Shall we congratulate whatthefluther ...

Much love

Congratulations!! Welcome to the club! We’ve got a room all lined up for you.

Congrats!!!

Nobody on Fluther deserves to enter the 10k mansion with greater accolades than our own @whatthefluther!

I have eagerly awaited this day when you would join me in your rightful place in the mansion @whatthefluther! You and @sccrowell should take the room across from mine- I have fitted it up with fine art of all genres and bronzes. It has a lovely view of the ocean and Bailey and Spencer will love hanging out with my old yellow lab. Your cats will like it here too- Milo just moved up to the 20k Castle but visits on occasion. Your parrot that curses like a sailor will come in handy warding off door-to -door salesmen and religious solicitors.

Congrats my friend!

Hey slow down. maybe you don’t think it’s a great question, but it is my first question here on fluther…

This opening line in a question of legendary status rocked Fluther. I already knew @whatthefluther for his exceptional taste in music and fantastic sense of humor. I knew that at the same time I had taken a leave from Fluther both he and his now wife @sccrowell also did so.
I knew them both to be good folks and then… the wedding proposal.

A gentle and loving question, woven carefully with honesty and infused with love unfolded before us. In the time it took @sccrowell to respond the collective from around the globe held it’s breath- eagerly posting and waiting. I wondered about this awesome man- who had found a way to propose so publicly yet so privately to a woman who he had shared many years with.
Her emphatic “yes” made many cry with joy. In a world sometimes filled with chaos and sadness we were all given the incredible gift of being not only present for a moment worthy of a Hollywood Movie, but we became part of it- throwing a virtual party and being informed of the wedding plans as they unfolded. We all got to share in the wedding of a lifetime. That of Sherry and Gary.

It was beautiful and re-reading it still brings a tear to my eye. Through their wedding I came to know both Gary and Sherry well. Gary and I realized we each had survived the tragic loss of a spouse which made the love story of Gary and Sherry even more of a storybook romance.

Gary and I are both artists living in Southern California. I am the extremely fortunate recipient of a piece of his incredible stone art- made out of a singular piece of stone- carved into a pipe with gentle slopes and so smooth a tool mark is not evident anywhere. The rock is a beautiful ruddy green red and he created a special relief carving onto it- painstakingly detailing the avatar that @Blondesjon gave me in exact likeness and the word DOG. He signed it- as all great artists do- and it is magnificent on display in my home behind glass. I am so very honored by his gift- especially knowing that to make it he was not only challenged by the stone and tools but by his own hands.

My admiration for Gary goes far beyond our similarities. Who knows how I would have accepted the challenges he faces with such grace. Would I have done as he? Living life to the fullest- doing things for the moment and appreciating every good moment. He has accomplished more in his life than most of us do in a lifetime and has no regrets of wasted time. Would I take the time to post from the heart rather than fire off funny quips?

I know the gift of your presence is limited. Taking your example I have enriched my own life- seeing beauty in darkness and looking at the stars rather than the darkness.

May you reach the 20k castle before me and invite me into those hallowed halls!

I am not very good at writing- but for you the words flow like wine.

CONGRATULATIONS GARY!

Congrats, WTF!

Congratulations Gary!

* * * Y * A * Y * * * CONGRATULATIONS ! ! ! GOOD WORK ! ! ! * * * Y * A * Y * * *

Congratulations!!!!

Congratulations!! A well-deserved achievement.

woo hoo! Party time and congrats!

I don’t know you but you proposed via Fluther and that’s pretty damn cool.
CONGRATULATIONS!

WTF is his real fuckin’ name? (I know, you can call him Ray)

WOOOOOHOOOOOOO! you rock gary. you are an amazing guy and sccrowell is so lucky to have you! thankyou for all your contributions and jokes, for teaching me and bringing a smile to my face.
Let’s have another party with the Fluther Band and all those dancers who were going to perform at the wedding…

Congrats whatthefluther! It’s always nice to know there are some GREAT jellies out there!

@Dog Wow, that was actually really well written :D

Congrats

Congrats! Now, what does wtf mean, really?

It’s a privilege to offer my congratulations to Gary, who would I am sure be receiving love bouquets by the armload if we could send them through our keyboards. No one has distributed greater warmth abroad in the community or shared feelings more openly than our own wtf. Thank you, @whatthefluther, for opening your heart here in flutherland. We love you back.

Congrats dude!!

Sometimes it is Whatthefluther’s comments that remind me of why I come to this site. He often can boil a topic or comment down to it’s bones, and you can see just how silly or stupid, or just not well thought out a topic is. Really, sincerely, well done!
okay, I kissed your ass. Now tell me how to get the cake in the frizzer award back

Gary is the heart and soul of fluther. Withhout his words leaving their footprints on my heart, fluther would not be fluther. With each of his posts, I learn a little more about you, some of which I wish you could take back, for, if never said, then it can’t possibly be so (ALS). I first remember you taking up for me in a smart remark from JackAdams. Then you disappeared for a bit, coming back in a blaze of glory – with a marriage proposal to Sherry, no less. Where more than a few of us fell in love with you, Sherry and your story of love. You have given so much, I only hope I have given to you as well. You are much loved.

