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So that we can start getting to know one another a bit, feel free to tell your story.
Here's mine:
I'm 38 years old and reside in Rochester, NY. I've been a lifelong resident of this western NY city located just south of Lake Ontario in what has been called the Finger Lakes region of New York. Although we've got hills, we'd have to head south to Pennsylvania or east to the Adirondacks to experience some mountains for ourselves. I live in the suburbs and have all my life, so seeing the wide open spaces on Brokeback Mountain is something I can see if I hop in the car and take a drive out into the country, but it's not something I live by any means.
I spent my teen years being an extremely introverted recluse. I had my various hobbies, none of which were social at all, and I basically didn't hang out with anyone. When I finally started college I had enough of having no social life and, through trial by fire, managed to come out and become an open extrovert. I went through a few long distance relationships back in 1986 which were hell. I understand very well Jack's frustration at being limited to see and spend time with Ennis, who lived several states away. One of my goals in life was to make sure I didn't end up spending my life alone and made finding a relationship that would work for me a very high priority. I lucked out in finding my partner (inside the area code too!) in early 1987 and we've been together ever since.
I am relieved I don't have to live the Ennis relationship mess, but that doesn't make me better than those who do because other baggage in my life exists in quantities worthy of American Airlines. Having friends who drive you nuts with their super secret emotions and definition of commitment can be almost as irritating as those who are dating or married to someone like that. I've had plenty of those enigmatic people in my life, and they can drive me crazy, so I recognized Jack's frustration with Ennis straight away.
On the issue of commitment, I turned out to be both Jack and Ennis. Like Jack, I fought for a relationship and made it a priority. But when I found the right person, Ennis came to the party and I found I was actually making excuses for not moving in and making the full commitment required. When I heard Ennis giving a laundry list about his job, society, etc., it dawned on me I had his Excuse-o-matic on loan over here too. Suddenly guilt through recognition.
I'm in transition as far as my job right now. I've been doing stuff that doesn't fulfill me or provide any sense of accomplishment or joy and I've been thinking a lot about the future and where I am going to be in 10-20 years. I don't think we do as much thinking about the future when we're younger. It's an odd dichotomy - time seems to move slower for me when I was young, but years passed, little got accomplished and it didn't seem to bother me. Now time is moving faster and I worry more about what exactly I am accomplishing today and whether there will be enough time to actually find something that is economically -and- emotionally fulfilling. I don't want to be Ennis staring at a piece of pie with little/nothing to show for it.
Sometimes big changes are terrifying and in order to get from "familiar but unsatisfying" to "unknown but changes your life for the better" means you need some support, encouragement and ideas.
I've been aware of all of these negative things in my life for a long time now, but I have compartmentalized and distracted myself from having to deal with because I had no real idea on how to change them, and I wasn't very motivated to either. Plus, the whole fear of failure keeps you from trying sometimes too. Better to dream, right?
I first heard of Brokeback Mountain from some news clipping or trailer I saw. I thought -- gay western, what the hell is that. Well, it's got Donnie Darko in it and that was an amazing performance, and it's original - gay ranch hands fall in love in the 1960s. Wow. I honestly didn't know who Heath Ledger was.
I've been spending less and less time in movie theatres in general because, frankly, there has been at least three years of mostly junk thrown in our faces. The major must-see movies for me had been the Harry Potter films. But to spend $7-9 to sit in a theatre with obnoxious people with cell phones, talking, and other annoyances just was really not for me anymore.
But because Brokeback seemed unique, my partner, my cousin, and a close friend elected to go and see it together at the local art house. Thankfully, disturbances at this particular theatre (the Little Theatre in Rochester, NY) have always been extremely rare, and they are non-profit now and worth supporting.
When the lights went down, the previews and the animated short came and went, the movie began. I think I've written extensively about how this movie hit me, so I won't repeat myself here, but I can say I was in no way prepared for it.
All my carefully protected compartments for the little problems in my life were vandalized by Annie Proulx's story and Ang Lee's film. All of a sudden it's all right in my face, and the screen is so big you can't look away. You also don't get to play the "in denial" card. Sorry, but the emotional tsunami hits you and, as Ennis likes to say, if you can't fix it you just have to deal with it. It's totally out of your control.
I hate being out of control. I must have answers. Someone has to have the answers. Prowl forums, see movie again, listen to soundtrack (me, listening to some country & western music which must result in a tear in the very fabric of space!), annoy friends with Brokeback tie-ins about everything (try shopping and walk in the bean aisle, try to explain why YOU are watching Oprah, why are you suddenly considering a vacation somewhere in the western US or Canada...), and then finally admit you have a problem!
Obsession... the new outdoor fragrance from Calvin Klein. When you can quote scenes from the movie by heart... it's Obsession.
My friends who have seen it have needed to talk about this movie. Unfortunately, a lot of them have their own significant others who had zero interest in seeing this movie and thus had nobody to talk to it about (if you were dragged to Saw 2 or any movie like it, you can get a court order to require the attendance of the person who thought Saw 2 truly dealt with the unresolved issues in part one but thinks Brokeback is a bunch of gay cowboys who do nothing but screw). I spent until 4am in an area café going through how this movie mangled me and what I could do about it.
When I read Annie's quote, which is my signature line, it dawned on me there was a way out of this emotional hell and that would be to finish the story in a positive way in my own life. This forum is my first tiptoe into the big changes to get me down the road of getting more fulfillment out of life. It's a small first step, but an important one.
That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.
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I'm 50 years old. I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, but left Chi-town in 1975 and have lived all over the country since then. I also spent a year living abroad in Paris.
I now reside in the southwest of the U.S., and have for 13 years now. When I arrived here I was ready to grow some roots some place after so much (13 times!) moving across country. I wanted to make friends that I wouldn't have to say goodbye to a year ot two later.
I knew that I was gay (altho' I didn't use that term) when I was 8 years old (nb. I'm gonna post that story elsewhere). I hit adolesence in the late 60's, lost my virginity in '68 when I was 13 years old, and dived head long into the "sexual freedom" movement of the 70's. I came out to my parents when I was 17, and was involved in gay political activism in '73 and '74 when I lived in San Diego.
I have a Ph.D. and was working in academia. Then in
[sh*t: my local news on the radio just reported they'll have a story about the beating of 2 gay men]
Then in July of 1995, my back started deteriorating very rapidly and I have lived with chronic, constant, and intractable pain since then.
That threw me into a pretty big depression that took me a couple of years to overcome. I no longer work and my world has shrunk quite a bit because activity increases my pain. I play duplicate bridge at our local club, teach there, and do volunteer work for the club. I used to be on the bridge tournament circuit, but just a few weeks ago I had to accept the fact that my back no longer allows me to do that, so bridge is becoming a pastime instead of an avocation just now. I'm currently adjusting to that fact, and it's pretty rough.
That's a summary of my life so far. I'm planning on copying a few posts I made over at the imdb board that show how BBM has affected me.... or at least, how it has influenced my thinking and viewpoint on my life.
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I'm 50 years old. I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, but left Chi-town in 1975 and have lived all over the country since then. I also spent a year living abroad in Paris.
Wow, you've definitely been further away from home than I have. I have actually lived along the same street, in the same town, for my entire life, just at five different addresses!
I now reside in the southwest of the U.S., and have for 13 years now. When I arrived here I was ready to grow some roots some place after so much (13 times!) moving across country. I wanted to make friends that I wouldn't have to say goodbye to a year ot two later.
I have never seen a desert in "real life." It's one of the things that touched me about the film - the different scenery is something I've never actually seen. Being here in western New York isn't actually dull and boring. We have lots of hills and a big lake, and driving isn't as monotonous as it might be in some areas of the country. But I never go anywhere - in fact, I haven't been on a real vacation since 1986. It's something that needs to change.
I have seen a lot of my own friends move out of this area. A lot eventually gravitate back, despite our reputation for annoying (but not deadly) weather. Only I seem to be anchored in place.
I knew that I was gay (altho' I didn't use that term) when I was 8 years old (nb. I'm gonna post that story elsewhere). I hit adolesence in the late 60's, lost my virginity in '68 when I was 13 years old, and dived head long into the "sexual freedom" movement of the 70's. I came out to my parents when I was 17, and was involved in gay political activism in '73 and '74 when I lived in San Diego. I practiced Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism for 23 years starting in '75.
We can address is in the seriously-needs-a-new-name GLBT forum a bit more.
Then in July of 1995, my back started deteriorating very rapidly and I have lived with chronic, constant, and intractable pain since then.
That threw me into a pretty big depression that took me a couple of years to overcome. I no longer work and my world has shrunk quite a bit because activity increases my pain. I play duplicate bridge at our local club, teach there, and do volunteer work for the club. I used to be on the bridge tournament circuit, but just a few weeks ago I had to accept the fact that my back no longer allows me to do that, so bridge is becoming a pastime instead of an avocation just now. I'm currently adjusting to that fact, and it's pretty rough.
I have become an avid walker to try and deal with my weight and I go absolutely crazy if I can't go outside and do my thing, and when there is some sort of pain, it's extremely aggravating, so I understand a little bit of your frustration, although I can't relate to the pain you've experienced. It's very upsetting that there isn't some sort of effective treatment for back pain - it seems to me if we can have a half dozen medications for sexual gratification and more than 15 meds for depression, there should be some appropriate pain management tools available that don't leave someone addicted to them and knocked for a loop because of side effects.
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I'm a 38 year old Black heterosexual female who grew up in the Southwest. Politically I consider myself to be middle of the road although my conservative friends see me as a flaming liberal. Although I do attend church regularly I do not consider myself to be religious. I try to follow the teachings of Christ and for me that is (most importantly) treating others with respect and love. Also, I've got a lot of major work to do on myself before I can even begin to start judging the minor issues of others.
Anyway, I am not sure what it was about this moving that totally devastated me when I saw it initially. Luckily, when this movie was first released in my area I was on a leave of absence from work and was able to investigate my obsession~ gotta love the Internet. It has been almost 3 months and I must say that the movie no longer consumes my thoughts all of the time. The haunting *does* subside! (Of course I did purchase the short story and have read it innumerable times in addition to seeing the movie repeatedly.)
Someone on IMDB mentioned this site ~ subside does not mean completely go away so I still read message boards~ and I liked the idea of using this wonderful movie as a start to future self improvements.
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Welcome Juneaux!
Anyway, I am not sure what it was about this moving that totally devastated me when I saw it initially. Luckily, when this movie was first released in my area I was on a leave of absence from work and was able to investigate my obsession~ gotta love the Internet. It has been almost 3 months and I must say that the movie no longer consumes my thoughts all of the time. The haunting *does* subside! (Of course I did purchase the short story and have read it innumerable times in addition to seeing the movie repeatedly.)
I have had lots of thought time to spend on Brokeback as well, and maybe that correlates to the impact. I suppose if we're very busy with work or some other responsibilities more pressing, perhaps the impact isn't as great?
Yes, I agree that as each day goes by, I am able to step back a little more from the movie, but still not lose sight of what it was saying. I am trying hard myself not to lose the sting of the slap in the face... the motivating power... I don't know what to call it exactly, of the film's impact.
Ang Lee told us (gosh, I am starting to quote him like he's a prophet now... :o) in his Brokeback Book of Revelations ;) that he often listened to the soundtrack to stay inspired and focused while making the movie. I keep bringing the music out myself whenever I feel like something is pulling me away from the mission at hand.
I really appreciate the post, because when you guys write, it also helps me a lot in staying focused and building some momentum.
I was debating buying the screenplay book with extra comments about the film at Barnes & Noble the other week, but they wanted $14 for it + outrageous NY sales tax, so I'll probably order it online. There were only about two dozen pages of new content total.
As far as self-improvements go, feel free to post a list of anything you want to accomplish. I want to build some sort of tool that lets us enter our goals into it and have reminders appear so we keep going back to them and report (privately to yourself or publicly to everyone) how much progress is getting made. We can also try and pool resources with links to good info, encouragement, and whatever other support we can offer back and forth.
Thanks again for spending time here and I hope we can both get things out of this.
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Gay guy living here in southern New England. I'm an "Ennis" type, am a conservative Republican, and go for Jack or Randall types. I'm fairly athletic and am a hardcore snowboarder, free-style ice skater, and bicyclist.
Yes you read that right, a conservative Republican snowboarder.
I discovered BBM back in mid December when I casually picked up a copy of Details which was floating around the office. The issue which had Jake G. on the cover and which interviewed him. I had never heard of him before, nor of Donnie Darko or really any of his films. I was vaguely aware of Jarhead and seem to recall Day After Tommorrow perhaps. He looked kind of cute on the cover so I read his story.
The interview referenced BBM so I made a mental note and jumped on IMDb to research the film. The last time I had been on IMDb was when Return of the King was in theatrical release. (hence my balrog handle)
I downloaded the Proulx short story which was linked there in PDF and was hooked.
Have seen the film 18 times now beginning with week 2 of theatrical release. Sometimes 3 times in a week at first. It consumes my online life, as well as my waking hours. Some days more intensely than others. BTW, you do stop crying after seeing it 18 times, and you don't always sit through the credits listening to Willie Neslon. I see it alone 100% of the time and have seen it in 5 separate theatre venues now, in Boston, Providence,RI, and suburbs of each of those cities.
THe music/soundtrack deeply affects me and I spend lots of time practicing the guitar instrumentals - The Wings, The Opening, Snow, Riding Horses, and The Brokeback Theme. I'm ordering a harmonica online shortly with the intention of learning how to play one.
I hang out some on EnnisJack and although I like IMDb it is overwhelming over there and it seems some of the old timers have moved on. I'm over here for a little more intimacy in a posting envoirment. Funny how one's online friends are basicly disembodied electrons and yet they become good friends?
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Gay guy living here in southern New England. I'm an "Ennis" type, am a conservative Republican, and go for Jack or Randall types.
Welcome aboard. A gay conservative Republican in New England? ;D
I discovered BBM back in mid December when I casually picked up a copy of Details which was floating around the office. The issue which had Jake G. on the cover and which interviewed him. I had never heard of him before, nor of Donnie Darko or really any of his films. I was vaguely aware of Jarhead and seem to recall Day After Tommorrow perhaps. He looked kind of cute on the cover so I read his story.
I think those of us who recall Day After Tomorrow, which they are showing repeatedly (again) on the pay cable networks, don't bring a lot of fond memories from it. If you haven't seen Donnie Darko, it's an amazing film and I'd advise renting it. It definitely falls outside of mainstream Hollywood movies, that's for sure. It also has another one of those soundtracks that grabs you, especially if you were growing up during the 1980s. Day After Tomorrow for Jake was equivalent to Ang Lee doing The Hulk. Bad idea gone horribly wrong. I had seen promos for Jarhead but it looked like one of those movies you'd expect Vin Diesel to be in, and with movies here at $8 a ticket, I'll pass. My cousin saw it and said it was deeper than the trailer let on. I'll wait to see it on HBO, I guess.
The interview referenced BBM so I made a mental note and jumped on IMDb to research the film. The last time I had been on IMDb was when Return of the King was in theatrical release. (hence my balrog handle)
The Lord of the Rings trilogy is one of those must-see things for me at a time when I am seeing fewer and fewer movies. Another epic story very well done. But I sensed from it that the entire thing was definitely a "guy movie." The director didn't seem what to do with his female characters and the sweeping themes of heroism and such made for a good film, but it carried zero emotional investment for me. Meanwhile, a shirt hanging in a closet causes people to burst into tears and wander around like zombies for days after. I'm not ready to call Brokeback a "chick flick," but there was an amazing difference for me between these movies. Both were excellent. The only other movies I largely consider must-see are the Harry Potter films, which are great adventure and also make you wonder why going to school in your area was never as exciting as Hogwarts. :)
Have seen the film 18 times now beginning with week 2 of theatrical release. Sometimes 3 times in a week at first.
In scene 17 when they are riding on horseback and they encounter a prairie, how many flowers are on screen. :-) Someone who has seen in 18 times could tell me. I haven't come close to that. In fact, on subsequent viewings, I spend most of my time and attention on the opening summer at Brokeback scenes. When I saw it the first time, it seemed a slower part of the film, but not annoyingly so, but you later come to regret not having even more time spent there because that seems to be the only truly peaceful and happy prolonged section of the film, except for the kiss outside Ennis' place.
It consumes my online life, as well as my waking hours. Some days more intensely than others. BTW, you do stop crying after seeing it 18 times, and you don't always sit through the credits listening to Willie Neslon. I see it alone 100% of the time and have seen it in 5 separate theatre venues now, in Boston, Providence,RI, and suburbs of each of those cities.
The Wings probably touches me more than any other song on the soundtrack. I'm still annoyed how short of a song it is and I've been looking around for music similar to it to broaden out my aural wallpaper when typing away on the computer here. I'll have to start a thread so we can all build some playlists. The second big song for me is Emmylou Harris' A Love That Will Never Grow Old. That one hits me more than any of the other songs, and of course in context in the film, it's destined to get you.
I hang out some on EnnisJack and although I like IMDb it is overwhelming over there and it seems some of the old timers have moved on. I'm over here for a little more intimacy in a posting envoirment. Funny how one's online friends are basicly disembodied electrons and yet they become good friends?
Absolutely. I want this to be a place where we connect with each other on what I hope will be a longer term basis. There will be some group projects in the coming weeks. One I want to do is for us to grab those digital cameras and go out into our own locales and snap some pictures and put them online. For me, never being a big traveller anyway, I'd like to armchair travel at least. One of the things I am contemplating doing is actually doing a vacation this year, perhaps even to Alberta to see a certain mountain. It is one of the things I want on my goals list for 2006. If I do go, I'm taking video camera, digital cameras and whatever else I can grab and take as much footage as I can and put it up here. If I'm real lucky, I'll find an Albertan on BetterMost to perhaps shoot some video for us before then.
I'm also open to other ideas from folks here about stuff we can do on the site over the coming year. I'm being pushed in the direction of doing a BetterMost podcast of some kind, but I have no idea what the content of that would be, but who knows.
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Hi there. I’m a 46 year old gay male living in a suburb of St. Paul, Minnesota. Grew up in northwest Minnesota, lived in Grand Forks, ND for a few years, and thought that the Twin Cities would be the place to find myself, a partner, and an exciting life. Well, it sucks, but things didn’t turn out the way I thought they would. I had an easy time making friends in school and in Grand Forks, but have found it extremely difficult to make and keep friends here in the big city. Although I tried like heck to meet new people and form relationships, for one reason or another, relationships never took off. After years of trying, I decided it was futile, and stopped trying.
I started out a lot like Jack, a dreamer, an adventurer, goal oriented. But now, I’m basically living the life of Ennis… closed off from the rest of the world, pretty much unable to express emotions, and sadly still in the closet.
After seeing Brokeback Mountain for the first time, I spent weeks crying about it. It was stunning and very scary how closely I connected with Ennis. I know exactly how the man feels and what he’s going through! I talked with my one good friend who knows I’m gay about how this film affected me. I told her how scary it was to see my feelings portrayed by such a mal-adjusted character as Ennis. I also told her I dreamed about taking these depressive feelings and channeling them into something positive. I told her how I discovered, through many discussion boards, that there are so many other people out there who feel the same way as I do, and how great it would be if there was some way that we could all come together to work out our problems. Well Phillip, I gotta thank you for taking the bull by the horns and starting this site. I’m hopeful that good things will come of it for me and lots of others out there.
Mike.
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Hi Mike and welcome.....it's nice to know you and your feelings. YES.....we've all had very VERY emotional upheavals while engrossed in this story. I can see how you would relate to Ennis....but I truly don't think he was all that 'mal-adjusted' in his life....at least not in his ability to LOVE...and love deeply!! He just didn't know how to handle that love when it came into his life. He was fearful and I TRULY believe he was fearful NOT just for himself...but also for JACK. When Ennis broke down in Jack's arms...inside the arms of the person he loved...he was a child...aching to stay. I think what we all need to learn is how to open up....to let those fears be known....and stand up and slay those 'dragons' that we all keep hidden so deeply inside.
I, for one, have never been able to take ahold of MY needs and let anyone know about them. I've always been the "rock" and helped others. I've discovered that NOW it's time to start taking care of ME....and quit being such a chicken chit....about facing life.
Come on Mike....let's get out there in the world and give it another try. There ARE good people out there....!! If "I" can do it....anyone can!! ;)
Hey PHILIP....can we ALL go to Alberta with ya? What a TRIP that would be...huh? We can all go to 'our' mountain!!
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Gay man living in Massachusetts. I'm 44...ugh. Professional singer...classical. Let's see...I guess I've lived a hell of an interesting life. Seen a lot, and done a lot...so much in fact that I'm rather astonished that I'm still here! Since I'm anethema to overly long posts, I'll just say that BBM literally alltered the course of my life, because it forced me to accept responsability for what I don't like about it...my life that is. Fix it and move on, or realize that it's not fixable, and forget it.
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Hi, I've posted a couple of messages having been registered since yesterday and just come across this board. So I guess this should've been my first message.
Well anyway, I'm an out 31 year old gay male, British, now living in Spain. I don't really go out on the gay scene much now. I live rurally in an area you could say is slightly comparable to Brokeback's, originally from London. So I guess you could call me a townie at heart. I've visited the USA many times in the past and stayed there for a couple of months about 6 years ago so I'm kind of tuned into American life whenever it passes me by.
Anyway Brokeback has gotten me good as they say for months now. I guess it started for me back 6 months or so ago, when I was just browsing one evening and all of a sudden Yahoo UK had a news item flash up titled "Gay Cowboy Movie Rides into Venice". I can't remember much now about why I got interested so quickly, but I do remember there was a sudden buzz on the Internet from early critics of the film that seemed almost astounding and unbelievable for a gay film, especially one about cowboys. BBM got my attention, held it and that was the start of my journey I suppose. Thereafter I couldn't get enough and I was constantly on search engines searching for any review possible and repeatedly looking at some countdown movie clock for film releases! I remember being so impatient back then. I just knew this film was gonna be special for me, and for many others too. I just had that feeling without much to go on.
Well saw the Dec 9 release date and then learned it wasn't going to be shown in the UK until early January (my only chance of seeing it in English before DVD release). But then there was a timely offer to go back to England post Christmas to see friends and family. You can imagine my distress and impatience when I then learnt my family had inadvertently bought me a plane ticket to return back to Spain on Jan 4, just 2 days before the film's UK release of Jan 6. To miss it by 2 days! Anyway thanks again to the wonders that are Yahoo news, 2 days before departing I saw that there was an exclusive release in central London at 1 cinema, 1 week before its general release. Well that was it. I was moving any mountain to get a ticket to that cinema and fit it into my holiday schedule. Well I got the ticket and the rest as they say is history. All the impatience and waiting were well worth it.
The film touched me big time, in short, I became a "brokeaholic". You couldn't ever say my life is comparable to either Jack or Ennis, but yet there are so many things and parallels about this story which are very affecting to me. To keep this succinct the main thing about BBM which I can post-analyse as being it's attraction to me is that I feel a film has finally been made about what it's like to live in the closet. Something that I did for a few short years before having the guts to tell people. Hellish years I guess you could say, which even today still form part of my own character and personality but now I believe in a positive way. I want to understand this film so much for my own personal reasons, but also I think it has a very powerful message for societies all over the world to stop people having to be in the closet. And for us all to find happiness..... My congratz to Phillip for having the foresight and determination in setting up this forum for those who need an outlet well after the buzz of this film has died down.
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Hey everyone. I think my "Legacy of BBM" post last week took a little too much out of me because it's taken me almost a week to get back and introduce myself. I guess because I like to say what I mean and mean what I say that my posts tend to take me a long time to write. But maybe it's more that I care SO MUCH about this film that anything that's easy to say seems somehow inappropriate.
Firstly, the not-so-vital statistics: my name is Chris, aged 38, hetero-friendly, and I've been living in Melbourne Australia for the last 15 years. To be honest, I found my birth-city of Adelaide a bit depressing, mainly because that's where my immediate family live. Basically, I'm "out" to anyone who cares to ask and to all of my (mostly straight) friends, but feel no need to make an issue for anyone else. Somehow my family manages to make sure that the subject never comes up, even if I try, the poor dears (bless their cotton socks)!
Anyway, I've always believed that it is important to find your own happiness in life, to think for yourself and to be suspicious of advice. I remember thinking when I was around 12 years old (yes that early), "how could it be wrong to be gay when I don't feel wrong"? Although I instinctively knew there wasn't anything wrong with me, this didn't stop me from feeling different and alone, and this continued for the next 15 years until I finally became sick and tired of being unhappy and decided to give the scene a go. And what a revelation that was, or disappointment to be precise (you know where this is going don't you). What I found was an environment that was even less accepting than my Catholic high-school was (my parents wanted me to go to a good school even though we weren't Catholic). I mean, sheesh, come on, if you're part of a minority group the last thing you need is to make it more "minor" by getting all bitchy and judgemental! Surely we should be looking after each other yes? Anyway, it was at this time that I came to the conclusion that, in general, there's something seriously wrong with just about any group that you can apply a collective noun to. Ok, focus Chris, back to the introduction.
I guess this is the point where I tie in Brokeback Mountain. Here I am, content with my conclusion that the world is never going to be much more than a big, fat disappointment, and then this film comes into my life and my world is turned upside down. Not only does it absolutely knock my socks off in a way that I never expected or even thought possible, but I find that there is an ever-growing community of Brokaholics that share in this obsession. The early days after the first viewing BBM were hard to be sure, but somehow this was the most exquisite of tortures, and I wanted more. And then the realisation came of how much I had been damaging myself, having resigned myself to the fact that I didn't deserve to be outwardly happy, and that I thought that I was ok with just being inwardly happy. Here I thought I was a Jack, when in fact I was really an Ennis, terrified of being disappointed and still living by other people's rules.
I (and I expect many others) have been living in a dream and it's time to wake up. Everything is different now. But... Well I'd like to say that I know how to end this with a mission statement for how the 'new me' thinks and acts, but the only words that come to mind is that the angry-semi-conformist described above is no more. And this brings me back to my Legacy post. I really think that it's time that the world gets over its childish need to sit in judgement of itself and the people in it. I think it's also fair to say, even for the religious types, that moral judgement was never intended to be the prerogative of any human, and any attempt to do so is a sin in itself. But fear not, this is not me getting back on my soap box, crying out and making a scene about acceptance and tolerance. No, this is about me being ok with me, and giving myself permission to let the Ennis in me (with affection) take less of a controlling interest in my life.
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Hello. My name in Chris and I live in Eastern Idaho but was born and raised in Jackson which is in West Wyoming. I found your web-site from looking for information about Brokeback Mountain. I am 27 years old and am a mechanic for a living. My only Internet is through the public free library which I spend time at because my sister needs a ride home from her job and I kick time around waiting by being on the computer. I didnt know about Brokeback Mountain until I saw it on the news. I need to say I have had these feelings before but I dont like to mind them much. I have messed around before on my girlfriend with this bud of mine when I was in school a couple times but we dont talk about it. So I was curious about Brokeback. I thought they filmed it in Wyoming and I wanted to see if I knew any of the places. You gotta understand there is no way I am seeing this in a town where people know me. No way. That means a long haul to Boise if you want to see it. I had luck in having to drive there to pick up some truck parts and stay overnite so I went to see the first evening showing in the movies. I admit I had to walk out after the second scene in the tent after the first one. I was shaking hard and was real upset by the sitaution. I got going if you know what I mean. It scared me because I knew those feelings. I almost got sick in the mensroom and had to leave. The movie manager saw me and asked if I was feeling right and I said I wasnt. He gave me a free ticket and I left. Up the road there was a diner and I stopped and got the paper and had some coffee. I had this paper in front of my face for an hour and didnt read a thing in it. I just kept looking at it like I was.
I kept on with the thought about why I was getting going by the two guys in it. Then it makes me think about what is going on with me. Me and my bud never talked about what we did we just did it and thats all. It felt good and I always used to say to him that it was fun but that is all I ever said. I still think about it. So I get the check and I reach in my pocket to get some change and the ticket the manager gave me fell on the floor. The waitress grabbed it for me and I was afraid she knew what I saw for a second, but the ticket didnt have the name of the movie on it. I have a story about that later though.
Back in my truck I decided I would go back and see the later show of the movie at 9:30. I sat way in the back but didnt need to because there were only three people in the place. This time I saw the whole movie. I was real glad the two women that were there left as soon as the credits came on because I was flatline floored. I dont know if you know how hard it is not to start crying. I was messed up. I got out of the place and back into the truck and drove around crying like a baby. It was these waves where you'd think you have it stopped and then it comes on again. I got no sleep in the motel when I got back there.
The story for me is that I think there is more to me and my bud inside of me than I thought. I said the same things to my girl that Ennis said to his wife. I was 2 timing her with him back then but she left because she said I didnt show her my feelings and it was like I didnt care. But even when I wanted to say something to her I never knew what I was supposed to. It felt better with me and my bud and we didnt have to talk about it anyway.
So now I act loner and do my own things. My bud moved to Colorado and we dont talk anymore. My folks keep bugging me to get married and my mom says I am too quiet. After seeing Ennis, I saw a lot of me and I guess so that I am too quiet. Unless I know them really good I am not a good talker. But I dont know if all of this means I am gay or am going to be alone or what? Mostly I just dont want to be alone. What I guess I am saying is that I came here to figure myself out better and I need a place to do that.
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Oh IdahoLonely....your post tore at my heart. If you check my profile....I'm a hetero little old grandma....and I can still understand your feelings. This story has kicked our butts...brought out emotions and feelings that we've been hiding SO deep within ourselves. I feel so badly that you have been hiding from yourself and from everyone else...it seems. Perhaps you ARE gay.....why not? Of course you're living in just about the MOST bigoted state in the union. It's so sad and pathethic that people just don't "get it". Perhaps your encounter with your pal was true...and loving...and caring and THAT's why you feel a hole in your heart. Perhaps you ARE Ennis...closed mouthed and aching inside. Whatever those emotions are....it's soo important to address them. I like to call it...Facing and slaying the dragon!! Perhaps I should rename it...huh? Perhaps facing and LOVING the dragon....the one that lurks inside us all.
I was physically sick too....when I saw the movie for the first time. I related to these two sweet loving 'boys' <Ennis and Jack> as a mother who wants SO badly to nurture and love these two guys. I want to wrap them in love and safety and security. I want to tell them that it's ALRIGHT!! I ACHE to hold them both in my arms....and tell them it's ALRIGHT to love another person....no matter WHO they are.
I hope the people here on this forum can help you...Idaho. Perhaps then you can walk PROUDLY into the theater and say "To HELL with the world....this is WHO I am"
There is SO much love in this world...Idaho. Hopefully this is a 'turn-around' phenomenon that we are going through right now. Perhaps the gay society will finally get their "place in the sun" huh? I DO know....that I have been receiving e-mails from TONS of older straight women like myself....who have been soo greatly effected by this story.
Bless you Idaho....and stick around here with us. ((((((IDAHO))))))
Nancy <a little old lady in California>
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Howdy Phillip and fellow Bro's of the Mountain.
Let's see, at 55 (on March 7th) I would seem to be the "Sr. Ranch Hand" of the moment. I would like to give a tip of the ol' cowboy hat to Phillip for this wonderful BetterMost site and forum. Haviing read all the introductions up to this point I'd say there is much in the way of wisdom, compassion, support and "Grandma"therly love to be shared with all souls of<<< Idaho>>> and surrounds who've journey here from their own Brokeback Mountain roots. It's been one hell of a hike!
Now for the introduction: Sorry, I tend to be a wordsmith. Grew up in small town outside of Boston, attended
Catholic school, member of the last generation of Alter Boys who celebrated Mass in Latin. I went on to play college basketball (at six-foot-seven I wasn't given a choice). Moved out to Arizona to begin broadcasting production career, editing theatrical feature films for local television. (YES, BBM should have also received an Oscar nod for editing!). At 27 I Married a 26 year old local college sorority girl. I had it all, terrific career, loving wife, beautiful child, new house with two new cars in the garage and an impressive zip code. But as you guessed, had a huge void that went unfullfilled and unrealized for many years, until I met "Jack." He was a fellow baskeball player from the West Coast who put the moves on me, swept me off my feet, and sent me "Cookies from Home" to my office with a huge Birthday balloon! He also foreced me out of my "comfort zone" and to confront a truth, that up to then, was deeply repressed and surpressed in order to keep family. socieity and church happy. Like BBM, being Gay in the Cowboy, Catholic/Mormon conservative Southwest circa 1978, was not an approved, available or safe option. Times have changed. Yee Haw! & Thank God.
My "Jack" wouldn't quit me! Nine years into my marriage, I came out to my wife while we were watching the 1982 Gay breakthrough movie of its time, "Making Love." After a year of divorce court, the wife and I were granted "joint custody," and both went through bankrupcy in the process. The marriage had lasted 10 years, my relationship with Jack lasted 8 years and was followed by a couple of extended relationships. However, for the past 12 years I've chosen to remain single but do occassionally date. BMF Contributor "Chris" might be interested in learning that my dream is to someday retire to my vacation stomping grounds in Melbourne, Australia and lasso my next mate in the Outback. Oh perhaps I can get Heath Ledger to fix me up with someone in his hometown of Perth. Got Tent....Will Travel.
