate.

RIP to a fellow member.
posted by mediareport at 12:49 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by Lionfire at 12:53 AM on April 15, 2005

(Sorry, there were no external links to Eric's site on the osterhoudt.net page Google linked; I read it as a dead end. A bit of url-chopping gets to his home site.)
posted by mediareport at 1:00 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by underer at 1:13 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by Remy at 1:29 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by terpsichoria at 2:00 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by ninthart at 2:02 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by longbaugh at 2:04 AM on April 15, 2005

Oh My.
posted by blasdelf at 2:29 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by viama at 2:30 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by Snyder at 2:35 AM on April 15, 2005

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In case family members (or others) are wondering what this means—it is how Mefites denote a moment of silence.
posted by grouse at 3:26 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by benzo8 at 3:30 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by graventy at 3:31 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by Smart Dalek at 3:40 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by XiBe at 4:01 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by Marquis at 5:01 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by bonaldi at 5:35 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by Dr_Octavius at 5:38 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by jperkins at 5:39 AM on April 15, 2005

Condolences to the family
posted by asok at 5:40 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by jackofsaxons at 5:40 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by studentbaker at 5:45 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by dfowler at 5:48 AM on April 15, 2005

I'll miss you.
posted by iconomy at 5:53 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by exlotuseater at 5:54 AM on April 15, 2005

Real life is not the opposite of Internet. Unfortunately.

Condolences.
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 5:54 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by Baby_Balrog at 6:01 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by adampsyche at 6:08 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by digiboy at 6:09 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by danherwig at 6:13 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by Fuzzy Monster at 6:17 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by brheavy at 6:18 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by sciurus at 6:23 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by dong_resin at 6:24 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by PinkStainlessTail at 6:25 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by debralee at 6:25 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by Floydd at 6:33 AM on April 15, 2005

maybe we can collect a donation for some charity in his name? or something?
posted by amberglow at 6:34 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by brevator at 6:35 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by grateful at 6:38 AM on April 15, 2005

What happened? How could two such strapping lads die so very young? This is awful.
posted by CunningLinguist at 6:40 AM on April 15, 2005

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Ouch. Didn't know poopy personally at all, and yet this brings tears to my eyes on a Friday morning. RIP, and condolences to his family.
posted by tr33hggr at 6:44 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by danOstuporStar at 6:45 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by ColdChef at 6:46 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by AwkwardPause at 6:46 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by theFlyingSquirrel at 6:47 AM on April 15, 2005

Wow. I don't know what else to say. My condolences to the family.

Take care poopy, wherever you may go.
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 6:49 AM on April 15, 2005

Wow, that's really horrible. I enjoyed his posts. I especially hate hearing about young people dying "unexpectedly". Considering his brother died, I wonder if there isn't some congenital condition they had. The alternate explanation is too depressing.
posted by mkultra at 6:52 AM on April 15, 2005

"I'm not sure we usually acknowledge such a thing in a public way": You make it sound like there's a de facto policy and the RIP in this posting is somehow gauche.
posted by joeclark at 6:56 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by Kellydamnit at 6:58 AM on April 15, 2005

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old thanksgiving moment
posted by mdn at 6:59 AM on April 15, 2005

But now, his radiant course is run,
For Eric's was a bright one!
His soul was like the glorious sun,
A matchless, Heavenly light, man.
posted by monju_bosatsu at 7:01 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by Ruki at 7:07 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by hughbot at 7:15 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by Jikido at 7:16 AM on April 15, 2005

Zurishaddai, how did you find out?

I don't know anything further. I am moving this summer to poopy's part of the country, which explains my curiosity to go one step past his user page to his family site — I thought I might meet him. From his posts, he was someone I would have liked to know, and this is a terrible loss.

You make it sound like there's a de facto policy and the RIP in this posting is somehow gauche.