Whatthefluther, I know you know how I feel about you friend, but I’ll say again. I adore you my hometown buddy. You and Sherry are two of my favorite people in all of California, no all of the world.

You belong in the hallowed halls of the 10K mansion – much more than I – that is for certain. Thank you for your brilliant insightful quips, your fabulous taste in music, and Fluther’s Best Question EVER.

I’m looking forward to our lunch this summer. The four of us at Follow Your Heart eating, relaxing, and talking like we’ve been friends our whole lives.

Congratulations!!!

Right on! Congrats!

Congrats!

Yes, we shall! Start the band! Start all the bands! This must be the place! It’s like Josie coming home! WTF is our main man! I know he gets those!

Huzzah! Huzzah! HUZZAH!

@toomuchcoffee911 Thanks- it is not grammatically correct but it is from the heart.

I do believe a well deserved congratulations is in order: CONGRATULATIONS! What are you going to do nexttttttt?

Congratulations Gary!
It’s about time other people are writing your well know congratulatory posts. Ahh what can I say about you…Alot of things! You were one of my very first friends here on Fluther. Heck, you are my favorite jelly! Not kidding! Remember the time I pushed you in a wheelbarrow down a hill and you crashed into a car? Ah good times good times. And I can honestly say, I lurve you Gary. The image I have of you is like the guy from Iron & Wine. You remind me of him. And you have fantastic musical tase! Sherry is lucky to have an old man like you! Well let’s get to the grain, congratulations on reachig 10k! You are wise, funny, and damn clever. No I’m not kissing your ass, i’m just telling the truth here. And once again, congratulations!

When I joined fluther in December 2008 I would often hear of Gary aka wtf. Everyone talked about how they missed him and wished that he would come back. Then one day I saw a beautiful unicorn pegasus (I need glasses) avatar with the best fluther username I had ever seen. It was Gary! He came back!

There are not enough words to express how much I admire you Gary. You make me laugh, you give me hope, you give me faith that there are people out there that have the heart to give and love.

Congrats Gary! It’s time to par tay!

I am popping open the bubbly!!!

Who would like to propose a toast?

Way to Fluther, @WhatTheFluther!

Gary- You were the first person to take me under their wing when I first joined Fluther. You were very welcoming and kind, and I considered you a friend right from the start. There have been a few times that I have been on Fluther hiatus, but you were one of the reasons I came back. I think everybody here can attest to the fact that you truly make this place a community, with you humor, honesty, and sincerity. Whether it’s proposing for all of us to see, or describing the consequences of your ALS, you have been very brave and forthcoming to all of us and I thank you for it. In my honest opinion, you sir are the perfect Flutherite. I lurve you.

So in the future I look forward to reading your comments, congratulatory remarks, and hilarious quips. I wish you the warmest of congratulations for your 10K and your inevitable march to the 20K castle!

See ya…................................Fly aka Jeffgoldblumsprivatefacilities

Congratulations, Darling!

I lurve you and your contributions to the site, you are not easily forgotten. :)

Congratulations Gary! It’s so good to see you here at the mansion.

I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again: You are an amazing human being. You have touched all of our hearts here, in so many ways. In the face of grief, you gave and received love. In the face of despair, you found joy. In the face of Father Time, you laughed. You really know how to live, sir. Thanks for sharing it all with us. I love you, man. You know, in a ‘jelly/not-making-Sherry-kill-me’ kind of way.

^What she said, all better than me and stuff.

Excellent! you always provide wise answers

Congrats!

WTF FTW!

Gary – congratulations! here’s to many more lurvings in the future!

Hooray hooray you’ve reached 10K! :)

congrats to one of our celeb-flutherites who also happens to be a favorite-jelly-of-mine !

What @augustlan said- perfection!

When I first came to Fluther, Gary was one of the first to really catch my eye. He showed me the reason I’m really addicted to this site and he showed me that there is compassion out there. His perfectly thought out answers and great questions keep me anticipating his visits.
Congratulations WTF! You deserve it!

Gary. I have been on a self-imposed hiatus, but when I heard about the fact that you reached 10K, I had to log in and congratulate you. Much has already been said, but I just wanted to applaud you for your thoughtful, sensitive, sincere comments to all comers. You always put so much time and effort into your responses, and truly seem to care about everyone else’s well-being. You are a true inspiration. May you continue to spread nachas to all around you. Zie ga zink.

Ah Gary, you have given us so much. You are encouraging, level-headed and sane. You are also very brave in fighting your health problems and generous in sharing some of the most important parts of you life with us. I look forward to every comment of yours I can find. Be well!

And CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!

Congrats and thanks for all the great advice, input and question! Looking forward to your next 10k! Cheers!

Yay! SFV in the hizouse. How the hell do you spell that?

hizzouse

@aprilsimnel Thanks.

Congratulations and I didn’t know you were a sculptor! I am starting to work on some stone and love the results, but wow it’s hard on the tools.

When you have time, tell me more and where can we see your stuff?