Thanks for your wonderful stories and input...I know that there are many who not only resonate with your fine words but welcome the warmth, comfort and security of the fellowship around this campfire.
DENYYS - rhymes with Ennis
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Hi Folks....I think I'm guilty too....of not introducing myself. I just kind of JUMPED right in and started yakking.
I'm a 67 year old heterosexual grandma. I'm fast approaching 'oldladyhood' I'm afraid. But that's alright. I've lived a very full life but since this movie I've discovered a lot of empty spots in my life that I've never filled up. But....I digress...
I was born in Detroit....a good place NOT to visit anymore....and lived as a child in Connecticut. I moved with my parents and sisters to California when I was about 6 or so. I lived in San Francisco for almost all of my life. I went through all my school years in Catholic school. My childhood was very bizarre....to say the least. My mother was a domineering...controlling....woman who's only connection with her daughters was so raise us to pay HOMAGE to the QUEEN...<as she called herself> She raised us in such a submissive posture...that I've always had trouble asserting my OWN self. I had NO idea who I was....or where I was going in this world. Of course my stint in Catholic school added to all that self doubt. I can remember the NUN....when she discovered that I was left-handed. She glared at me as though I were some sort of alien in their midst. Every Friday she would make all my classmates bring their chairs around in a circle around me...and PRAY that the devil would be "cast out of me' That did a WHOLE lot for my self esteem!! :-\
In the fifties....when I was done with school....it was expected that you marry....have a load of kids.....and be subjected to your husbands will. If you weren't married by the time you were 19.....you were an oddball. And soooooo....I picked some poor guy who never had a chance....and married him!! BIG mistake!! I was divorced with a young son when I was 21....completely ill prepared for this big old world. I was always searching....wondering....questioning. I was married two more times....more big mistakes. My final try at finding LOVE in my life was falling SO very much in love with a married man. It wrenched my heart out...totally. I spent 7 years...wanting...waiting. Of course that day never came.
Now I live in Northern California. I have a teeny little 'spread' as they call it. I live alone....with my two wonderful pups...and four kitty kats. My life is comfortable and good. My son is raised and off with his brood. I'm surrounded by the vineyards of Sonoma county. One of my greatest joys is to put the top down on my little Mustang...<yes...Heath has a Mustang too :D> and drive the countryside.....with my two PUPS!!
I've posted a few times here....and so I think you've all heard how effected I have been by 'our' movie. Trust me guys....us little old ladies have been 'gut wrenched' by this story too. It's as though someone has reached inside my heart...and SQUEEZED it like a lump of Jello. I feel as though I've been 'drawn and quartered' in my heart. It's brought out emotions that I didn't know I had!! All those...."shoulda's....coulda's....and woulda's" have come crashing down on me....like the hail on Ennis and Jack.
I've received letters from other gals like me....who are struggling with these same emotions too. I'm hoping we will all learn and grow with each other....folks. I truly believe that Brokeback Mountain has started a sociological phenomenon that will be studied for years to come!
Bless us all....and may we ALL discover the Ennis and Jack....inside all of us!!
BBMGrandma...with love!!
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Although I tried like heck to meet new people and form relationships, for one reason or another, relationships never took off. After years of trying, I decided it was futile, and stopped trying
I started out a lot like Jack, a dreamer, an adventurer, goal oriented. But now, I’m basically living the life of Ennis… closed off from the rest of the world, pretty much unable to express emotions, and sadly still in the closet.
I am behind in messages so here comes a string of them. There will be even more tomorrow.
I think the issue here might be that you are running in Ennis' shoes and having trouble with emotional expression and your sexuality in general and that, probably more than anything else, may be what is holding back your relationship possibilities.
I went from being a total introvert in high school to an extrovert in college by forcing myself to make some changes, if only because my goal was not to spend the rest of my life being alone. I wanted to be around people and find a relationship and that required me to make changes. I succeeded in finding the right person when I was 19 years old. I'm sure part of that was luck, but also it took a lot of hard work to be willing to express myself and be more open. The closest I can come to enigmatic people these days are friends, and I have had several that could run the gamut from being intellectually/emotionally immature to those who were just, for whatever reason, unable to be very expressive about their emotions.
I try to be a very patient and tolerant person towards peoples' differences - I'm no perfect person myself. But one thing I have always insisted on is measurable growth and change in a person. I cannot afford, for my own emotional well being, to invest myself in someone who can't be there for me when something goes wrong or if I need help, etc. What usually happens when I sense a person is not growing in the friendship at all is that eventually it causes me to write off the person. My emotional temperment will make me accuse them (at least internally if not to their face) of being selfish for not at least making an effort.
This is not to say you represent any of this in your own life - I don't know you beyond a few messages here. But I can tell you that someone looking for a relationship is going to want to find people who are open and who you don't have to pull teeth to get anything out of. Hopefully BetterMost can offer some insight on some of these issues for you with the exchange of things back and forth and that may help you on your journey.
But I can tell you that giving up and not looking isn't the right answer if you truly want to be with someone. I think a lot of people are very forgiving and tolerant in a relationship if they see the other person is working on growing and improving. When I see relationships crumble, it's usually because one person denies there even is a problem and refuses to do anything about it. Jack and Ennis' relationship over 20 years, if I was one of the characters, would not have been realistic in my own life. I would have never put up with it. If I was Jack and I really wanted to be with Ennis the ExcuseMaker, I would have bought property nearby after the divorce and inserted myself into his life at least so that I wouldn't be stuck with "a few times a year" at the outset, and getting through his thick skull down the road. Barring that, I would have moved on. There is no way I would let someone do that to me for 20 years no matter what I felt about them at the beginning. I'd always have feelings for the person, but I would not allow my life to go by with that kind of misery.
I'm only Ennis in myself to the extent I can make up some stupid excuses for not doing things I need to do in my life. Seeing Ennis use them made me realize just how dumb they were when I was using them. I have a lot more trouble relating to Ennis because I can't imagine I'd ever sit around alone ... year after year like that.
There are 250 million people plus in this country. The chances of there being at least one who would be the perfect person in your life is very, very high. You just have to make sure they know you are looking, so I'd encourage you to consider getting back into Jack mode, hopefully with encouragement and help from the rest of us! I have some ideas to lay out in the days and weeks ahead on these issues, and hopefully others will too!
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Hi Mike and welcome.....it's nice to know you and your feelings. YES.....we've all had very VERY emotional upheavals while engrossed in this story. I can see how you would relate to Ennis....but I truly don't think he was all that 'mal-adjusted' in his life....at least not in his ability to LOVE...and love deeply!! He just didn't know how to handle that love when it came into his life. He was fearful and I TRULY believe he was fearful NOT just for himself...but also for JACK. When Ennis broke down in Jack's arms...inside the arms of the person he loved...he was a child...aching to stay. I think what we all need to learn is how to open up....to let those fears be known....and stand up and slay those 'dragons' that we all keep hidden so deeply inside.
I also believe Ennis wasn't really "damaged goods" per se, he was just one of those people who had to deal with a lot of baggage growing up and learned to Berlin Wall off his emotions as a self-defense mechanism. I've seen that before in people and usually after a lot of work and developing trust with them, and the passage of time in a healthy environment where someone feels safe, the wall will start to crumble. It may not come down completely, but things will change. Since these two guys never seemed to come right out and acknowledge anything beyond the equivalent of Brokeback Mountain Fever as the cause of their "connection" together, the road to being comfortable and open, at least with themselves, about their sexuality would be a long one.
I, for one, have never been able to take ahold of MY needs and let anyone know about them. I've always been the "rock" and helped others. I've discovered that NOW it's time to start taking care of ME....and quit being such a chicken chit....about facing life.
I have been the Dr. Phil, therapist to the stars, for most of my friends year after year. (Usually therapy in this case consists of listening and trying to understand the person, see if they realize something about themselves as they are explaining who they are to me, and then applying common sense.) Part of the reason I am good at it is I am in touch with a lot of my own feelings and seem to be good with documenting the issues I have completely dealt with, and thus can share them with other people. Of course, I fall totally apart when trying to diagnose and provide therapy to myself on the unresolved issues in my life. Then I am the blind man stumbling in the dark. Having people who rely on me seeing me stumble around often freaks them out because they seemed to be leaning on me for strength and when they see me wavering, that means their own emotional crutch may not be able to support them.
I am humble enough to realize I am not all-knowing about anything, and I need just as much help and support as everyone else. I've just not had a real avenue or place to go to look for it until BetterMost came around. Now I have a place where I can put issues out there and hopefully get some great support and advice from others who know more than I or who have already been down that road. And I hope the same will be true for everyone else on here.
Hey PHILIP....can we ALL go to Alberta with ya? What a TRIP that would be...huh? We can all go to 'our' mountain!!
I am investigating the very real possibility of going this summer, finances willing. My preference would be to drive it, if only to see more of the country. Outside of a few trips to Ontario, Canada, Florida, Tennessee, Los Angeles, and a quick scoot across the border into Pennsylvania last year, my last "overnight" stay anywhere outside of New York was in 1986!
Who knows what can happen this summer... we have time to discuss the possibilities down the road.
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Gay man living in Massachusetts. I'm 44...ugh. Professional singer...classical. Let's see...I guess I've lived a hell of an interesting life. Seen a lot, and done a lot...so much in fact that I'm rather astonished that I'm still here! Since I'm anethema to overly long posts, I'll just say that BBM literally alltered the course of my life, because it forced me to accept responsability for what I don't like about it...my life that is. Fix it and move on, or realize that it's not fixable, and forget it.
Hi Scott and welcome. One of the things I hope BBM will show us is that some of what we assume cannot be fixed can actually be fixed, just maybe not by ourselves. Most of what Ennis was complaining about not being "fixable" could have been, or maybe I am being a product of my generation in assuming that even in the 1960s and 1970s, people could actually be together and lead a happy life, albeit perhaps a quiet one. I almost have to wonder what someone 18 years old right now would think. I can only guess they'd be more optimistic about the sexuality and tolerance issues than I could have been growing up during the Reagan years.
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Hi, I've posted a couple of messages having been registered since yesterday and just come across this board. So I guess this should've been my first message.
Well anyway, I'm an out 31 year old gay male, British, now living in Spain. I don't really go out on the gay scene much now. I live rurally in an area you could say is slightly comparable to Brokeback's, originally from London. So I guess you could call me a townie at heart. I've visited the USA many times in the past and stayed there for a couple of months about 6 years ago so I'm kind of tuned into American life whenever it passes me by.
Welcome to BetterMost. With you growing up in Britain, I would assume tolerance would be greater than here in the States. In fact, I suspect the former colony most culturally closest to this country when it comes to conservative values would be Australia. But my exposure to life in the UK comes from the BBC and ITV. At least part of America is aware there are other places around the world with something useful to contribute to the global conversation.
Have you seen the British production Beautiful Thing. To me, that seems about as close emotionally to BBM as any movie recently released in the last 10 years or so. Not exactly a direct link between rural cowboys and urban working class, but some of the same issues seemed touched on, with the happier ending going to the British.
I would assume Spain is more culturally conservative than the UK?
As to American life, it's amazing that if something external to America becomes an issue for us and we perceive it as a threat, we are quick to unite. But on internal issues, especially in our so-called Culture Wars, we seem to be getting more and more divided into our "red conservative" and "blue progressive" states. We seem to always need to be dragged kicking and screaming into cultural change, usually with the most conservative places being the last to recognize the reality of change. We'll also always seem to do it two steps forward, one back.
The film touched me big time, in short, I became a "brokeaholic". You couldn't ever say my life is comparable to either Jack or Ennis, but yet there are so many things and parallels about this story which are very affecting to me. To keep this succinct the main thing about BBM which I can post-analyse as being it's attraction to me is that I feel a film has finally been made about what it's like to live in the closet. Something that I did for a few short years before having the guts to tell people. Hellish years I guess you could say, which even today still form part of my own character and personality but now I believe in a positive way. I want to understand this film so much for my own personal reasons, but also I think it has a very powerful message for societies all over the world to stop people having to be in the closet. And for us all to find happiness..... My congratz to Phillip for having the foresight and determination in setting up this forum for those who need an outlet well after the buzz of this film has died down.
Thanks for the nice comments. It's really amazing how scary it is to sit in the closet and be so terrified to reveal yourself to people only to realize that, in my own experience and watching those of other friends, that when you finally do come out, 1/3rd of your friends will tell you "duh, I already knew that and was wondering when you were going to say something," most of the rest will shrug their shoulders and say whatever, and perhaps one or two will eventually drift away from you not being comfortable with it. In a lot of cases, it's really uneventful. It's very liberating as well. I can recall when I was hanging out with some friends I could actually point to someone and say they were cute and not worry about it, just to note one example.
Big change is often terrifying though, and people like me can do an amazing job resisiting it for a really long time.
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My "Jack" wouldn't quit me! Nine years into my marriage, I came out to my wife while we were watching the 1982 Gay breakthrough movie of its time, "Making Love." After a year of divorce court, the wife and I were granted "joint custody," and both went through bankrupcy in the process. The marriage had lasted 10 years, my relationship with Jack lasted 8 years and was followed by a couple of extended relationships. However, for the past 12 years I've chosen to remain single but do occassionally date. BMF Contributor "Chris" might be interested in learning that my dream is to someday retire to my vacation stomping grounds in Melbourne, Australia and lasso my next mate in the Outback. Oh perhaps I can get Heath Ledger to fix me up with someone in his hometown of Perth. Got Tent....Will Travel.
Hey Denyys, not much to say but welcome, and nice to know you have fine taste in stomping grounds! ;D
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Firstly, the not-so-vital statistics: my name is Chris, aged 38, hetero-friendly, and I've been living in Melbourne Australia for the last 15 years. To be honest, I found my birth-city of Adelaide a bit depressing, mainly because that's where my immediate family live. Basically, I'm "out" to anyone who cares to ask and to all of my (mostly straight) friends, but feel no need to make an issue for anyone else. Somehow my family manages to make sure that the subject never comes up, even if I try, the poor dears (bless their cotton socks)!
I think we have a few Aussies around here. Of all the countries outside of America that were part of the British empire, I have always suspected Australia and the United States are probably the closest as far as culture goes, especially when it comes to conservative views being injected into politics and society.
Australia's rugged regions probably help make BBM a plausible kind of film with a connection that is probably stronger than that experienced by those roaming about the midlands of the UK. The scenery and setting of this film, for me, was just as much a character as the actors. You'll have to fill us in on what life is like in different Aussie cities. Most of what a lot of us here know about Australia surrounds Melbourne and Sydney. And I'm sure life is considerably different in those places than in places like those that happen to share my last name - Dampier. We Dampiers are famous for basketball, high seas piracy, and salt mines in Australia I guess.
What I found was an environment that was even less accepting than my Catholic high-school was (my parents wanted me to go to a good school even though we weren't Catholic). I mean, sheesh, come on, if you're part of a minority group the last thing you need is to make it more "minor" by getting all bitchy and judgemental! Surely we should be looking after each other yes? Anyway, it was at this time that I came to the conclusion that, in general, there's something seriously wrong with just about any group that you can apply a collective noun to. Ok, focus Chris, back to the introduction.
The gay community is extremely diverse with opinions all over the place on everything. As far as the catty judgmentalism, I suspect that has to be related to the fact the community has been discriminated against from the outside, now it's our turn to discriminate against ourselves! Yay. I avoid the entire scene myself. I have nothing in common with a lot of segments in the community. One of the things I can say is that people don't have to be a part of the scene in order to find a happy life. I have never spent any time in a bar or club, and found someone and now we live integrated with the rest of suburban America, where the number one issues are not whether you are going to be found out or bashed, but rather just how much will our taxes go up after our property is reassessed, will I get run over power walking today on my street while people drive by blissfully unaware as they chat on their mobiles and drink their Starbucks, and where in the world is my career going next.... Can anyone imagine Jack and Ennis running their cow and calf operation with Jack playing Lureen's role on her "addin machine" and Ennis looking for his shirt? We'd all like to, probably.
I guess this is the point where I tie in Brokeback Mountain. Here I am, content with my conclusion that the world is never going to be much more than a big, fat disappointment, and then this film comes into my life and my world is turned upside down. Not only does it absolutely knock my socks off in a way that I never expected or even thought possible, but I find that there is an ever-growing community of Brokaholics that share in this obsession. The early days after the first viewing BBM were hard to be sure, but somehow this was the most exquisite of tortures, and I wanted more. And then the realisation came of how much I had been damaging myself, having resigned myself to the fact that I didn't deserve to be outwardly happy, and that I thought that I was ok with just being inwardly happy. Here I thought I was a Jack, when in fact I was really an Ennis, terrified of being disappointed and still living by other people's rules.
Yup. You get it. And for those who let the years go by just tolerating it because you think you can't "fix it" we can see the potential end result of not making an effort to change it. Right now. That applies to everything.
No, this is about me being ok with me, and giving myself permission to let the Ennis in me (with affection) take less of a controlling interest in my life.
As I am finding out, it's a step by step process. Baby steps that lead to success seems to be working better for me in that it keeps me motivated. The fear of failure thing is a major roadblock, so I need a series of measurable successes (albeit small at first) in order for me to build the confidence needed to take the bigger steps. So it will probably be for a lot of people. Just being aware of the Ennis within us is a baby step right there, and hopefully with having him driven into us, even years from now we can chide ourselves for Ennis-like behavior right as we're doing it, instead of seeing it only years later.
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Hi. To answer the question about Idaho it is not the most unfriendly state for gays that would be Utah I think. In Idaho people dont have time to spend worrying about what they never see any way. Most people ignore it. I dont know what I am but I have been thinking about it after I wrote my messages here. I still think about the movie a lot and will buy it mail order when it comes out. I have to be quick on the computer at the library tonight because there are a lot of people here and I have to keep clicking off the page.
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I think we have a few Aussies around here. Of all the countries outside of America that were part of the British empire, I have always suspected Australia and the United States are probably the closest as far as culture goes, especially when it comes to conservative views being injected into politics and society.
Australia's rugged regions probably help make BBM a plausible kind of film with a connection that is probably stronger than that experienced by those roaming about the midlands of the UK. The scenery and setting of this film, for me, was just as much a character as the actors. You'll have to fill us in on what life is like in different Aussie cities. Most of what a lot of us here know about Australia surrounds Melbourne and Sydney. And I'm sure life is considerably different in those places than in places like those that happen to share my last name - Dampier. We Dampiers are famous for basketball, high seas piracy, and salt mines in Australia I guess.
G'day Phillip and Chris and Aussie Wannabes,
For truly something "Different" outside the city, I recommend a "rugged" Camel ride (short hauls ONLY!) and a swag for a camping safari to the Outback in the Nortern Territory. There take time to learn about the "Dream Time" from the Aboriginal National Park Rangers and visit Uluru (Ayers Rock)-Kata Tjuta National Park ( but Please Don't Climb The Rock" its a Aboriginal Spiritiual site) trek around The Olgas, and DO CLIMB Kings Canyon.AWESOME comes to mind.
RE: Australia as plausable setting for BBM or Cowboy kind of film. It's been done in grand fashion...check out the Australian Classic flick and Soundtrack to "The Man From Snowy River."
Cheers Mate,
Denyys
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Hello. My name in Chris and I live in Eastern Idaho but was born and raised in Jackson which is in West Wyoming. I found your web-site from looking for information about Brokeback Mountain. I am 27 years old and am a mechanic for a living. My only Internet is through the public free library which I spend time at because my sister needs a ride home from her job and I kick time around waiting by being on the computer. I didnt know about Brokeback Mountain until I saw it on the news. I need to say I have had these feelings before but I dont like to mind them much. I have messed around before on my girlfriend with this bud of mine when I was in school a couple times but we dont talk about it. So I was curious about Brokeback.
Welcome Idaho, especially to someone who lives in the vicinity of the mythical Brokeback Mountain. :)
I thought they filmed it in Wyoming and I wanted to see if I knew any of the places.
As I am sure you are aware by now, the filming was actually done in western Alberta. From what I have been told, the general look and feel of the area is similar to Wyoming, so it is supposed to be a reasonable facsimile.
You gotta understand there is no way I am seeing this in a town where people know me. No way. That means a long haul to Boise if you want to see it. I had luck in having to drive there to pick up some truck parts and stay overnite so I went to see the first evening showing in the movies. I admit I had to walk out after the second scene in the tent after the first one. I was shaking hard and was real upset by the sitaution. I got going if you know what I mean. It scared me because I knew those feelings. I almost got sick in the mensroom and had to leave. The movie manager saw me and asked if I was feeling right and I said I wasnt. He gave me a free ticket and I left. Up the road there was a diner and I stopped and got the paper and had some coffee. I had this paper in front of my face for an hour and didnt read a thing in it. I just kept looking at it like I was.
Thank you for what has probably been the most vivid of stories about this movie I have seen on here. I think you suffered more raw emotion just getting through the film than many of us. I am assuming that when you say you got going above, you mean you were physically aroused, to put it delicately. I am also amazed that there are still theaters out there that will actually have employees inquire after you and present you with a complimentary ticket! You have to basically set yourself on fire at our corporate theaters (Cinemark, Regal, Loews, et al.) to get anyone's attention, much less get handed a free ticket!
I was lucky enough to see it with people who I was close to, so it was easier to lean on them through any difficult parts. It makes a profound difference seeing this film on a big screen - harder too, because unless you literally shut your eyes, there is nowhere to look but at the screen. You can't escape what is unfolding before you.
I dont know if you know how hard it is not to start crying. I was messed up. I got out of the place and back into the truck and drove around crying like a baby. It was these waves where you'd think you have it stopped and then it comes on again. I got no sleep in the motel when I got back there.
I think a lot of us understand very well. I made it through the entire film and the ride home just sort of dazed. The tears didn't start until the following morning. My typical response to a major upset is to get numb and dazed for awhile and then break down. With BBM, it took several days of emptying tissue boxes before I got the grief down to a tolerable level. Sleep was a mess for me as well. I woke up two days in a row four hours earlier than normal and just had to get out of bed because I could not just sit there without distraction or else things would only get worse. It's like when you have a nightmare. Emotionally you overreact to nightmares when everyone is asleep or you are alone, and it's dark. Rationalizing after being woken up by a nightmare is not easy. But usually by late in the afternoon you think, why was I so ridiculous last night.
So now I act loner and do my own things. My bud moved to Colorado and we dont talk anymore. My folks keep bugging me to get married and my mom says I am too quiet. After seeing Ennis, I saw a lot of me and I guess so that I am too quiet. Unless I know them really good I am not a good talker. But I dont know if all of this means I am gay or am going to be alone or what? Mostly I just dont want to be alone. What I guess I am saying is that I came here to figure myself out better and I need a place to do that.
Not being alone in your life is a major goal for most people. Nothing strange there. I spent my high school years being as anti-social and introverted as can be. I essentially had no close friends at all. I didn't open up until college. I forced myself to take a chance and be more open, finding that when you are open yourself, a lot of people will reciprocate. It takes trust to get trust in return, and indeed you will get burned from time to time, but it's still worth the effort. As to your experiences with your friend, we are already discussing that in Safe Haven so I won't repeat myself here. Needless to say, there is plenty of time to work on these things because this place is going to be around for a long time to come.
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G'day Phillip and Chris and Aussie Wannabes,
For truly something "Different" outside the city, I recommend a "rugged" Camel ride (short hauls ONLY!) and a swag for a camping safari to the Outback in the Nortern Territory. There take time to learn about the "Dream Time" from the Aboriginal National Park Rangers and visit Uluru (Ayers Rock)-Kata Tjuta National Park ( but Please Don't Climb The Rock" its a Aboriginal Spiritiual site) trek around The Olgas, and DO CLIMB Kings Canyon.AWESOME comes to mind.
I guess the equivalent film for Brokeback would have been Priscilla Queen of the Desert which we saw at the local art house several years ago. Straight actors playing gay characters confronting conservative rural society. It's definitely closer than Torch Song Trilogy, that's for sure. I am always prowling around looking for music for BBM Radio so I'll have to see if I can hunt down the soundtrack. It's actually been very difficult to find good instrumental music that fits the mood of Gustavo's score. Finding vocal country and western music that speaks to lost love is like finding snow here in western NY. It's never a problem.
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I guess the equivalent film for Brokeback would have been Priscilla Queen of the Desert...
Ehem, I'd just like to say NOOOooo! BBM cannot be compared to PQotD on any scale! *shudders* Don't get me wrong, I loved Priscilla. It had a lot of charm and Aussie qwerkiness, and ultimately a nice message about love and acceptance, but really, you might as well suggested Crocodile Dundee!!! And as for the soundtrack, as much fun as it was, I just can't see "I've never been to me" and "I Love The Nightlife" mixing well with "He's a friend of mine" or "The Maker Makes". I'm Aussie and very proud of it, but... *shudders again*
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Ehem, I'd just like to say NOOOooo! BBM cannot be compared to PQotD on any scale! *shudders* Don't get me wrong, I loved Priscilla. It had a lot of charm and Aussie qwerkiness, and ultimately a nice message about love and acceptance, but really, you might as well suggested Crocodile Dundee!!!
Trust me, I am referring only to the general setting for the film in the rural conservative sense. Obviously gay drag performers dancing to disco tunes has no comparison to BBM whatsoever. I promise not to discuss Adam Sandler or Pauly Shore on here if you promise never to mention Crocodile Dundee again. :D
The soundtrack I was referring to in my post was that of "The Man From Snowy River."
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Trust me, I am referring only to the general setting for the film in the rural conservative sense. Obviously gay drag performers dancing to disco tunes has no comparison to BBM whatsoever. I promise not to discuss Adam Sandler or Pauly Shore on here if you promise never to mention Crocodile Dundee again. :D
The soundtrack I was referring to in my post was that of "The Man From Snowy River."
ROTFL: Absolutely, I promise! ;D
And TMFSR may just fit in quite nicely. Hopefully The Man's strings and piano theme combine well with BBM's lonesome guitar solos. Actually I've actually been on a horse-trek into the area where they filmed TMFSR - the cabin (known as Craig's Hut) is still there from 1982, virtually untouched, and the scenery remains so beautiful that it brings tears to your eyes. While there, it was not difficult to hear The Man's theme filling the air, but now when I try to think back all I get is the BBM theme. I'm suddenly feeling strangely compelled to get my butt over to Wyoming (and/or Alberta, Canada) and go for a horse ride with my mp3 player and a Brokaholic or two...
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I posted this on the Welcome Board, but thought I'd move it over here. So happy to see the recent posts and that the "community" is growing. This is just an introduction, and I look forward to reading your posts in more depth.[font=Verdana
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Nancy, thanks for your welcoming words, and the sweet pic of "our boys." I'm so totally jazzed that there are people like you, and a place like this, to make my home. I'm a woman of 75 years, born and raised in Berkeley. Right across the Bay! I grew up shy and solitary in some ways, never dated in high school (until a stroke of luck just before graduation, when I was asked to the senior prom.) The first boys in my life were a couple of years before that. I used to travel on the F train to SF several times a week to take ballet lessons at the SF Ballet School when it was on Van Ness, right across from the Opera House. I discovered that one could sometimes usher there (at the OH) , so I signed on for that and it was there that I met my first boy friends. Three boys, 17 years old, from Castlemont High school in Oakland, who loved the ballet, the symphony, the opera. From then on I practically lived over there every chance I got. We had so much fun together, walking all over SF, taking the train back late at night (my blessed mother coming to pick me up at the end of the line). Of course these boys were "gay" although that word had no homosexual connotations in 1946. They were just my first sweet loves, and I understood on some level their sexual preferences, it was never spoken of and didn't make any difference whatsoever. I had found my "circle."
Well, years passed, my hormones finally kicked in, men came, I married once, divorced, married again. No children. By 1960 I was alone to explore the SF jazz scene, inter-racial affairs, many men, much unhappiness and confusion. No idea what I was doing with my life.
I'm not going to try to bring this life story all up to date just now, but Brokeback Mountain -- oh my God, how it has released a lifetime of tears, memories, connections, understandings, dreams, moments of transformation. I have been working (on some depression issues) with a therapist for about six months. She's very enthusiastic and supportive of the process I seem to be undergoing with BBM. All the addictive behaviors, the obsession, the listening to the CD over and over, seeing "the movie" once a week, living on the IMDb boards, neglecting my laundry and housekeeping, coming to understand the incredible depth of that masterpiece. I've got so much more to spill out, but maybe this is a good start.
I know I'm in good company here, and look forward to hearing more of your process, and sharing mine.
Peace, Elaine (aka Iristarr)
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I posted this on the Welcome Board, but thought I'd move it over here. So happy to see the recent posts and that the "community" is growing. This is just an introduction, and I look forward to reading your posts in more depth.[font=Verdana
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Nancy, thanks for your welcoming words, and the sweet pic of "our boys." I'm so totally jazzed that there are people like you, and a place like this, to make my home. I'm a woman of 75 years, born and raised in Berkeley. Right across the Bay! I grew up shy and solitary in some ways, never dated in high school (until a stroke of luck just before graduation, when I was asked to the senior prom.) The first boys in my life were a couple of years before that. I used to travel on the F train to SF several times a week to take ballet lessons at the SF Ballet School when it was on Van Ness, right across from the Opera House. I discovered that one could sometimes usher there (at the OH) , so I signed on for that and it was there that I met my first boy friends. Three boys, 17 years old, from Castlemont High school in Oakland, who loved the ballet, the symphony, the opera. From then on I practically lived over there every chance I got. We had so much fun together, walking all over SF, taking the train back late at night (my blessed mother coming to pick me up at the end of the line). Of course these boys were "gay" although that word had no homosexual connotations in 1946. They were just my first sweet loves, and I understood on some level their sexual preferences, it was never spoken of and didn't make any difference whatsoever. I had found my "circle."
Well, years passed, my hormones finally kicked in, men came, I married once, divorced, married again. No children. By 1960 I was alone to explore the SF jazz scene, inter-racial affairs, many men, much unhappiness and confusion. No idea what I was doing with my life.
I'm not going to try to bring this life story all up to date just now, but Brokeback Mountain -- oh my God, how it has released a lifetime of tears, memories, connections, understandings, dreams, moments of transformation. I have been working (on some depression issues) with a therapist for about six months. She's very enthusiastic and supportive of the process I seem to be undergoing with BBM. All the addictive behaviors, the obsession, the listening to the CD over and over, seeing "the movie" once a week, living on the IMDb boards, neglecting my laundry and housekeeping, coming to understand the incredible depth of that masterpiece. I've got so much more to spill out, but maybe this is a good start.
I know I'm in good company here, and look forward to hearing more of your process, and sharing mine.
Peace, Elaine (aka Iristarr)
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Hi All. My Name is Ken & as I have already said in an earlier post am 45 & live in the UK. Thank god for this site as all the other sites seemed to deal with Neg responses & stupid remarks to this film & some of the "people" on it were what I would class as 2 sandwiches short of a picnic & were very rude ,aggressive & the like. Thankyou for this fab site Phillip. I hope to be able to contribute a bit to it.I work on the British trains as a Senior Conductor & live in a seaside town. I have a partner of 4 years who watched the film & thought it was "ok" but nowt special. It is now a few weeks since I saw the film for the 1st time & am still in deep shock by it...Never has a film moved me so much in my life & I thought "Somewhere In Time" & The Karen Carpenter Story were moving enough, but this!!!! O M G. I remember right at the end I was shouting at the screen not to end the film where it did..I was so hoping that Jack would suddenly appear at that window but to no avail & I broke down blubbering like a baby & me 45 Yrs old. God its just got to have a sequel & Im actually making calls to various people as I would dearly love to write the sequel my self if I could get the permission..Ie copyright laws..& and fact etc.... This film identified with a lot of people & was a real jolter to others & the ones who Poo Poohed it prob didnt even see it. In the UK it is just been shown now & apparently has peaked at its best for interest but it did get 4 Bafftas & Im hoping it gets the oscars it so richly deserves. I too have "lived" the B B M rule sometime in my life & it wasnt pleasant but I got by so I really know what the 2 guys were going through ( Played so true to life & form by Heath & Jake)...You know I think everyone has a bit of B B M in them somewhere in their memory, I know I do & sometimes not often tho I go back there in my mind...it makes for a great memory at times...Ken Carps1000
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Chris (Idaho),
I saw your post and was very moved by it. I think you must be having a tough time. Anyway I just wanted to say you aren't the only guy out there in your position, there are many people like you, and they are everywhere so don't feel alone in that. I think you need some time to sort your feelings out. I know, it's hard cos it means coming to conclusions that could possibly mean putting a label on yourself, but know that the label means nothing, your happiness is what matters most of all.
It seems like you're quite restricted in when you can get access to the Internet, and getting any information in general. I don't know your situation but there are other ways you can get Internet access than using the library. I can imagine that must be awkward and makes you want to hurry through stuff but you need the time and privacy to get information online without feeling hassled. There are cheap ways of getting online, if you want more information, let me know and I'll do some research for you about where you might be able to get easy access or buy a real cheap computer with free online access. Alternatively you could get a very cheap portable laptop so you can view online in privacy. You do need access to more information and so I think that's a good and harmless first step. Just let me know if you need help in that regard!
