Posts by SnakesInTheTower

Was Raines in Brooklyn back in the 80s? If he is who I think he is, he was at Bossert. Home Department head I think. Maybe someone can let me know if I have the right guy. I was a temp in the mid 80s and if this is the same guy he was my table head.

weird memory, but except for that, I could not care less who is on the branch committee or the GB. LOL

Snakes (Rich )

31

At Bethel it was at times ordered that you MISS the meetings due to a hot job

by life is to short in

the poster ex dub ms reminded me of something i had forgotten.

at bethel especially in construction if there was a hot job going on or a deadline you missed meetings peroid!

no questions asked.. now if a rank and file husband who was working a low wage job to support his family or a single mom had to miss meetings due to a hot job at work what would happen to them?.

SnakesInTheTower

I observed this first hand when I was a temp at Wallkill and Brooklyn back in the 80s and 90s. I thought it was hypocritical but kept my mouth shut. Who was I but a Temp, I am only here 3-4 weeks? .... "Save a Bethelite, Kill a Temp" mentality then. This applied to FS and meetings.

It was also true for MTS (Ministerial Training School). When I attended MTS back in 2002, we were not expected to show up for the Congregation Book Study at our host or closest congregation, especially if we had a big assignment, talk, finals, etc. Hell, how could we, we had 5 or more hours of reading and assignments to complete? Some UltraSpiritual guys made all the meetings and FS. Blech.

During MTS, the TMS and SM in our 3 host congregations were moved to Friday night (often to the chagrin of the locals) so the MTS brothers could attend. (As a side note, my home congo was asked to host a Friday night meeting and the locals turned the MTS coordinators down flat, despite the fact that I and 2 other MTS students were being hosted by local families.) We were not to miss Friday night TMS, because we were held up as "special" and were to encourage the locals. Sometimes we did miss if we could if it was our turn for a talk on Saturday morning class (our Public Speaking class).

At MTS, field service was a joke (even though we had a "Field Service" unit [class]", but we had to get a few hours, because we received enough credit hours as pioneers..... oh, wait, I was the only student of 25 not a regular pioneer, I had come off temporarily... and by god the visiting GB member made sure to mention during graduation that that one student was not pioneering but was starting back in September (this was May)... without asking me first. So I had to make sure I hit national average at least (padded my hours). And yes, I started pioneering that September and it nearly killed me.

I think it was then, during MTS, that I seen how shallow the whole Organization was. It only took me another 5.5 years to quit FS and another 6 months to quit attending. Ironically, I transferred my publisher card to the congo that I attended during MTS 5 years earlier. Huge congo, easy to get lost in.

I look back and think ... what a joke it all was. What a Waste of Time. I don't come to JWD nearly as often as I used to, and post even less on JW type topics, but this one hit close to home. But I do not waste my time with regrets now. Now I celebrate the time I have with my new family.

Snakes (Rich )

22

Merry Christmas To All

by mentallyfree31 in

jw
friends

just wanted to say merry christmas to all of you.

i mentioned this before, but this is my first christmas since 1986, and i'm really looking forward to it.

i hope you all have a wonderful holiday, and a happy new year.

SnakesInTheTower

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO EVERYONE...

Rich (Snakes ), Toni, and Hunter.

(pics taken last winter .. we used them for our X-mas cards this year)

23

Thread for Dansk (RIP Dec. 20)

by alamb in

jw
friends

just thinking about ian this time of year.

.

SnakesInTheTower

hugs to his family

Snakes (Rich )

15

What's The Best XMas Value You Have See Seen This Year?

by minimus in

jw
friends

tvs seem to be very well priced this year but i see little huge sales around on anything.

i heard walmart raised all their toy prices for the christmas season!.

SnakesInTheTower

My fiancee is buying me (but the family benefits) a Sony Blue-Ray wifi player (BDP-S570). The MSRP is $249 but even on Sony's site it is down to $139. It has dropped $40 in the last month. I want it to stream Netflix and Pandora radio. We will take my DVD player and give it to the 9YO for his room and replace his old one (his mom's old one)

What a deal.. anyone hear anything about this player?

Snakes (Rich )

21

I love my wireless mouse

by AK - Jeff in

jw
friends

why didn't i do this long before.

one tangled wire eliminated from the tangled wire jungle.. jeff.

SnakesInTheTower

Ain't technology grand? I love the wireless mouse. The batteries usually last a long time. When the batteries die and i run out of replacements, I have a couple of USB AA rechargeable batteries on standby. My keyboard is not wireless, but it is a split curved ergonomic board, and I have a hard time using a standard keyboard now because of it.