This just reflects my awkward consciousness that this hadn't happened before. I'm very shy about posting threads, though obviously I was not in error in this case. I have to say, I'm quite surprised by what Matt says, that to his knowledge this is the first time a known contributor has died. I just assumed statistically that it wasn't, so that somehow there was some "usual" practice other than creating a public web page — in retrospect, I realize how ridiculous this sounds, given the nature of MeTa. Obviously, any question that was in my mind had to do not with whether poopy deserves our commemoration (he does), but with the uncomfortably personal and private nature of what I was linking.
posted by Zurishaddai at 7:17 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by mygothlaundry at 7:24 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by ashbury at 7:25 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by moonbird at 7:31 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by 40 Watt at 7:41 AM on April 15, 2005

Like everyone else, I'm saddened to hear this and send my condolences to the family and all those who loved him. I'd just like to recall one of his early comments -- I think it was the first time I noticed and appreciated him: "I'm agnostic myself and I - like everyone else - want to know what IT all means. I believe that religion and science both seek the same answer, they just go about it in different ways." I disagreed with him but I liked his attitude, as I have ever since.

And I just noticed this exchange at the bottom of the thread:

what is presented as unquestionable is that science will cure all ills , money will make you happy, a good looking partner and a successfull career will fulfill you and that really, truly, one day you will win the lottery....
posted by sgt.serenity at 11:37 PM EST on September 7

...and then you die.
posted by poopy at 1:53 PM EST on September 8

RIP, Eric.
posted by languagehat at 7:45 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by unreason at 7:48 AM on April 15, 2005

! . Man.
posted by furiousthought at 7:51 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by coelecanth at 8:07 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by lola at 8:11 AM on April 15, 2005

Was a funny cat, very sad.
posted by Divine_Wino at 8:11 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by dogmatic at 8:18 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by MsVader at 8:20 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by plemeljr at 8:22 AM on April 15, 2005

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Relevant/irrelevant discussion of hypothetical dead mefites
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posted by white_devil at 8:41 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by ericb at 8:46 AM on April 15, 2005

Heartbreaking to read his family's comments at their website.
posted by ericb at 8:47 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by pardonyou? at 8:50 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by terrapin at 8:57 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by kenko at 8:59 AM on April 15, 2005

Background info posted by Eric at his family's website - which ends with the statement: "I'm sure I'll be adding much more to this list in the future. " Again, heartbreaking!
posted by ericb at 9:01 AM on April 15, 2005

condolences to his family.
posted by carter at 9:02 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by me3dia at 9:04 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by Penks at 9:06 AM on April 15, 2005

He didn't have a loud voice here, never purposely made a big splash, but somehow he made a huge impression on me. I remember being ashamed once when I flew off the handle at someone here at MeFi, ashamed because Eric was right there in the conversation and it was unlike me and so much more unlike him. Maybe I was "justified" in going off, I don't know, it doesn't matter--the point is that it felt wrong and I felt as if I'd lost some of his respect, and that mattered to me. There was just something undeniably affable and friendly about him.

I'm rambling.

My heart goes out to his family, friends, his wife... and his cats, who will miss him, look for him, but still sometimes feel his presence when he's near, as they stare at something human eyes cannot see.

As for Eric, I've no doubt he's on the journey to somewhere better, back here on this Earth someday or somewhere happier...
posted by Shane at 9:11 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by TheDonF at 9:20 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by lpqboy at 9:21 AM on April 15, 2005

>> has this (an active member passing away, and the passing being discovered) happened before? - posted by yhbc

http://ask.metafilter.com/mefi/13447
posted by stevis at 9:25 AM on April 15, 2005

Let's not forget Eric's role in the media empire built around PinkStainlessTail's rendition of Jingle Rock Bell.
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 9:30 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by mmahaffie at 9:34 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by Scoo at 9:40 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by m0nm0n at 9:41 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by rhapsodie at 9:43 AM on April 15, 2005

Let's not forget Eric's role in the media empire built around PinkStainlessTail's rendition of Jingle Rock Bell.