Gary- You are one of the best Jellies around. You asked the best question, hands down. I’m pretty sure you know which one I’m talking about. I’m not sure what Fluther would be like without you. You give amazing answers, ask great questions, and you are loved by many. Glad you found us. -Allie

Ohh, I wish I could edit my response and add…See ya, clair.
:) That’s always makes me smile.

Congratulations, WTF! Although for some reason I thought you would have been close to 20K by now. However, as a Jelly who proposed online and whose reception still seems to be going on, I can see you have been busy.

And congratulations, @Dog on discovering the Colossal Squid.

Congrats to the man with the cleverest Fluther name I can think of!

I can’t say it better than everyone else has, so I’ll be succinct. Thank you for being such a fun yet informative presence here, we all appreciate it very much. :)

What the f*ck? Where was I when this was happening?!

If I ever do get married to my honey, it’s someone like you, good sir, who I’d want to be the MC at my reception. I lurve your “10/20 K party posts” for the folks here on Fluther.

A fella who knows his music, who’s chill, intelligent, but, mostly has an amazing heart! What a jelly! Congrats, Wtf!

And he has good hair!

wtf!
Congratulations. Like @filmfann mentioned, you are definitely reason enough to continue to use Fluther. Your responses are quite insightful and wonderful.
Such a great jelly! Congrats!

Gary -aka whatthefluther -

It is only fitting that we each stand to toast you, as you have done to each and every one as they have attained the milestone. Your posts are always a joy to read, and you are an inspiration to all of us, younger and older.

WTF, Congo rats on 10K!

‘LOSE THEM’ AND LET’S FFFFFFFF….luther

A-B-C—Ya, PeeDub.

whatthefluther is one of the finest people to ever breathe the air on this planet, and knowing him as well as I do from this site, I think it only fitting that he be given the sort of congratulations that he has given everybody else on here. I am not very good at this, so bear with me. I mean, I can drag on and on, but I have a tendency to get distracted…oh look a duck… and then wander off on a bizarre tangent, never to find my way back to the original topic.

I have no idea how Gary, wtf, or whatthefulther, or friend as I call him, does it. But I do know that however long he is with us, I will be happy, and may he always be here on fluther, spreading his usual brand of joy and happiness and humor, and may fluther never know a day that Gary isn’t here, sharing his wisdom and laughter with us all. To the finest Jelly to ever give or receive lurve, all hail whatthefluther, the best thing to happen to the world since the meteor that took out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago and gave the mammals a chance at evolving.

I lurve you, Gary.

Who doesn’t lurve Gary?

A big “mwah!” for Gary!

Congrats!
Good job Gary!
Did anybody grab the Patron? Or the Vodka
We need a toast

I was wondering when this would happen. Gary has been not only a source of knowledge, entertainment and admiration for a collective which is lucky to count him as a memeber… he’s also been an amazing example, contributor and friend. This is a fitting start for a man who has touched so many and helped shape the path for our little community. 10K is nowhere near enough but it’s only a first step.

Many many many congratulations. You are loved and admired by everyone here and i consider myself incredibly lucky to have traded words with you and to have witnessed the light you help shine on each and every thread you take part in. Congratulations are the order of the day but the most fitting thing i can think of would be Thank You Gary…

Now on with the party and onward to 20k!

Oh Gary!!! Congrats!!! I believe the best PM I have ever received was from you! I’m not going to make you cupcakes, you will be getting this the biggest cupcake ever. Keep leaving amazing answers and excellent PM’s! LURVE!

@whatthefluther. I lurve you so much. thanks for all the amazing responses. Conga-ratas.(:
see ya…

If @pdworkin is my source of inspiration, then you, Gary, are my idol.

A few months back, I knew WTF as some random guy who asked me be witness to his wedding. I had absolutely no clue who the hell he was, or why he was asking me to do so. I was planning a business trip to Los Angeles and was requesting a bit of information here on Fluther (I was still a newbie – 1,000 lurve, tops). Out of nowhere comes some Pegasus-avatar sporting dude, asking me to attend his wedding. It was peculiar, to say the least. Hell, I was weirded out.

I did a bit of research and found out exactly who he was, and his condition. To say that I had the most humbling moment of my life would be a massive understatement. Do not take this as a hyperbole, the truth is that I quite often look at you – all of you – as just words. Text, my playthings to bounce ideas off of. Each one of you a wall, built of differing material, all bouncing the ideas back in a myriad of ways (some a bit more * ahem * violently than others). I’m not entirely sure why I don’t think of any of you as real people – perhaps I’d never be able to bear the idea of having a real, living audience. I’m not socially awkward in the slightest, but let’s just say that some of my ideas aren’t exactly the most popular.

Devi’s fantastic, insightful interview shattered that idealistic perception, however – I was put in the very real situation of feeling for another human being thousands of miles away… one that responds, that feels, that is dealing with the very real prospect that mortality falls on every single one of us, no matter how hard we run from it.

Maybe that last line in itself is testament to my particular mindframe at the time. Dealing with my infinitesimal existence, half-way unemployed, lonely, existential angst ripping apart my abdomen and drowning in a sea of knowledge. I make no apologies for my overdramatics – they say you are hit in the face with the reality of exactly how much information there is in this universe when you hit your mid-20s. And boy, was I ever.