Going back to what you said, don't feel pressurised about anything or anyone and take your time. Your reaction to Brokeback Mountain is very common. And you shouldn't feel guilty about the past because everyone's behaviour is shaped by personal circumstances. Let me know how you're getting on, I and others here will happily help you out with anything you want to talk about or find out about. :)
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I was also very moved by Chris in Idaho's post. Without sounding all dramatic about it, it felt like reading something that Ennis might have written. Thankfully we're not quite in Ennis' time and there's a lot more support available, despite ongoing homophobia. As a 39-year-old Latino gay man who lives in New York City, possibly the most accepting environment in the U.S., I would say that it's internalized homophobia that can do the most ongoing damage.
So my introduction: I found out about this web site on IMDB, like a lot of other posters. I saw the movie months ago and it still affects me and I still follow (almost daily) reactions and the effect is has on people. So in a way it was a real find to hear about this web site. Maybe I can learn more about what the movie respresents for me and learn more about myself in the process.
I read the story years ago, in a battered copy of 'Wyoming Stories'. I thought it was one of the best written and most touching stories I had come across in a long time. I'm not sure what my expectations of the movie were, but I do remember reading about it winning the prize at the Venice Film Festival, so I allowed myself to get a little more excited. I saw it the weekend that it came out with a good friend of mine, probably my best friend. We went to see it at a theater near his place in Times Square. Man, from the first frames of that truck driving down that highway when Ennis gets out, to the sound of 'The Wings' near the closing credits, I was so drawn in. I felt like I was living their lives for two hours, and there were almost no false notes at all, occasional moments where I was aware of watching a movie instead of practically living it.
There were several times that I got choked up, but I wouldn't let myself get all emotional. I've been feeling pretty emotionally blocked for a long time now, and in a way I knew, or at least hoped, that the movie would be somewhat cathartic fo rme. I could tell my friend liked it but I didn't really know how it affected him. We went back to his apartment afterwards. I couldn't really talk without getting a big lump in my throat, so the walk back was pretty quiet. I shook it off briefly, went back to our usual way of bantering and joking around. We sat down and had a glass of wine, and then I couldn't pretend any longer, I broke down and started crying. He asked me what was the matter, like he hadn't just seen the movie, and I could only respond about how sad it was.
But then I told him the truth about what was affecting me so strongly: I don't want to end up like Ennis. Emotionally stifled, alone, unable to be myself, to love or be loved. That movie really made me do a lot of thinking, and I'm hoping to do more work on myself in the coming months. There's already been a lot of change going on in my life. I graduated from social work school and now have a Master's degree, I'm taking art classes again, I'm back in volleyball. But I'm realizing there's more that I want to do to feel more fulfilled and just plain happier.
Well, that's all for now. Yeesh, it feels like too much, but it's good to get it off my chest. Thanks for this site, Phil; even knowing that other people have been so affected by the movie feels comforting in a way.
Juan
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Thankyou for this fab site Phillip. I hope to be able to contribute a bit to it.I work on the British trains as a Senior Conductor & live in a seaside town.
Wow... a British Rails employee? It's amazing how much the British have managed to get train service down while ours is a real mess. Of course, in the States, we all drive cars and pay half the price for gas (or even less) than you folks do. I'd love to have a decent train service. My only experience on a train was riding the "T" subway in Boston in the very early 1980s. Rochester, NY is distinct because we're the only city in the country that had a subway and train service that was totally discontinued. Most of the subway system is today our area expressways (as well as filled in portions of the Erie Canal system.)
It is now a few weeks since I saw the film for the 1st time & am still in deep shock by it...Never has a film moved me so much in my life & I thought "Somewhere In Time" & The Karen Carpenter Story were moving enough, but this!!!!
I dunno, maybe it's a gay thing that I also loved The Carpenters. My mom actually got me started being a huge fan of their music, which I can remember playing on the car radio while growing up. It's another "sign" I think. Of course, that whole story is another major tragedy. You want to shake Ennis and you want to feed Karen!
O M G. I remember right at the end I was shouting at the screen not to end the film where it did..I was so hoping that Jack would suddenly appear at that window but to no avail & I broke down blubbering like a baby & me 45 Yrs old.
My cynical side tells me that if there was a happy ending, the impact of this movie would have been 1/2 as much. It needed the ending it had even thought you really don't want it to be that way.
Thanks for sharing, and I would love to hear stories about British Rail down the road.
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But then I told him the truth about what was affecting me so strongly: I don't want to end up like Ennis. Emotionally stifled, alone, unable to be myself, to love or be loved. That movie really made me do a lot of thinking, and I'm hoping to do more work on myself in the coming months. There's already been a lot of change going on in my life. I graduated from social work school and now have a Master's degree, I'm taking art classes again, I'm back in volleyball. But I'm realizing there's more that I want to do to feel more fulfilled and just plain happier.
First, Chris (Idaho) even sounds like Ennis on the phone, so it's kind of freaky. Maybe I'll make him record some things and post audio files. Talk about pushing emotional buttons.... :)
As to the rest, even though people are resisting me, I will eventually have a place for people to get their goals up on here and we're going to start tracking them and keeping people headed forward. It's going to be like herding cats, I know, but in some form, there will be no stagnation around here or else. You are already on your way, it sounds like. We just have to keep everyone with us as we head forward.
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Hello all...I'm 34, male, heterosexual and live in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. I've been on another bbm forum but will try another since this is less cluttered for now. I've seen this movie expecting to go in laughing and making jokes but I was very wrong...the movie ripped my heart out. :'( What an incredible picture! It really sucker punched me...never expected it. Guess that's why it took a hold of me...plus being filmed right where I live gives me a close connection to it even though the book takes place in Wyoming. Never the less hope to contibute and share feelings with others concerning this amazing movie.
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Hello all...I'm 34, male, heterosexual and live in Calgary, Alberta, Canada...
Hey horo, welcome aboard. I love it when straight guys "get it" and can appreciate BBM the way we do. I mean it's hardly the feel good movie of the year now is it? But even in all that self-loathing and sadness there is some of the most amazing and beautiful moments also, and everyone gay or straight can relate to that. If only more straight men understood that then we'd all be most of the way to accepting each other in the first place. I look forward to hearing more of your thoughts. Cheers, Aussie Chris.
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Nice ta meetcha Horo!
Always glad when there's a "new country heard from." :D
Could you please do me a favor? Take a look at the thread titled "The Yuck Factor" in the BBM Open Forum. I'm curious to know how your straight friends are dealing with your love for this film.
No pressure: if the topic doesn't interest you, leave it alone. Probably not kosher to suggest a particular post anyway (sorry, Phillip! ::) )
In any case, welcome to Bettermost!
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Hello all,
My name is Peter and like Chris I am also from Melbourne, Australia. I live with my boyfriend and our cat Stripey. I am 34 years old and I really enjoy writing. I have been inspired by Annie Proulx to write more imaginary characters - however it is really hard for me to write as Ennis and Jack are on my mind. I have also been inspired by Brokeback and also by the movie Latter Days and Steve Sandvoss' performance - to give acting a try. So on Monday I am auditioning in an amateur theatre group - www.batstheatre.org.au. I am curious to see how this goes as I am a very shy person. Like Philip I have lived in my home town pretty much all my life - although I have lived in different suburbs and lived in the country from ages 7 till I was 14. I have never travelled overseas and rarely interstate. However I would love to travel to Alberta, Texas and of course Wyoming! I have always wanted to travel to America, UK and Canada.
Brokeback broke my heart and while I saw the movie a couple of months ago the ache is still there. I am not a big movie goer as I find that movies can have a real emotional effect on me. I find that I lose my own sense of identity very easily. Therefore I didn't want to see Brokeback as I thought that it would devastate me. However my boyfriend saw the movie and although he was very sad he said that it was great. So one Saturday night on impulse we went to see it at midnight at Chadstone Shopping Centre (Chris would know where that is). Well I didn't say much but my heart got ripped out and stomped on and like Strazeme I almost wished that I hadn't seen it. My reality dimmed in comparison to Brokeback. In the morning I woke in a cloud and the next week at work I was just too sad. All I could think was man - how life can sure give people a major blow.
Brokeback Mountain is the best movie I have ever seen. I am very grateful for it. However I dare not ever see it again - I am afraid that it would just cut open the wounds again as the pain was agonising. Love too can be agonisingly painful sometimes - I think that is why Brokeback affected me as I think a part of me fell in love with the characters.
I get a bit confused sometimes between my love for the story and my love for the actors. Am I inspired to be more like Heath or Jake - and so feel like nothing compared to their great talent or am I inspired to be more like the characters and so feel like nothing compared to the beauty of Ennis and Jack? I am not sure. ???
Thankyou Philip for this site - I definately do not feel so alone - and thanks for everyones posts - they are very comforting. It is great that we can all support eachother as we finish the story in our own lives,
Cheers,
Stripey :D
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Brokeback Mountain is the best movie I have ever seen. I am very grateful for it. However I dare not ever see it again - I am afraid that it would just cut open the wounds again as the pain was agonising. Love too can be agonisingly painful sometimes - I think that is why Brokeback affected me as I think a part of me fell in love with the characters.
Hey there Stripey, great to have another Melbournite around (and yes "Chaddy" is the best shopping centre in Melbourne - I live just 10 minutes from it :D). Well you're in very good company here: we all know exactly what you mean when you say you were "broken by brokeback". We all feel a little bit damaged by the experience, but deep down we also know that we're much better off. I know I'm so grateful for this film, and the fine group of people that have come together because of it.
I also know what you mean about the fear of watching BB again, and that fear is quite legitimate. I know my second viewing was much more intense than the first. When I first saw BB I was plenty choked up, until I got home and completely lost it, and I felt devastated for weeks after that. During the second viewing I was able to cry straight away, but I was also able to marvel at those beautiful scenes (second tent scene, reunion kiss, and of course, the flashback) - and the "devastation" was less intense. Somehow it felt like whatever "blockage" there was in my heart that prevented be from properly experiencing my emotions was now clear - and boy I was experiencing them now!!!
You seem to know well how you are affected by films, so only you know whether it is wise to watch it again or not. I can say however, that each viewing of BBM has revealed more and more delights and has let me come to a better understanding of why I became so devastated in the first place. BBM was the medicine that we all desperately needed, even though we didn't know it!
Hope to hear plenty more from you here, best regards, Chris.
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I have also been inspired by Brokeback and also by the movie Latter Days and Steve Sandvoss' performance - to give acting a try.
I loved Sandvoss in Latter Days also, in both senses of the term: loved his performance, and developed a huge crush on the character he played.
I'm surprised we haven't seen more from Sandvoss... I would think his performance would impress casting directors.
Welcome, Stripey. And my cats Boo and Scout give their best to your Stripey! ;D
Bill
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G'day and Welcome Stripey!
My Cat is "Garfield" he's been the perfect mate for 12 years now ( - :
I see BbM has rode off with $6.2 million from the Aussie box office Thus far...apparently your mates in the UK have enjoyed the ride to the tune of $17.5 million.
I've been following the Commonwealth Games courtesy of BBC2 Broadband coverage....was hoping I find the opening ceremonies on BBC-America on COX digital cable, but they didn't have it ) -;
I took in a couple of footy matches at the MCG while in Melbourne....terrific city! Also caught "Boy From Oz" there several years back. Spent some time backstage with the cast....terrific blokes! Best of luck with your thespian ambitions..".break a leg" as the saying goes.
Gee with Aussie Chris and Yourself and the several other "Aussiewannabe's" you'll find amongst the BetterMost campers
will have to explore to possibility of an Aussie Thread....call it "The Men from Snowy Mountain."
Cheers,
Denyys
Phoenix, Arizona
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I see BbM has rode off with $6.2 million from the Aussie box office Thus far...apparently your mates in the UK have enjoyed the ride to the tune of $17.5 million.
Shucks Denyys - the U.K does have 4 times more people than we do! By my reckoning that puts us in front by $7.3 million if we had the same population they do! And by the way, how many people in the U.S. these days??? :D
Gee with Aussie Chris and Yourself and the several other "Aussiewannabe's" you'll find amongst the BetterMost campers
will have to explore to possibility of an Aussie Thread....call it "The Men from Snowy Mountain."
Or: "The Men from Brokeback River"? Doesn't quite have the same ring to it though does it?
What about: "Brokeback Down Under"? Not too bad, but oh the euphemisms!
Or how about: "Brokeback Dundee"? Eck!
Oooh: "Priscilla, Queen of Brokeback Mountain"? That one might get me in trouble.
Sigh, clearly I was a little bored at work today... :)
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Hi Aussie Chris, Impish and Denyys,
Thanks for your warm replies to my introduction and Stripey says Mew to Boo, Scout and Garfield. Is Garfileld as big and ginger as the one in the cartoon Denyys?
Hiya Denyys - the Commonwealth Games were terrific - I liked the opening ceremony - it was pretty surreal with the flying tram and the duck - do you know Michael Leunig?? I was on the Yarra during the opening so I didn't actually get to see the rest of the ceremony until I watched it on tape...
I felt sorry for the athletes though - they didn't provide any air conditioning in the athlete's village - and in two story flats it would have been pretty uncomfortable - the Canadians had to invest in 100 fans.
I am really looking forward to the footy myself - I go to all the St Kilda matches with my boyfriend's family. Hope you had a good time when you were over - I would love to visit Phoenix - I might be able to run into Stevie Nicks?? - I think that is where she lives.
I haven't seen Boy from Oz - but I love Peter Allen's Time is a Traveller - I saw Bette Midler sing it on TV and she was all choked up. It's a beautiful song - maybe it is an idea for the radio station?
Hey Impish, I fell a bit in love with Aaron in Latter Days too and like you I am surprised that he hasn't become a bigger star in Hollywood.
Hey Aussie Chris - I liked your and Denyys' ideas for a name for us - very funny,
Cheers,
Peter
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So I can honestly say that BBM was a life changing experience for me. I woke up and shed some baggage, plus met a nice guy. Not to mention a great bunch of fellow BBM lovers here on the internet.
Wow! Thanks for sharing this amazing story David, that's the best news I've heard in weeks! You know, we hear so many disturbing stories about the tolls and right-wing nuts trying to make our lives, well disturbing. But our endurance is rewarded and we are all uplifted by hearing just one piece of good news like yours. Well done, congratulations, and welcome to BetterMost!
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Hello all...I'm 34, male, heterosexual and live in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. I've been on another bbm forum but will try another since this is less cluttered for now. I've seen this movie expecting to go in laughing and making jokes but I was very wrong...the movie ripped my heart out. :'( What an incredible picture! It really sucker punched me...never expected it. Guess that's why it took a hold of me...plus being filmed right where I live gives me a close connection to it even though the book takes place in Wyoming. Never the less hope to contibute and share feelings with others concerning this amazing movie.
So you're the heterosexual guy on here. ;D
Actually, this illustrates how backlogged I've been in dealing with the messages here because you are definitely going to be an important user here - a connection to the "real" Brokeback Mountain we can use.
As users know on here, I am contemplating a vacation sometime this summer perhaps to your neck of the woods, if only to go somewhere. I've never been a big "tourist" type being dragged around to see this site or that. Sometimes I just want to get away just to quietly take things in.
The movie did loads of emotional punching for most of us, as I'm sure you've seen. We will definitely enjoy hearing your stories about Alberta life. I assume you were aware they were filming this movie in your neck of the woods but it probably didn't make an impact on you until you actually went to see it. I wonder how much of the scenery you did recognize as you watched the movie.
I'm very glad you are here.
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Hello all,
My name is Peter and like Chris I am also from Melbourne, Australia. I live with my boyfriend and our cat Stripey.
Hey Peter... more Aussies! I think outside of the US, we have more Australian users than anywhere else, including Canada. I actually find myself thinking about that when I write messages on here, with usual apologies going out to you guys when I mention seasons because while spring is here, fall is there.
John wants a kitty (we are pet-less at the moment). He is a cat person, I grew up with a dog, but get along fine with all animals, including skunks(!) and squirrels that used to follow me around at the townhouse we used to live in. Unfortunately, he's also allergic to most critters, so this has delayed our cat quest. Additionally, I am always wary of way-too-independent pets sneaking around the house. :)
I am 34 years old and I really enjoy writing. I have been inspired by Annie Proulx to write more imaginary characters - however it is really hard for me to write as Ennis and Jack are on my mind.
I wish you success in your creative writing endeavors. I am personally terrible at creative writing. It's like Cliche Corner with me - "it was a dark and stormy night" is the usual kind of stuff I end up turning out. I can write more effectively in news pyramid and magazine style than creatively. But keep it up.
I am curious to see how this goes as I am a very shy person. Like Philip I have lived in my home town pretty much all my life - although I have lived in different suburbs and lived in the country from ages 7 till I was 14. I have never travelled overseas and rarely interstate. However I would love to travel to Alberta, Texas and of course Wyoming! I have always wanted to travel to America, UK and Canada.
Being in Australia really does seem more isolating than say the US or Europe, if only because you are essentially on an island nation. Yes there is New Zealand, but that's probably not going to be a culture shock. Back in 1986 when I went to California for a week, I recall sitting in the hotel restaurant overhearing Australian businessmen the next table over talking about their Los Angeles experiences. It was a culture shock to be in Los Angeles, but several had also been in Utah and Illinois and evidently the cultural values of the more rural or heartland portions of America and Australia weren't tremendously different. One had said he had more trouble dealing with England than America.
I should start taking pictures and things myself and create some sort of cultural scrapbook of life in my part of the country - western New York state. To those in New York City, upstate New York is often dismissed as being part of Canada, and those of us in the western half of the state have almost nothing in common with people downstate in the Big Apple. In fact, culturally we are closer to the midwest or Ontario, Canada.
I sense a new project coming to fruition - stories about our communities with pictures and such.
So one Saturday night on impulse we went to see it at midnight at Chadstone Shopping Centre (Chris would know where that is). Well I didn't say much but my heart got ripped out and stomped on and like Strazeme I almost wished that I hadn't seen it. My reality dimmed in comparison to Brokeback. In the morning I woke in a cloud and the next week at work I was just too sad. All I could think was man - how life can sure give people a major blow.
Brokeback Mountain is the best movie I have ever seen. I am very grateful for it. However I dare not ever see it again - I am afraid that it would just cut open the wounds again as the pain was agonising. Love too can be agonisingly painful sometimes - I think that is why Brokeback affected me as I think a part of me fell in love with the characters.
It got easier for me on subsequent viewings because everything ripped open the first time around didn't get any worse for me. However, seeing it again re-inspires and re-focuses me on my life plan to make some changes and stop missing opportunities. It's like how the soundtrack kept Ang Lee focused - he said he listened to it often while filming to stay in the spirit of the story.
I get a bit confused sometimes between my love for the story and my love for the actors. Am I inspired to be more like Heath or Jake - and so feel like nothing compared to their great talent or am I inspired to be more like the characters and so feel like nothing compared to the beauty of Ennis and Jack? I am not sure. ???
I think this is a great question. Someone posed the theory that BBM was not real because it cast two pretty people in the roles of downtrodden, dirt poor ranch hands. They felt it would have been more authentic with a Steve Buscemi and some other plain looking, weather-beaten actors in the Jack and Ennis roles. They do have a point. Few of us can rival the looks of the average Hollywood movie star, and seeing two attractive people on screen may actually make it easier to connect to them than if they were ordinary looking people. My shallow side tells me this is probably partially true with me - after Donnie Darko I was definitely interested in Jake's films because of his looks and performance in that film. But I am convinced pretty people alone wouldn't have done it. I saw Torch Song Trilogy and people on my generation would drool for Matthew Broderick, yet Torch Song really didn't do much for me.
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What I WANTED to reply to was "So we've seen the movie; now what do we do?" I was GOING to say: correct the screenplay! It's fun andf time consuming, and you will drive people nuts in the theater as you take notes...
I'm Julie Vognar, 70 years old (for a while yet), live in Berkeley, California, and am a docent at the Asian Art Museum of SF. I have a few friends and fewer relatives, none of whom want to hear ANY MORE about Brokeback Mountain. I gotta go home, or I won't be asble to get home...
And where's my tagline?
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I have also been inspired by Brokeback and also by the movie Latter Days and Steve Sandvoss' performance - to give acting a try.
I loved Sandvoss in Latter Days also, in both senses of the term: loved his performance, and developed a huge crush on the character he played.
He looked so innocent and non-tainted by Hollywood. It was a similar reaction to watching Ethan Embry in that silly Can't Hardly Wait movie with his puppy eyes look. I was slightly put off when I learned Sandvoss is actually a professional model-turned-actor. The innocence factor lost some of its shine at that point. I never connected at all with Wes Ramsey. I almost dismissed him as a shallow predator-type sleazebag until the middle of the movie. Even then, I just never trusted the guy. Joseph Gordon-Levitt was probably the most amusing character (he played the guy who loved to use "flippin" for everything and hollered "gross" when he caught the main characters kissing. The scene where Ramsey's character dragged Gordon-Levitt out of the doorway was probably the most amusing scene in the film for me.
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I have seen BBM seven times at the theater. Like many of you, it has moved me to tears and a near depression after the second viewing. But then I realized why. I was Jack Twist and had a married Ennis in my life. Just like the movie, we met very young. We were 16 yrs old. We even shared a tent scene of our own. I kid you not. Here we are over 20 years later, he is married with kids, and I thought I was just his friend at this point. But after seeing BBM, I realized that I was still carrying a torch for him. So the only cure for me was to bring him to see the movie with me. He was shocked. He said it was amazingly similar to our lives. BUT he said, that part of his life was behind him now and he had no emotional attachment to me as anything but a close friend. Those were hard words to hear, but they made my decision all the more easier to "quit him". So I told him that much like Jack Twist, I needed to move on and find my Randall to ranch up with. That was March 1st. I haven't looked back since.
It's tough when people build a long lasting relationship out of a relatively shorter encounter and then have the cold splash of reality in the face, but it is true that having some closure and being able to move on is a healthy thing too. We probably never really get over the past loves of our lives - we just learn to keep them in context and try not to let the past hold us back from the future.
I've heard from lots of friends who had encounters with guys who later got married and "grew out" of their gay experimentation. For some of them, it's extra tough because they make the assumption that their friends grew up and out of their homosexuality while they got left behind. Why we internalize things like this is something I still don't understand, but people still do it.
Meanwhile, my preocupation with BBM continued. I was glued to the IMDB site message board everyday. At one point we abandoned the BBM board because of the trolls and moved over to the Pierre Tremblay board. This was our new family. One of the regulars had posted a list of us by Screenname, City, Age, orientation, and some even listed single/married etc etc. So I was looking at the list and spotted another BBM fan in Connecticut. He was my age, single and Gay! Hmmmm? So I took a deep breath and wrote him an email asking if he wanted to go see BBM again. He wrote back "You Bet" and we met. I went expecting the worst and was pleasantly surprized to meet a cute guy with a great personality. We saw the movie and went to dinner afterwards. That was 7 dates ago! Today in fact, is our 2nd week anniversary! ;D
Ahh... see that is the kind of success story I am looking for on here as well. The whole theme of this site is "finishing the story in your own life." You are living it and that is outstanding! I am still experimenting with different ways of helping people move forward here on BetterMost. I am finding a structured approach doesn't really work too well on an online forum. Everyone has a different concept of whether they need to make changes or not, what those changes are, and how to implement them. So I am modifying things somewhat by trying to facilitate change, offer support and ideas along the way, and provoke people not to fall back into old patterns.
I like the list idea very much and perhaps that can be resurrected. Unlike the old IMDB forum where everything was dumped into one place, I can create an infinite number of forums and sub-forums as well as articles, databases, etc. I hope the list can be resurrected. People can volunteer to be a part of it, and we can create a database, forum, or whatever other form people want and make it a part of BetterMost.
I'm very glad to welcome you here.
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What I WANTED to reply to was "So we've seen the movie; now what do we do?" I was GOING to say: correct the screenplay! It's fun andf time consuming, and you will drive people nuts in the theater as you take notes...
:D You just did reply to we've seen the movie, now what do we do.
I'm Julie Vognar, 70 years old (for a while yet), live in Berkeley, California, and am a docent at the Asian Art Museum of SF. I have a few friends and fewer relatives, none of whom want to hear ANY MORE about Brokeback Mountain. I gotta go home, or I won't be asble to get home...
Welcome aboard Julie! You may enjoy the thread about the Brokeback Mountain Stages of Grief and Acceptance: http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php?topic=59.0 especially referring to how people you know don't want to hear another word about the film. My friends roll their eyes about my ability to tie in just about any subject to this movie. :)
And where's my tagline?
You can modify your account settings here: http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php?action=profile
If you then click on Forum Profile Information on the menu on the left hand side of that page, you can add a picture, do a signature tag line, etc. If you need any help with this, feel free to write me a private message and I can assist further.
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Hiya David and Paul,
What a great story - to think that you to met through Brokeback - it is so strange how a story written by Annie Proulx back in 1997 can go so far as bring people together in real life in 2006 - it's like a stack of dominoes.
I think you did a really positive thing David by moving on from your buddy. I think that Phillip is correct when he says that we never forget our past loves - we just have to file them away and keep that past relationship in perspective. The person you once were in 1989 or whatever - still exists in 1989, is in love with that person and always will. If you accept this - then you can move on into the next stage of your life, without dismissing how important that love was to you at that time. I have had a lot of unrequited love in my life and I found that helpful.
Another tact is Vince in the UK Queer as Folk - who accepted the unrequited love relationship he had with Stuat. I am curious to know if that could work - but I think it would make it hard for Vince to be open to new love in his life. Vince might think - "this is the one great love of my life - no one else can compare and I could love no other". When you are in love this may make sense but what about faith and trust in whatever future is waiting for you? Faith that someone else may come along - not the same person or the same love - but a love nonetheless. Sometimes love can be blinding. The only thing you can rely on in life is change. And it is a leap of faith to leave someone behind, accept that you are changing and perhaps move on to love another. But it is a great reward and a little miracle when you love someone and amazingly - they love you back!
Anyway I think that it is great that you took that leap of faith David and I am glad that you and Paul have found eachother,
And welcome!
Peter
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Howdy folks,
I'm Paul. I'm 39, work at home, I'm gay, and until 2 weeks ago, single.
I first heard of Brokeback Mountain about a year ago in a blurb in an article about Anne Hathaway in Entertainment Weekly. I went out and bought "Close Range" and read the whole collection of short stories which were really great. Of course the most moving to me was BBM. As I was starting to read the story my best friend called from California, I told him I was reading a short story and half jokingly read the first page to him and by mutual agreement I kept on reading it to him. About an hour later I finished. We were both in shock. I knew I had just read one of the best stories in my life. About 6 months later, that same friend called up and mentioned that a photographer he knew was coming to Connecticut and was looking for a place to do a shoot. I offered my place and he ended up coming over a week later. After his shoot we were talking and he noticed my copy of "Close Range" and asked how I liked it. I told him it was reaaly excellent and then I told him about reading BBM over the phone to my buddy. The photographer then said that Annie was his neighbor and a good friend of many years and that he was going to tell her about it and she'd get a kick out of this. I only half believed him.
A month later my best friend and I both recieved limited edition hard cover versions of "Close Range" with specially comissioned water color illustrations. Mine was signed: "To Paul, from Annie Prouxl".
Could have knocked me over with a feather.
Anyhow, I was really anxious to view the film, and as opening day neared it looked like Conncecticut wouldn't get it until mid January, but low and behold, it opened on December 23rd. On Christmas Eve, my mother and I went to the 4:00 PM showing and I haven't been the same since.
Back in those early days ;), it was such a wonderful mass audience experience. People were reverential and knew they were seeing something special. I left the theater that first time, feeling like I had been hollowed out. Exactly as if someone close to me had just died. It was really amazing that a film could do this to me.
Over the next few days I pretty much decided to change my life. I'd been slowly, and progressively, isolating myself for over a decade, for several reasons, and had this sudden knowledge that I could very easily end up like Ennis. Alone. Probably being the same age as he was at the end of the film added some extra impetus.
I almost immediately began socializing with friends and family more, and where before I might politley decline going to the mall with my sister, or going out to lunch with my best bud, now I began accepting these invitations. I had also been planning on getting back into dating maybe this summer or something, well, that timetable has been ripped up and thrown out. If you read "davidinhartford"'s intoductory post, you'll see what happened. :)
Briefly though, I was a regular at the IMDb BBM board and the Tremblay board, and David ended up asking if I wanted to see BBM together and I accepted. That was 2 weeks and 7 dates ago.
It's scary, nice, nerve wracking, but life affirming!
I want to also thank Phiilip for inviting us here, and hope to connect with all of you.
Paul
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Hi Paul,
Great to meet you and again welcome. Wow - a signed copy of her book from Annie Proulx! There were certainly a lot of coincidences happening in your life around Brokeback Mountain that have lead you in this new direction. Congratulations on the happiness you have found with David and for taking a leap of faith into your new future. I think a lot of people on Bettermost have talked about how over the years they had found themselves more and more isolated - and that Brokeback was like a wake up call for change...It sounds like going out to the mall with your sis or meeting up with your best buddy would promote change in other people's lives too.
You look lilke a very happy person in your photo and your and David's story has definately put a smile on my face too.
I wish you and David all the best for the future and that you succeed in all you choose to do,
All the best,
Peter
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Hi Peter,
thank you very much for the kind welcome (also for your nice post to David) .
Yeah, I think one of the major things about BBM was it was not only a love story but IMHO, a story about lonliness as well. I think many of us related to that almost as strongly as the love story and were overwhelmed by the implications for our own lives.
I know I was determined not to end up in a trailer with nothing!
:)
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It's scary, nice, nerve wracking, but life affirming!
G'Day Paul & David, I can't tell you how happy I am to learn your story and to welcome you here. And to get an autographed copy of "Close Range"… oohhh, I'm so jealous! Just don't tell us if you get to meet her because I might just have to slap you. No wait! DO tell us if you’re going to meet her so we can feed you some questions! Ha ha! ;)
Your introductory post(s) has just got me smiling so broadly, because just like you I'm 39 and have spent the last 10 years becoming more and more convinced that I would never get with someone seriously, or more precisely, never meet someone worth seriously getting with. But this amazing film and the amazing people I meet everyday on this site gives me hope that we just might be turning the same "loneliness" corner together.
I hope you don't mind if I share (vicariously) in your happiness while I change gears down this new road of ours? :D
Once again, brilliant stuff, congratulations, and thanks for sharing it with us!
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Hi Phillip,
Thank you so much for your warm reply. I have noticed that you mentioned "change of season" on the cover page - and I figured that you had those from the Southern Hemisphere in mind - thank you for being so caring.
Yes I agree that Australia can be an isolating place - geography is one thing - but also I have found that Australia can be a melancholy place to grow up - I don't know why. I could definately relate to the loneliness and melancholia of Brokeback Mountain.
I have never travelled overseas but from TV and movies I would say that Australians and Americans are very similar. I think that Australia and America are "fronteir" countries and that the geography, climate and wide open spaces have shaped our peoples in a similar way.
Australia is very loyal to the US and always will be I think - that perhaps is because we see America as a "mate". And the principles of mateship are very entrenched here. There was a huge US presence here in the 2nd WW - and I think that we loved the open and friendly natures of the Americans - who are without pretence. Australians can tend to be a bit reserved and I think that the positive attitude of America is very appealing here.
I was surprised that New Yorkers dismiss western New York as a part of Canada - but then that is nothing to be ashamed of - Canada is so beautiful.
As for Latter Days I really liked Joseph Gordon Levitt too. Apparently initially he wanted to role of Aaron. I didn't relate much to the role of Christian either and I think he was miscast. I didn't sense a huge amount of attraction or love between them (not compared to Ennis and Jack anyway). Just shows how important casting is I think - and how great the cast was on Brokeback - but then on Brokeback I think that the screen play really helped too. I loved the scene in Latter Days between Aaron and his mum - it was very powerful and upsetting - it is probably one of the most powerful scenes I have ever seen - and makes me upset each time I see it.
As for Joseph Gordon Levitt - have you seen Mysterious Skin - it is a far out movie - Levitt's performance is unreal as Brady Corbett who played the older Brian. I also liked the performance of Neil's friend - I think his name was Charlie.
Till next time Phillip,
Peter (and a big hello to John!)
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Hi Aussie Chris,
thanks for the kind words. :)
Vicariously share away my friend! It's funny how we 39 year olds probably got whacked right in the noggin' with a sledge hammer by this movie eh? It really was a wake up call for me.
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Hi Everyone....I've been doing a little catch-up post reading here this evening. I just came across the posts from David and Paul!! OMgoodness....what a wonderful....delightful... story. I'm sooo glad to meet the two of you....and WELCOME to our little campsite. And of course all the other VERY welcome Brokaholics who have joined us!!
I'm skipping around like crazy here tonight...SO many new people and faces. And of course my 'buds'.....!!
I've been away for a little bit...but I missed my family here SO much. It's good to be back....!!
Much Love....Nancy :-*
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Great to have you back Nancy, we kept the camp-fire warm for ya!
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I agree with Aussie Chris Nancy,
welcome back...
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Welcome David and Paul!