Wow, I totally forgot about that. One of them is sitting in my t-shirt drawer right now.
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 9:45 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by box at 9:56 AM on April 15, 2005

Word.
posted by Witty at 9:56 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by ..ooOOoo....ooOOoo.. at 9:59 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by LarryC at 10:01 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by jaden at 10:28 AM on April 15, 2005

Well, jeez... Sorry to hear this.

--and thanks for the notice, Zurissshaddai.
posted by y2karl at 10:32 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by thinkpiece at 10:34 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by substrate at 11:11 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by xammerboy at 11:16 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by entropy at 11:21 AM on April 15, 2005

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Matt, would it be possible to make a notation on his userpage of some sort?
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 11:21 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by rooftop secrets at 11:42 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by vraxoin at 11:42 AM on April 15, 2005

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Zurissshaddai: I have to say, I'm quite surprised by what Matt says, that to his knowledge this is the first time a known contributor has died.

It's the have knowledge part. How do you tell the dead from the just went away. We were talking about this here or on MoFi a while ago and some people have said they have information in their will instructing people to tie up their online personas and the login information to do so.
posted by Mitheral at 11:43 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by safetyfork at 11:48 AM on April 15, 2005

Holly crap, this is shitty news. RIP poopy.
posted by page404 at 11:49 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by Specklet at 11:58 AM on April 15, 2005

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posted by LeeJay at 12:01 PM on April 15, 2005

This is sad. I never knew him well, but I always thought he seemed like a nice guy, just based on his comments.

Eric, you'll be missed.
posted by SisterHavana at 12:10 PM on April 15, 2005

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posted by armage at 12:15 PM on April 15, 2005

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sympathies to the family
posted by scarabic at 12:21 PM on April 15, 2005

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posted by nelleish at 12:29 PM on April 15, 2005

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posted by 27 at 12:43 PM on April 15, 2005

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posted by vignettist at 12:47 PM on April 15, 2005

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posted by dness2 at 12:52 PM on April 15, 2005

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posted by banished at 12:57 PM on April 15, 2005

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posted by OmieWise at 12:58 PM on April 15, 2005

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posted by edgeways at 1:00 PM on April 15, 2005

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posted by joe lisboa at 1:19 PM on April 15, 2005

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posted by socratic at 1:30 PM on April 15, 2005

which he apparently ran with his wife Tammy

Tammy is listed in the obit as his sister. Whatever the situation, my deep-felt condolences to his family. He definitely added very positively to this community.
posted by Mayor Curley at 1:38 PM on April 15, 2005

My condolences to his family and friends.

While looking around his site, I found a tribute that someone did for Eric's brother Dwayne Osterhoudt after his death in 2001. Here's a sermon that explains the quote.
posted by rcade at 1:58 PM on April 15, 2005

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posted by armoured-ant at 2:03 PM on April 15, 2005

Bye, Eric. My mom types in all capitals too, I hate that...
posted by fleacircus at 2:15 PM on April 15, 2005

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sad, I liked poopy, if his comments didn't make me smile his username always did.
posted by dabitch at 2:28 PM on April 15, 2005

I know, dabitch. : >

I propose a poopy scholarship (preferred) or memorial donation somewhere. We can then make someone else smile the rest of their lives when they think of him too. And how fun it would look on a college application or resume.
posted by amberglow at 2:37 PM on April 15, 2005

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posted by shoepal at 2:43 PM on April 15, 2005

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I love the "I went to MetaFilter and all I got was this poopy scholarship" idea. Sad to see him go.
posted by jessamyn at 3:14 PM on April 15, 2005

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posted by rorycberger at 3:16 PM on April 15, 2005

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posted by aine42 at 3:28 PM on April 15, 2005

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posted by atchafalaya at 3:52 PM on April 15, 2005

