Teresa Rocks HUGE Sale

Why don't she post pictures of the stuff from Iowa on this board?
Things that make you go, hmmm.
The only posts, it seems she has made is for selling rocks, trading/buying for beer cans other than the few posts complaining about that "sticks and stones fella.

Just put the url of the picture on your site into an [ img] ... [[/ img] tag in your post here.

just answering some questions............ been real busy lately.. up in illinois and iowa collecting specimens..........

Ok.. well the quotes are just that..... Answered questions.. Didn't know everything I said was going to get analyzed. I didn't even know about this forum until someone told me people were writing about us. We are people just like everyone else in here.. We collect and have been fortune enough to make a living doing what we like. Nothing wrong with that is there? Won't be posting anymore. Shouldn't have to defend everything I say..... Good Luck earthdog.. I'm sure you are a nice guy.. Take care.. Teresa

Theresa, don't leave unless you want to, just join in the RTH spirit. Show us your trips, swap more information about collection locations. Let us know anything lapidary you do. Why did you get all that lapidary material in the 1st place? Must be an interesting story there.

E-dog is plain spoken and protective of RTH, and he is real sensitive to anything that on the surface does not add up. He is also slow to drop something once he gets suspicious. But, he is our e-dog. You must understand there was some cloud over your arrival, and that hunting calcite-minerals is not what RTH is all about, and you do know you are a large personality vis-a-vie the whole CD thing. He may have over-attended to the frequent mention of tons of rough rock to be sold by the end of the year and unjustly assumed you were here primarily to make such mention. But honestly, so far, you have been like a guest at a party where folks are wondering if you are in the right place.

So maybe Theresa will or won't go. Her decision. Thing is, aside from some rockhounding, I don't know if this forum was a good fit. Her single "specimens" are mineral and mostly calcite - definitely not lapidary material. While we have branched out pretty far from tumbled rocks, it pretty much stays SiO2 and/or lapidary.

I feel sad if anyone does not experience RTH as a friendly place, but as it often happens that those who stick out get abraded the most. The whole risque thing, the focus on calcite minerals instead of lapidary, the arrival pretty much for defensive purposes, the constant reference to all this rough rock that is only to be sold in 100 to 600 lb lots, and only by the husband - even the offer to trade for beer cans mentioned rocks, but it was not clear whether this was to be calcite or agate. (I didn't have cans so I didn't ask, but if it was agate, it begs the question about whether smaller quantities can/would be sold.)

Theresa may have genuinely just been stopping by to say hello and report a recent trip - to cultivate new rock related associations. Maybe she wanted fellowship here. I am sad if this is being thwarted by suspicions. Joining the RTH family can still happen. Some effort to connect with the board (e.g., trip photos, sharing rock collection sites, lapidary advice, recommendation of other vendors who do sell smaller parcels, ask questions about tumbling some of your material perhaps ...) anything RTH'ish would help. I think most folks would have been aware of some "who are you really" and "why are you here" type of scrutiny. Such scrutiny of newcomers who make a splash is not unique to RTH, but rather to communities of all types in general. So acknowledge you circumstances, your persona, and try not to take it personal.

So Theresa, please stay if you have any interest in lapidary hobbies. I think you could be a nice addition to the many RTH characters we have. Good luck in your mineral hunting, beer can collecting, and rough rock liquidation if you do want to go.

Well, Dan -

It is a little disingenuous to write as if it is only an issue of the "occasional posts". That is not the issue. We have newbies, old-timers, terse, verbose, lurkers, question askers, question answerers, tumblers, cabbers, rockhounds ... all types - but it is fairly lapidary.

I thought I acknowledged that e-dog's scrutiny seemed a little tight. I tried to shed light on the factors that drew scrutiny to Theresa - not saying they are right or wrong, just trying to be thoughtful about why people act, react, and think in certain ways (yes, I am a social scientist, so that's my lens). I tried to list lots of reasonable topics that would let her settle in and enjoy this space if that is what she wanted.

I empathise with how Theresa might feel because who likes being scrutinized. I hope she stays, finds ways to fit in, and gets some enjoyment out of RTH. But it does not do any good to ignore some of the particulars of the situation.

You now imply it is only a matter of "occasional posting" that resulted in scrutiny instead of all the points I hit upon. I feel you might have a role here too. I thought you directly or indirectly brought her here because you have these legalistic notions about anyone having the right to respond to anything said about them. We've had that discussion at some length in another thread.

I think this kind of friction follows from someone joining just to rebut or explain something instead of joining because tumbling and polishing rocks is their hobby. It is like once she was here and said her bit, she did not really know how to act. Not asking questions. Not doing anything lapidary related. Unwittingly, or not, bringing that whole risque overtone here. I think this episode relates to my thoughts about RTH being a community united by some common lapidary hobby interests and mostly consumer-located positions in the marketplace. In this sense it is semi-public space and has the flavor of an association (with its internal community and norms), and it is generally going to chafe if we act as if it is fully-public space and not an association.

Maybe Theresa is getting a raw deal, but lets not pretend we don't see any of the particulars. Whether you think any scrutinuy is ever justified in a space like RTH, "ocasional posting" is not why there was scrutiny.

Gentlemen,
A means is provided on this board for deleting one's own posts.

For the record, I am not taking anyone's side on this issue. The majority of individuals who join a forum do so because of the common interest of a hobby, etc. I am sure there are many members on this board who sell their craft on-line or at fairs, etc., but they are also here to learn and share. I am not a "true" lapidarist (though I am married to one), but I like to use them in my crafts. I appreciate quite a bit of the info and photos on this forum. I'm pretty sure I've not contributed that much to this fourm being that I'm not into lapidary but you have all welcomed me without reservation. But I joined without an agenda. Sure, I sell my crafts at fairs, but I don't come on here trying to sell them here. If someone finds they like my work and asks if something is for sale or trade, I'd be happy to make a deal with them. We will never know Teresa's real intentions why she joined. There have been a few that have joined just to sell and/or rip people off but they were called out and now they are gone. "Your cheatin' heart will tell on you".

My final point is if you put yourself out there in the public's eye, be it on TV, radio or the internet, either selling your wares or selling "mature" rated photos of yourself, you will be scrutinized, like it or not!