What an encouraging story you both tell. I also had allowed myself to become isolated in a fashion, and it's thanks to Brokeback Mountain that I'm trying to broaden my horizons again.
Hmmm... anyone here from Albuquerque? ::)
PS: anybody interested in starting a frappr map for Bettermost members?
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Hey everyone here at Better Most!
My name is Victoria, I'm 49, the widowed mother of two boys (Jared 12 and David 16) and a 13 pound holy terror mini dachshund named Miss Sassy! LOL yes that is her acting as my avitar. I'm an LVN, and care for my invalid Dad who is 81 and live in San Diego California. I love film, books, music, live theater and the ocean.
I am another refugee from IMDb. I began posting on the Brokeback Mountain board way back in late August/early September when the film was at the Venice Film Festival. I had been a fan of the story for 8 long years and still have my copy of the October 1997 New Yorker.
I have several really close gay friends including, my best friend EC who was my Man of Honor in my wedding..and is godfather to my oldest son. He and I saw BBM together the first time, took my son the second time and I went alone 2 times after that so I could weep in peace. No film has ever touched like this. After my husband died, I didn't want to go on. but I had to for my boys, and in order to do that I shut down and shut off a big part of who I am. This film ripped my heart open again and gave me back my life. I'm not shut off any more and as a result of that I took a chance on someone recently and he has turned out to be a lovely man. I don't know what life has in store for us, but I'm not going to waste what's here now, I'm going to make the best of it and see whats down the road a piece.
Thanks for having us here and for letting us share.
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Hi everyone! I'm Courtney, a 19-year-old college student in the Chicago area. I'm another refugee from IMDb, but I like it so much more here!
I saw BBM the first time with a friend when we were both home for winter break. On the way home we talked about how good it was, but I just thought it was like any other movie that I really like. The next day I had to go back to school. We have a 'January Term' here, in which you take only one class during all of January and it counts as a regular semester course. My class ended at noon, and we didn't even have our textbook for the first two weeks, so I found myself with a lot of time on my hands. I realized I was still thinking about BBM and didn't really know why. I wandered over to the IMDb BBM board (I'd never been to a message board before) to see what other people were saying about it. I was delighted to find MANY other people who were also obsessing, even more than me! When a group of my favorite people there decided to leave that board to get away from trolls and invited me along (thanks again Elle!) I was happy to join them. We became a little family. I was very upset when trolls began reporting our best and funniest (and completely non-offensive) threads and getting them deleted. Everyone panicked and I was afraid our group would disband. Then yaadpyar informed us that our wonderful host Phil was inviting us over here to BetterMost. I'm not a big fan of change, so I was reluctant at first, but this is so much nicer than IMDb. Thank you so much Phil!
Unfortunately I don't have a story about how this movie changed my life, aside from not getting anything done anymore because of my obsessing over the movie and my new family here. Since everyone else is sharing personal information, I will say this: My biggest fear is never finding love even half as powerful as Ennis and Jack's. I know I'm only 19 (the age Ennis and Jack were when they met!) and have plenty of time, but it still freaks me out.
Well, that's my story. Thanks again Phil! I'm so happy to be here!
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Hi, all. My name is Barb. I come seeking refuge from the IMDb trolls (thanks again from the bottom of my heart, Phillip).
I'm 41, married for 16 years, and have a four-year-old son.
I've seen Brokeback 5 times, so far. The first time I saw it, my only reaction was "Wow." I think I was numb - perhaps in the first of the five stages of grief? The next night, I was singing "Vincent" to my son before bed (yes, some heavy material for a four-year-old, but I figured he just loved the melody and the continuity of the lyrics), and when I got to the line that goes, "And when no hope was left in sight on that starry, starry night, you took your life as lovers often do...," I began to sob. I choked out the words, "But I could have told you, Vincent, this world was never meant for one as beautiful as you." I had to stop after that. My dear son said, "It's OK, Mommy. It's just a sad song."
The second time I went to see it, I wept so much through the last half hour of it - from the lake scene on - that I thought I'd asphyxiate. Seriously, it was suffocating. I tried to keep it down to a dull roar, but the lovely gentleman sitting next to me throughout the screening put his hand on my shoulder during the credits and actually said, "Are you gonna be all right, sweetie?"
I went to see it a third time in the attempt to properly lay Ennis and Jack to rest. They invaded my every thought and even my dreams. And that third time did help a lot in that endeavor. The fourth and fifth times have been spent mostly in utter appreciation of the art.
You don't even want to begin to hear my Black Sunday (aka March 5, 2005) story. That'd be another five paragraphs. At minimum.
Thanks yet again to Phil for giving us IMDb refugees a safe haven, here.
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A Very Big welcome to you....Courtney....Victoria....Barb!! So happy to see you here. Us Brokeback Broads were pretty much outnumbered here for a while. It's so nice to meet all of you. I'm Nancy....I hang out a lot in the Ladies Corner....so if you're in the mood....c'mon down and set a spell.... ;) I hope you enjoy your new home here with us. I think that the others won't mind if I say....ALL of us have been soo deeply effected by BrokeBack Mountain. So much introspection...discovery...awareness. I love reading other's posts. I've learned so very much about everyone...but even MORE vital....about myself!!
So Welcome to our campsite...Much Love....Nancy :-*
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Thank you for the warm welcome, Nancy. It's lovely to finally be fully amongst friends here. :)
Phillip, I'm from Rochester. I lived in Gates until I was 13, then moved to Canandaigua. Went to Thomas A. Edison Elementary School and to Gates/Chili Middle School. My oldest brother still lives there, in Irondequoit. My father was born and raised in Mendon Springs. I've now lived in the same town in Florida for longer than I've lived anywhere else, but I still think of that area of the country as my home. I'm sure I always will. I was lucky enough to be able to live in a house right on Canandaigua Lake, with a view towards the south end of it, where all those drumlin hills come together. I'm still haunted by the memory of it.
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Hello
I am Kea..I joined a couple of days ago but I have basically been lurking , talking to those in the ladies group basically ..sorry guys ...it just felt safer..
Ok....I didnt know much about BBm...cant even recall when I first heard about it. Bur I read the short story , saw some clips oline and started to feel something......it gripped me and I could not /did not want to let it go either. I was waiting for the DVD to come out..but online friends persuaded me to go to the movies and see it....
..I did and it was hard....not even talking about the movie yet....you see I experienced a "trauma" last year about September....and since then ....have not been able to do much....I have been unwell for a long time...plus.. .simple things like leave my home, answering a phone call or a knock on the door......I was so gripped by fear and being surrounded by strangers ....no way.....but I had already fallen in love with both Jack and Ennis and felt that I owed them to have the courage to see it........I did...shaking...all the way...
I saw it three times ..later on.....the second time chosing a cinema near where I experienced my incident...it was hard.....I know its funny to say this but Jack and Ennis have given me alot of courage to do things I could never do a few weeks ago.....Things were so dark for me... ..I had decided that week would be my last.....I even did my secret farewells to my family etc...........then came BBm.......I have no reason why it worked for me....or how it helps......but Jack and Ennis have made me want to carry on....to be alive again
I am still trying..... there are challenges.....but I have began to get ready to make my move home to my own BBM.....thousands and thousands of miles away.....I am packing up my home......I am rediscovering how I have harmed myself more than what anyone did to me.....and I have began to write ....
I dont work now...I used to teach high school lit and worked as a pyschologist for many years.....but maybe it will happen again...
thank you for having me here.....that is my tale....its only been about 3 weeks since I saw BBM....but its done something inside my soul and is helping me get better... ....
I hope this does not sound silly...
hugs
Kea
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Hi everyone. Nipith here. (pronounced Nip-pith). 34, gay male. My grandparents are all Chinese, but I was born in Thailand. Lived there until 10, when my older brother and I were sent to live with my uncle and aunt in Marietta, Georgia. It was tough for us and my parents to part, but they felt we'd have better education and opportunities this way. Moved to Seattle, Washington for 8th and 9th grade. Finally reunited with my mom and dad and younger brother in California for the rest of my high school years. Went to college at UCLA, then art school at Otis. So I've lived in the greater LA area for over 15 years.
I hadn't really heard much about BBM, when I went to see the movie. I remember reading a short blurb about how Heath nearly broke Jake's nose while shooting the kissing scene in Ang Lee's new movie. At the time, they both were just fairly unknown actors, so I just figured they were minor gay characters in the movie. When it opened here in LA. I went with my brother and cousin, both of whom are also gay. Boy! We had no idea what we were walking into. By this point we knew it was a gay love story about cowboys, but had no idea how powerful it would be. Through the film, I just let the story flow over me. Leaving the theater I had a pit in my stomach. My reaction was very much the delayed reaction that many have described. I was stunned and just couldn't process much of what I'd seen. The images, words and emotions would just weave in and out of my mind. The pit in my stomach would grow to the size of a medicine ball through the night. The physical pain along with my restless mind kept me up that night, and most of the next night. I went to see it again the following day with some friends. Several days after my first viewing was when it all hit me. I woke up crying, violently. I was convulsing and couldn't control my body at all. Drooling and snot dripping in bed, and unable to even reach for kleenex. I just laid there feeling every bit of the emotions. It scared me. I am a very even keeled person, not prone to extreme emotions. But at the end of it, I felt catharsis. It felt good and cleansing.
I have seen the movie 14 times now. With each viewing, I've been able to unravel the mess of emotions that hit me. I finally figured out that it wasn't one emotion, but a bunch of things, so urgent that they hit me at once. Along with just grieving for the men and women and for the story, the movie broke the surface and some repressed issues bubbled up. With the honesty of this beautiful film, I just couldn't hide any more. The only way to tribute the purity and love in the film and in Ennis and Jack was to confront my own demons. I think Phil said it perfectrly. " there was a way out of this emotional hell and that would be to finish the story in a positive way in my own life." I came to that same epiphany as I laid there crying like I hadn't done since I was a toddler.
Ennis took me back to the most painful years of my life. All the emotions that I thought I'd left behind came rushing back, and boxed me in the ears. When I was 19, I was Ennis. That quiet taciturn exterior, that paranoia, fear, self-loathing, was all me. People thought I was just being the stoic Chinese, but no, I was just repressing. I couldn't let anyone really connect with me, less they figure it out. Dam! It hurt to remember how much I hated myself. I understood exactly why Ennis couldn't be with Jack. Like him, I couldn't see beyond my own pain. I couldn't image a life where I could be happy. There was nothing around me that gave any indication that it was possible. There was only enduring. It also made me realize that I hadn't really moved on. I had only repressed them. I never really grieved properly for my lost life, for those people that I couldn't connect with, for those friendships lost because I wasn't open emotionally. This film made me stop and reflect and to say goodbye to those parts of my past.
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Hello folks. Yet another IMDb refugee here. Thankyou for this wonderful place. I was getting to the point were I had lost track of why I went into the forums over there. I have been exploring here for several days now and posted a few times in the more familiar territory of the Chez Tremblay section, but I'm very happy to once again put that overwhelming consciousness of stranger danger behind me.
I am Ray.
Libran - The worst kind of Libran with all but one planet plonked in Libra! Always striving for balance, sometimes there just seems to be too many options and I decisively procrastinate. Whilst I tend to be self focused and overly sensitive much of the time, I'm way too generous with cash and possessions, and way too selfish with time and space. Perhaps it's cheesy, but my greatest pain is to know someone is in pain.
Living in Brisbane Australia - Born in Broken Hill, a town on the boarder on New South Wales and Victoria, I grew up around Sydney on the East Coast and spent my early adulthood in the heart of Sydeny itself. After losing a restaurant to..., let's say enjoying the fruits of that amazingly fast city a little too much, I headed North to lick my wounds and ended up in Brisneyland where the pace is gentle, the weather's perfect, and the attitude is warm.
41 years old - Wasn't coping at all with that leap. All of a sudden it becomes apparent that all the adage It goes too quickly, has credibility. Soon I realised that racing around chanting It's too soon, It's too soon, It's too soon was only using up more valuable time. Coinciding with this shift in attitude came BBM.
Gay Male & Very contentedly single - I have known that I am gay since it is possible to know you're gay, but I didn't live in an environment that made coming out easy, so I didn't until I was 25. Even then I had no intension of acting on my gay instinct until my parents had died a natural death. On the first day of my second year of uni, that was to change. I walked into class and standing there was the man who would make it not only possible to come out, but he made it absolutely necessary. I finally felt that all absorbing love that no one can ever quite describe accurately. We spent some wonderful years together and my life changed unrecognisably. Circumstances saw us part with him moving across the other side of the world and time saw us lose touch. Until recently. I simply googled his name, and by mid 2007 we will reunite as friends. I consider myself very lucky to have felt that level of passion about another person, many people reach the end of their lives without ever having done so. I guess I'm a bit of an Ennis now. I'm open to sharing life again, but they have to be pretty special. As I always say, the next relationship I have will be the one that makes me want to stop being single. I realise that I never gave my parents enough credit. They re evaluated all their prejudices when i came out finally, and whilst they aren't totally saved, they are certainly aware and accepting of diversity now.
Cartoonist / illustrator - After losing my restaurant I was at a loss as to what to do next. I had a Nursing Degree, but didn't want to go back to that, I had a Creative Arts degree, but found after 5 years in the acting and Directing profession that I didn't have the talent to make the grade, I had enough of the working gay bars as the fun had somehow drained out of it after so many years and nothing was exciting me anymore, and I ssssoitenly didn't want to go back into another restaurant. So I started drawing. And it turned out that I could make a living with it. Once I decided that the world is my oyster at 40, I took a part time job at the post office to boost the travel funds, and now I'm looking toward the end of the year to sketch my way around the planet.
BBM - I've watched it over 50 times. Need I say more? Astonishing film, with astonishing realities, and because of it, and these forums I have made some astonishing new friends. Looking forward to including all of you in this. Thanks for having me.
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I am loving all of your stories.
Kea, my dear. I know very well from art literally saving one's life. For me, it was at 13, when a particular song by a particular rock band was the *only* thing that felt right in my life. The rest of it felt like the sky was falling - an alcoholic parent who drank herself into oblivion every day to the point where I was cooking for my older brothers and myself when I was five, looking and acting different from everyone else in school and being called on it constantly, just feeling utterly alone. I think I'm a closet extrovert - I think my social conditioning taught me how to be really good at being alone, but yet I love and crave human contact.
Ray, I envy you (but in a good way) your talent. In The Book of Questions, when it's asked what one talent above all others you wished you possessed, for me it's drawing. I can't draw myself out of a paper bag. Can't sing, act, play a musical instrument, write, or paint myself out of one, either. But the people I've known who could really draw have always been the most fascinating to me.
I connect with Ennis *and* Jack. I see myself so much in both of them, though more in Ennis than in Jack, I'm sorry to say. I am not an optimist like Jack is. It's something I've been trying to train myself to be for years, now. Having a child has aided considerably in that effort. But I still think that overall optimism is as innate as asthma. Maybe I've just learned not to sweat the small stuff as much as I used to because doing that when you're raising a child will drive you absolutely over the edge. I thank my lucky stars that I have this child to, among many other things, save me from a life of terminal self-indulgence. Which is not to say that I think that anyone who doesn't have children for any reason is terminal in that way - what I'm saying is that for me, it took that kind of life change to shake me out of my complacency.
But I digress. (And digress and digress...)
What Brokeback has done for me is twofold. First, it's raised the bar on what I deem as a good movie. It's ruined it for me, where "it" is enjoying mediocre films. And that's OK. Any experience that ratchets up our taste a notch is always a good one. Second, like many have said here but on a much lesser level, it's made me no longer afraid. No longer afraid of telling my beloved husband *exactly* what's on my mind, even when it's hard as nails. No longer afraid of telling people who utter bigoted epithets in my presense that I'd really appreciate it if they don't say that word or talk that way in front of me any more. No longer afraid of baring my soul to people who share my love for this extraordinary film. No longer afraid of telling people who haven't even bothered to see this film and who never will and who go out of their way to disrespect it precisely where to get off.
I used to not be able to begin to know what it's like for people to live their lives in a closet - to have to repress the very essence of their beings because society and social conditioning have told them so. Now I do. Because of this movie.
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Hey Ray, G'day,
Always nice to welcome another Aussie! I love Brisbane, home of abc-tv's outstanding "Australian Story." I vacationed in wonderful towns of Ipswich and Marburg and enjoyed Surfers Paradise, Sunshine Coast. My dad's WWII Army 360th Quartermaster Bakery Unit set up shop in Townsvlle, January of 1943 baking bread for the troops. I consider Australia my home away from home a real heaven on earth! I found Sydney and Melbourne to be extremely gay friendly and glad to see
the BBM has done so well at the Box office down under....thanks in good part to you.
You watched BBM 50 times! :o
That's quite a diverse background you have, Please share some of your cartoons and illustrations with us. Sketching your way around the planet is quite the lofty goal....as we say in the southwest deserts of Arizona....Happy Trails To You.
Good on you regarding you "contentment, so few ever attain that gift in their lifetimes, quite an achievement.
Cheers Mate,
Denyys
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Hello Denyys. I would love to boast that I've watched the film over 50 times At The Cinema, but had I actually done that, I wouldn't even be able to afford this computor to tell you with, let alone afford to travel. I am a guilty owner of a screener. I have, however, had 8 big screen experiences, the last of which was last night, and I went with a fellow Brokie that I met on line. She and I both agree that sharing with a Brokie enhances the entire experience 200%. Thanks to BBM, I now have a wonderful new friend that I feel will be long term.
On my cartoons, I have posted a few that i drew in response to a thread on the old IMBd board called "What did you learn from BBM about Food & Drink. It was a very funny thread contributed to by some amazingly witty people. I have now reposted these cartoons over in the Chez Tremblay section if you're interested in taking the trip across.
Arizona hunh? The friend I refer to now lives in Dallas Tx, so I'll be over next year. Have some elk hanging for me won'tcha!
http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php?topic=337.0 (http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php?topic=337.0)
Ray
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Hey, everyone. I am very excited to have joined BetterMost. I've migrated from the IMDB boards, where I am under the s/n stitchbuffymoulinfan. So, yes, I know some of you guys already. Like all of you, I'm a big, big fan of Brokeback and I look forward to many good discussions on the subject.
P.S. Love the layout to this site; it's very majestic.
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What Brokeback has done for me is twofold. First, it's raised the bar on what I deem as a good movie. It's ruined it for me, where "it" is enjoying mediocre films. And that's OK. Any experience that ratchets up our taste a level is always a good one. Second, like many have said here but on a much lesser level, it's made me no longer afraid. No longer afraid of telling my beloved husband *exactly* what's on my mind, even when it's hard as nails. No longer afraid of telling people who utter bigoted epithets in my presense that I'd really appreciate it if they don't say that word or talk that way in front of me any more. No longer afraid of baring my soul to people who share my love for this extraordinary film. No longer afraid of telling people who haven't even bothered to see this film and who never will and who go out of their way to disrespect it precisely where to get off.
Hi again ednbarby, you know I really dig your perspective and the beautiful and encouraging way you make your points. I feel the same way about telling the stubbornly-ignorent where to stick their negativity, and that a fear of taking this stand no longer seems a problem.
I used to not be able to begin to know what it's like for people to live their lives in a closet - to have to repress the very essence of their beings because society and social conditioning have told them so. Now I do. Because of this movie.
You might be right about this, or at least as right as you can be without actually being gay and in the closet. I've still got one foot in the closet myself, since my immediate family still don't (officially) know. Actually I don't know how this is possible because in every other way I'm out to all my friends and colleagues, but my friends tell me that I'm difficult to pick as being gay. Still the fact that I'm 39 and never had a girlfriend would be a pretty good clue, and I talk about BBM all the time, and I basically "act" completely as myself with no pretence for being straight. I think my family has adopted the don't ask don't tell approach.
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Hallo!
Roboy here. I too have migrated from IMDb, with Miss Vikky's encouragement, but I'm lost here. The clock says I've been logged in for 32 minutes (the average time it usually takes me to write a letter) but some of that has been spent doing laundry. (ha) hope to have better understanding of this place before I get discouraged - oh yea I do get cyberspace discouraged sometimes!
Anyways, one thing for sure
I still love everything Ennis
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Hello everyone.
I am Kelda and am 24 from Scotland.
Totally love BBM and also migrated from IMDB to here (thanks again Phillip)
Hello to everyone and hears to a beautiful new home and lots of beutiful new friendships!
*MWA*
You can learn more about me at my myspace page.
<-------------------clickable on the left here
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Hi everyone,
I think its time I introduce myself too. I've been on this board a few days and haven't come around to do it. Well, I'm 36 years old female and a resident of Madrid, Spain. I saw Brokeback Mountain one day after it first opened in Madrid and immediately became a brokie. I just love this movie. It's one of the best I have ever seen. For me is already a classic.
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Hi Vicoria,
I really like sausage dogs too - Miss Sassy looks like a loyal companion. What is an avitar?
San Diego is definately a place I would love to visit. Also what is an LVM??
Congratulations on meeting up with your new friend - a couple of people seem to be forming new relationships as a result of stepping out after Brokeback Mountain.
You have been following the evolution of Brokeback for a long time - it must have been very exciting for you waiting for the movie - for me the first I heard about Brokeback was when the movie came out...Your copy of the New Yorker will be a collectors item one day - I bet a lot of Brokeback fans would already pay a lot of money on Ebay for that copy! But I would say that the sentimental value would by far outweigh any monetary value,
Nice to meet you Vicoria and I am glad you have joined us from IMDb - sounds like it got pretty rough over there...
Peter
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Hi again ednbarby, you know I really dig your perspective and the beautiful and encouraging way you make your points.
Thanks so much, Chris. What a great compliment! You've made my day (and then some). :)
You might be right about this, or at least as right as you can be without actually being gay and in the closet. I've still got one foot in the closet myself, since my immediate family still don't (officially) know. Actually I don't know how this is possible because in every other way I'm out to all my friends and colleagues, but my friends tell me that I'm difficult to pick as being gay. Still the fact that I'm 39 and never had a girlfriend would be a pretty good clue, and I talk about BBM all the time, and I basically "act" completely as myself with no pretence for being straight. I think my family has adopted the don't ask don't tell approach.
It breaks my heart to know that so many families still can't just be open about and to this. I guess society is coming along, but in baby steps - at least they haven't "run you off."
I never really thought about how difficult life must be for the gay men I know before seeing this movie. I mean, I didn't go around thinking life was a rose garden for any of them, but I just didn't realize what they must go through. I know of several men in my company who are openly gay, and one or two others who are in the don't ask don't tell camp. It was only after seeing this movie that it occurred to me that all those openly gay men never bring their partners to company gatherings. Some of them never attend at all. These are men who've been with their partners for 10-20 years. It pisses me off that gays and lesbians are made to feel that they have to keep such major parts of their lives and themselves separated.
I keep coming back to this - we can't help who we love, we can't help who we are attracted to. For the life of me I'll never completely understand why these very simple truths are so hard for so many people to comprehend.
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Hi Courtney,
I just wanted to say "Welcome to Bettermost". Like you I spend too much time on the message boards too regarding Brokeback when I should be working! And then I have to make up the time in the evenings and on the weekends,
I also can't say whether Brokeback has really changed me except that it broke my heart so reminded me how tough life can be.
I understand how you worry about not finding someone - I think that a movie like Brokeback reminds us how wonderful love can be. However, I think that one dangerous thing that can come from a movie like Brokeback is to take it too literally. Thinking - oh if only I were an actor - or if only I lived in Wyoming - then my life would mean something and I would find love. Or even to think - finding someone to love and who loves me is the most important thing in the world and the only thing worth living for. I think that like all forms of art it is important to see Brokeback as a metaphor for your own life. Then you worry less about trying to follow someone else's path and instead can live your own life with more clarity.
I think that perhaps for you Brokeback has awakened some fears you have on not finding love - and that has given you some valuable insight. Our culture puts great emphasis on finding love and makes us feel that if we do not we are a failure. However we cannot all be Jack and Ennis - we have to live our own story and learn to accept ourselves warts and all and be open to whatever future awaits us. That maybe alone - that may be with one great love - or that maybe with a number of lovers over a life time. I think the important thing though is to learn to love yourself first and let go of your fears - as Doris Day says - what will be will be...
Sorry if I have sounded a bit like Yoda from Star Wars,
Peter
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Hi Barb,
I am a person who is haunted by landscapes too. At the moment while we are coming in to Autumn here in Australia a tonne of memories of cold seasons past are flooding my senses and taking me back years and decades. Just driving at night and seeing the street lights through cold mists - or the smell of the night. For me there is particular street where I grew up till I was 7 - which I visit sometimes because it is almost sacred ground to me - and the smells and feelings of that street haunt me today - much like Rochester haunts you? Sometimes I think if you leave a place you appreciate it more and it becomes a part of you. Australian aborigines have sacred places (a famous one is Uluru) and I feel that I can really appreciate how important a sacred place is to one's identity and consciousness...perhaps that is why the idea of Brokeback Mountain is so powerful - because it taps in to these deep seated ideas?
Bye the way I love Vincent's Song - I grew up with older brothers and sisters and often heard it played on the record player...
Peter
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...or that is to say I might be able to appreciate a sacred place...
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Yes, Peter - I too can think of that sacred place on the lake and hear it, smell it - almost taste the air around it.
I'll never forget the first time I saw it. I was still living with my mother at 12 years old and my Dad came and got me for the weekend to come see his "new" house. He had lived in a very swanky apartment for years - I referred to it as his Bachelor Pad - very 70s, with the circular staircase and "contemporary" furnishings. So I was expecting something overblown and overdone that would defy me not to roll my eyes openly.
Instead, we came to this beautiful, rustic cottage that had had a second floor added to it and that sat inside the natural water line. On both sides, the waves from the lake lapped onto the gravel beach. The front yard was an artificial break wall built out about 10 yards into the lake, and was planted with grass and a beautiful, mature maple tree that shaded the whole area. Looking to the south was like looking at a mountain lake - the glacial hills around the lake came together at the south end in a point.
The first time I saw it, the wind was out of the south at about 20-30 mph. It was an unusually balmy May day. And it was overcast in the way it gets in the late spring and early summer when you can't see any blue at all but you know those clouds won't yield any rain. I wish I could describe the color of the water. The closest I can come is that it was like a kind of green/blue hazel you see every once in a while in someone's eyes. The waves were like ocean waves, and there were whitecaps. At this point, I'd never seen the ocean and had only a vague recollection of seeing Lake Ontario (one of our Great Lakes for those elsewhere) as a very young child, and there I only remembered the beach itself and not the water.
I remember standing out there on the break wall with my Dad, and he said, "So... What do you think?" And I said, "I think it's the most beautiful place I've ever seen in my life." And I remember his smile. At that time, I had no idea I'd be living with him and my stepmother at that place just a year later and until I was graduated from college.
I can remember the winter days, like you Peter, just as vividly. Though the lake was nearly two miles across where we lived and 250 feet deep, it froze completely over for the next seven years in a row. It froze over so completely, in fact, that my parents would host ice boat parties. Their friends would bring 7 or 8 of them and launch them from the beach on one side that was wide enough for a boat tralier, and they'd go whizzing across that lake at what seemed like the speed of sound. I took a ride in a two-seater one one cold, cold day - it was absolutely the most thrilling experience of my life. I learned to ice skate on that lake. And I walked all the way across it and back (which I now find absolutely insane) alone one January day before all the ice boaters came.
I can remember sitting at the dining area table at the big bay window on a winter's day, playing gin rummy with my Dad, and looking out at the steam rising up from the ice. One time, he said, "It looks different every single day, doesn't it? You think you've seen all it's going to show you, and then the next day, it's something else entirely."
I was unbelievably lucky to have gotten to live in such an outrageously beautiful place for so long. It's ruined enjoying merely pretty places for me. I can never help comparing them to it, and they always fall short.
My Dad sold that house and all the land he owned around it in 1997 and moved with my stepmother to North Carolina. I hope the (not so) new people there appreciate it as much as I did. Really, if they appreciate it half as much, that'd be acceptable, too.
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Hey there -
I'm a little late in making this introduction, so forgive the delay. I'm not sure how to introduce myself - what's relevant and what's superfluous. I'll start with the obvious. My name is Celeste, and I'm a 41-yr old female (a Libran like Ray) and live in Chicago (USA).
I am most defined my spiritual life and practise, which is the core around which everything else in my world circles. I'm like a nun (without the Catholic part) in the sense that my life is fully commited to spiritual pursuits. I am also a very real and practical person who, in addition to teaching/studying meditation, has a full-time job in a big city.
I saw BBM on Christmas day, and then walked alone for hours afterward trying to understand what had just happened to me. I rarely attend movies in a theater, but was drawn to see this, and see it alone. I get completely distracted from my internal experience in the presence of others, and just knew I should see it by myself. I've since gone with friends and family, and they've all been very positive about the movie, but none impacted like me.
I felt like Ennis was telling my story, but in ways I still can't articulate even to myself. I'm not gay, I'm not a cowboy, etc,...but the movie spoke to some level of reality for me, and obviously for all of us. So - I looked on IMDb to see what others had to say. I loved some of the folks there, but the level of discourse was awful so much of the time. I stumbled on the smaller chat community (Pierre Tremblay), which suited me better, and when that began to fall apart, we looked for new options, and Phillip's generosity of spirit enabled us to renew the conversation with old friends and find all kinds of wonderful new ones here.
I'm delighted to be in a forum where the conversations are even deeper than they are broad. I see BBM as a spiritual and emotional catalyst for some additional awakening that I didn't even know needed to happen. I'm continually surprised, like most of us, about how it's pervaded my thoughts and for so long.
I figure that whatever it touches in me is still needing attention. I can't wait to see the DVD and absorb BBM without any distractions of the theater (although I'll miss the grandeur). I have had the good fortune to meet some of my fellow Brokies and talk with lots of them on the phone and by e-mail. There is always a sense of immediate trust and commraderie and a great relief - finally to speak with others who "understand."
I'm learning so much about myself not just from BBM but from the friends I've made here, and for that I'm eternally grateful. It's a great gift to be here where others listen and respond and enrich my life with their thoughts and feelings and perspectives.
This move is a constant reminder to me of how to make the secular sacred - how to make every moment of life holy, not in the religious sense, but as in being set apart for a divine purpose. I don't usually discuss BBM in these terms, but the sorrow of Ennis is the sorrow of someone who has lost a great gift by not recognizing what was being offered when it was offered ~ the transformative gift of true love. The kind of love that opens your eyes to your own invisible beauty and gives automatic meaning to your life. The power of this kind of love can never be underestimated in its significance, and draws me back to Our Boys again and again. If there is any intention with which I come here, it is to bring that love it into everything that happens here, as best I can.
I've gone on too long and too seriously, so will stop now. Looking forward to more of these conversations.
All good wishes, Celeste :angel:
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I'll never stop learning about you Angel!
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PS: anybody interested in starting a frappr map for Bettermost members?
Can we do this for the site? Does anyone know if this is the best place?
http://www.frappr.com/
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Hi Barb,
That place sounds incredibly beautiful. Your description really brought it alive for me. I agree that you certainly have been lucky to live in such a beautiful place. Do you think that the landscape changed you and your relationship with your Father? Did your imagination run wild there?
Pete
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Hi Kelda,
Wow Scotland. How great for you that you live in such a beautiful country - does the landscape of Wyoming in Brokeback remind you at all of home?
Welcome to Bettermost,
Pete
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Hello BBM stitchbuffyfan,
I am looking forward to many more BBM discussions too and I also really like Phillip's layout - it is grouse and easy to use,
Cheers,
Pete
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Hi Roboy,
Hope you are getting the hang of the site and welcome,
Peter
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This move is a constant reminder to me of how to make the secular sacred - how to make every moment of life holy, not in the religious sense, but as in being set apart for a divine purpose. I don't usually discuss BBM in these terms, but the sorrow of Ennis is the sorrow of someone who has lost a great gift by not recognizing what was being offered when it was offered ~ the transformative gift of true love. The kind of love that opens your eyes to your own invisible beauty and gives automatic meaning to your life. The power of this kind of love can never be underestimated in its significance, and draws me back to Our Boys again and again. If there is any intention with which I come here, it is to bring that love it into everything that happens here, as best I can.
Stupendous Celeste, and you’re not the only one who identifies with spirituality over religion, and understands that there is a simple but significant difference between the two.
I love your introduction, and I love that it got serious, I genuinely look forward to more on the topic! :D
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Hiya Kea,
Your introduction did not sound silly at all.
In fact it was very moving.
I am glad that you have dropped into Bettermost and I wish you all the success in the world for whatever you choose to do,
Also good luck with your big move,
Pete
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Hello Opinionista,
Welcome to Bettermost. Did the landscapes of Wyoming remind you at all of parts of Spain?
Best wishes and hope to speak more,
Peter
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Hi Starboardlight,
I have only been able to see Brokeback Mountain once - because after my angst following my first viewing I am too scared to see it again. Perhaps though it may be a more cathartic experience for me too - if I see it once more. Thank you for your posts - I think it is good that those affected my the movie can support eachother - grief shared can be very consoling. I was separated from my parents too for a time as a teenager - and I found that as an adult I had to heal myself from feelings of loss...did you find that too?