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How very sad; he'll be missed. Eric started one of my favorite MeFi threads, and any friend of The Dude is a friend of mine. Take it easy for all us sinners, Eric, and rest in peace.
posted by Zonker at 4:01 PM on April 15, 2005

I remember his comments, he seemed like a great guy. I bet he would be somewhat surprised by how many people remember him! I hope his family sees this and realizes that he didn't just have friends in his town, he had friends/admirers/associates all over the world! RIP Eric (Poopy)
posted by chaz at 4:04 PM on April 15, 2005

Very, very sad.
posted by interrobang at 4:07 PM on April 15, 2005

I'll contact the family and see if there's any place we can make donations in his honor.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 4:24 PM on April 15, 2005

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posted by Coffeemate at 4:27 PM on April 15, 2005

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posted by FunkyHelix at 4:33 PM on April 15, 2005

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posted by Jimbob at 5:27 PM on April 15, 2005

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posted by yodelingisfun at 5:37 PM on April 15, 2005

I never knew him, but reading his comment history and this thread makes me feel like I now have at least a little idea of the kind of person that he was, and this makes his death all that much more saddening.


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posted by Lush at 5:53 PM on April 15, 2005

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posted by th3ph17 at 5:59 PM on April 15, 2005

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posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 6:09 PM on April 15, 2005

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posted by LinusMines at 7:23 PM on April 15, 2005

We'll miss you, poopy.
posted by Ethereal Bligh at 7:47 PM on April 15, 2005

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posted by peacay at 7:54 PM on April 15, 2005

How do you tell the dead from the just went away

why do you need to? sheesh...
posted by quonsar at 8:02 PM on April 15, 2005

Spot on, Lush.

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posted by crythecry at 9:32 PM on April 15, 2005

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posted by netbros at 10:19 PM on April 15, 2005

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posted by SpecialK at 12:47 AM on April 16, 2005

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posted by spaghetti at 7:08 AM on April 16, 2005

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posted by clever sheep at 7:10 AM on April 16, 2005

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posted by grumblebee at 7:10 AM on April 16, 2005

Condolences to the family and loved ones.
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posted by melissa at 8:07 AM on April 16, 2005

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posted by Ljubljana at 10:14 AM on April 16, 2005

Matt, it would be nice to honor him on the sidebar. Not everyone will see this. Meanwhile, has anyone tried to contact the family about making a possible donation?
posted by moonbird at 12:05 PM on April 16, 2005

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posted by VulcanMike at 1:13 PM on April 16, 2005

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posted by boo_radley at 2:03 PM on April 16, 2005

moon, matt contacted them. hopefully we can do something in his memory.
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posted by j at 12:04 PM on April 17, 2005

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posted by vacapinta at 1:05 PM on April 17, 2005

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posted by Simon! at 1:06 PM on April 17, 2005

I went through some of Eric's posts, and tried to get to know the guy. I read that he enjoyed coming here for the lively political debate, even though he didn't think he was the smartest or the most left-leaning of us here. He was a self-admitted agnostic. He was a fan of the author Neil Gaiman - even naming his cat "Nuala" after a character in one of his books -- and the band They Might Be Giants. He was interested in film and art, and the state of the internet, in regards to browser standards, and he struggled with programming some of the features on his sites.. His record here in Metatalk seem mixed, as only 3 of the 8 threads he started have survived. Of those three, one was in appreciation for MiguelCardosa for his tribute to 9/11, one year later.

All in all, he didn't reveal much, and I know that it's hard for an internet community to function very well when something like this happens. We haven't had much experience dealing with it, so maybe we'll all be forgiven, but it is tragic that all many of us can come up with to express the loss of one of our community members is a "." and few of us can really properly eulogize the poor guy who died. Maybe it just proves that we don't really know each other very well after all.
posted by crunchland at 2:06 PM on April 17, 2005

crunchland, it's hard enough to eulogize people you know very well. Death isn't the sort of thing we can really deal with in words. That's why moments of silence, or those little dots around here, are such a common response to tragic news. Reading this thread & the stuff on his site, and going through his old comments, made me very sad, but I didn't feel like there was anything I could say that wouldn't just sound like an empty cliche. For me, a whole thread full of dots is kind of moving, in a way that a whole thread full of "that's so sad" isn't, so I went with the dot.