I got a cell phone back in 2002 right as I was going to MTS and I was driving back and forth to "that place" 6 days a week in my then clunker of a car (ironically I bought a brand new car right after graduating MTS... no miles on it, right off the dealer lot. 8.5 years later, it has 250K miles on it). I hate cell phones but must have one now (more for work and keeping up with toni). I have text blocked on both our phones. If one has time to text one has time to hit speed dial and talk to me.

My tv is a 32" HD but only a 780p and not a flat screen. My bride to be is buying me a blue ray wifi for xmas. (I like my Pandora radio and would like to stream netflix on the tv not the computer.). My computer monitor is a flatscreen but only a 19 inch.

technology has its place. I still prefer books to e books. I still prefer to pop in a CD but appreciate having back ups in MP3 format when using my computer. something about buying music and books in only electronic format bothers me. I want to be able to put my hands on it. And I cannot imagine cozying up in bed with a Kindle.

Snakes (Rich )

14

Tribute to GB in Feb 1st public Watchtower

by dozy in

from the gilead graduation.......... one graduate read a touching letter of appreciation from the class.

in part, it.

stated to the governing body: as a class, we have observed firsthand how you have lovingly.

SnakesInTheTower

nothing new. The GB has published such self-serving comments in the past.

When I graduated MTS (Ministerial Training School.... aka Gilead Lite) back in 2002, I was part of writing such rubbish letters to the Governing Body, Writing, Teaching Committees, et. al. on behalf of our class. I also remember helping with the same type of letter when I "graduated" pioneer school in the dark ages. All we did was take suggestions from the class and recompile them into some sort of readable praise of the GB, et. al.

I shudder when I think about it now. Glad I am out.

Snakes (Rich )

92

Does your Cat want to sit on your Lap while you are on the Toilet .....?

by flipper in

i don't know what it is ...... but it's becoming disconcerting.

he's going to just have to sit outside the door and wait.

i know it will be dissappointing to him , as he purrs like crazy while gathering in the experience.

SnakesInTheTower

Our 9 year old has a now 7 month old kitten that liked to curl up in my pants while I sit on the toilet. I keep the pants up a little higher now, so now he just stands on his hind legs wanting his face rubbed.

All I want to do is be done and get out. I am not the kind of person that hangs out unnecessarily using the restroom.

My cat, now about 3 years old, likes Wheat Thins and tortilla chips. I found out recently that she also likes mini powdered donuts. (The donuts were the purchase of my bride to be for the 9YO.... who then left them for me to eat... and I sure don't need to eat junk food.)

Both cats like to drink out of the bath tub. Max (the older cat) drinks from the faucet running, little cat likes to drink when it hits the bottom. Hilarious when both cats are trying to drink out of the tub at the same time. Theirs is a love/hate relationship.

My old cat Zack would drink out of the toilet bowl... get up on the lid, gently put his paws right above the water line, and drink.

funny the cats. I love them.

Snakes (Rich )

49

Here in the UK - a £3 fee charged for going to JW assembly hall

by James_Slash in

i cannot speak for other countries, but it has become evident of late that more and more talks are being done by presiding overseers at kh's (especially in the west midlands) and they are making it quite clear that they are expecting 3 from every publisher (per day) who visit the dudley assembly hall, west midlands to contribute towards the upkeep of it.. the quote from the po's who have done this talk have said that "it is expected that each publisher will put 3 into the box on each day".. what do you think of that then?

as the world hits an economic breakdown the jw's seem to maximising their income from struggling families.. dudley assembly hall holds about 600-700 people.

i'm sure people are capable of doing the maths.. so much for voluntary contributions !!

SnakesInTheTower

MJNM:

Snakes, you've been missed - good to see you posting again! Your artistic talents are awesome! LOL

Awesome is a bit hyperbolic. My artistic "talents" consists of google image captures, Windowuhs Paint, and uploading to photobucket. the hardest part was getting the right html code line so that it embedded here.

glad to see someone missed me... I really do not have a lot of time to post or even read anymore. Real life takes priority. I had to get my fiancee's 5 page research paper typed and edited (and her handwriting is .... well..... but her research is great... I am helping her typing skills with software that I have.... ) along with trying to find a new job to replace my current nonsense job. She is at school right now, so I have a couple of hours to goof off, read here, and watch a little DVR'd shows that only I watch. It is nice that JWD(N) is still here to come to when I need/like.

Snakes (Rich )