Pete
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Hello Ray,
I am from Melbourne. A big hello to YOU up in Brisvegas. I really like your cartoons.
Look forward to having some Brokeback chats,
Pete
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Hiya Celeste,
It is good to connect with other people who 'understand' after watching Brokeback. I was trying to explain to my boss why I had been so sad recently and couldn't work properly and he just laughed - he didn't get it.
I was thinking that you may find Paul's essay interesting on Brokeback, mythology and Greek tragedies (if you haven't read it already).
I thought it was unreal.
The link is:
http://manderley.moonfruit.com
Kind regards,
Peter
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Hi there Aussie Chris and Aussie Peter. And all the Aussie challenged. I'm very much loving reading about you all. An eclectic bunch aren't we? I'm very much looking forward to posting with you all.
Aussie Ray
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Hi Everyone, I'm Clarissa. I agree that Frappr would be a great idea. But I can tell I shouldn't volunteer to organize it. I could, however, find someone to organize it if no one reading this wants to. Impish? Lynne? One of my fortes (I think) is finding the right person for the task, within a group.
I'm one of the refugees from IMDb. I live in Seattle with husband and 3 year old daughter. I am currently a fulltime mom, which has been my heart's desire for a long time. i have a very blissful time in the smallest now, these days. Not all the time, by any means. But so many little joys with my girl, and the free, fairly unstressful time that I have. In the past I have been an English and French teacher, a tobacco cessation counselor, and a birth doula.
I wish I was doing yoga, but I'm not. I want to learn to play guitar just rudimentarily enough to accompany myself in the simplest manner while I sing (which I do a lot - sing), but I haven't been (guitar). I want to take more photos of my daughter and other aspects of my life, but I don't. That's kind of the negative part of me, not doing what my heart wants, sometimes. And I'm not good with paper clutter.
I'm very people-oriented, and was somehow given moderator status of the Tremblay group here upon arrival (along with yaadpyar and vkm91941), a position I seem to fall into sometimes in groups - kind of the gatherer servant, or the "let's see what everyone needs and figure out how to get it for them - especially by delegating to others" servant. I love having ideas for others to implement, LOL.
Just to finish up, I love BBM, of course. I have seen it in the theater about 20 times, and got the DVD a little bit early and have watched some bits several times. Not the ones you might think (I have watched those too), but rather the little campfire scenes up on the mountain and then later in their lives too. One of my favorite moments is when they are working on the felled tree together, Ennis sawing and Jack axing. (Although from experience I can say that it would be very jarring to be the sawer and have that sharp axe vibration come up through your arms.) Working together like that on the same useful, important project looks so companionable and so what's the word, I don't know, but it's the thing I want with others, and why I'm here.
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Thanks to a conversation with yaadpyar and henrypie, i took the Myers-Birggs test and this is what it said about me. It describes aspects of me better than I can. It seems very self-absorbed to post it, but here I go:
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The Portrait of the Champion Idealist (eNFp)
The Champion Idealists are abstract in thought and speech, cooperative in accomplishing their aims, and informative and extraverted when relating with others. For Champions, nothing occurs which does not have some deep ethical significance, and this, coupled with their uncanny sense of the motivations of others, gives them a talent for seeing life as an exciting drama, pregnant with possibilities for both good and evil. This type is found in only about 3 percent of the general population, but they have great influence because of their extraordinary impact on others. Champions are inclined to go everywhere and look into everything that has to do with the advance of good and the retreat of evil in the world. They can't bear to miss out on what is going on around them; they must experience, first hand, all the significant social events that affect our lives. And then they are eager to relate the stories they've uncovered, hoping to disclose the "truth" of people and issues, and to advocate causes. This strong drive to unveil current events can make them tireless in conversing with others, like fountains that bubble and splash, spilling over their own words to get it all out.
Champions consider intense emotional experiences as being vital to a full life, although they can never quite shake the feeling that a part of themselves is split off, uninvolved in the experience. Thus, while they strive for emotional congruency, they often see themselves in some danger of losing touch with their real feelings, which Champions possess in a wide range and variety. In the same vein, Champions strive toward a kind of spontaneous personal authenticity, and this intention always to "be themselves" is usually communicated nonverbally to others, who find it quite attractive. All too often, however, Champions fall short in their efforts to be authentic, and they tend to heap coals of fire on themselves, berating themselves for the slightest self-conscious role-playing.
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That place sounds incredibly beautiful. Your description really brought it alive for me. I agree that you certainly have been lucky to live in such a beautiful place. Do you think that the landscape changed you and your relationship with your Father? Did your imagination run wild there?
Why, yes, I do think it changed me and my relationship with my father. I think that if we lived together in his soulless bachelor pad, we'd have had a hell of a lot less to talk about. Like that beautiful Auden poem referenced here often, that lake was our North, our South, our East and West, our working week and our Sunday rest, our noon, our midnight, our talk, our song... So many memories... They used to (probably still do) this thing on the Saturday night of Labor Day Weekend called The Ring of Fire. It comes from an Iroquois tradition of welcoming the fall harvest by lighting fires around the lake. The Iroquois would light a bonfire at the peak of the highest hill, then everyone below would light theirs. We did that every Labor Day Saturday night, with a bonfire on our two beaches, and in later years, with flares around the break wall. And we'd sit out there in the crisp air, my Dad and stepmom with their highballs and me with my Coke, and watch it all burn. School would start for me the following Wednesday, but that Saturday always meant that summer was officially over.
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I'll never stop learning about you Angel!
Ray - You are one of the nicest gifts of this experience...! :-*
:angel:
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Thank you Pete for the lovely welcome....and for understanding.
hugs
Kea
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Hello,
Eric here migrating over from IMDB. That place is a mad house right now. So sad.
I've see it in the theatres 32 times, and I'm just about to watch my DVD. I will be seeing it more times in the theatre, as much as I can until it's gone. In San Francisco it's moving to a single screen art deco art house theatre starting Friday! I can't wait. :)
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Just wanted to say a belated thank you for the warm Welcome from Stripey Peter, BBMGrandma Nancy, Impish, and also extend my warm welcome to Kea and also a hello to Damiano, and hello to Juan!
I've noticed a few of you taking a peek in the chez tremblay board and really would love it if you'd jump right in! Juan and Lynne have, and can vouch that we don't bite, mostly.
:)
We had a mini upheaval as part of the settling in process , but seriously, we're nice folks too!
Of course I encourage any tremblay folks to explore and participate in this really wonderful site !
BetterMost rules!
Paul
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I'll never stop learning about you Angel!
Ray - You are one of the nicest gifts of this experience...! :-*
:angel:
Whoa! Thankyou my beautiful girl. You have made me gasp!
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Montferrat:
Is your avatar a picture of you? It looks like Jack Johnson... and if it is, we have something in common, at least in terms of taste in music! ;D
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Hi everybody,
from Luigi, 45 years old male, Italy, and sorry for my introduction being "long overdue", to quote one of our two heroes, and coming almost one week after registering at BetterMost.
I too am a refugee from the BBM and PT IDBM boards, and hope to find more time to spend on these pages to discuss on BBM and life after having seen it.
Those who are familiar with my previous posts at IMDB already know how much I loved this movie. There are so many things it brought me back, good memories and sad ones, regrets for things and truths I didn't have the courage to face and hopes for the future, and overall the need to always be myself and face life coherently.
But BBM also made me discover a great American writer, a great director and two very fine young actors I never heard about before, bringing back my almost forgotten passion for cinema.
I had been a movie buff when I was a teen, then gradually my interests shifted away, and despite still liking going to the movies, I didn't go to theatres more than 5/10 times a year. After BBM (which I saw 7 times since December, that is the most I ever did for any movie, I think) I have been to the cinema almost on a weekly basis, and at home I spend quite a deal of time searching on Sky for films I lost.
Well, "time to go, cowboys and cowgirls". Thank you for listening.
Luigi
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Hi Impish, yep, you caught me, That's Jack johnson!
At least while I'm typing this!
And hello Luigival!
Bienvenuto!
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Hi Everyone!
I'm Diane and a full blown brokie. I'm totally obsessed and in love with everything Brokeback.
I'm looking forward to new friends and lots of laughs and friendly discusssions.
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Hello!
My name is Ann Marie, I'm 35 and live in Cleveland, Ohio.
2006 will forever be remembered by me as "The Year I Became Obsessed With Brokeback Mountain". I first saw it on New Year's Eve and haven't been able to think about much else since!
I'm a refugee from the IMDb board and have spent most of my time at Chez Tremblay so far, but am starting to poke around this beautiful site. I'm also a moderator at the ABCs of BBM board, so if you haven't already come over to play, please do!
It's been a lot of fun being here and I look forward to getting to know you all. Thanks to Phillip and everyone else here for such a warm welcome, and see you on the boards!!! :)
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Hello everyone. I'm coming from the original Pierre Tremblay board back on IMDb and welcome this cozy new home. My name is Nicole. I am 41 and come from sunny Calgary where Brokeback Mountain was filmed. I am a teacher and a mother of two and find the people on this forum to be tons of fun. We'll see you around.
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I'm Sarah. Female, 29. I like talking by the fire and walks on the beach.
I live in Baltimore, I love cats, I'm a classical musician, I make snowflakes, I read and write and knit and ... clutter up and clutter down. I'm married to a smart, patient, affectionate, funny, sexy German who speaks crazy-talk German because he's from Stuttgart. Most recent book I read: Slaughterhouse-Five. Most recent film watched: Splendor in the Grass. Movie written on my heart till I'm dead and gone: Brokeback Mountain.
I'm so happy to have found this forum.
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Hi, everyone. I'm not good at these things, and have yet to find a way to properly articulate my feelings about BBM, but on Clarissa's suggestion have decided to give it a shot.
I'm in Illinois. I'm 23, gay male. I live with my boyfriend of 5+ years (well, temporarily not, that's another story) and I work in the music industry. I love film and books, but music is my true passion. It's been my emotional outlet since I was a kid.
I heard about BBM over a year before it came out but saw Jake and Heath were starring, and that girl from Princess Diaries, and rolled my eyes. But when I heard Ang Lee was involved, my ears perked. He's my favorite director (Wedding Banquet, Eat Drink Man Woman, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon!) so I immediately changed my position. It wasn't until I started browsing the IMDB boards in mid-December and I stumbled upon a link to the New Yorker short story (this was back when the New Yorker still had it up on their official site!). I sat at work, reading it, and by the end I was fighting back the tears. I was hooked.
The next week, my boyfriend and a friend went to see it in Chicago. Every showing was completely sold out, we were lucky we ordered in advance. I have been to this theatre numerous time, but it was like herding cattle, appropriately, just lines of people throughout the entire building. After the film, we discussed what we had saw. My first reaction was that was a really good movie. That night, I laid in bed, not able to sleep, just thinking about the movie, about everything.
This happened to be the week I was on Christmas vacation, and spent a lot of time alone because no one else was off. It might've been the next day, or 2 days later, but I just started thinking about Jack and Ennis. And I shook my head and I'm like "come on now, they're not real people!" and so on. I was getting ready to leave, still laughing at myself for being so concerned with fictional characters. I walk out the door, I'm running down the stairs, and I just STOP and start crying uncontrollably. I've never experienced anything like that from a movie before, or any work of art for that matter.
Thinking I was crazy, I went back to the IMDB boards, and quickly found I was hardly the only person who had a similar experience. I started posting, and reading, and before I knew it, was part of this community of people who were really touched by the film. It was great, and still is in fact. I ended up seeing it 12 times in the theatres, and one time I was lucky enough to have seen it with fellow brokies!
I guess why it connects to me so much is because I see so much of Jack AND Ennis in myself. Jack is me when I was younger, when I had dreams and ideas and was so young and naive and I wanted nothing more than to love freely and enjoy life, but all I got was loneliness, harassment, and rejection at school, at home, everywhere, and it turned me into an Ennis. Both are still a part of me, but I grew up a bit, hardened, and became an odd mixture. I'm happy with who I am now, and where I've gone, and with the lovely people in my life. But I still yearn to make things better, not just for myself, but for everyone else who feels like that growing up, isolated, alone, because they aren't and need to know that. You end up regretting so much when you allow others to shape you and hold you back. I used to live in fear, and I believe that the message of BBM is the only thing you have to fear is fear itself. Why deprive yourself love and happiness, only to end lonely, depressed, and wishing you had done things differently?
BBM has changed my life. There are other factors, but it has given me the confidence to take more risks, to appreciate what I have more, and to be more honest with myself and those around me. All this, and even from just a technical standpoint, it's just a brilliant, classic film with the power to bring people together, and to change minds.
Sorry for the lengthy post, it's really not my style, it just kinda... happened. I have to get to bed now.
But thanks to Phil and the fellow board members for taking us in! I'm so happy to be here, and you seem like such a lovely bunch of people, I can't wait to get to know more of you!
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Beautifully put Andrew (littledarlin) hun, it's so great to get to know more about you. And it's great getting to know everyone here! It really is so nice knowing that I'm not alone in my passion & obsession with this beautiful film.
I've been here at BetterMost for about a week, so I thought I'd come and finally introduce myself. For my friends here who know me already, this will be boring since they know most of this already (and I copied & pasted some stuff from the "Distinguishing Mandy & Mandy thread").
I'm a 22 year old straight (slightly bent) female, living in St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada (the oldest city in North America ). I was born in Labrador so technically I'm not a Newfie. :) I've been with my BF for about 3.5 years. I'm a 4th year UNI student, English degree, graduating next month. Then I'm doing a second degree (in French), and then considering Law School, who knows!? I like school. I'm a fairly easy-going person. It takes a lot to shock me, and I'm very accepting & open-minded. I adore movies of all genres really. I just love relaxing with a good movie. I worked at a video store for several years back in my home town and boy, that was awesome! Music is another passion of mine. I play saxophone (baritone) & guitar. I love all kinds of music (metal, rock, alternative, just about everything really). I love learning new languages. I speak French & Spanish (and a little Portuguese, but not very much!!). I LOVE reading, writing (poetry & short stories mostly, though I plan to write a novel & screenplay someday), painting, anything artistic really; I just love expressing myself in different ways. I grew up as the youngest & only girl (3 older brothers) so I learned early on how to be tough & independent. I love playing games (video games, board games, card games..etc). Most of all, I love having good, meaningful conversations with interesting folks (like all of you!)
When it comes to my passion for Brokeback Mountain, well I've been a huge Jake fan for a while and I've always been fairly fond of Heath, and when I first heard of the movie sometime mid-last year, I immediately read the short story and fell in love! And then I thought "WOW, I can't WAIT to see Jake & Heath as Jack & Ennis". I secretely obsessed about BBM for months before I was able to see it, which wasn't until mid January here in St. John's (and I refused to download it, I wanted to lose my BBM virginity in theatre, I wanted to experience it on the big screen, in all its beauty). I lurked around the IMdB Brokeback forum for the longest time, reading about other people's obsessions and yearning more and more for BBM. I've seen it several times now, and it's hard to explain exactly what it is about BBM that captivates me so much. My friends say: "Why do you like it so much? How do you even identify with two gay men? And Cowboys afterall!" Why should I need to justify myself for something I hold so dear to me; I'm not asking them to understand, just to accept it. But I love the film for their love, their passion, and ultimately their tragedy, which made me reflect on my life & taught me to appreciate love in all its forms. Finally, I am sooo glad I joined IMdB and then eventually found my way into all of your lives here at BetterMost ;D
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Newfoundland! I was just reading about Annie Proulx's book 'The Shipping News' and how it's set there. Some of the IMDb boards didn't like it because 'Newfies' found it didn't portray them in a very modern or realistic way. Wow that's so interesting!
Juan
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Yeah I read the book AND saw the movie. I enjoyed both, but I agree that it doesn't exactly portray Newfoundlanders correctly. A lot of Newfies think that she made us out to be brutish (that whole scene where they destroy the guy's trailor or something? I can't remember what happens exactly, it's been a while since I've seen it), although I don't really agree with that, I don't think she made Newfies out to be that bad. BUT, let me just say, I have never ever heard of anyone in Newfoundland eating a Squid Burger, c'mon!! LOL!
But, overall I enjoyed the story & the movie, they were entertaining & interesting, even if not exactly true to life.
Oh, BTW, some of the Newfie accents in the movie were just terrible!!
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Greetings, all!
I'll try to keep this short and factual. I'm not good at or comfortable with talking about myself, but since Clarissa sent a very nice postcard to us folks at Chez Tremblay to come over and introduce ourselves, here I am. ...
My name is Jeff. I'm a single gay male living in Philadelphia. My birth date is May 6, 1958 (so if you want to know how old I am, you do the math <G>). I was born in Central Pennsylvania and have lived in Philadelphia since 1986, when I moved here for a job opportunity. I live in the heart of the Center City gayborhood and own my own condominium home. Virtually all of my professional life has involved some aspect of research, writing, editing, or proofreading. My educational background is in history, and I have co-authored two reference volumes on colonial Pennsylvania.
I've had several coming outs in my life, and who knows how many more I may experience? I didn't come to understand, or face up to, the fact that I'm gay until the rather advanced age of 26. I had another coming out two years later when I moved to Philadelphia. A year after that I came out to the leather/levi/fetish community, where I have made a home ever since. In 1992 I became a member of our local leather fraternal organization, and have since held the offices of secretary and treasurer, and served as presidential officer for one 2-year term, 2000-2002. In 2005 I was honored with life membership status for my service to the organization.
I've been subscribing to The New Yorker for, oh, probably more than a quarter of a century, and I remember reading "Brokeback Mountain" in 1997. I wasn't aware that the story was being filmed until I stumbled on an ad for the movie in the Friday edition of the Philadephia Inquirer a week before it opened here. I thought, "I need to see this right away, as soon as it opens, it won't last long." HA! The film has been like another coming out experience, life changing for me as for so many others. I see aspects of myself--and not necessarily good aspects--in Ennis as the character is depicted on the screen, and the movie has made me realize that I have some work to do.
I have had one relationship, unfortunately very short, as my "little bear cub" passed away less than a year after we met. This loss is one unfortunate reason why I identify with Ennis.
I was raised Lutheran and currently am a member of the Episcopal parish around the corner from my home. Other interests, besides everything BBM, include collecting model trains (HO scale) and historical reenacting (the Middle Ages and Renaissance).
Well, I guess this turned out to be longer than I anticipated. ...
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Another refugee from Chez Tremblay, checking in.
I'm Leslie, a happily married mother of two, living in the greater Portland, ME area. We have a retired racing greyhoud, too, as part of our household and are thinking about getting another.
I'm a nurse, although I don't wear white stockings and uniform. :) My career has been mostly in research and academia. At present, I own my own business and serve as the editor-in-chief of two professional nursing journals. I also do consulting for research and statistics, writing and publishing. I keep current on clinical stuff through reading and volunteering at the Portland Community Free Clinic, which provides free care to those without insurance who cannot afford healthcare.
How did I learn about BBM? Actually, we were at my sister's house in Northampton, MA for Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving evening, my sister, mom and I went to the little art theater in town to see "Shopgirl." They had a list where people could write their suggestions of movies they want to the theater to show...and the list had page after page saying "Brokeback Mountain." Curious, and not familiar with this title, I went home and started surfing the Internet for info. At that point the New Yorker archive still had the short story online--I read it and was hooked.
I saw BBM for the first time in Boston on Dec 27th, and like everyone else here, I couldn't get it out of my mind. It opened in Portland on Jan 6th. I saw it 6 times in the theater plus I have an early release copy of the DVD which I have watched...I don't know...on that score, I have lost count.
The strangest thing that has come out of my obsession is that I have started writing fiction. The first thing I wrote was "Brokeback Fever: A New Clinical Entity." (That is posted over in the fanfic forum if anyone wants to read it.) Then I started reading fanfic and writing my own! I'm loving doing it, I just wish it didn't take so much time as I am seriously behind on what I should be doing in my real job. (If anyone is interested in the fanfic, links to that are also in the fanfic forum. The story is called "A Love Born From Steel.")
My children and husband know about my obsession--I think they think I'm a little bit nuts, but all in all, they are supportive.
The best part is that I have made some terrific new friends through these boards. I think we have a wonderful community and I am so happy to be part of it.
Love to all,
Leslie
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Oh my! There's so much good stuff on here!
Andrew, your post gave me goose bumps..
But I still yearn to make things better, not just for myself, but for everyone else who feels like that growing up, isolated, alone, because they aren't and need to know that. You end up regretting so much when you allow others to shape you and hold you back. I used to live in fear, and I believe that the message of BBM is the only thing you have to fear is fear itself. Why deprive yourself love and happiness, only to end lonely, depressed, and wishing you had done things differently?
.. no words .. other than so true!..
I've been BBM-hooked since approximately Oct/Nov of 2005. I had been a fan of Heath ever since seeing him in "The Four Feathers" and though I don't remember exactly, I think I went to IMBd to find out about upcoming films with Heath and probably stumbled over BBM. I remember there was talk about Ang Lee (due to pressure?) "de-gay-ing" the film and fans seemed upset about it happening again.. chickening out. I remember being annoyed too, about reading that most/some of the love scenes were apparently being cut. I don't know how much was cut in the end, but some of the love scenes stayed in, as we all know!
The other thing that attracted me to BBM was Ang Lee (I knew him from "The Wedding Banquet" waaaay back - loved it!) and Annie Proulx ("The Shipping News" with Kevin Spacey - love him!). So the combination of it all, made me very curious about BBM! I went to buy Annie Proulx' short story right away (but I'm still angry at myself for reading it and too much stuff on IMDb before seeing the film - I knew way too much when I first saw BBM and much of the surprise factor of some scenes was gone..). I must admit, that Jake Gyllenhaal wasn't a household name to me at that point – I had seen and liked him a lot in "The Good Girl", but that was all I knew. But the thought that he was about to play opposite Heath Ledger as his love interest, made me curious (again) and knowing the fact, that those boys were going to be the main characters did not bother me at all!
From IMDb BBM I found my way and fled to IMDb PT (by following Victoria and her waving hand! :-*)) and then I became a BMost refugee like all/most of you (thank you Philip!)! I'm thankful each day, to be able to share it with fellow Brokies or Tremblay'ans or whatever we're called, though I miss the fact, that among my friends nobody has been hooked by it as much as I have.. I know there will be a time, when the madness will wear down (10 years from now, or so.. ;D) and I fear that moment, but right now, I'm spending so much time on BBM, it frightens me! My work is lagging behind (it will backfire sometime soon, I can feel it.. ;D), but I can't unhook! I have seen it 8 times (in four different countries: UK, France, Belgium and Germany) in the theatres and plan to see it again, before it's gone. Though I can't wait to own the DVD, because each time something/someone in the theatre and audience bothers and bugs me. I can't wait to see it in complete darkness, no noise, just me and my thoughts and yours!
I'm still not entirely sure why it hit me so much.. it's war in my head and it's a little disorienting. I don't know how to figure it out, but I know others here have similar trouble putting their feelings about BBM into words. It's some kind of relief, but it constantly keeps tugging at my soul.. I'm aching and I don't know how to make the pain stop.. Though, maybe I don't want to right now..
I love living at night sometimes (when everyone else is asleep; I love silence, sometimes.
Same here! It's when I'm most productive – it's during the nights, that I had the easiest time writing my dissertation back at Uni, listening quietly to pre-outed George Michael's "Older"..
I see aspects of myself--and not necessarily good aspects--in Ennis as the character is depicted on the screen, and the movie has made me realize that I have some work to do.
Ditto! BBM and other films/series/actors (I'm almost ashamed to admit it..) have made me much more pro-active in past years, though there's still a lot of work!
Sorry, a bit long.. Thank you for reading. Thank you all for sharing!
~ j U d E
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Hi, fellow Brokies. I am 48, married, two kids, freelance writer. I just moved to the Chicago area a few months ago. I don't really know anybody here yet, so these days my best friends are you guys! (Note to fellow Chicagoans: I'm sorry I missed out on your movie outing; I don't mean to be snobbish but it is very hard for me to get out of the house except weekdays when the kids are in school.)
It seems funny to be giving such basic statistical data, because meanwhile elsewhere on this board, and back on the imdb boards, I have -- as I mentioned in an earlier thread -- confessed things to you guys that I wouldn't tell my therapist or my best friend! Or, I later realized, my husband (funny he should be third on the list). I am very cautious about revealing my Brokaholism to others. My husband thinks I have seen the movie twice (the real number is seven). He is not aware these boards exist, let alone that I am addicted to them. I mentioned to my therapist in passing that I'd seen BBM seven times and I saw her eyes widen before she caught herself and pretended to take it in stride. So I decided not to elaborate; anyway, I'm kind of afraid to hear her diagnosis. I did tell my best friend I'd seen it seven times (she was shocked but, under my influence, she is up to no. 4). But when I mentioned the main imdb board, I wouldn't tell her my screen name. Some of that stuff is just too personal! Well, as you can guess, I'm kind of an Ennislike person.
I read the story maybe two years ago and liked it a lot, but no more than I like any really good short story. I went on with my life as usual. About a year ago, when I heard they were making the movie and who would star, I like many others also rolled my eyes. I liked Jake from other movies, but ... Heath Ledger? That cute teen idol kid? Well, I guess they're going to wreck it. Couldn't they get a serious actor?
By the time the movie opened, I had seen Lords of Dogtown and realized Heath could act. I had read a lot of reviews and seen all the praise. But I still didn't rush out to see it. I guess I thought it was going to be sort of preachy, and I already felt like a member of the choir. It seemed like something more dutiful than fun. Finally in late January I had a free night for a movie: Munich, The New World or Brokeback? I chose Brokeback, I think, simply because the timing was best.
And my life hasn't been the same since.
Why have I thought of Brokeback absolutely nonstop since then? Why have I gotten no work done, why have I haunted these boards obsessively? I'm not sure. I love movies. I love complex, nuanced, multilayered literature. I've always liked revisionist westerns. My childhood favorites included Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid and (for those of you old enough to remember) the TV show Alias Smith and Jones -- two other shows involving two cute cowboys. Obviously, this movie is a masterpiece. I'm usually not much of a romantic, but I find the romanticism in BBM thrilling. And I think Ennis and Jack are hot, the love scenes breathtaking.
But I also think it has something to do with what's going on in my "real" life. My husband and I are no Ennis and Jack -- not by a long shot -- and I miss having that kind of a relationship. My household sometimes reminds me of Ennis and Alma's: kids screaming, me sitting in a frowsy bathrobe with a cup of cold coffee, my husband sneaking out to ... well, to work usually. So now I am in a very Ennislike situation. Am I stuck with what I've got, or do I go out looking for that sweet little cow-and-calf operation?
While all those reasons make sense to me, even taken together they still don't quite explain why this movie has completely taken over my brain. Sometimes I wonder if I am under a spell.
Anyway, I am so happy to find you all, without whom I would not have survived the past few months with my sanity, such as it is, intact.
Katherine
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Hi, fellow Brokies. I am 48, married, two kids, freelance writer. I just moved to the Chicago area a few months ago. I don't really know anybody here yet, so these days my best friends are you guys! (Note to fellow Chicagoans: I'm sorry I missed out on your movie outing; I don't mean to be snobbish but it is very hard for me to get out of the house except weekdays when the kids are in school.)
It seems funny to be giving such basic statistical data, because meanwhile elsewhere on this board, and back on the imdb boards, I have -- as I mentioned in an earlier thread -- confessed things to you guys that I wouldn't tell my therapist or my best friend! Or, I later realized, my husband (funny he should be third on the list). I am very cautious about revealing my Brokaholism to others. My husband thinks I have seen the movie twice (the real number is seven). He is not aware these boards exist, let alone that I am addicted to them. I mentioned to my therapist in passing that I'd seen BBM seven times and I saw her eyes widen before she caught herself and pretended to take it in stride. So I decided not to elaborate; anyway, I'm kind of afraid to hear her diagnosis. I did tell my best friend I'd seen it seven times (she was shocked but, under my influence, she is up to no. 4). But when I mentioned the main imdb board, I wouldn't tell her my screen name. Some of that stuff is just too personal! Well, as you can guess, I'm kind of an Ennislike person.
I read the story maybe two years ago and liked it a lot, but no more than I like any really good short story. I went on with my life as usual. About a year ago, when I heard they were making the movie and who would star, I like many others also rolled my eyes. I liked Jake from other movies, but ... Heath Ledger? That cute teen idol kid? Well, I guess they're going to wreck it. Couldn't they get a serious actor?
By the time the movie opened, I had seen Lords of Dogtown and realized Heath could act. I had read a lot of reviews and seen all the praise. But I still didn't rush out to see it. I guess I thought it was going to be sort of preachy, and I already felt like a member of the choir. It seemed like something more dutiful than fun. Finally in late January I had a free night for a movie: Munich, The New World or Brokeback? I chose Brokeback, I think, simply because the timing was best.
And my life hasn't been the same since.
Why have I thought of Brokeback absolutely nonstop since then? Why have I gotten no work done, why have I haunted these boards obsessively? I'm not sure. I love movies. I love complex, nuanced, multilayered literature. I've always liked revisionist westerns. My childhood favorites included Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid and (for those of you old enough to remember) the TV show Alias Smith and Jones -- two other shows involving two cute cowboys. Obviously, this movie is a masterpiece. I'm usually not much of a romantic, but I find the romanticism in BBM thrilling. And I think Ennis and Jack are hot, the love scenes breathtaking.
But I also think it has something to do with what's going on in my "real" life. My husband and I are no Ennis and Jack -- not by a long shot -- and I miss having that kind of a relationship. My household sometimes reminds me of Ennis and Alma's: kids screaming, me sitting in a frowsy bathrobe with a cup of cold coffee, my husband sneaking out to ... well, to work usually. So now I am in a very Ennislike situation. Am I stuck with what I've got, or do I go out looking for that sweet little cow-and-calf operation?
While all those reasons make sense to me, even taken together they still don't quite explain why this movie has completely taken over my brain. Sometimes I wonder if I am under a spell.
Anyway, I am so happy to find you all, without whom I would not have survived the past few months with my sanity, such as it is, intact.
Katherine
Katherine... so much of what you say resonates in me, this is incredible! The kids screaming, the no-work-getting-done with this obsession that I thought I was successfully fighting, the hubbie (boyfriend in my case) having his fit of immense annoyingness, like every 6 months (I can go from loving him to pieces, to wishing him out of here), the nr of times I've seen BBM (5) with the nr he thinks (2)... Maybe we should get out into the wild sometimes you and me, fish some... (LOL, Kidding, of course!).
But yeah, thanks for sharing. I TRULY sympathize. I think it is no coincidence that it seems to be people our ages who get most affected by BBM (39 myself).
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While all those reasons make sense to me, even taken together they still don't quite explain why this movie has completely taken over my brain. Sometimes I wonder if I am under a spell.
Anyway, I am so happy to find you all, without whom I would not have survived the past few months with my sanity, such as it is, intact.
Katherine
Hi Katherine,
and everybody else. Loved your post and cannot agree more on your quote of feeling under a spell: maybe we really are... Otherwise I wouldn't justify how a 45 years old reputed professional - me!- has been so obsessed and caught by this story in the past four months. I swear the last period of my life has been an emotional rollercoaster after having seen BBM: I'm "afraid" it released all the need for passion and romance I had been hiding so well for so many years behind a facade.
Just kidding, of course, about the spell thing, but glad to see we can share our passion for BBM on these pages, and thanks to Phillip for creating this great site.
Luigi
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Luigi, and all,
Good question - justify how a 45 (54 for me) years old reputed professional - me!- has been so obsessed and caught by this story in the past four months. I swear the last period of my life has been an emotional rollercoaster after having seen BBM: I'm "afraid" it released all the need for passion and romance I had been hiding so well for so many years behind a facade.
I chanced across the BBM trailer on the net, was drawn in, didn't know why, looked for the short story, read it, was entranced by the power of Annie's words and characters, saw the movie, absolutely stunned, saw it again, didn't have anyone to talk to about it, beyond, "Saw a really good movie." (Have seen it about 11 times in the theater, lost track around #7 and haven't told anyone besides you guys that number.) Read the reviews, happened across IMDB, found the words in people's posts that I needed to begin to understand what I'd seen. I have never participated in a message board before and find it has now become necessary. Thank you so much for welcoming us refugees here to BetterMost, Phil.
I'm a straight mother of wonderful grown children, a teacher (a great job), living near San Francisco. A divorce and a series of other sadnesses led me to work very hard for years at avoiding new close relationships of any kind (no more room in my heart for the chance of any more regret or loss). That finally got tiresome early last year, and I'd been working since at taking some chances, emotional and otherwise and finding some happiness in that process. Now I find myself with a story, a movie, with two guys named Ennis and Jack in my head, and in my heart, which seems to have room again for passion, regret, and loss, and love. I feel like I've been hit by lightning.
Lynn (fernly, fern)
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Please allow me to introduce myself--
I'm Ruby, crazily 50 years old this year. I live in Santa Barbara CA and work for a mid-sized community bank as the portfolio manager for small business loans. I am single, having parted from my Ennis 2 years ago in May (a good thing).