I accepted Gary’s request, only to find out that our time-frames didn’t coincide with one another, which was quite disappointing – his wedding with (the spectacular, amazing) Sherry was days after I was scheduled to leave. To this day, I’m very upset that I didn’t decide to stay a week longer. In fact, I loathe myself for not doing so.

You see, throughout my time here on Fluther, Gary has been the only legitimately selfless, intelligent and serene person who retains these traits on a continual basis – yet, at the same time he is fiercely courageous and curiously strong. All flamboyantly cliched words and terms, I know – my limited vernacular can’t quite describe exactly what I think and feel. I’ve noticed the small nuances in his speech patterns – some days he seems at peace, others, frustrated and on the verge of despair. To say that I don’t get choked up whilst reading these and reflecting on these moments outside of my time here on Fluther would be false. He is the only person I’ve ever legitimately felt for over the internet (outside of my internet wife, but that’s a different story, one that WTF is quite familiar with).

Months after e-meeting and reading about Gary, my respect just continues to climb. He’s made me spit coffee at my screen with his seemingly effortless comedic tongue, he’s moved me with his long passages about his battles with his illness, and he’s always been ridiculously empathetic to whomever he speaks to here – regardless if their condition is as severe as they make it out to be. And maybe that last line is what gets me. He’s a man that so easily takes himself out of his own pain and desperation to say, “I understand.” Hell, if I’m ever put in the same position as Gary, I’d go down kicking and screaming and yelling at the top of my lungs for salvation. But he doesn’t allow it: despite his frustrations, he is the most gentle being I’ve ever met. Through our multiple correspondences, he’s taken a liking to calling me “Kid”. It’s both endearing and, most of all, genuine. (though does have the unfortunate connection to Purple Rain, but I digress)

My first real scare with human mortality came about when it was discovered that my father was HIV positive, and that it was developing into AIDS. I can’t remember exactly what I was thinking or why, but I remember feeling the most lonely I’ve ever felt in my life. Death instantly became a very real variable in the algorithm of life, and not some philosophical construct whispered about. It was some time during this wave of delirium that I discovered my interest in science – religion was not sufficiently answering my questions on what happens to us after we die, outside of some very abstract constructs. It was also here that I discovered that life is not some incredible turn of circumstance; some design by the hand of some majestic entity. Not to say that life became unspectacular, quite the opposite – it dawned on me that we, all of us, are a transitional species. Put in the most rudimentary terms imaginable (subsequently doing disservice to true intellectuals) I learned that we have descended from the stars, and that we will return there; that we are all atomically, biologically and chemically identical. I was comforted in the fact that our lives are beautiful in their brevity – in their paucity on the cosmic calendar. I’ll never know the day when we are returned the Singularity or whatever my come at the true end, and neither do you. That is the one fundamental trait that all of us share: the prospect of the unknown; the prospect that we are all starstuff, and will return back there one day – a blink in the cosmic scale.

I’ve learned to live on that assumption, but it’s quite easy to say such things when I, myself, am not dealing with any immediate threat to my existence. I try to put myself in the mind of WTF quite often – perhaps a selfish, egocentric exercise – to see if I’d ever be able to have the same serenity he has. And I wouldn’t. Maybe the years of wisdom has granted him some sort of resilience to this sort of thing. I don’t know what it is, but if there was ever any wish I’d like to see fulfilled, it’d be to have the same level of grace in the face of constant trial.

Gary, I’ve said this before, but I love you. Perhaps it’s a some selfish, quasi-symbiotic relationship, but I do. I’ve respected more and more as time passes, and it’d be nothing short of dishonest if I said that I wouldn’t do everything in my power to keep you here, on Fluther, in life, happy. Let me know what I can do.

See ya,

The Kid

I think we should, and I do! Congratulations on the big day!

@Grisaille Beautiful.

Congrats, Gary!!! I can’t think of anyone more deserving of Fluther’s communal love for you and your wife. You’ve changed our history forever, and you’ve changed my outlook on life in many many ways. Thank you for everything you’ve contributed, and I look forward to reading the rest of what you have to say here.

You were one of the first to welcome me to Fluther and I have always loved reading your posts. You deserve every bit of the congrats being heaped upon you and I’m honored to add mine also.

Congratulations!

Gary – you were the first to welcome me here with open arms. You celebrated in my new marriage with @Fireside. You’re someone whose responses I always look for… genuine, thoughtful, compassionate, humorous, honest, encouraging… I could go on and on. I read far more than I write here, but I always look forward to reading your words.

With appreciation and congratulations.

Gary – I see I’m late to this party, and much has been said to you already. You are one of the guiding lights of Fluther – in your love for Sherry, your humor and your grace. You always have a kind or encouraging word to add to the discussion and I love your testimonials at people’s 10K parties.

May your life be long and your pain as short as possible. Sending you a bottle of oil, candy corn (never did wnt to know what you do with them both!) and a hug. See ya Jan, aka janbb

@YARNLADY Good for you. Don’t write long answers, then. And I’m pretty sure that answer would’ve been the same even without awards, so don’t be rude about heartfelt sincerity.