It's true we only know one another in a kind of abstracted way online, but on the other hand, you could say the same about a lot of people in your real life. I feel like I know mefi members better than I know lotsa co-worker type acquaintances in real life, because around here we tend to be pretty open with each other about thoughts & ideas. So, there are people in real life who I have nodded hello to countless times, & have little 'friendly' chats with often, but with whom I've never had a serious conversation. Around here, the situation is the inverse.

I also think it's true that poopy was a somewhat understated member; as people have mentioned, he never tried to grab the spotlight & he didn't seem to get obsessed with things the way some people have their pet topics, etc. But that doesn't mean people didn't notice his presence.

A few years ago I put together a simple will-type-thing (not legal) where I realized that notification is a complicated thing in the modern world, since you can have so many different, unconnected communities, where you often not central, but where people might still want to know what happened if you just disappeared (hobbies, places you hang out, professional or scholarly groups, different groups of friends...) - anyway, I included my online life in that list of people to notify, because it seemed just as 'real' as a lot of my other social / personal interactions.
posted by mdn at 2:52 PM on April 17, 2005

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posted by nalihasan at 8:45 PM on April 17, 2005

Not everyone at a funeral or memorial person speaks, but many want to be there to indicate their sorrow and respect. To me the dots are like this, and I think they are touching.

(Also, crunchland, there is some problem with the MetaTalk thread counting in profiles - this error is showing up for almost everyone, so I'm sure poopy didn't have any deleted posts here.)
posted by taz at 9:17 PM on April 17, 2005

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Damn shame to come out of the woodwork to post a dot for a fellow Mefite. Wish I had more time to participate, be a little more like poopy.

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posted by will at 10:33 PM on April 17, 2005

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posted by orbit at 10:49 PM on April 17, 2005

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posted by eriko at 4:31 AM on April 18, 2005

:( I'm bummed. Poopy helped me through my inaugural snarkfest here, and in subsequent email exchanges afterward. What a shame, he was a really nice guy. Warm thoughts to the family.
posted by yoga at 7:22 AM on April 18, 2005

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posted by milov at 8:33 AM on April 18, 2005

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posted by angeline at 10:10 AM on April 18, 2005

[ teary eyes] poopy , you will be me missed -- thank you for sharing yourself through MF's posts.
Check out his iPod portfolio 1494 albums!

Goodbye Eric, poopy
posted by thomcatspike at 10:14 AM on April 18, 2005

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posted by jragon at 1:32 PM on April 18, 2005

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posted by quadog at 2:33 PM on April 18, 2005

By the way, this AskMe answer of poopy's provides more personal revelation than crunchland's comment suggests.

Oh, and he really loved those cats.

(This is a good example of how AskMe has added something more confessional than what could usually be found in the older parts of MeFi.)
posted by Zurishaddai at 2:41 PM on April 18, 2005

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posted by calico at 3:01 PM on April 18, 2005

Hi all.

So Eric and I were very close. He and I dated for five years and were engaged for three. When I heard he passed away, I was plunged into a tailspin of grief and sorrow and some guilt which will take a long time to dig myself out of. He was a magical person, and it's so good to see a community, even a web community, of people who connected with him here. There are very few with the spirit, verve, character and just down-right goodness that he possessed, and the world is a little darker for losing him. He was an amazing artist, he had a brilliant if quiet sense of humor, he was a deep thinker and he truly cared about his family, his community and this world. I think the world just took a little too much out of him. He was, in a word, the consummate nice guy.

It is part of my healing process to know that he touched and will be missed by so many more lives than he would have guessed, and it makes me sad too. It will be bittersweet to read through his posts.