I had absolutely no knowledge of Brokeback Mountain until the day before I went to see it-just a little blurb on the radio saying that it had opened with a very brief synopsis. Just that little bit capitivated me and I dragged a fiend to see it after work. So much of my original reaction/feeling about the movie is buried so deep in my soul that the proper words are hard to find to express them. Only the music of Gustavo Santaolalla has the power to bring it forth. But, I knew when I walked out that my life was about to change. I saw it twice more in the next week, taking other friends, and being more and more entranced. I was coming up on my 50th birthday and I was taking some serious stock of my life.
Come January I had to move to Alabama to take care of my father who had just had brain surgery. His illness forced me to face his mortality-along with my own. It was a rough, rough period of time and the thing that kept me going was my fixation on BbM (I watched the trailer a zillion times), TOB and then the Tremblayans. Really, you all will never comprehend the role you played in keeping me together.
Anyway, a loving friend (thanks Mark) got a hold of a screener and sent it to me further cementing my obsession. A total of 11 theatrical viewings-one with another Treblayan (a high point in all of this). It has been great to find a group of people who understand exactly how I feel and often articulate my deepest emotion. What an experience this has been.
Thanks
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Wow Scotland. How great for you that you live in such a beautiful country - does the landscape of Wyoming in Brokeback remind you at all of home?
I suppose it does have a similarity with the highlands, yeah. Lush, green, etc etc. I was in cuba in feb, and was trekking in the escambray moutains and that also looked similar!
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Well, considering I've already made about 15 posts, I probably should have done this a while ago. But I remember introducing myself somewhere else so all is good perhaps.
Alright, I'm a Tremblay refugee as well. Still in disbelief about all the shit that went down on IMDB; which is why I, and many others, are thankful to have great administrators here.
Let's see... I've been noticing a lot of posters here are at least 30. Well, odd man out here, I'm 16. 'Fun' age, huh? Okay, I'm from the U.S. I'm thankful to live in such a liberating country, even though there's a lot of instability in our government and society. (Far too much.) I believe in some sort of Christianity but I don't attend church -- I cannot stand those damn hypocritical Bible-thumpers. I'm not completely sold on their preachings and hopefully, I never will be. So agnostic would be a more suitable term to describe me as.
Okay, first heard of Brokeback Mountain well over a year ago. I was searching on Yahoo for upcoming releases and saw a genre entitled "Gay/Lesbian." I thought to myself, there really have never been all that many gay/lesbian films. I mean, I remember Boys Don't Cry, I saw Monster (doesn't count all that much, I know), I had heard of a bunch of campy-looking material far out of my alley like Trick. But that's all I could come up with. So I clicked on Brokeback Mountain and saw the line-up for cast...
I was then indifferent to Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal (though, today, I hold them in such high regards). But I had always liked Anne Hathaway and Michelle Williams. Hathaway I had seen in The Princess Diaries and I just thought she was cute in it; she did fine with her part. As for Williams, I admit to watching the first two-three seasons of Dawson's Creek when I was around 9 years old and she was the only actor on the show who I thought really had any noticeable talent. I didn't start counting down the days still BBM was released but I did keep it in mind; I wanted to see this one.
And I kept it in the back of my head all through summer and when it premiered at the Toronto Film Festival to critical and audience acclaim, I became very intrigued to see it. It was one of my most-anticipated films for it's season, it's only other on-par competitor Memoirs of a Geisha (which I watched last night and I enjoyed it, I just missed Brokeback throughout the entire thing :'().
So because I live in suburbia I couldn't see it when it came out on December 9th, even though I really wanted to see this film. It came to a nearby theatre in mid-January and in it's premiere weekend at my local theatre, I rushed out and saw it (I still have the ticket stub). I knew what I had seen was a really good film but it wasn't until later when I realized how amazing this movie really is. I emerged from the theatre quietly devastated by the ending, thinking "Oh, god, that was sad. I wish it didn't end like that." This wasn't unfamiliar territory for me; I remember walking out of Million Dollar Baby and feeling so sorry for the characters.
But this, clearly, was different. I got over Million Dollar Baby in no time; after 5 minutes or so, I was back to reality though I really liked that film. With Brokeback, I soon got an overwhelming migraine and ended up feeling ill that night. (Coincidence? I think not.) The next morning, I went to school and everything was going fine. It was actually a good Monday or at least, it would have been had I not been feeling so miserable. I felt awful about what happened to Jack and Ennis and the entire day I felt completely beat down, and I had no such understanding of what I was feeling. That day, I got home from school and just burst into tears.
The next day, same. Same with the day after that and just about every day for the next two weeks. I was now spending all my time on the BBM boards on IMDb when they were at their peak. I thoroughly enjoyed posting with other Brokies who were in a similar state of devastation; mycatsmom even started a "When does the devastation end?" thread that had over 200 replies (about 10 of which were mine).
I've since then spent an infeasible number of hours online in search of all things Brokeback, watched the movie 4 more times in theatre, played the CD countless times, bought three different versions of the story (one is Close Range, the other is the Story to Screenplay edition), lost many hours of sleep (including the bookending hours of last night's slumber), had many Brokeback dreams, even experienced denial in my Brokeback Fever. (I simply, one morning, refused to believe that Jack was dead. I thought Lureen made up the entire story.) I've never had such an extreme reaction out of anything before this film.
I know I rambled on about things that you guys already know and have experienced but ever since January 22nd (told you I remembered the date), but this is what's completely taken my life by the throat now. And as overwhelming as it becomes, I am thankful for it.
So... in other words, yeah, I used to have a life.
www.jlodown.com (http://www.jlodown.com)
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First off, Hi!
I have to strangely admit that I am extremely nervous in posting an intro, since I've always been more of a lurker at various forums and I am always a little nervous that I may sound like either a complete spaz or dork. So, forgive any typos that you may see, for my hands are jittery and morning coffee doesn't help things much. ;)
My name is D.J., I'm twenty-two, living in the bluegrass state and I am currently trying to make my living as a free-lance writer. I am still living with my parents and as far as random factoids go, I'm Pagan, my favorite color is black, I worship Neil Gaiman and I love European Metal music.
I had been intrigued by Brokeback since I had first heard about it, back in October. I have to admit that my interest was piqued because I had heard Jake Gyllenhaal was in it and I've been of fan of his since Donnie Darko. So, I checked out the short-story and I was just blown away by it. It was just so raw and so intense, so it definitely made me excited for the movie. I followed every news coverage, read every magazine article I could get my hands on, freaked out when I saw the trailer during Walk The Line and waited for the movie to come to my local theatre; I had even went so far as to bug the ticket seller with the question: are you guys going to get Brokeback Moutain? On February 7th, I finally got to saw it for the first time.
When I saw it, I know that a forum runs on words but I really don't know how I can illustrate, by words, how I felt upon seeing it. It felt in a lot of ways like knocking the wind out of me. I felt like I couldn't breathe, like I couldn't think. All I could do was cry. I normally don't get choked up over movies and the like but here, I cried so hard. It was just so devastating and when I got into the car to go home, I was asking myself questions, questions about the movie and most of all, myself.
I think what had gotten to me the most, was that I had felt like I had seen myself on that big-screen. I could relate to so much, even though I wasn't living the life that Jack and Ennis did. I saw my own fears in regarding my own bisexuality and it bothered me so much. In a lot of ways, I've never accepted the fact that I was attracted to women, even more so, than men. That scene in the tent, after Jack and Ennis had sex for the first time, when Ennis was so scared; that was me. That was me with my girlfriend in college and in high school. I even broke down crying in front of them because I felt wrong. I know that sounds weird but what was running through my mind at the time was: "I'm not this way," even though I was. But another case in point, was taking the realization that I had feelings for my best friend.
I know that my best friend Bernadette knew that I had feelings for her but she never had no idea how far they went and I never really spoke on them. I was scared of what she would think, I was scared that she may shun me or be frightened of me. But I can honestly say, with all my heart, she was the one that I wanted to spend my life with. She was the one I wanted to grow old with. I had recognized that I had loved her back in 2004, when I was with Maggie, said college girlfriend and everytime I was with Maggie, I had wished it had been Bernadette. So, in seeing that movie, I knew that I had to say my peace. Even if it ruined our friendship, even if I would never hear from her again. It was actually a few days after I had saw Brokeback for the first time that I got the guts to say something. I was sitting there, shaking, nervous as all hell. I felt like crying and I could hear that inner critic tell me that it wasn't too late to shut the hell up and let it go. But I said everything and I was surprised.
It had turned out, that she had feelings for me too. She had wanted the same things that I had wanted and I had felt so amazing when she had told me that. I felt so soothed, like this big burden had been lifted. We both cried and we then started talking about the future. We talked about living together and about getting rid of the distance between us, because she lives in Washington State. But I have to also say, with all the joy, came all the criticism. See, Bernadette has a quite different orientation. She's not straight, not gay and not bi but asexual. So, the people in my life, my friends and family all think that this isn't a real relationship because there isn't a sexual undercurrent. But I could care less about sex. I just care about being with her, about sharing everything with her. That's what I want.
So, though this was quite long-winded, this movie has changed my life, even though it seems no one else I know seems to get that. They just think it's another one of D.J.'s obsessions but it goes beyond that for me. Yes, I did go see it three times in theatres and yes, I did get the DVD on its release date, yes I bought the soundtrack and that story-to-screenplay book and yes, I wrote fan-fic but it's not like collecting graphic novels or CDs for me but rather connecting to something intense, if that defines it well enough. It may devastate me every time I see it but it also gives me an odd sense of renewal. It gave me her, it gave me a sense of peace and I am thankful for that.
So yeah, that's a little bit about me and my Brokeback story. And yes, I know that I'm wordy son-of-a-bitch but it felt great getting that out.
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Hello to all of you!
I am used to BetterMost by now and frankly, it's so much more relaxing than IMDB. Over there, you never know what kind of moronic trolls you're going to run into.
I hope you haven't gotten discouraged yet, roboy. Maybe you can start a thread on overcoming your discouragement and we can be your supporters. :)
And who doesn't love everything Ennis? I love him to death.
www.jlodown.com (http://www.jlodown.com)
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Hi everyone,
Since a few of you know already, I won't remain in the closet any longer... This is my big coming out to everyone: I am French. No, PLEASE don't leave! I am not your typical French person, who is in general a typical Parisian in fact (the first French outsiders meet). I am not Parisian at all, and French only because my part of the country, Brittany, was made French (like many of their other colonies) a while back. I am really a Breton. Is that better?
Hi Isabelle: I lived in Paris for a year (Fall 1991-1992) and love all things French, so please don't apologize!
I made several weekend trips to various towns, but the closest I came to you was Rouen. Is that considered Brittany?
Anyway, I'm delighted to meet you. Welcome to Bettermost!
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First off, Hi!
I have to strangely admit that I am extremely nervous in posting an intro, since I've always been more of a lurker at various forums and I am always a little nervous that I may sound like either a complete spaz or dork. So, forgive any typos that you may see, for my hands are jittery and morning coffee doesn't help things much. ;)
Welcome to Bettermost. I hope you feel less nervous now that you posted your intro!
I hope you register with us; it will allow you to see several boards that are hidden to guests. Keep coming back ... you already have a community of friends here: you just haven't met them yet. ;D
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but the closest I came to you was Rouen. Is that considered Brittany?
Nope, sorry! That's Normandy. Brittany starts in Rennes, where I live.
Anyway, I'm delighted to meet you. Welcome to Bettermost!
Wow, thank you very much! I am really happy to be here with you all, I am very sincere in saying this. I love it here, even more than the PT board. But you know, I was only kidding about 'I'm French, don't throw me out!'. I know that you people here are not haters, of anyone. But we are, well, not always very much loved, and I can see why too!
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Hey Everyone
Firstly, reading everyone's stories and the effects Brokeback has had on their lives has increased my love for this movie (if that's possible). The power that this movie has is staggering and the fact I can share it with other people is fantastic, so thanks Philip for the brilliant forum (it's really pretty, I've been on a lot of forums in my time and this one is one of the best).
My name's Chantelle, I'm an eighteen year old female from South Africa (but I'm moving to Liverpool, UK in September for University) and I first heard about Brokeback Mountain because I'm a huge Jake Gyllenhaal fan. Despite this, I was still really interested in the movie on it's own (an example is that I only went to see Jarhead cos Jake was in it because it didn't look like it appealed to me *I ended up loving it* but with Brokeback I really wanted to see it, regardless of Jake) and by the end of December, I had developed a full blown obsession with it. Unfortunately I had ages to wait (it only came out here March 10) but I whiled away the time watching trailers, collecting facts and following it's award season run. I had never been so in love with a movie I had never even seen. Like someone else who posted here, I ruined my first viewing a bit for myself because by the time I saw the movie, I'd seen a piece of about 80% of the scenes. I even knew about Jack (but that was not my fault. I was looking at someone's profile on IMDB and they had replied to a thread entitled "When Jack Dies").
The week before it came out here, I was in England and I was this -> | | close to buying the Story to Screenplay book, but knowing I have no self control I would have read the whole thing before the movie, which I didn't want to do. Then, on the Sunday of Oscar night, there was a competition to see Brokeback Mountain. This was all I wanted, to see it before Oscar night. No one understood why I couldn't just wait five extra days. I entered, but didn't win. So I ended up watching Oscars without seeing it. In any case, I still cried when it lost to Crash (slightly ridiculous since I hadn't seen either).
When it came out, I was ready. I had bought my tickets on the Sunday (after I didn't win the competition) and smsed my two best friends who I was going with (one male, one female) to share my excitement. That first viewing was... strange. Strange is the only word I could originally use to describe it but over time, I came to understand my feelings better. You see, that first viewing I was excited to be seeing "the greatest love story of our time" and what I was hung up on was the love story (something in the vein of Titanic *I'm sorry if you don't like Titanic, it's the closest thing I can think of to describe the "beautiful love story" I was expecting*). What I got was so much more. I did not even understand what I was feeling. By the end, I was left feeling empty (I did not cry) and mistook this to be that I had not connected with it emotionally. I could not have been more wrong. Four hours later when I went to bed, I was still haunted by it (despite already saying I did not connect with it emotionally to my friends). The next morning, it was still in my head. Two hours after that, I started crying my eyes out. I had been, as we say, "Broken by Brokeback".
Thinking about it didn't end there. I continued, and arranged to see it with another friend on the Wednesday. I'll never forget that day, because that afternoon, the male best friend I had originally seen BBM with told me he was gay. It wasn't the biggest surprise, as I'd suspected it for as long as I'd known him, but what did surprise me was that he had known about it, or atleast thought it, for three years (I had always thought he just hadn't realised it yet) and had been too afraid to tell me (or anyone). I was so happy that he was finally being able to be himself with me, but it made the BBM viewing that night hit me even harder. I got a bit teary here and there through it but when it got to the final scene and once again, I was only slightly teary, I resigned to the fact that BBM was not meant to be cried in. Then, as the picture faded to black, in the second before the first credit rolled, it washed over me and I began to hysterically and uncontrollably sob (I was making a lot of noise and when I tried to stop it just made it worse). My friend tried to comfort me and said "Don't worry, they're not real people." which just made it worse, because they ARE real people (or atleast representitives of what people are going through), and worse than that, one of them is my best friend. It brought it all home and made me value, even more, his trust in me by telling me. I am now up to four times and plan on going again in the next few days (before it's gone). And I eventually got my Story to Screenplay :D
This movie has done things to me I cannot explain, because I don't even understand them. It is a true form of art, as it has the ability to enlighten and change many people and their opinions. It makes you aware of how far the world still has to go with regards to tolerance and acceptance, by showing you the effects of these negative traits. It is heartbreaking and beautiful. My words are unable to describe how much I love this movie, no matter how hard I try. On top of it all, it enabled me to have a heart again. About a year ago, I went from being a bubbly and passionate person to a heartless, ice queen (after my heart was destroyed *destroyed is the only way to describe it* by someone I loved) and this movie was a healing point for me as it made me feel again, and to actually start having some faith in love again.
I've also gotten to the point where I'm starting to think I won't date a guy unless he's seen it, but this may pass (After I had a fight with the guy I like last night because he hadn't seen it) ;) ...
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[My words are unable to describe how much I love this movie, no matter how hard I try. On top of it all, it enabled me to have a heart again. About a year ago, I went from being a bubbly and passionate person to a heartless, ice queen (after my heart was destroyed *destroyed is the only way to describe it* by someone I loved) and this movie was a healing point for me as it made me feel again, and to actually start having some faith in love again.
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Hello Chantelle (French sounding name!), welcome here, lovely to meet you. What you just said expresses so well what Brokeback Mountain has done to so many people, around the world, no matter what nationality or mother tongue.
I wish you plenty of happy hours here with us!
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Hey Isabelle
Thank you for the welcome. Yes, my name is French in origin, but I am not French at all (shown in my shocking attempts at O Level French). :)
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Hello friends, my name is Keren. (Del Mar...jk) Feel free to call me Keren or ELJ. Whichever floats your boat. Or, um, pitches your pup tent.
I'm a 29-year old woman living in a small town near San Diego. As above, I plan to move to Boston this summer. I have been trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up ever since I graduated from college. Any suggestions??? Jk. I love languages and language in general, words, etymology, linguistics, etc. I need music to live.
I, too, am a Tremblay/IMDb refugee. I won't get into that situation, because it is too upsetting an infuriating. Thanks to Phil and his helpers for taking in us in and helping us start over. I am excited about all this impressive board has to offer.
I fell in love with Brokeback Mountain the first time I saw it, read the story, and then proceeded to see it a total of 15 times in the theater, between January and late March. It has moved into my heart and my head, and taken over my life in various ways. (Not to mention taking over the walls of my bedroom (poor me. not!) and maxing out (in only about two weeks) a big filebox I purchased for the express purpose of storing countless threads, discussions, and articles I had printed out. Either ones I loved and wanted to hold on to, or ones I wanted to read and hadn't had time to. I've since learned it's saner, and better for mobility within a crowded bedroom, to email threads and articles to myself, and drown in a virtual, rather than physical, paper chase.)
'Course, y'all know that feeling. ;) Um, the one before the big parenthesis, that is.;D Since the movie my radio is set almost exclusively to the country station. I pepper my speech with southern accents, words like y'all, and verbiage from the movie, from "friend" to "husbands don't never seem to want to dance with their wives," which I quoted to my mom last night during a relevant conversation. I've made some very good friends through my obsession and involvement on the IMDB boards, both the main BBM one and the Pierre Tremblay underground railroad. Which in fact has functioned like a railroad, ushering us here to worship Brokeback Mountain in freedom, in the safety of our brethren.
I need to add a disclaimer up front: I may not be on here all that much initially. Though I'd love to be able to spend 40 hours a week on this, I have yet to find a patron to enable this. I don't have my own computer - cry for me, go on, cry - so my access is limited to time stolen at work, and begging at my sister's door, and local library labs. To further complicate matters, I'm about to move across the country, 3,000 miles away to Boston. So you can imagine the insanity of job-hunting in a city you don't yet live in and preparing for a huge move like this. It's the biggest move I've ever made on my own. This stuff will consume a large chunk of the next three months of my life.
Please know this is no sign of rudeness, indifference, or lack of interest. I love you all, I love our community, and I hope to get to know all the people here that I have yet to meet. Also know, it eats me up that I can't keep up with all the awesome discussions, posts, articles, videos, and general movie-related info-frenzy. I would LOVE to be able to participate in and stay on top of all of it. To quote a good friend, sucks being finite. But I'll revel in fact that whenever I do find the time, I can come here and pitch a pup tent on the QT with all my fellow brokies.
Well, looking forward to some great chats around this virtual campfire. Pass the whiskey. :)
Love,
Keren/ELJ
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Keren - fantastic post!
I do remember you from the other board. I used to be Milena-covic, don't know if you'll remember. We seem to have a lot in common indeed, not least that interest for languages, words, and etymology! I thought I was reading something I wrote elsewhere when I read that part. Which languages do you speak?
I'll wish you good luck for now with your job hunting and moving places, and will look forward to meeting you here from time to time!
Isabelle.
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Hello friends, my name is Keren. (Del Mar...jk) Feel free to call me Keren or ELJ.
Hey there, ELJ. So great to see you here. And so great to see so many familiar names and old friends. I don't want to name more names at the risk of leaving any out.
And...so GREAT to be meeting new friends. Thanks to Stripey and Impish and Phillip and Aussie Chris and Lynne and BBM Grandma and....to all, for your warm, warm welcome.
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Hi everybody. I just wanted to introduce myself, as I was just sent this link by a friend, and I'm thrilled to be here among you all.
I am, of course, a HUGE Brokeback Mountain junkie (eight viewings so far: five in the theatre and three on the DVD).
I also want to say, odd as it sounds, that this film and short story have changed my life. I was just reading something in this site that ended with: "The movie may be over, but your new life is just beginning," and my jaw dropped. I have been telling people for weeks now that I feel like I have come out of a years-long coma.
The first time I saw Brokeback Mountain (in January), it hit me like a Mack truck. I was almost uncontrollably sobbing in the theatre, and had to wait beyond the end credits before I had composed myself enough to go back out into the real world and face people. Over the next few weeks, my emotions were very surface. It was hard to get through work, or to focus on anything at all. I felt like I was experiencing honest-to-goodess, genuine grief: I was in mourning. But beyond that, I was affected in a way that I have never been affected by any film (or any other work of art, for that matter), and I couldn't figure it out. If not for the message boards where people shared stories of having been moved in the same way, I would have thought I was losing my mind. It was that powerful, that real. Like a punch in the gut, over and over. I cried in my car, I cried in the shower, I cried while I was making dinner at home.....It was all overwhelming. Subsequent viewings I found of a healing nature, but the sense of loss, regret (for what, I had yet to figure out), and indescribable longing haunted me mercilessly. I would awake from sleep, in tears, and then spend several minutes (sometimes longer) finding solace in the imdb message boards, because that would give me enough comfort to get back to sleep.
I finally figured out that one reason this amazing film affected me so deeply was that I just wasn't happy with certain choices I'd made in my life, and felt lost as to the direction I was going (mid-life crisis, perhaps?). I'm almost 40 and was feeling very down about myself, my job (I'm one of those overly-educated people, the unfortunates, who works a demeaning, unchallenging job in order to put food on my table, when my real joy is the part-time teaching gig I have in the fall semesters at a local college), and my life in general. I decided that it was time I make a few changes in my life, just to see what would happen.
So, I began working out more often (four times a week now), I signed up for a creative writing class (which I LOVE and is making me tap into all kinds of things that lay dormant in me for years), and I have "met" (in quotes because we communicate on-line but have yet to actually meet) a wonderful person in France who lives very close to the town where I lived with a host family when I was in college. My partner and I are going to visit her next year, and she is coming to the States in the fall, through school (she's a teacher), where we will actually meet for the first time. Additionally, we will set up an e-mail exchange between our students in the fall, which may lead to all kinds of wonderful opportunities for them (friendships, relationships, travel...). Plus (it just seems to keep getting better) I am now writing a short story centered on fictional students who meet as a result of this real (and future) e-mail exchange, and the journey that that takes them on. On top of all of these positive life changes and wonderful new adventures I find I am embarking on, my relationship with my partner of eight years has never been better.
I feel more hope for myself and my future than I have probably ever felt, and the catalyst for all of this is Brokeback Mountain. I wish that I could personally thank Annie, Ang, Heath, Jake, Michelle, Anne and every other person who was involved in the creation of this masterpiece, for bringing this amazing, magnificent story into my life, and helping me achieve a self-awareness and sense of fulfillment that I long-ago stopped believing were even possible. I have never been so moved, and I will treasure this beautiful film as long as I live.
And now I have found this forum, where I can gush about my beloved Brokeback Mountain to my heart's content, knowing that I won't be derided by trolls, and that you understand. Thanks for reading; I look forward to our communications.
Peace,
Tom
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Hey brokies,
My name is not easy to pronounce in Spanish, but you can use the nickname I let my friends call me: Moi. I'm a 29 yr. old Hispanic gay male (who hasn't been able to accept it 'til around my mid-twenties), the youngest of 4 brothers. I've been living in San Diego all of my life and can't think of anywhere else I'd like to be; great weather here. I've been lurking a few forums now since I became a brokeaholic in late January. It is too bad about IMDb, but I'm just glad I have the spirit of Jack and Ennis growing inside me; I will not be wasting days of my life in numbness like I used to.
I've been rather aloof during my attendance at some universities and colleges since the late nineties, majoring in the wrong degree, failing many classes, and constantly playing computer games to escape from reality. But now I know I want to work in healthcare where I can help others and feel great doing it. I'm looking forward to putting my right foot forward towards my educational goals in the years ahead, taking care of my health, making new friends, being better to myself... all thanks to a newfound hope that was instilled within me.
I don't know if there ever will be another movie like Brokeback Mountain, I have never been able to relate to a character in a movie as much as in this one. I have not been in love before, but I have felt the sting of rejection... from a best friend in high school who suddenly began ignoring me. I have had problems making close friends ever since as I tend to keep my distance from everyone. If I had the opportunity to see her again I would hug her and tell her how much her friendship meant to me while it lasted, not caring about what it was we fought about. It's in the past! Our existence here is too short to dwell in all the negative stuff. Oh and there was Mr. Thorpe, my 9th grade AVID teacher who died of cancer the following year, and I never had a chance to really get to know him. But I felt that he knew I was "different" from the other boys and he treated me in such a nurturing way. I wish he was alive today so I could thank him for cheering me up on those days when he noticed the times I felt "different" and alone, he was a real friend but I was too young and naive to realize it. There are probably many more lost opportunities, but I don't want to add any more to them.
My oldest brother listens to a radio talkshow host called Michael Savage, and I hear this man is very biased towards gays, thinking they are all addicted to sex, clubs, and drugs, or something. Well I have just lent my copy of "Story to Screenplay" book and the Brokeback DVD to my brother's wife who is a real sweetie. I just hope she understands the movie and likes it enough to show it to my brother, because I have a feeling my brother won't want to. Anyway, I'll love him just the same whether he watches it or not. :-]
Thanks to the staff here at BetterMost for the work you put in, and especially to Phil for giving us the space to share our thoughts and what not. I'll try and post when I can. Peace out!
-Moi
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My name is not easy to pronounce in Spanish, but you can use the nickname I let my friends call me: Moi.
Hey there Moi, what a sweet introduction. By the way, is your name as difficult to pronounce in English as it is in Spanish? Just kidding, welcome to BetterMost. ;)
Welcome everyone who's joined recently, your intro's have been so nice to read. Our family grows!
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Wow, Tom. With very few exceptions, you just told my story. I've seen Brokeback Mountain five times in the theater and four (the fourth last night) on DVD. Like you (and pretty much everyone else here, you'll soon see), I've never been so affected by any piece of art in my life. I too have cried in the shower, while making dinner, in my car, in bed in the middle of the night, thinking about these characters. And I've changed things, too, because of this movie. Not as dramatically as you have (and good for you by the way!) but in many small but significant ways. This movie actually made me appreciate the love my husband and I share and the love we both have for our son much more. I'm lucky enough that I enjoy my job, but I've made a change in my approach to it - basically, I've let go of the fear of failure that has held me back - that has made me better at it. And it's given me even more compassion for the gay men I work with every day than I had before. I always prided myself on what a progressive thinker I was, but even so I had no idea - had never really thought about - how difficult life is for gay men in our society. Even openly gay men who for all intents and purposes seem to have been accepted. It made me think about how all these men I work with who have longtime partners never bring them to company-sponsored social events - how they themselves never even attend. And how some of them keep that part of their lives completely seperate - with no photos or mementos in their offices like I take for granted I can put up as much of as I want and by never mentioning them, even when I'm discussing how difficult it is to live with a man sometimes and they're enjoying and understanding what I have to say. This movie's made me think "Why does it have to be this way?" with a passion I never had in thinking that before. I used to let people get away with saying bigoted/homophobic things. I would change the subject rather than confront them about it. Not anymore. Now I challenge them. I say, "What makes you say something like that?" Or "Why do you feel that way?" It absolutely floors them. Generally, they have no answer. And they go off fuming. Good. That's what I want. I want to force them to rethink their narrow-minded views. If nothing else, they won't spew that crap in my presence again. And they'll think twice before they spew it in the general direction of anyone else they don't know for a fact is a bigot like they are. One way or another, it forces them out of their sand-cave and into the light. With repeated viewings, I've not only felt the grief I felt for these two characters start to heal in a way, but I've become more and more empowered to take a stand on their behalf.
I'm so grateful to be alive right here, right now, as the song goes, and be a part of the awakening this movie has inspired.
And I'm Barb, by the way. Good to know you, Tom. :)
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Thank you so much for your beautiful and moving post. It really choked me up---especially the part where you said it made you think about things in a way you hadn't before, despite having considered yourself a progressive thinker.
That, I think, is why so many of us (gay men) are embracing this film (well, one reason among many). You see, there have been many other gay-themed movies in the past (although pitifully few in comparison), but I think this is the first one that expresses, and so well, the idea of what gay people--especially men, especially in rural America--go through. The deep-seated denial, the self-loathing, the fear...I think there are many, many people who just don't think about it, because they've never had to. I can't even imagine the luxury of not thinking about it. I am totally out in my job, and speak of my partner the way anyone would speak of his or her spouse, and Steve has gone to company events with me, and I to his. We are pretty fortunate in that regard, as we've never had a negative experience. But that doesn't mean we would ever take for granted the opportunities we enjoy that so many millions (yes, millions) are denied--or deny themselves--because of ignorance, bigotry and cruelty. I knew more than my share of the other end of that spectrum, growing up in a rural area permeated by small-mindedness and ignorance. Having to hide oneself in order to not make others uncomfortable is horribly dehumanizing, and will eventually devastate one's soul to the point where it will whither and die. Thanks to this film, and the effect it is having on people, I have hope that that type of self-denial and self-destruction will go the way of the dinosaurs. It is totally counter-productive to humanity, and homophobia destroys everyone it touches.
Bless you for speaking up now, and challenging those who would otherwise feel themselves worthy of a platform from which to spew their venomous bile. May we all challenge people on their bigotry, in all its forms, whenever it rears its hideous, insidious head. That is how it will eventually be extinguished.
Peace,
Tom
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Just wanted to say hello to everyone. I was recently invited here by a very kind person who was telling everyone about this safe haven from the trolls on that other board. I have a feeling most of you will know which place I'm talking about here so I won't even mention it.
My name is Darrell and I'm from Ohio. I am happy to call myself a Brokie and I can't quit this movie and I'm proud of that as well. I'm looking forward to posting here. ;)
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My name is Darrell and I'm from Ohio. I am happy to call myself a Brokie and I can't quit this movie and I'm proud of that as well. I'm looking forward to posting here. ;)
Welcome Darrell. There's a lot to explore here at Bettermost, and I hope to see your posts sprinkled all over! ;D
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Yes - it truly shook me out of my complacency. Because complacent I have been. I've never known what it is to be stigmatized or persecuted - to have to hide the very essence of my being for fear of retribution of any kind, let alone violent. I figured that being a woman was knowing enough. But really I had no idea. I'm thankful a thousand fold to this movie for showing me that. It was the jump start I needed. But more important, I'm thankful for the beauty it showed me. That will live with me the rest of my days.
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Hey there Friends,
It's such fun to hear the stories behind the screen-names that I've been chatting with for so long. I've been happily exploring the boards here for quite a while and I figure I really should introduce myself properly at this point. I'm a refugee from imdb too.
My name's Amanda and I'm a 30 year old gay woman from Pennsylvania. That's my pic in my avatar. I saw the movie 5 times in the theater (which is an all time record for me in terms of theater views for a film) and way too many times on DVD. I just love all the wonderful and intelligent conversations that have gone on around the movie. I'm amazed that all the analysis actually makes the movie MORE touching and interesting to me... and it gets better with each viewing. Seriously, this has never happened to me with a film before. I like all these discussions because I'm an academic-type at heart. I just finished my doctorate in art history last May and now I work in an art museum. While I was a grad student I taught two film history/ film theory courses as a TA. And, in all of those films I've had to teach (and many that I love) I've never been impacted by a film like I have by this one.
I love the online friendships that have grown up around here. What a wonderful, supportive place! These boards really are addictive. I recently moved to a new city and live alone with my adorable kitten. I'm a bit of a loner... I guess I'd prefer something like "extremely independent". I've been single for a while now, which I'm OK with, especially since I'm still adjusting to my new environment and new job. I identify with a lot of the coming out issues in the film. And, certain aspects of the relationship between Jack and Ennis remind me of my first and most significant girlfriend. But, most of all I just enjoy the movie on its own terms. I'm usually not much of a romantic and very rarely am interested in romances/ romantic movies, etc. but this one blew me away.
I say this all the time in various posts, but I'm so happy to be here!
cheers
Amanda
:D
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Another belated introduction:
Hi all, I'm Paul, 42-year-old gay shrink from Boston, another IMDb refugee.
First of all, I want to thank Fran, Will and Ellemeno/Clarissa for their kind invitations and encouragement. This is a great and safe space, so refreshing.
I had never posted anything anywhere before IMDb: it started with my stumbling on to a CaseyCornelius thread. Such insight, and mutual respect. I was hooked, and became
addicted to the BBM ABCs as well. I managed to print out my favorite Casey threads before the "War of the Trolls".