Congratulations x10, x10, x10 to you Gary! Your messages to everyone when they hit this achievement are always heartfelt and genuine and a pleasure to read. It’s been my utmost pleasure to be able to interact with you here on Fluther and you are truly a gentleman and scholar and a most deserving candidate for the 10k club. Thanks so much for all the nice things you do and say here on Fluther.

Sorry I was late to the party.

Super duper!

May 10K lurves shower on @WTF/Gary!
Congratulations Ten Kay Times!

OMFG! WTF has 10K? IASHFY! F-F-T!
C!
With love, Chuckie

@YARNLADY Have you forgotten the touching post that Gary wrote for you?

I cannot read my 10k nor the one he recently wrote for @andrew at his recent 10k without being very deeply moved. Nobody notices the wallflower- except @whatthefluther. His observation of my behavior on Fluther astounded me. I read and thought- “me?”

We are here to celebrate a man of many words- all of which are touching and personal and whose posts are often are very long but from the heart. His lurve often reaches double-digits on his posts with very good reason.

I assure you that those of us who do not normally post long posts are doing so not for any other reason but to honor @whatthefluther and to try to give back a bit of what he has given us.

PS: @Grisaille Beautiful post.

@Tink1113—lurve is a word that gets tossed around here a lot; and like @Grisaille said up there, most of the people on here are simply text on a screen to bounce answers off of. While there are a handful I consider true friends, most of you would simply fade from memory after you stopped coming here. Gary is different. Gary is one of those few souls that one meets in his or her lifetime that changes them. whatthefluther, WTF, Gary, whatever you want to call him, has changed me in ways I cannot begin to explain.

Knowing Gary for his struggle, even though I’ve known many people who struggle with debilitating disease, Gary seems to be the only one NEVER to wallow in self-pity, or to look for pity from others. He is not just a man in a circumstance; he is a hero to the people who know his predicament (one that faces us all, eventually) and to not shrink from the ever-too-close spectre of Death. I cannot find the words to describe how I feel about him; and as @Grisaille said, I have no idea where to begin, but if ever anyone asks me who my hero is in this life, the answer is easy. I’ve never had heroes, just people I’ve admired, loved, and lost. When the world loses Gary, the emptiness of his passing will be felt by many, and most of all by the lovely woman he calls his bride. She is as heroic as the man himself. I long to meet them both, and to show them what they really mean to me.

So when I say I lurve Gary, those three words contain more meaning and emotion and power than any other three words in existence. Gary would be embarrassed to hear this, but I think he is the closest thing to a saint for real humans than any person past or present, the religious clerics have nominated. Yeah, that sounds like I worship the man, but then, knowing him, how can you not?

I love quite a few people I have never met in person, and Gary is one of the three I think of every single day of my life.

I am so excited for you! I too waited with baited breath after your first question, and have looked forward to seeing you avatar on the side as I scrolled down. It couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy.

I hope that I have already said it all. I have waited, however, for this particular forum in which to sing your praises for a long time.

Congratulations on the well-deserved 10k milestone! And, remember, you would have been here long ago had it not been for your self-imposed hiatus so no ragging on Andrew!

Thanks for all the late night Fluther discussions, especially those on music.

Thanks for all the laughs.

Thanks for touching my heart so many times.

Your wisdom and grace and acceptance of all the foibles of humanity are and will be an inspiration for me forever.

Fluther is a collective, and you are its heart.

WTF!

@Dog @MacBean @All, my “long answer” comment, which has been removed was meant as a light hearted joke. I’m truly sorry that my sense of humor is so different from everyone else. I thought it was funny.

But to answer the actual question: yes, we shall.

When I first came to Fluther, I always heard people talking about a member named “whatthefluther” that stopped coming. Then one day I was reading through a recent question, and I saw it had been answered by wtf himself!

Congrats again!

@YARNLADY Apology accepted, don’t sweat it.

@YARNLADY The ~ was missing! (glad it was a joke!)

That’s how I took it. I never noticed that it had been removed. I’m surprised anyone here didn’t recognize it for what is was, a joke.

This is the first time I have ever had trouble deciding what I wanted to put on a 10k thread. A simple congratulations doesn’t seem to be nearly enough and the long, amazingly worded, dead on character essays are your bag.

What I would like to do is roast you. Not like a chicken (you are much too old and stringy for that) but in the tradition of the Friar’s Club. All this mushy stuff is great (and 110% correct) but you are a fellow guy and when guys give truly heartfelt congratulations they wrap it in an inappropriate string of insults.

I would like all of you Jellies to know that I love Gary, not only as a great human being but also as the embodiment of what Fluther is supposed to be.

With that said I will start the festivities. Please Fluther, show him how much you care and really let Gary have it with your tasteless insults. He deserves no less from us.

I would have congratulated the latest batch of 10k acquirers but Gary used up all of the words.

Have any of you seen the man’s hair?!? He looks like Weird Al’s dad.

Sherry may be the love of his life but he has had my cock coming from his lips.

Those are my three and if you all care about the man at all, you will throw some of your own quips into the fray.

Gary, thank you for being a great guy to a fellow like me, who isn’t always a great guy. I’ve always got your back friend. It’s written in stone.

Gary? Who’s Gary?