I'll send his family your well-wishes and let them know of this little corner of the world he visited that they may not know of.

To continue the tradition he began on his website, I'm eulogizing him here.

Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glint on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.
Do not stand at my grave and weep.
I am not there, I do not sleep.
Do not stand at my grave and cry.
I am not there, I did not die!
posted by Kimme at 3:39 PM on April 18, 2005 [3 favorites]

Thank you for coming, Kimme, and condolences.

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posted by Rumple at 4:57 PM on April 18, 2005

Thank you, Kimme.
posted by taz at 5:11 PM on April 18, 2005

i'm so sorry, Kimme. he was a really good guy, and i'll never forget him.

take care.
posted by amberglow at 5:37 PM on April 18, 2005

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posted by eustacescrubb at 6:08 PM on April 18, 2005

The world would be a better place with more people like Eric. From what I can glean from his postings here he was everything you said Kimme and certainly one of the more thoughtful posters here. You and his family are in our thoughts. God bless.
posted by caddis at 6:32 PM on April 18, 2005

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posted by Joey Michaels at 7:03 PM on April 18, 2005

Kimme, thank you. That was really beautiful.
His gentleness and thoughtfulness were always evident around here, and he was indeed appreciated by more people than he probably realized.

Check out his iPod portfolio 1494 albums!

wow, his taste in music is not so different from mine. It's weird how little details, like some semi-obscure album you both have, can bring things home to you.
posted by mdn at 7:58 PM on April 18, 2005

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posted by somethingotherthan at 9:31 PM on April 18, 2005

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posted by azazello at 11:07 PM on April 18, 2005

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posted by Sinner at 12:41 AM on April 19, 2005

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posted by stoneegg21 at 1:59 AM on April 19, 2005

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posted by notsnot at 7:40 AM on April 19, 2005

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posted by Numenorian at 11:08 AM on April 19, 2005

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posted by Freen at 12:28 PM on April 19, 2005

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posted by Ugh at 5:14 PM on April 19, 2005

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posted by badger_flammable at 8:41 PM on April 19, 2005

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posted by DuoJet at 10:30 PM on April 19, 2005

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posted by Feisty at 9:07 AM on April 20, 2005

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posted by littlegreenlights at 10:07 AM on April 20, 2005

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posted by caution live frogs at 11:03 AM on April 20, 2005

Loved the username, Eric, made me laugh every time.

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posted by everichon at 11:53 AM on April 20, 2005

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posted by john_son at 11:54 AM on April 20, 2005

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posted by Huw at 12:03 PM on April 20, 2005

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posted by Lafe at 12:52 PM on April 20, 2005

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posted by rio at 8:16 PM on April 20, 2005

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posted by Four Flavors at 1:15 PM on April 21, 2005

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posted by HiddenInput at 4:41 PM on April 21, 2005

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posted by trillion at 9:50 AM on April 28, 2005

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posted by maggieb at 9:29 PM on April 28, 2005

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posted by h00dini at 8:36 AM on April 30, 2005

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posted by malaprohibita at 10:00 AM on May 3, 2005

I just saw this at the front page side blog. I really really liked his MeFi redesign. This is very very sad.
posted by nthdegx at 5:05 AM on May 5, 2005

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posted by The Great Big Mulp at 6:18 PM on May 5, 2005

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posted by konolia at 1:56 PM on May 6, 2005

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posted by hojoki at 9:28 AM on May 9, 2005

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posted by taumeson at 4:27 PM on May 10, 2005

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posted by bachelor#3 at 5:12 PM on May 11, 2005

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posted by echolalia67 at 11:54 AM on May 12, 2005

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posted by Pliskie at 6:51 PM on May 12, 2005

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posted by Carbolic at 7:59 PM on May 12, 2005

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posted by cookie-k at 9:55 PM on May 12, 2005

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posted by louigi at 8:33 AM on May 13, 2005