Since my first viewing on opening night in December at one of Boston's classic art houses, I, like many of you, felt there was something so different about this film. It's not just the grand themes of love and loss, longing and regret, redemption. I particularly like the numerous ambiguities; nothing is spoon-fed. The film is like a Rorschach test, where we project our own thoughts, feelings, experiences, and expectations onto the story. And, like all great art, each new viewing brings something else.
It's great fun discussing our film with such intelligent, caring and witty BetterMost friends.
Cowboy hugs to all,
Paul
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Hi Everyone, I'm Clarissa. I agree that Frappr would be a great idea. But I can tell I shouldn't volunteer to organize it. I could, however, find someone to organize it if no one reading this wants to. Impish? Lynne? One of my fortes (I think) is finding the right person for the task, within a group.
I'm one of the refugees from IMDb. I live in Seattle with husband and 3 year old daughter. I am currently a fulltime mom, which has been my heart's desire for a long time. i have a very blissful time in the smallest now, these days. Not all the time, by any means. But so many little joys with my girl, and the free, fairly unstressful time that I have. In the past I have been an English and French teacher, a tobacco cessation counselor, and a birth doula.
I wish I was doing yoga, but I'm not. I want to learn to play guitar just rudimentarily enough to accompany myself in the simplest manner while I sing (which I do a lot - sing), but I haven't been (guitar). I want to take more photos of my daughter and other aspects of my life, but I don't. That's kind of the negative part of me, not doing what my heart wants, sometimes. And I'm not good with paper clutter.
I'm very people-oriented, and was somehow given moderator status of the Tremblay group here upon arrival (along with yaadpyar and vkm91941), a position I seem to fall into sometimes in groups - kind of the gatherer servant, or the "let's see what everyone needs and figure out how to get it for them - especially by delegating to others" servant. I love having ideas for others to implement, LOL.
Just to finish up, I love BBM, of course. I have seen it in the theater about 20 times, and got the DVD a little bit early and have watched some bits several times. Not the ones you might think (I have watched those too), but rather the little campfire scenes up on the mountain and then later in their lives too. One of my favorite moments is when they are working on the felled tree together, Ennis sawing and Jack axing. (Although from experience I can say that it would be very jarring to be the sawer and have that sharp axe vibration come up through your arms.) Working together like that on the same useful, important project looks so companionable and so what's the word, I don't know, but it's the thing I want with others, and why I'm here.
Hey 'meno. It's me, ELJ (Keren). I just read your post, and had to tell you it's a great one! :) I really enjoyed what you wrote.
It really struck a chord with me. I saw so much of myself in there, from the not doing various things your heart wants, to the not being good with paper clutter (I often say my room has been declared a disaster area; it stresses me out and cramps the already small-ish room I live in. But I'm fairly sentimental and don't wanna let a lot of things go. Other things I just procrastinate on organizing, clearing out, or handling.). I have a ong list of things I wanna do in my life. It includes learn guitar, nd also lear accordion and trapeze and African dance and, yes, take come courses in photography, which is one of my only-partially-explored passions. I am the photographer in my family though. My mom often hands me a camera - or asks me to bring mine - and take candids at parties or dinners she throws. And I take lots and lots of rolls when I'm on vacation anywhere. Um, and oh, yeah, I studied French, 6 years in grades 7-12, and then got my bachelor's degree in it. English was my favorite subject in school. And I've taught Italian one-on-one. Oh, and I also love having ideas but imlementing them is not always my forte. I need to partner up with a person who can ut ideas into action and birth my inspiration into real world concrete existence.
And I too am EXTREMELY people-oriented. Relationships are the most satisfying, life/energy-giving and sustaing thing in my life. Among my friends, I'm the wide-eyed explorer, hungry for all kinds of adventures and new experiences. I'm not so much the moderator type, more of a rabble rouser. The rallier/rally-er (?), the one who hears about all sorts of awesome cultural and other fun events and tells my friends. Psych them up and rally folks for things they might not have even been aware were going on, and introduce them to new experiences. Sadly, though, I've had meager luck rounding up a posse, or even one committed bud, to join me for a local rodeo happening in my county this weekend. It just wouldn't be the same alone.
I think a big part of having several hearts desires one doesn't pursue or acto on is that there are so many things someone like me or you - or heck, most people with a pulse, I guess - wants to pursue. So much to do, so much life to live, and SO LITTLE TIME!!!! :-\ There just ain't never enough time, never enough, is there Jack? Dealing with finity has been a major existential struggle for me the last year, or so. A very dear friend of mine coined a phrase I now find myself using often: "sucks being finite." Well, it does. And I don't mean mortality, per se, though that sure figures in there. But mostly I mean that time is a limited and finite resource, much like money. And, the older we get, energy. (I wince at the sadness of these cold hard truths.) So many books so little time applies to much mor than books. It applies to everything!!!
But I send up a prayer of thanks for life, for being alive. For all the joy and fun and adventure I've had and will have. I'm 29 so I've still got a lot of livin' to do. And I feel really blessed in my life in countless ways. Above all, I feel blessed in the relationships I have, good, close, caring friends, who form my second family. ANd my "first" family of course, so many loving relatives. One of my greatest gifts that I feel I've been given is the ability to form strong connections with other people, and this board/IMDB, pre-troll invasion/this movie/brokie community& culture (deep breath!) has become part of that.
I love all you guys! Clarissa, keep up the good work and the good words, I've always enjoyed your posts. ;)
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Hello everyone.
I am Kelda and am 24 from Scotland.
Hi Kelda,
I love your country! I spend 10 days there in 2001, in Edinburgh, on Loch Ness by Urquhart (sp?) Castle, and on the Isle of Skye. I loved every minute of it. The breath-taking scenery, gorgeous music. rich history, and the warm, friendly, jovial people. And the killer, knee-weakening accents! I know, it's we Americans who have the accents. Forgive my linguocentrism. ;) Something we still chuckle over that happened to my dad when we were i Edinburgh....My dad had to take a bus out to a car rental place. He wasn't sure which bus would take him there. A bus pulled up and my dad asked the driver if the bus was going where he needed. The bus driver couldn't understand my dad's American accent, and asked him to repeat the question. Still no dice. So he let that bus go. But the same thing happened with the next bus. And the third one! No one could decipher my dad's American accent! I love that.
Anyhow, the Scottish "accent" (can't think of a good neutral term) is my absolute favorite in the whole wide world! If I can find a Scottish Jew (with whom I can fall in-love) to marry I will be the happiest woman on earth! Waking up to that every morning would be a thrill. Years ago, I actually dreamt I had a Scottish accent surgically implanted! If only that were possible! Still, someday, I'd like to get a dialect coach to help me cultivate an accurate one. Boy, I'm gushing. Hope you like gushing. :laugh:
Cheers,
Keren/ELJ
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So much to do, so much life to live, and SO LITTLE TIME!!!! :-\ There just ain't never enough time, never enough, is there Jack? Dealing with finity has been a major existential struggle for me the last year, or so. A very dear friend of mine coined a phrase I now find myself using often: "sucks being finite." Well, it does. And I don't mean mortality, per se, though that sure figures in there. But mostly I mean that time is a limited and finite resource, much like money. And, the older we get, energy. (I wince at the sadness of these cold hard truths.) So many books so little time applies to much mor than books. It applies to everything!!!
Ciao Keren,
and welcome/benvenuta to Bettermost. You're right! there's never enough time, never enough...
Luigi
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My goodness....WELCOME to all our new people...<too many to name here> and I HOPE you all find a peaceful home here at our little campfire!! I've been away from our forum here...for a bit of mourning I needed to do....after losing my DEAREST friend to AIDS!! I just couldn't seem to get my 'thinking' together well enough to say ANYTHING close to intelligible. I THINK I'm getting close now though...finally!!
I was finally getting it together after my traumatic upheaval due to Brokeback Mountain and our 'boys'. And then my friend decided to give up the ghost. That KICKED me waaaaaaay back for a while. I'm like ALL of my fellow Brokaholics here in our cozy place. I was BLOWN away too....like nothing had EVER done to me before. I was stunned....paralyzed emotionally....felt like a volcano was about to erupt...DEEP inside my body and spirit.
I'm stepping out now....again! I'm starting to see the sunshine in the clearing...I can smell the fresh moss as Ennis and Jack move slowly on their path. I can inhale the sweetness of their love for each other....I can feel the warmth of their embrace. Ahhhhh...Brokeback...you've changed my life forever.
But enough about MY feelings....it's SO wonderful to read your posts....and relish the thoughts from all of you....and wrap my arms around each and every one of you. Again....my most sincere welcome to you ALL!! And a warm loving HUG....to all of my 'already pals' who have helped sustain me through the sorrow I've been through.
I love you......MUCH LOVE....Nancy :-*
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Hi everybody,
Well, finally I am here, thanks to Ray and Jude Wang. I should be long time ago as I received the invitation a month ago but just too busy to explore in here. Still busy and actually working in the office but decided to 'sneak in' for a little while and say hello to everybody.
For those that have been chatting in Pierre Tremblay, you should know me. But since I am new here, I would just have a brief introduction about myself. My name is Juan, in Cardiff, Wales, UK and I am 32 years old. Love Brokeback Mountain and have been always a fan of Ang Lee.
And guess what? I have just received my BBM DVD today through post as it is being released in the UK today. Can't wait to watch the interviews in there but I would have to wait till I finished my gym and Yoga session this evening ;)
OK, got to get back to work now before the boss catches me :)
Later.
Juan
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Hi Juan,
You're from Cardiff, Wales? I'm from Cardiff, California! Our full name is Cardiff by the Sea; same with your town, right?
I've visited Wales, briefly, and loved it. Stayed in Llandudno, where Alice Liddell (immortalized by Lewis Carroll as Alice in Wonderland) used to summer with her family. Enjoyed roaming Conwy Castle, rode the little train up Snowdonia in Llanberis, Port Meirion, and that town with the longest name in the world, Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwyll-llantysiliogogogoch. (For non Welsh speakers, like myself, the name translates as "The church of St. Mary in the hollow of white hazel trees near the rapid whirlpool by St. Tysilio's of the red cave.")
Do you speak Welsh?
Anyhow, welcome to BetterMost.
ELJ
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This is me (2 weeks ago). If you want to see the Gioddamned Bitch of a T-shirt, go the Chez Trenblay under "Julie's shirt, finally..."
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This is me (two weeks ago). If you want to see the Goddamned Bitch of a T-shirt, go to Chez Tramblay, "Julie's shirt, finally..." I'm now 2 days short of 71 (my how time...you know.), am still a docent and archirtecture guide at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. Itr's still a pleasure to be here!
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Hi all,
this is my thrird attempt to introduce myself. I didn't like the first one, so I deleted it. And I unintentionally deleted the second one a a few seconds ago. Don't know how this happened ???
Let's go:
another IMDB-refugee here. I'm a 38year old female from Germany. Four viewings of BBM and counting. Every time I try to look out for some other tiny details, which make this movie so extraoridinary. But often I fail. Especially during the last half hour I just lose it.
Strange thing is, I notice them unknowingly. For example the wind-symbolism. I couldn't have named it, but when I read about it for the first time on IMDB-board, I was just like 'Hell, I knew this, that guy is right'
What attracts me to this movie is that you dicover something new, new perspectives, new details with every repeated viewing. Before BBM my favorite movie was 'Memento'.
But there is more about BBM. I'm still trying to figure out, why this movie has such an impact on me. I never experienced something like this before from a movie.
There are some motives in it I knew too well in my past. But none of them is important enough in my nowadays life that it could explain the phenomenon. Still, I've met some ghosts of my past while thinking about BBM.
Unil now, I've only seen the German dubbed version and hardly can wait to see and hear it with the actors' original voices.
Looking forward to read you all,
Penthesilea
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I see my earlier intro never made it thru the firewall. So here I go again. Greetings, fellow brokies and Tremblayans from the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. I am a fifty-something female (slightly bent, like Mandy ;)) hooked on BBM for almost 10 years!! Since October 13, 1997, when I received my weekly copy of the New Yorker in the mail. I have been reading this magazine for as long as I can remember, for the purpose of improving my writing (which is what I do for a living). Annie Proulx is one of my favorite authors, especially because of her brilliance in capturing rural settings and people (I love all things western) and I had just finished her novel "Postcards" so I tore into the short story "Brokeback Mountain" as soon as I saw it. The story made such an impact on me that I have kept it in a drawer by my bed ever since then! So, when I found out that a movie was being made, I was actually disappointed, because I didn't see how a movie could ever do justice to the story. And I thought such a movie would be panned and ridiculed by critics, and ignored by audiences. I am so glad that I was wrong! Of course, I didn't know that Lee, McMurtry, and Ossana were involved.
In 2002 I was introduced to the films of Ang Lee by a fellow employee at the engineering firm where I work. Although an engineer (with all that entails) he is Chinese-American from Brooklyn and so is a very enlightened person who has mentored me and encouraged me to have a life outside of just working and serving my family. But I didn't realize that Lee was at the helm of the movie until after the Denver International Film Festival last fall. Even then, I didn't go see the movie. Subconsciously I must have known that it was going to take over my life. Finally, in mid-January, my daughter and I had dinner at the Dushabe Teahouse in Boulder, Colorado, and then saw BBM. And I've been hooked again ever since.
BBM has led to a renaissance in my life. I've emerged from a robot-like state and have suddenly become intensely interested in the people around me, my fellow Tremblayans, and all the people I have lost touch with while raising children and punching a time clock. The movie and subsequent communion with all of you has also helped me get through a difficult time in my life. Altho I love my job, I am waiting for a new assignment to begin and am just killing time until then; I have a very difficult home life feeling estranged from my family; and most of all, I am appalled and disgusted by, shall we say, current events, most importantly the War in Iraq and the shameful behavior of the U.S. in the brotherhood of nations. BBM has been my escape, my refuge, and my magical place. Thanks for reading this and for being here!
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Welcome Arad! Take your time, we are all friends here. If there's something that confuses you feel free to send a personal message and I'm sure you will feel comfortable here very soon.
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Keren - fantastic post!
I do remember you from the other board. I used to be Milena-covic, don't know if you'll remember. We seem to have a lot in common indeed, not least that interest for languages, words, and etymology! I thought I was reading something I wrote elsewhere when I read that part. Which languages do you speak?
I'll wish you good luck for now with your job hunting and moving places, and will look forward to meeting you here from time to time!
Isabelle.
Bon soir, Isabelle,
I'm so sorry it's taken me two weeks to reply! Aack. Thank you for the compliment on my post. ;D
I do remember you in fact, though I can't remember which threads we chatted on. I do remember liking your posts, though. I think you responded to my call for a San Diego brokie gathering to watch the Oscars. You said you'd be happy to come if I'd send you a ticket. :laugh: Trust me, if I could have, I would have! :)
I speak French, Italian and Hebrew. I took French from 7th through 12 grades. Ended up majoring in French in college, too. But my Italian is much more fluent. I really believe immersion is key to language mastery. I've never been to France, or any francophone country. But after just 2 years of university Italian, I spent a year in Italy at the University of Bologna, and boy, I'll tell you, I came back fluent! See what I mean? It's all about immersion! Your English is flawless, by the way. Have you lived in the UK or US? Which languages do you speak (besides the obvious two ;))?
Merci beaucoup for the good luck wishes. ;) Moi aussi, j'espere de te recontrer encore ici de temps en temps. Et si tu viens un jour aux etats unis, tu as une invitation ouverte a rester chez moi.
A bientot, Isabelle,
Keren/ELJ
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Hello I'm Chris.....and I'm a Brokeback-o-holic! ;D
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Hi everybody. I'm yet another one of the IMDb refugees.
I'm a heterosexual 19-year-old girl, name is Angela, in college, studying religion. Plan on becoming an Episcopal priest someday. I'm the secretary of my college's GLBT [gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender] organization, and I plan to continue my gay activism throughout the rest of my life, hopefully in conjunction with my work in the Church.
I don't usually go to see movies in the theatre, but I went to see Brokeback Mountain back in February -- it was the first time I had stepped foot inside a theater since my best friend dragged me to see "Miss Congeniality" (haha). And of course, it worked its BBM-magic on me, and a little over a month later, it ended up on my shelf as the first DVD I ever purchased. ;D
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We are looking forward to hearing your perspective, Angela! Welcome!
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Hi, another member of the IMDB exodus here! I'm 38, live in the UK and work as a film and media teacher and I'm looking forward to some troll-free debate and goofing around.
For Isabelle - got here at last! Speak soon.
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Hi,
I used to be Prowlamongus, but somehow my account got messed up and I could not reactivate it, so here I am back as Prowlamongus-1. I'm from the Syracuse, NY area; I'm a big BBM fan and refugee from the IMDB, and a gay guy.
Say hello or e-mail me anytime...
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Greetings again, friend--
You had us worried there! First, prowlamongus disappears, and the eerily similar moniker ProwlAmongus-1 appears the next day. For us overly paranoid IMDb refugees, that kind of thing tends to send up a red flag. Glad to know folks were just overreacting.
So glad to have you on board again. Looking forward to reading your future posts.
Yours in BBM spirit,
Scott
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Hello all. So happy to have found this site. :) The IMDb was my perferred place for all things Brokeback, but the troll situation there has gotten a wee bit out of hand.
I look forward to conversing with you all in the future & hope to make bettermost my new home on the net.
My thanks to the creators for a very user friendly site.
Love the smileys!
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Gee whiz! It took me months to find this place. I look forward to sharing my BBM obsession here and really am eager to meet some new people! More tomorrow because I am off to bed. Night y'all :).
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On the subject of the Scottish accent, Billy Connelly was on Weekend Edition (NPR) yesterday and was very funny. He's starting a comedy show in NY soon, which is great because we USers don't know him for his comedy like you Brits do. There was a funny part about Billy and Eric Idle sitting around a campfire and commenting on how it's the most primal thing you can do (but I can think of other things a little more primal)!
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Hmm, so can I. Especially if Jake or Heath are involved. Or heck, I'd be happy to have both at once. I'm all about fairness and inclusion.
I love Billy Conelly. HE's very funny. I have one of his routines on CD. First saw him on "Head of the Class," remember that sitcom back in the late '80's, early '90's? He has a grea Glasgow accent.
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Billy rawks! he is well funny! You should def give his siuff a look..
Billy Connolly's 14 things I hate about everybody
1. People who point at their
wrist while asking for the
time....I know
where my watch is pal, where the
f**k is yours? Do I point at my
cr*tch
when I ask where the toilet is?
2. People who are willing to get
off their ar5e to search the
entire room
for the TV remote because they
refuse to walk to the TV and
change the
channel manually.
3. When people say "Oh you just
want to have your cake and eat it
too".
F**king right! What good is a
cake if you can't eat it?
4. When people say "it's always
the last place you look". Of
course it is.
Why the f**k would you keep
looking after you've found it? Do
people do
this? Who and where are they?
5. When people say while watching
a film "did you see that?". No
to55er, I paid 10 quid to come to the
cinema and stare at the f**king
floor.
6. People who ask "Can I ask you
a question?". Didn't really give
me a
choice there, did you sunshine?
7. When something is 'new and
improved!'. Which is it? If it's
new, then
there has never been anything
before it. If it's an
improvement, then there
must have been something before
it.
8. When people say "life is
short". What the f**k?? Life is
the longest
damn thing anyone ever f*cking
does!! What can you do that's
longer?
9. When you are waiting for the
bus and someone asks, "Has the
bus come
yet?". If the bus came would I be
standing here, Kn*b head?
10. People who say things like
'My eyes aren't what they used to
be'. So
what did they used to be? ears,
Wellington boots?
11. When you're eating something
and someone asks 'Is that nice?'
No it's
really revolting - I always eat
stuff I hate.
12. People who announce they are
going to the toilet. Thanks
that's an
image I really didn't need.
13. McDonalds staff who pretend
they don't understand you if you
don't
insert the 'Mc' before the item
you are ordering.....It's has to
be a
McChicken Burger, just a Chicken
Burger get blank looks. Well I'll
have a
McStraw and jam it in your McEyes
you f**king McTo55er.
14. When you're involved in a
accident and someone asks 'are
you alright?' Yes
fine thanks, I'll just pick up my
limbs and be off.
;D
I love your little story ELJ.. its the same around the world over isn't it..!?
I had similar problems in the US - with the added "oh my gawd! I loooovvvee your accent!"
ELJ - come to Glasgow - a pretty large jewish community in Ggow!
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I love your little story ELJ.. its the same around the world over isn't it..!?
I had similar problems in the US - with the added "oh my gawd! I loooovvvee your accent!"
ELJ - come to Glasgow - a pretty large jewish community in Ggow!
Is that an invitation? Sure hope so. ;)
Frankly, I'd probably say the same thing if I met you: "I looooooooove your accent!!" I just don't know what the PC term would be.... Somehow "Gosh, I sure do love your prosody, intonation and pronunciation" feels waaaaaaaay too long, and mighty awkward. However neutral and unoffensive it may be. Now I'm trying to imagine BBM in Scottish voices....Hmmm.....
Thanks for the j-scot-comm tip. Are there young'uns? Do any of them resemble Heath or Jake? If so, dibs! ;D
How's your weather in Irvine, Scotland this spring?
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all fellow tremblays welcome at mine! Just bring some beans and a quart of whisky!
Plenty of young un's I think - not sure about the Jack/Ennis though!
Just now, the weather is pretty good..summer is here! 20C.. I'm sure the weather will turn back down to its usual 8/10 shortly though!
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all fellow tremblays welcome at mine! Just bring some beans and a quart of whisky!
Yeeehaww! ;D
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Hi guys, remember me? I use the same username on IMDB and have just found out about this awesome place! I'm so happy I can find new friends and reunite with old! Look for my posts soon!
angie
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Hi guys, remember me? I use the same username on IMDB and have just found out about this awesome place! I'm so happy I can find new friends and reunite with old! Look for my posts soon!
angie
HI Angie!
Yes Ma'am I most certainly do remember you! Welcome...sit a spell and chat...you want some don't ya, piece of Cherry cake?
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Great to see you Victoria!!!
I'm 'fraid I can't eat no cake just now. *grin*
My mom wanted, of her own free will, to see BBM! I'm still stunned that she wanted to see it. So I lent her my DVD. She felt it was slow but good, but she "couldn't see it winning any major awards, can you?" I said "Most definitely it should have!" LOL. We got into a very interesting discussion about the ending. She felt that Lureen's father found out about Jack's sexuality and arranged the murder.
My best friend has had my Brokeback DVD for a week or so. I'm going into BBM withdrawal! She has been too busy to watch it, but wants to watch it without any outside distractions. She's been waiting to see it since I told her about it in January!
Oh, my writing is going great, and since this place has a fan fiction board I just might be inclined to post the Brokeback-related stuff!
Catch ya on the flip side,
angie
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It is great to see so many new faces here recently. Let us know where you're hearing about BetterMost!
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A fellow Tremblayan PMed me on IMDB and let me know this is where everyone was. I was so happy because the Tremblay board on IMDB has been inactive for a month almost.
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Hi all,
I came across this Forum mentioned on BBM IMdb, been a brokeback nut i thought i`d register. My name is Karan i`m 34years young and live in Birmingham England. I have two kids and live with my boyfriend, i have experienced much in life and i felt that Brokeback stirred emotions in me that were very strong, i have posted many times on the IMdb board and love the people there, unfortunately many have been the victims of very nasty, hate filled trolls. My outlock is as positive as i can be, i love and repect all as long as they respect me, i love movies and nothing has hit me as brokeback has.
I Wish I Knew How To Quit It But I Can`t !
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Hi Karan!
It's nice to know you! Guess we'll see ya around, hunh?
:D
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:) Hi!
My name is Lily, I'm a 14 year old Kiwi girl from Wellington (which you may know as the home of Lord of the Rings). Reading through these posts I realise that I'm probably one of the youngest here, so I hope you don't mind me!
I have been a movie fan for years, and love all types of movies. However, none of them has had such a big impact on my life as Brokeback! I fell in love with Ennis and Jack waaay before the movie came out in NZ (blame the short story and IMDB boards!) and waiting for it to arrive felt like the longest four months of my life! When I first saw it, I wasn't quite sure what to make of it, so I went again the next day. And of course I loved it! Since then, I have seen it three more times at the cinemas, with my mum, dad and best friend, got all excited over the Academy Awards then cried when it didn't win the best picture Oscar. At the moment I am waiting with growing excitement for the DVD, which I will probably watch over and over.
I'm really glad to be here , and though I don't really have any deep and meaningful thoughts to contribute I really enjoy discussing BBM and making new friends.
Peace! 8)
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Hi LilyValley - welcome, welcome. So nice to see you here. Shuggy is also a kiwi, so you'll have to meet up. We're a bit short on New Zealanders, but this is a movie in the right direction!
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Hi, Karan. This is THE place to be if you're a BBM fan. Welcome. Take a good look around; there's something here for everyone. My personal favorite is the "ABCs" of BBM game. If you're so inclined, check out the rules and the Answer List (separate files) and come join the fun. But be forewarned, it's addictive!
Fran
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Yep, and we are really short-handed here when comes to Oklahomans, residents of the state of Oklahoma, too.
One is not an "Okie" unless he leaves the state to seek low paying jobs in California.
While some state residents are proud of the hateful epithet, "Okie," they would not have been so proud if they had lived in the Dust Bowl area of the Western Part of the State and went out west to find jobs. The fictional "Joad" family was from Sallisaw, Oklahoma. Sallisaw is in the foot hills of the Ozarks and is not even in the Central Plain where the dust bowl took place. I have been to Sallisaw more than once and even spent a night or two there with a college friend.
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Hello everyone :)
I' m 28 years old woman from Poland, married since 2003, no kids yet ;) I have a MA in antiquity languages (is it correct phrase???) It' s hard to find the words, cause I' m still learning english :) Of course I' m a big fan of BBM, that's why I'm here. I' m glad I' m not alone with my obsession ;) In a real life I cant' t talk to anyone about this film, because none of my friends have seen it - none of them even wanted to see it :( I forced my husband to go to the theatre with me, he agreed, of course (if not - divorce!!! :P), but he really didn' t like the movie.( :o how it' s possible???) So - I must repeat - I' m so glad I found this forum :)
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I have a MA in antiquity languages (is it correct phrase???) It' s hard to find the words, cause I' m still learning english :)
Hello, aileen,
Welcome to BetterMost. It's a wonderful site, and I'm sure you will get a lot of enjoyment from your time here.
Your English is great. 'Ancient languages' might be a more idiomatically accurate expression than 'antiquity languages', but the latter still gets your meaning across. Which specific languages do you specialize in? My sister teaches Latin on the high-school level.
I work in a library, and we subscribe to a Polish film magazine called Kino. I noticed Brokeback Mountain was reviewed there in a recent issue. I know no Polish, but I was still able to pick out characters' names in the text.
May I ask where in Poland you reside? I have read and heard that Krakow is a very beautiful city, one of the jewels of Europe, though still relatively little-known here in America.
I am very happy that you found your way here. I'm sorry that so few of your friends and relations share your enthusiasm for this cinematic masterpiece called Brokeback Mountain, but the very many avid fans on board here will hopefully compensate somewhat for that.
Very truly,
Scott
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Hello everybody :)
I'm Claireluna from France,25 and i'm totally addicted to BBM..this film is driving me crazy...please help me ;D
Glad to be here
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Hello moremojo :)
I specialize in Latin and Greek but please, don' t make me use them here ;)
I bought that magazine "Kino" and I didn' t throw it away after reading as I usually do. The article about BBM was really interesting, so I kept it.
I wish I live in Krakow, it' s my favourite place in Poland, but I live at North, in Gdynia.
Yeah, my friends don' t share my enthusiasm but...about a week ago I met in polish internet few people who do :) We met in real life and as far as I can say, it could be the beginning of a friendship...just because of BBM :) :) :) That' s the power of that film!!!
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Hello, Lily, Aileen, and Claireluna. So nice to see more new folks here and from such diverse areas!
I'm Barb. I've been here at BetterMost since March, I believe. I was on the IMDb BBM board for quite some time until it got particularly ugly right before the Academy Awards, then Leslie (lnicoll), kind soul that she is, lassoed me and brought me to the Pierre Tremblay board over there. I live in Hurricane Central - southern Florida. Can't wait to see what this year's season has in store for us. Not. :-\ Anyway, I first saw the movie the second week it was released here in the theaters - the first week of January. Couldn't stop thinking about it. Saw it again two weeks later and was so devastated by that viewing, I had to take a month off from watching it again - just didn't think I could bear it. And I, too, was infuriated when it didn't win the Best Picture Oscar. Still am. I've vowed to never watch those awards again, and that's saying a lot for someone who watched them religiously for the last 20 years. Now I've seen Brokeback five times in the theaters (and soon to be six, then seven in San Francisco ;D) and as many times on DVD. Like everyone else here, I think it's a masterpiece. I've yet to watch it and not notice something new I'd never noticed before. Not even remotely tired of watching it yet, and I don't see as I ever will be.
We here all know how hard it is to have friends and loved ones just not get it. Thank God we have each other, or we'd all be walking around mumbling incoherently to ourselves every waking moment. Well, I do that anyway. But this forum helps me keep it down to a dull roar.
Nice to know you all. It's always lovely to meet another kindred spirit.
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Welcome back in your new incarnation, Joe!
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My name is Edward I am 23and from the UK,. I only watched the film a day ago, I first heard about the film BbM a few months ago, from what was on TV I heard it was about being gay and confused and about lost love ect, Some how I just knew I had to see that film.
Since I left high school I haven’t had any serous girlfriends, I don’t know why its just when I hit 16 I just didn’t feel anything towards them I guess. When I was 17 I got my own computer secondhand and started to explore the Internet, I met this guy on a chat site, we shared common interests. After a year or so we decided to go camping together out in the countryside for a break. We took our own tents and went into a quite place by the river. We talked all night around the fire and somehow I still don’t know why it happened but we kissed. Things got more intense from there, we spent the night together and the next 3 nights we slept with each other. On the last day it was terrible, we talked about how we could make this perfect moment last but sadly things were not that simple. He came from Switzerland and had a rough childhood; he said to me he wasn’t gay he just loved me, I told him that I thought I was gay but that I loved him. He told me if he told his folks that he was gay he would lose everything. However my parents once asked me if I was gay, they said they would still love me, but I told them I wasn’t, I don’t know why I did that, I guess I was so ashamed of myself and didn’t want anyone to know.
We parted and remained good friends and every year since the last 5 years we have 1 or 2 weeks holiday together. This year was different, he moved to London and I moved from my parents down to be with him, I told everyone here I was just going to be a sharing his apartment, they believed me and wished me luck. I left everything to live in the big city with him, my horse my job my old life.
He was so unhappy living in London, as was I, I had always lived in the country and the city was just a horrible place to live. The job he had was crappy and the place we stayed in wasn’t any better, so we both agreed the situation wasn’t going to get any better and we both moved back home, things are the same as always, its back to 1 or 2 weeks a year, when we have our perfect moment.
Every year I tried to meet a girl with plans to have a family, just because I wanted to make my parents happy. But I always screw it up, I never tell them my true feelings and they always break up, and I never really care
I waited to get the film on DVD; I even ordered it online to come in the post, as I didn’t want anyone to see me buying it. I watched it last night in my room. I was a total wreck watching it, I could hardly see through the tears at times.
I keep thinking about the film a lot, I don’t want my life to be like that, I don’t want to waste our youth, and I don’t think I can stand just 2 weeks in every year.
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A very warm welcome to you Edward, thank you for sharing your very moving story. I hope coming to BetterMost is the beginning of a new chapter for you! As a parent, I strongly hope that you will gain the resolve to be honest and forthcoming with your parents, soon as you feel you are able. Best wishes, Front-Ranger (Lee)
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Welcome Edward! Seriously, you don't have to start a cow and calf operation, but in my opinion you should make an effort to secure a sweet life for you and your Swiss boyfriend anyway! Forget about dating girls and be honest to yourself and to your parents. Remember old Mrs. Twist? Most mums understand! I sure hope everything turns out right for you. Welcome again!
ANKE :)
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I have just read through this thread and I realised that I haven't posted about myself.
I am no one new so all you regulars already know this(so you can switch off round about now), but just a quick "Hello!" from me to all you new people.
Well I am Becky I am 15, infact one of the youngest here at Bettermost(but definitely not the most immature ;D). I have been here at BM since the 31st of March(I have just checked) and I am loving it so far. I came over here in March cause of the troll invasion we had in IMDb and I have loved it here ever since. As I said my name is Becky, I have blonde hair and blue eyes, I live in Bedford, UK (an hour and a half drive south to London). I live with my mum, dad and sister. My sister is called Kirsty(or Krusty), she is 18(soon to be 19)and she is also known as the "Crash" sister as she actually loves the film. And our fights about it are infamous. My birthday is on the 17th of October. I am not the brightest crayon in the box, but I apparently have my moments of quick witt, trust me you will be lucky if you catch me in one of these rare moments cause they happen once in a blue moon.