@Blondesjon He’s always asking me to accomodate him.~

@Blondesjon to be fair, I don’t think Gary is old enough to be Weird Al’s father, wacky big brother, upon whom Weird Al patterned his look maybe, but not father. I got your back Gary!

I’m thinking Weird Al’s much younger brother.

<sigh>

you guys have no idea how throw a roast, do you?

@Blondesjon I tried, but I cannot say anything mean about Gary, even in jest.

look what happened to me when I tried to make a joke earlier on this thread

Where is whatthefluther at anyways??

@Blondesjon I am so sorry. I first thought: AWESOME! A ROAST! Then I realized I had never roasted before and could not think of anything at all… ~I am such a disappointment.;)

@YARNLADY: Get over it.

@asmonet See my comment to @Blondesjon roast and you will see that I already have. My look what happened was yet another attempt at a joke. With umpires like you, and some others, I am now strike two (or is it three?). Where is that ~ when I really need it?

@YARNLADY Yeah- it is all in that little tilde thingy ;)

Just to let you all know I am sti thinking of a good roast.

@YARNLADY: I got it that time, even without the tilde.

Hey Gary- Nice shot of you hanging at the pub!

(was that a good roast? ;) )

Shit. That was really weak. I do not think I am capable of roasting. I am a lousy cook too.

I think I will stick to the sappy stuff and leave the witty saber to @Blondesjon

I was feeling pretty sad about today’s current events (the shooting at Fort Hood) and then I read this thread and it simply warmed my heart. Not only because it had many wonderful, high quality and genuine quips in it, but also because it couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy. Gary, I can’t add much that hasn’t been said yet. Your insightful and sweet quips on each 10k thread give the rest of us a look into your own personality – kind, genuine, selfless and eager to point out the good in everyone. I’ve told you this before but I’d like to repeat that it was an honor to be able to interview you and humbling to receive the amazing answers that I got from both you and Sherry.

Congratulations on the 10K <3

Alright, GARY, my man, (aka @whatthefluther), you have finally reached a much deserved 10k. Of all the people I lurve and admire on this site, you hold a special place for me, being someone who can post a lengthy answer without a wasted word. Your positive attitude towards everything and your compassion for your fellow Flutherites shows in every post, every PM…you are one I look forward to reading my friend. I welcome you to the club and I only wish there was a Fluther Hall of Fame, as your now legendary thread (you know the one) was, if not the most amazing thing ever witnessed on Fluther, then certainly within the top 5, Frizzer be damned. Thanks for 10k worth of insightful, fun and upbeat posts and I’m sure 20k is just around the corner. Congratulations.

@Dog . . . you’re much too hard on yourself. the bloom county was perfect. heartfelt and inappropriate. well done.

Congratulations to a Jelly I truly admire!

Congrats to a well-deserving jelly!

GARY!!! Congratulations. How did I miss this thread yesterday?! I’m such a bad jellyfish. You deserve all the candy corn in the world. Your answers are the best. You, simply, are da bommmmmmmmb. :)

Congrats!
you always have the best (and longest) answers, sometimes, I give them lurve because I can’t finish reading them :]

… oh great one, WTF ! I have scattered FD10k at your feet , WTF, knowing you would kick them into the sea, WTF!

I can’t believe I missed the party! I can’t believe fluther didn’t invite me in the “questions for you section! Should my feelings be hurt???
Yeah yeah yeah!!! woot woot woot!!! Oh happy day for the jelly with the freaky memory and the most memorable wedding proposal. Congrats to you!

Has Gary been here yet? I read every post and it doesn’t look like it. I hope he’s OK.

@Judi I was wondering the same thing.

@Judi and janbb See his post in the Andrew 10k thread.

Excerpt: “Tho I’ve not participated as much lately, I have in effect used the questions you all ask, to record my memoirs, the memories of my life. As is he case with the pipes I make and share, fluther is a significant facet of my legacy. It’s hard to say (actually , I won’t say), how much longer I’ll be around here, so I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone. As Sherry and I stated in our interview : “Thank you for making us feel welcome from the start and for being such great friends. We appreciate and respect the time and effort that Bendrew, the moderators and each and every one of you put into making this such a remarkable site. We hope we have, in some small way, made a positive contribution to this fine community. Thank you all for making us think and making us laugh. You have enriched our lives…we lurve you all.””

Sad.

He will be returning again :) As soon as he is feeling up to it he will join the party!

In the meantime should we have an open bar or a champagne and lobster feast?

Why not both?

@aprilsimnel Brilliant! I will begin the arrangements! Shall we get the Fluther wedding band together? How about a PIRATE theme?

Yes indeedy!

Happy.

Arghhh….I got me cowbell ready!

Arrrrr mateys, pass the martinis!

That’s sad :(. I haven’t even had the pleasure of conversing with WTF, he can’t go yet!

@jsammons Hey dude! This is a party! :) Our beloved @whatthefluther will be back.
~How about you arrange for a pirate ship harbor cruise for when he returns to party on? ;)

@Dog Well I do love pirates! You’re on! ;D

Now if I just knew how to properly roast! I need lessons!
And we all need to brush up on our Pirate Talk!

I want rum.
I want rum.
I want rum.
I want rum.

@Dog Aye, well har you be for a pirate translator, gar!

Aye, me need a drink!

_@jsammons Lurve! Aye! Now we be drinkin till dawn! Gar!

@Dog I though you’d like that ;D

Aye, well butter me butt and call me a biscuit, this is handy, argh!

Haha, I think I may have introduced a new toy to everyone :P

shiver me timbers

congratulations! congratulations to quite the admirable jelly :DDD

i don’t know why i wrote congratulations twice. :p

@tiffyandthewall Now you wrote it three times! LOL

@tiffyandthewall i think you did it to get more…

lurve

Okay- Ordered lobster from Maine, Gumbo from Baton Rouge… what else do we need?

Tequila? Gran Patron Tequila?

Tofu anyone??

@pdworkin PERFECT!

@Tink1113 Where can we find the worlds best Tofu?

Ordering croissants from Paris!

Beluga or Osetra, btw?

@pdworkin Caviar? You choose- I do not have the proper training :)

Both then.

I need to find the finest vegetable trays. Any suggestions anyone?
Also some exotic fruit. I will order out some from Hawaii.

@pdworkin please don’t settle… Osetra or GTFO
with a bottle of this chilled

Guavas. Lychees. East Indian Mangoes. Osetra for the toast points, Beluga to scramble with the quail eggs.

OH YAY! Vodka!

Awesome list @pdworkin! I will make a master list!

This is going to be the best freakin party ever!

btw quail eggs are often hard boiled or poached and added to salads or served as appetizers garnished with caviar and creme fraiche… as far as the scrambling it tends to bruise the quail egg which will alter the taste to the point where it does not blend well with the caviar.
Parents were always very particular about their caviar and were “purists” as far as the pairing

@Dr_C Noted and will instruct the hired waitstaff and chef!
Man that sounds good!

Well I have yet to bruise a quail egg, but I’ll poach them if you’d rather.

Awesome! Thanks @pdworkin

Instead of a pirate ship how about we have a bonfire at the beach?

I can set it up!

You know… the thing is that people discount the internet and the words typed over electronic vistas as nothing. But the words typed are real, strong, moving and, if crafted right, they can change the real world. Gary and Sherry have changed my real world for the better.

Lets Get the party ROLLING!

I like rambutans better than lychees. Can’t we have some of them?

Well….I guess I can’t leave you guys alone for a few days. And all this activity on this thread…..things must have been slow around here, so I guess I didn’t miss too much. Thank you all so much for the kind words. I’ll have much more to say tomorrow, but I did want to touch base quickly and explain why I am late to the party. You may have noticed that tardiness, on my part, has recently become all too commonplace I’ll explain. Several of you mentioned my positive attitude. It is one of my strengths and it is the side of me strive to always show. I’m not always successful…..as The Kid said, my frustration and pain show through sometimes. But, the fact is, I don’t fluther on my bad days. I don’t want to bring any negativity here. I come here to have fun and try to be of assistance if I can. I don’t post just to post and have generally been selective where and when I stick my nose in and ramble on, as I tend to do. Some days, I’ll visit, but not post a single word. And when I do try to participate on a bad day, I often get overwhelmed, so much so that I end up staying away for a few days and run off to work on pipes (two more go out Monday). Even on bad days, the pipes save me. They don’t overwhelm my mind , I enjoy ther heck out of making them and it is the perfect therapy for me. Fluther just doesn’t work for me on bad days and unfortunately, at this point, I am facing more bad days than good ones. That was what I was trying to say on Andrew’s 10K celebration post. I wanted to explain why I had become an infrequent poster and just wanted to take that opportunity to thank Andrew, Ben and all of you for the great times here. And I didn’t want to fade away and disappear without saying that. I don’t plan on any dramatics here….I won’t be pulling a “Network” on you guys….besides, I have an exclusive contract to do that on Jon and Andy’s RandomAssRadio show.
And, I have had a shitty several days. I did another nose dive from the bed in my sleep, hit my head and got pretty twisted. I told Sherry about that one but didn’t tell her about an additional fall. I know….I should get a bed with rails, but that seems silly considering the restraining system I built into the bed. The problem is, I can’t get @sccrowell to tie me up…..she keeps muttering something about it being her turn, or something. I’ll get to the bottom of that one soon, I can assure you,. Anyhow, I’ll still be around for a while guys….a long while I hope. You just won’t be seeing as much of me, and when you do, it will be positive and fun. I have had a very good run, both in life and fluther, and I plan on keeping it good, positive and fun right up to the end. OK enough of that.
I have 16 PMs to address, which will take me days, so if you sent me one, I beg your patience (I don’t do anything half-assed). Again, I would like to thank you all for your kind words on the thread. Thanks to @Beta_Orionis (my candy corn compadre along with @deni) for posting the question and @Dog , @Grisaille and Zebra man…..wow, you blew me away. I am speechless. Well, nearly speechless….I’m going to shout one out to you and all the jellies here in this wonderful collective: I LOVE YOU AND I LURVE YOU WITH ALL MY HEART AND FOR ALL OF ETERNITYI Thank you. Peace. See ya…..Gary/wtf

@pdworkin….If you recall, I was probably the first to PM you and welcome you to fluther. And, if I’m not mistaken, wasn’t that just like yesterday, or the day before? And did I not predict great success for you? Congrats on your 10K, friend.

Ahh… there goes my goddamn heart.

@whatthefluther said:

“she keeps muttering something about it being her turn, or something.”
I just spit out my wine all over my computer screen!

AWESOME to hear from you Gary! Do not bother to respond to my PM’s- you addressed them in your post!

I am now going to light the bonfire!!

Time to crank up the tunes!!!!

None of that crap @Blondesjon plays on Randomass!
GOOD ROCK AND ROLL!

(Oh look! I can roast Jon! I am learning!)

If you wanna roast Jon, I suggest you watch the last 3 minutes of the show last night. Dude fell asleep on air.

Drunk ass bastard, he is.

ROTFLLLL!!! OMG! I should have stayed up!

If Gary wants we can have a Jon Roast at the bonfire!

I couldn’t breathe from laughing so hard. It was awesome.

Also, @whatthefluther, man. Don’t sweat it – just like @Dog there’s no need to respond to my PM (especially considering it was rather brief). We’re just happy to hear from you.

::sniffle!:: Yay! Hugs all around!

Thank you for coming to the party, Gary! No need for return PMs… Just enjoy the bonfire and the goodies. :)

we do a roast for jon and he’ll burn for three days….

@eponymoushipster awesome!

~Jon would be here but he is likely too hung over from his live nap last night. ;)

Anyone likes special brownies?
Jon’s always half-dead drunk when I log-in. Poor thing. Just kidding Jon, I lurve you.
Anyway, I’ll bring cheesecake for Gary and everyone else. (:

I can bring some homemade chocolate chip pumpkin cookies, and homemade pumpkin pie. Does anybody want some pecan pie too?

Sherry and I just had another grandchild….Mason Christopher @typicalusername, 7 lbs 15 oz, 20½ inches, born on the island of Maui, Hawaii on Sat., 11/07/2009. Next three rounds are on wtf! Gotta go check email for photos. See ya….Gary/wtf

CONGRATUALTIONS! Wonderful name.

Who was that masked man?

i was not sleeping i was MEDITATING on how much you all mean to me.

Love you, Gary.

Congrats on the new grandbaby.

Aw! bay-BEE!

Whoooo hooo! Welcome to the world Mason!!!!

Mimosas all the way around!!!

~Jon I did not know you were so spiritual!
(Now we know what Andy is there for- to keep you AWAKE!)

Bayyyyybbbbbeeeeeeee!
Picture, please.
Congrats! Mason is an adorable name!

Congratulations grandpa!!!!! What a lucky child to have such amazing people in it’s life!
Having grandparents like @whatthefluther and Sherry guarantees a life filled with love, music, knowledge and a wealth of experiences and humor. Hope to see some pictures on the photobucket group ASAP!!!!

We love you Gary!

Here’s my contribution to the Whatthefluther Roast: That Gary is so old, he has grandkids! Ohhh Burn!!

Congratulations WTF and sccrowell and welcome Baby Mason!

Aww congrats gary gary dingleberry!

Congrats!

@Blondesjon You meditating looks an awful lot like a crackhead dozing off.

Just sayin’.

@Grisaille Did his head bob? :)

I would love to see baby pix too!!!!!

@Grisaille . . . First of all, crackheads, like their heroin shooting counterparts, nod.

I also have my equipment set up so that if the show ever drops below 55 mph it will explode. Had I actually fallen asleep, you would have had something much more memorable to discuss.

Good day, sir!

Oh – you nodded. Don’t try to make this about me. Or Keanu Reeves.

So good day to you, sir.

I SAID GOOD DAY.

@Grisaille Just for the sake of argument, perhaps you can link that particular 3 minutes of video and we can make the assumption on our own.

@Grisaille . . . I agree with @chyna. Get it up as quick as you can and send me a copy of the clip so I can throw it up as well.

i am much too lazy to clip that right now

Feed that baby lots of candy corn….

Yay! Congrats @whatthefluther and family!

Congrats! Sorry I missed the party!
What’s this i hear about being a grandpa?
I guess I’ll have to go back and read about it when I have more time.

Hope all is well!

CONGO RATS!

All I can say is that, truly, the reason I hustled for 2 weeks to get my lurve up to 10K was so I could see what you would write.

Of course, I was disappointed. ;)

You’re a key voice in the collective, and an integral thread in our lives.
Thank you for being here.

look at all the suck-up-to-Andrew lurve there is. How pathetic.~

@Psychedelic_Zebra- It was the “Of course, I was disappointed.” line that won me over.

Not that I don’t know when it’s a good time to kiss a little ass.

FYI

(image cred to @cyndihugs for that)

That’s fabulous. :D

Don’t any of you people ever BLINK!?!

HA HA HA HA! Classic! @Blondesjon that was the longest blink I have ever seen.

On another note- Gary I saw on a thread you posted “Pix” and must say I thought they might be grand baby pix. Any chance we will get a peek?

that was epic.
LMFAO4RL