I have been completely besotted with BBM ever since I saw it on the 8th January 2006 in Cambridge. And soon after I found the guys on IMDb. I love everything BBM and I infact have a whole BBM scrapbook, I know it is sad but it controls my collecting OCD.( I don't really have OCD but it is what I call my hording of BBM related stuff). I have made some really good friends here and I love you all. :-* Most of my friends are also powerful people here at Bettermost, so watch your step....A'ight. :laugh:
I normally spend most of my time on the Chez Tremblay and The Lighter Side of the Mountain boards, so if you go over there you will probably stumble across one of my post sooner or later.
I have also started doing a trilogy of quizes, so if anyone wants to take a look, be my guest:http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php?topic=1270.0 (http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php?topic=1270.0)(tries to stop her self singing Disney songs!)
My posts are normally a better quality than this, but I am watching ER at the same time as watching this, so don't blame me if I randomly right ER characters names in this post.
I hope I get to know all the people I don't already know, cause you all seem like wonderful people from what I have read.
I am off to go and watch ER cause my brain hurts from all the multi-tasking.
Love,
Beckala :-*
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Hello fellow Brokies.... my name is Alec and joining this site is definitely a first for me ... a "one-shot deal," to quote one of our mutual friends. I have been reading this site and the IMDB board for a while, on and off as time permits. I have never been so affected by a story or a movie as I have been by Brokeback Mountain. Discerning, articulating, and processing all that Jack & Ennis have to teach us will take eons. I won't likely have much time to participate online, but I do look forward to enjoying and benefitting from the ongoing commentary and discussions when I am able. I am in the process of moving from Washington, D.C., where I have lived and worked in public service for 18 years, back home to the Buffalo, NY area. I think this site is a terrific idea and I have to believe that many people are benefitting from it. I look forward to getting to know you as time marches on.
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Oh...let's see (I'm no good at bios). :)
I'm Gregg, a 50 year old (this past May) gay male living in Tucson, Arizona. Just moved from Portland Oregon a year ago (where I lived for 12 years). Quite a climate change, huh? I work at the University of Arizona. Honestly, this is the first forum I've ever joined! I see that I am not the only person who has been so deeply impacted by this Ang Lee masterpiece.
I have read Annie Proulx' Wyoming Stories of course, and the author possesses extraordinary literary range. As I write this, I am listening to the BBM soundtrack (downloaded on my iTunes over the weekend) and the Gustavo Santaolalla instrumentals make my heart soar.
I'm probaly more an "Ennis" type than a Jack type, but realistically, an amalgam of both. Like Ennis, I'm not big on endearments. ;)
I heard about BetterMost over at IMDB, where I read voraciously, but never posted.
Thanks for the welcome!
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Welcome to BetterMost Gregg!
There are alot of us IMDB refugees here. We mostly post in the "Chez Tremblay" area. But we try to spread out and post everywhere. The "Anything Goes" area is good too. If you liked IMDB you'll LOVE it here at BetterMost.Net !
David
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Hi All
I'm Becky, 34 married with 2 kids. I just saw this amazing movie for the first time on Saturday night. It is Wednesday and I am still crying. From reading a bit here today, I guess I should expect to be crying for awhile more still.
I don't think I have ever been so obessed with a movie. I was lying in bed last night, couldn't sleep, so I went downstairs and watched some of the key scenes again. The reunion being very, very high on my list of favorites. All the Ennis and Jack scenes are so poignant. And now that I know how it ends, I cry that much more when I see them.
I watched all the DVD extras, not nearly enough if you ask me, which I never do. I would love for this DVD to have commentary, like every other DVD I have ever rented (and i never listen to). I would love deleted scenes, just more more more of anything.
I can't stop thinking about Ennis and Jack and just crying...
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Hi Becky!!
Boy did you come to the right place!!! We are all Die-Hard Jack and Ennis fans.
Enough tears have been shed by us all to fill the Atlantic and Pacific! Please! Look around the entire site. We have photo areas, Game areas, Personal thoughts areas, plus "Chez Tremblay". Which was a group of us on the www.imdb.com message boards until the trolls ran us off. We found BetterMost and have a new home. You can see pics of some of us here too.
Also, if you need to keep Jack and Ennis Alive, be sure to read some of the Fan Fiction. Leslie has written 17 chapters of the most heart warming Jack and Ennis stories I have ever read. You can find it as : A Love born from Steel"
Between crying be sure to jump in and ask us questions. We have debated just about every thought you could have on the movie. We'd love to hear your thoughts as well.
David :)
(http://static.flickr.com/34/106647204_96fa44773a_t.jpg)
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Hi Becky, hi Gregg, hi Alec!!! Did I forget somebody? :D
Welcome aboard! This is an amazing place, and I'm sure you, too, will soon find you spend way too much time on here... ;D
Laugh with us, cry with us, be silly or thoughtful or whatever. And while finding your way though the forums, get yourself a cup of coffee and a piece of cherry cake!
Glad you made it overhere! Well, I guess I'll see ya around, hunh?
ANKE :)
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hi there :)
my name is trish..and i am a professional lurker (and hopeless bbm addict) lead here by ellemeno's post on imdb..but unfortunately after a while lurking just feels like spying..so although i might not say much..i am here! i am a 24 year-old female, sort-of-biologist living in san francisco..
i saw bbm about 5 or so weeks ago and i was a wreck..it was as if i had lived these two men's lives right along with them..two characters who i had no rational reason to understand or identify with..i felt their love..pain..loss..and then all that was left was me.. :'(
so the floodgates of obsession have opened and it has been especially hard because no one else i know seems to understand or be interested..i am really glad there are forums like bettermost (beans!) where people can celebrate and commiserate with each other!
the only problem now is how to shake this problem of thinking about bbm 24 hours a day. i know i must get back to real life soon (took cushy, brainless job to have more time to study for the mcat..vowed i'd go back to my real job as soon it was over..hmm..still there surfing the net half the day :p) i just knew i was in trouble when my 5 year old made a paper hat at preschool the other day and excitedly exclaimed "look mommy! i'm brokeback mountain!" hehehe
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Welcome Trish! :)
Come see BBM with us at the Castro on Monday. :D
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Sorry I should of posted here earlier...
My name is Giancarlo, I'm 20 years old and I live in Los Angeles. I go to Cal State Northridge and am a junior. I've known that I've been gay since I was 16, and at the point I told my parents as I was seeing a really sweet guy (my first love). Some of my interests are politics, futbol (or as some say "soccer"), and hanging out with my friends having a good old time. Matter of fact, I'm turning 21 in about two weeks and I can hardly wait, because here in the US (for those from other countries) the drinking age is 21. I'm a bit of a extrovert and I do love to have a good time. I used to dance a lot but not so much anymore. I also love music and my beloved Creative Vision:M video MP3 player... I love all kinds of music from trance and dance, to pop... and a lot of rock.
Anyways, I heard about Brokeback Mountain around christmas of 2005. I wasn't very enthaustic at first when I wanted to see it, and thought it would be cliche. Boy... was I dead wrong. I was brought to tears several times during the movie, and I never really had much interest in love stories. My movie tastes are typical of a straight guy in some sense (though my dress style and the way I dance isn't lol).
I know I haven't really posted much in comparsion to other posters.. but here is my myspace profile:
http://www.myspace.com/giancarlo1985
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My name is David and I live on the south side of Indianapolis (Speedway Indiana). I am a professional photographer. I play the violin, cello and piano. I LOVE Shakespere. Currently I have a lover and his name is Cory. I have a Golden Retriever and his name is Cody. I am 43 years old. I have travelled extensively, and I love it. I am Dutch (and proud of it) and also Lakota Sioux (and proud of it). I speak a little Dutch and French.
Wat zijn uw plannen voor vanavond? I'm just kidding!
Life in Indiana can be difficult for a gay man, but I do have hopes for the future of our little midwestern state.
I am a refugee from IBDb (I can't take the trolls over there anymore). Hopefully, things will be better on Bettermost.
I should also mention I am David-Indiana on IMDb, just in case anyone here is from Imdb. :-)
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Wow David-Indiana! Someone must have pulled some teeth to get you here :). The warmest welcome! People have been talking in weeks to invite you here.
Let me be the first one to welcome you to BetterMost just because I am up :). Tomorrow (Ooops, it’s already pass mid-night. Ok when people are up) there will be a whole group of people welcome you. I am glad that you finally are here.
Using our standard welcome line, welcome...sit a spell and chat...you want some coffee, maybe piece of cherry cake?
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I play the violin, I speak a little Dutch and French.
Alors un petit bonjour de France, et bienvenu. Moi aussi je joue du violon, et du bodhran... avec un hollandais qui joue de la harpe et de la flûte!
J'espère que tu seras bien ici.
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Indeed David, Welcome. You are certainly one who's post at IMDb have been followed for quite some time, and well ... what Jenny said....
I'll also add that, though I don't play a sting instrument, je suis francophone aussi et j'habite beaucoup moin loin qu'Isabelle, vivant à Toronto (on est presque voisins!)
Glad to have you post here and I'm sure I'll enjoy reading your thoughts as you get acclimatized to the BetterMost family.
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My name is David and I live on the south side of Indianapolis (Speedway Indiana). I am a refugee from IBDb (I can't take the trolls over there anymore). Hopefully, things will be better on Bettermost.
I should also mention I am David-Indiana on IMDb, just in case anyone here is from Imdb. :-)
Welcome, welcome, welcome. A few of us were just chatting the other night, and wondering about you actually, and if you were going to come and join us. What do you think - total strangers know who you are and wanted you here before you even arrived!
So glad to see you.
Celeste
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My name is David and I live on the south side of Indianapolis (Speedway Indiana).
Welcome David! My name is Gregg and I live in Tucson Arizona.
You'll like BetterMost. Real nice folks here.
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I should also mention I am David-Indiana on IMDb, just in case anyone here is from Imdb. :-)
Hey David! I used to follow your troll-bashing activities with interest on IMDb. You'll have a much more pleasant and productive time here. I hope all the other intelligent posters will follow your example and defect over here. Leave the two year olds on IMDb to their hollow 'victory' ::)
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David-Indiana!!!
Glad you made it. Check out the chat room late in the evening sometime... And enjoy the troll-free atmosphere!!!
Good to see you.
--Kudz
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I am Dutch (and proud of it) and also Lakota Sioux (and proud of it). I speak a little Dutch and French.
Wat zijn uw plannen voor vanavond? I'm just kidding!
Vanavond? Zweden vs Paraguay: voetbal natuurlijk (and I'm not kidding!). :)
Hi David,
I've also read a lot of your posts over on imdb. Good to see you here.
Van harte welkom en hup Holland hup!!
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JennyC, Isabelle, Roland, Celeste, Gregg, SaucyCobblers, Kudzudaddy and Belbbmfan...
Wow! Thanks for the warm welcome! I am trying to wean myself off if IMDb and on to Bettermost. I have been lurking a little here, but not really posting. There are so many buttons and icons. I'm afraid I will click on something I wasn't suppose to and mess things up. Thank you Kudzudaddy for explaining a few things to me!
Isabelle: C'est un plaisir de faire votre connaissance! Vous etes tres aimable. Mais je parle francais un tout petit peu.
Belbbmfan: Aangenaam kennis te maken! Wat vindt u van Bettermost? Yeah, I'm cheering for Holland too. I hope they win it this year!!
Thanks again everyone for the warm welcome! :)
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My name is David and I live on the south side of Indianapolis (Speedway Indiana). I am a professional photographer. I play the violin, cello and piano. I LOVE Shakespere. Currently I have a lover and his name is Cory. I have a Golden Retriever and his name is Cody. I am 43 years old. I have travelled extensively, and I love it. I am Dutch (and proud of it) and also Lakota Sioux (and proud of it). I speak a little Dutch and French.
Wat zijn uw plannen voor vanavond? I'm just kidding!
Life in Indiana can be difficult for a gay man, but I do have hopes for the future of our little midwestern state.
I am a refugee from IBDb (I can't take the trolls over there anymore). Hopefully, things will be better on Bettermost.
I should also mention I am David-Indiana on IMDb, just in case anyone here is from Imdb. :-)
David I am so pleased you came! No troll worries here, Phil takes it very seriously and we mods kick em to the curb post haste. So on the VERY RARE occassion you might view one, just send a PM to any on-line moderator ( the folks showing in red on "who's on line) and it will be delt with quickly and mercilessly. If there are no mods on line at the time hit the report button on the bottom of the offending post and the system sends an e-mail to all of us . We have a ZERO tolerance policy here and IPA's are banned and reported to the hosting site.
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Hey Vicky! You and Kudzudaddy are two of the reasons I came to Bettermost.
Thanks for explaining to me what I should do if I see a troll. I'm cetain nearly everyone has been attacked by them on other websites and it is nice to know they are nearly non existent here on Bettermost.
I will leave it up to all of you to deal with them.
And believe me, I will let you all know if I see one! Yuck! Trolls are very nasty little critters.
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Hello everyone!
I hope you don't mind lil' ol' me joining in.
My name is Stephanie and I'm a 21 year old living in Ohio. I'm a History major in college. Love to read like it's going out of style (which, now that I say that, I think it unfortunately might be).
I learned about this forum from IMDb, which I was floating around, mostly reading all the threads on symbolism and whatnot- which I also like to explore when not completely emotionally drained from the experience of watching BBM!
I saw this movie when it first arrived in my conservative home town; saw it alone as no one else would see it with me. And I pre ordered the movie from Amazon and haven't stopped viewing it since I received it. Although as I mentioned once on the IMDb forum, the dvd is like contraband in my house.
I am the Jack character in the film. I fell in love with an Ennis- who couldn't love me completely because of the strict background we've grown up in and the fear that runs through it.
I wrote in my journal a few days after I first saw it- "This is a sorrow that digs a hole and settles deep, deep inside you until it manifests itself as a kind if 'soul-arthritis' that causes every bone to ache each time you move- reminding you that it's there and it's not going anywhere any time soon."
I'm glad to be among other people that appreciate this film and all it stands for. :)
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Hello everyone!
I hope you don't mind lil' ol' me joining in.
My name is Stephanie and I'm a 21 year old living in Ohio. I'm a History major in college. Love to read like it's going out of style (which, now that I say that, I think it unfortunately might be).
Hi Stephanie! A fellow midwesterner! I live in Indiana. Welcome to Bettermost. I'm new here too, so we'll learn the ropes together!
The people are really nice here. I'm sure you will enjoy the experience. :)
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Hi Stephanie! A fellow midwesterner! I live in Indiana. Welcome to Bettermost. I'm new here too, so we'll learn the ropes together!
The people are really nice here. I'm sure you will enjoy the experience. :)
Thanks so much David! My dad's side of the family all hail from Indiana- mostly around Terre Haute. I've been to many a family reunion in Indiana ;)
It's good to meet you and everyone else *tips cowboy hat* :)
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Welcome David and Stephanie!
Well, I live in western Pennsylvania, so we can form a chain of Brokies across our three states. It's nice to see you both around on the boards! I've been here since early April... also a refugee from imdb.
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Thanks so much David! My dad's side of the family all hail from Indiana- mostly around Terre Haute. I've been to many a family reunion in Indiana ;)
It's good to meet you and everyone else *tips cowboy hat* :)
Stephanie - I am very familiar with Terre Haute. I use to live in Evansville (about 100 miles down U.S. 41 from Terre Haute). Now I am back in Indianapolis.
Welcome David and Stephanie!
Well, I live in western Pennsylvania, so we can form a chain of Brokies across our three states. It's nice to see you both around on the boards! I've been here since early April... also a refugee from imdb.
Atz75 - Thanks for the welcome! We sure could form a chain! Now, if we find someone from Maryland, we will hook up with the Atlantic. Then let's find someone from Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Utah, Nevada and California, we'll touch the Pacific.
We are off to a good start though! :)
Thanks again for the welcome!
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Yes, thank you atz :)
And I'm all about the chain!
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Heya again,
Sorry, I forgot to really introduce myself... I'm Amanda. My folks didn't stop at atz.
:)
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Then let's find someone from Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Utah, Nevada and California, we'll touch the Pacific.
Hi again, Stephanie! :D
I'm not "from" Illinois, but I have lived here since January. And there are several other Brokies here, too! And I happen to know there are Brokies in Colorado and California -- the other states above I'm not sure about.
But now that we're on the subject, I'm curious. Are there any Brokies here from Minnesota? That's where I grew up and have lived (on and off) for most of my life. You'd think it would be a Brokie-friendly state (blue, movie-loving, BBM in wide release), yet I've never seen anyone here who said they were from there.
Katherine
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Hi again, Stephanie! :D
I'm not "from" Illinois, but I have lived here since January. And there are several other Brokies here, too! And I happen to know there are Brokies in Colorado and California -- the other states above I'm not sure about.
But now that we're on the subject, I'm curious. Are there any Brokies here from Minnesota? That's where I grew up and have lived (on and off) for most of my life. You'd think it would be a Brokie-friendly state (blue, movie-loving, BBM in wide release), yet I've never seen anyone here who said they were from there.
Katherine
Katherine-
I was "brave" last night and posted a poll asking people where they were from. So far, only three have answered it... including me. Hopefully more will respond soon, and maybe we can find out who on Bettermost is from Minnesota.
By the way, I LOVE that state. I have been camping up there too. It is beautiful... especially up around the Superior National Forest.
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Heya again,
Sorry, I forgot to really introduce myself... I'm Amanda. My folks didn't stop at atz.
:)
Hi Amanda! Please forgive me if I get that wrong once or twice! I am trying... believe me! So many new names!
Actually I think I probably know many of you from IMDb, but the names are different on Bettermost.
I will do my best to remember all the names. :)
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Katherine-
I was "brave" last night and posted a poll asking people where they were from. So far, only three have answered it... including me. Hopefully more will respond soon, and maybe we can find out who on Bettermost is from Minnesota.
By the way, I LOVE that state. I have been camping up there too. It is beautiful... especially up around the Superior National Forest.
Thanks, David! Both for the poll and the compliments of my native state. I have been to Indiana only very briefly, so I can't offer a knowledgable compliment in return. But I will go check out your poll -- good idea, BTW!
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Thanks, David! Both for the poll and the compliments of my native state. I have been to Indiana only very briefly, so I can't offer a knowledgable compliment in return. But I will go check out your poll -- good idea, BTW!
Katherine... Thanks for checking it out! By the way, I THINK I saw somebody mention Minnesota on my poll. Sorry, I can't remember the name though. I am still trying to learn them all! I am going to the poll in a few minutes and reread all the replies. It looks like 17 or 18 people voted last night and today! :D
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Hi David, I was just there. Didn't see any Minnesotans, but it does look like we Midwesterners are still in the lead (that can't last, though ... can it?).
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Hi David, I was just there. Didn't see any Minnesotans, but it does look like we Midwesterners are still in the lead (that can't last, though ... can it?).
I just took another look and you are right. You know what though? I think the person I was thinking was from Minnesota was actually you. How did I do that? Did you talk about Minnesota in another thread? Somebody said something about Minnesota and I mentioned the poll.... I don't know what I did!
Anyway, sorry about that.
No, I don't think the Midwest will stay in the lead for very long... Western Europe is just one vote away from a tie with the Midwest! At least it was the last time I checked. But if we added Great Britain in with Western Europe, I think Europe might be beating us! :)
I think I know what happened... I think you mentioned Minnesota on this thread, and then I guess I read your reply over on my poll and didn't realize you were the same person.
Yes. I am a dingbat!!
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That's OK, David. Maybe I'll go mention Minnesota on a bunch of other threads, too, so it will feel like there are a lot of us here!
:laugh:
Nah, on second thought, I already asked Anke to post Heath/Ennis photos on multiple threads today, and she did, bless her heart -- but somehow I'm thinking people might have a higher tolerance for repeatedly seeing those!
::) ;) :-*
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That's OK, David. Maybe I'll go mention Minnesota on a bunch of other threads, too, so it will feel like there are a lot of us here!
:laugh:
Nah, on second thought, I already asked Anke to post Heath/Ennis photos on multiple threads today, and she did, bless her heart -- but somehow I'm thinking people might have a higher tolerance for repeatedly seeing those!
::) ;) :-*
Hey, Anke can flash pictures of Heath in front of me all she wants to. I won't mind! :D
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I am a 42 year old hetero female born and raised in the US rural Bible belt. I had lived in Texas for a short period of time, but missed the midwest too much. So, I moved to Indianapolis and lived there seven years. I have just moved back to northern Indiana - my small hometown. Although I really miss the city, it has been a good thing to move. I have a job that I love and I have never been treated so well in my life.
I am a Christian, but am by no means a "right-winger conservative Christian." I am very left of center and believe in rights for all humans. Who cares what goes on in the privacy of one's bedroom? I believe very strongly that my job here on earth is not to judge anyone. I am too flawed to look down on someone else!
I am a huge film fan. I had always said that my favorite movies were from the 1920's, 30's and 40's. That has held true ... except when BBM came out. I couldn't believe how much this film has impacted me. I have literally watched it at least once a day since it came out on DVD. I love everything about it ... the passion, the pain, the tragedy, etc. It rings true. I know that I have never experienced a love like that in my life. The one love I have had for over 14 years lives in South Carolina. It's one of those long distance things ... I hate it. He's in my blood, though, so I can't quite give him up. It has also been a relatively secret relationship ... I am white, he is black (he does not like being called African American). My family doesn't have an issue with it. My brother is married to an African American. It's his family. Sigh ... the saga of my life.
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I am a 42 year old hetero female born and raised in the US rural Bible belt. I had lived in Texas for a short period of time, but missed the midwest too much. So, I moved to Indianapolis and lived there seven years. I have just moved back to northern Indiana - my small hometown. Although I really miss the city, it has been a good thing to move. I have a job that I love and I have never been treated so well in my life.
I am a Christian, but am by no means a "right-winger conservative Christian." I am very left of center and believe in rights for all humans. Who cares what goes on in the privacy of one's bedroom? I believe very strongly that my job here on earth is not to judge anyone. I am too flawed to look down on someone else!
I am a huge film fan. I had always said that my favorite movies were from the 1920's, 30's and 40's. That has held true ... except when BBM came out. I couldn't believe how much this film has impacted me. I have literally watched it at least once a day since it came out on DVD. I love everything about it ... the passion, the pain, the tragedy, etc. It rings true. I know that I have never experienced a love like that in my life. The one love I have had for over 14 years lives in South Carolina. It's one of those long distance things ... I hate it. He's in my blood, though, so I can't quite give him up. It has also been a relatively secret relationship ... I am white, he is black (he does not like being called African American). My family doesn't have an issue with it. My brother is married to an African American. It's his family. Sigh ... the saga of my life.
:-* Welcome dly64 :-*, I was just talking to you on IMDB! You're gonna love it here
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Oh yes! Thanks for giving me the information. I really enjoy it over here. ;)
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I am a 42 year old hetero female born and raised in the US rural Bible belt. I had lived in Texas for a short period of time, but missed the midwest too much. So, I moved to Indianapolis and lived there seven years. I have just moved back to northern Indiana - my small hometown.
Hi Diane - (Diane is your name isn't it? I saw it in your sig). Anyway welcom! I am always happy to see fellow Hoosiers on the boards! I hope you like it here. I am new too, and the people seem to really be nice over here at Bettermost. :D
By the way, I hoped you dodged all those storms up there in North Indiana. Fort Wayne really got hit hard. We were hit pretty hard here in Indy, but not nearly as much as up north.
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Hello! I am a 49 year old straight African American female residing in Oakland, Ca. I am the mother of a 16 year old daughter, and we are both serious Brokies! I moved to California from Oklahoma City in 1963. I have lived in the Bay Area since, Oakland and Berkeley.
I work for the State of California, in tech support, a veteran Civil Service person! I love my job and I love where I live. I am fortunate enough to live in an area with a large and powerful gay community. My workplace is almost 50% gay and my daughter attends an arts school where the student body is 80% gay and lesbian. This incredible diversity is just one more reason why I love where I live!
I feel at home here already. I have been a frequent poster on the IMDB BBM Board since December, and decided after being invited by other Bettermost members (many of them IMDB posters) to give Bettermost a try. I have visited this site many times and I've always loved what I see here! I wanted to register long ago, but decided to wait until I purchased a reliable home computer. I was blessed recently with a rare pay increase and was able to purchase a new laptop!
I am here because I never tire of discussing my favorite movie of all time. I saw Brokeback right after Christmas, not realizing that my life would be changed forever. After the lights went up I was too stunned to move at first! I just remember sitting there with my daughter's head on my shoulder (she couldn't move, either) and just thought, "that was astonishing!" What am I going to do? I'm in love! My Brokeback journey is far from over, but I am a better person because of it. I don't sweat the small stuff anymore and I am much more tolerant of others. I am happier. My daughter says she is glad that I have finally found a favorite, a movie to love.
I must say that I have a good life, have always been happy and reasonably well adjusted! When Brokeback Mountain came into my life I was at first leveled by the tragedy of Jack and Ennis' sad, sad lives. But as the months passed, and I was able to speak to others about this quiet miracle of a film, the sadness has passed, and I can now appreciate Brokeback as the work of art it truly is.
It is so good to see a lot of friends here. Most of them I knew were here, but there are some surprises. PastorFred! PastorFred is here, thank God! He is one of my all time favorites. I even had the pleasure of meeting some members such as sfericsf at a screening of Brokeback at the Castro theatre earlier this month. It was glorious!
I could go on and on, but I had better stop now. I'll just say that I'm thrilled to be here, and I am ready, willing and able to talk!
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Welcome Welcome Welcome To Bettermost Littlewing!
I am SO happy you decided to join! You will love it here. And I am really looking forward to reading your posts here. I always did appreciate and enjoy everything you had to say on IMDb.
:) ;) :D :) ;) :D :) ;) :D :) ;) :D
Again, welcome! I am really happy you are here with us!
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Thanks, David. I am really glad to be here. This is great! You were always one of my favorites on the IMDB Boards! Will be posting soon!
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Hi littlewing, I'm glad you're here! I remember enjoying your posts on imdb, though I'm not sure how much our times there overlapped. Anyway, your post above was really nice, and I'm looking forward to seeing more of what you have to say. Welcome!
Katherine/latjoreme
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Littlewing!! So glad you are here! I'm sure you'll see many of us same ol' Brokies. How fun is this!
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I am always happy to see fellow Hoosiers on the boards! I hope you like it here. I am new too, and the people seem to really be nice over here at Bettermost. :D
By the way, I hoped you dodged all those storms up there in North Indiana. Fort Wayne really got hit hard. We were hit pretty hard here in Indy, but not nearly as much as up north.
We were slammed! (By the way ... I really miss Indy!!)
So, you were over on IMDb? Were you David_Indiana?
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...and I was able to speak to others about this quiet miracle of a film, the sadness has passed, and I can now appreciate Brokeback as the work of art it truly is.
Welcome, littlewing! They've set up a nice little place here.
"...and I was able to speak to others about this quiet miracle of a film..."
That's exactly my feeling about Brokeback Mountain also. You've captured that so well.
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I am a 42 year old hetero female born and raised in the US rural Bible belt. I had lived in Texas for a short period of time, but missed the midwest too much. So, I moved to Indianapolis and lived there seven years. I have just moved back to northern Indiana - my small hometown. Although I really miss the city, it has been a good thing to move. I have a job that I love and I have never been treated so well in my life.
I am a Christian, but am by no means a "right-winger conservative Christian." I am very left of center and believe in rights for all humans. Who cares what goes on in the privacy of one's bedroom? I believe very strongly that my job here on earth is not to judge anyone. I am too flawed to look down on someone else!
I am a huge film fan. I had always said that my favorite movies were from the 1920's, 30's and 40's. That has held true ... except when BBM came out. I couldn't believe how much this film has impacted me. I have literally watched it at least once a day since it came out on DVD. I love everything about it ... the passion, the pain, the tragedy, etc. It rings true. I know that I have never experienced a love like that in my life. The one love I have had for over 14 years lives in South Carolina. It's one of those long distance things ... I hate it. He's in my blood, though, so I can't quite give him up. It has also been a relatively secret relationship ... I am white, he is black (he does not like being called African American). My family doesn't have an issue with it. My brother is married to an African American. It's his family. Sigh ... the saga of my life.
Welcome dly64. :)
I too, migrated from IMDB, but never posted anything over there. I was one of the 'quiet ones', lol.
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I too, migrated from IMDB, but never posted anything over there. I was one of the 'quiet ones', lol.
Gattaca - you have to make yourself known! Believe me, you will prbably see my name everywhere because I am so addicted to this movie. :D
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hello everybody...this is my first post here..been very busy on the yahoo message board since i saw Brokeback Mountain...and i am a huge fan...ive been hearing about this board for a while and hope you will take me under you wing...
simple but me...i'll tell ya more if you want to know ;D
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Wow, I feel like I've come home! When I finally decided to check this site out after seeing it mentioned on the IMDB Brokeback forum and started reading the posts in this thread I was spellbound! What openness, honesty, and dare I say it, "maturity!" Let's see, where do I start? With the basics I guess.
I'm a 60-year old straight female from the DC area where I've lived since I was 9. I was only 27 a few weeks ago and have no idea what happened in those three weeks to get me from 27 to 60, but it sure must have been a lot!
I live alone in an RV with my five cats and am currently on disability due to a second bout of breast cancer and heart failure due to damage from chemo. I'm also a doctoral student at an online university (fully accredited and academically rigorous) and am just beginning my dissertation, having completed my coursework and passed my comprehensive exam. My dissertation topic relates strongly to BBM, but I'll get to that in a minute.
I also found out about a year ago that I had adult attention deficit disorder (ADD), which has been the bane of my existence for most of my life. I excel in some areas while am abysmal in others. I can't take medication for it because of my heart condition. I don't think, but I also haven't pursued that avenue much. Now that I think about it, being ADD is probably a lot like being gay--it's something that just "is" that few people understand. Therefore they criticize and ridicule you out of false assumptions and ignorance. But at least I've not heard of hate crimes against ADD or ADHD folks who consider these conditions an "assault" against their belief systems.
I spend 90% of my time alone, although I'm an extravert and always have been. Reading your posts has helped me realize how frightened I've become and how hard it is to manage that all by myself. Being on disability, I have just enough money to survive and little more. I had to give up my therapist who was one person I could talk to. But that also provides a good excuse to stay hidden away, doesn't it?
I saw Brokeback Mountain for the first time a month or so ago, shortly after it came out on DVD. While it didn't hit me like an emotional canon as others have described, another movie did nine years ago, in pretty much an indentical way to that described by BBM fans. My reaction to that movie was the impetus to return to school and pursue my doctorate--not for the degree but because it provided an opportunity to do the research I wanted to.
After climbing out of the emotional vortex sufficiently, I became consumed with the desire to understand HOW a movie had that kind of power--that kind of capacity to move people so intensely. I found out on boards devoted to it that I was not alone. The kinds of reactions people are describing for BBM are virtually identical to the reactions people described then. I needed to then and still need to understand how and why.
After I graduate, my plan is to do a brain mapping study to find out what goes on in people's brains during a "narrative experience." Oddly, no one else had done research even remotely similar. It's hard to imagine no one has been moved to try and figure this out but they haven't. My dissertation research is a step toward the post-doc research I really want to do.
While I thought BBM was a superlative movie by every standard I could imagine, I just didn't have the intense emotional response others have. I'm not sure why. If I had to guess, I'd say it's because I've closed down so much emotionally that it couldn't get past my defenses. Another explanation is that one only has "one true love" and that my movie love was that previous one. But just typing that it sounds like a romanticized rationalization. (Don't I sound emotionally withdrawn--especially compared to other posters? I do to myself!)
Anyway, I'll be grateful for your support--both personally and related to my research. I'm so glad I decided to check this board out!
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i'm 29 year old , female , married, with two girls. i live in british columbia, canada, which, for those who don't know, is only one province away from brokeback site (alberta). i've actually driven around the rockies in alberta, but that was a long time ago. it's breathtaking!
anyways, i was on the brokeback message board, but i switched over here........it's definately better! so, i'll stick with the beans!
i'll never quite get over grieving, thinking, loving, and analyzing brokeback mountain. for me, there's so many lessons.....so many things that hit home. i love it. i love the boys. i love the movie. i love the love.
this movie has changed my life in so many ways.....hard to describe. just makes me think, and want to take risks, and tell people how i feel, no matter what the reaction is.
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We were slammed! (By the way ... I really miss Indy!!)
So, you were over on IMDb? Were you David_Indiana?
dly64 - Well I am certain Indianapolis misses you too! :)
Yes, I am David-Indiana on IMDb. Did you post there too? If so, what is/was your user name there?
Again, welcome to Bettermost! :D
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i'm 29 year old , female , married, with two girls. i live in british columbia, canada, which, for those who don't know, is only one province away from brokeback site (alberta). i've actually driven around the rockies in alberta, but that was a long time ago. it's breathtaking!
anyways, i was on the brokeback message board, but i switched over here........it's definately better! so, i'll stick with the beans!
i'll never quite get over grieving, thinking, loving, and analyzing brokeback mountain. for me, there's so many lessons.....so many things that hit home. i love it. i love the boys. i love the movie. i love the love.
this movie has changed my life in so many ways.....hard to describe. just makes me think, and want to take risks, and tell people how i feel, no matter what the reaction is.
Forsythia.... Welcome To Bettermost! I'm sure you will enjoy posting here. The people are really nice, insightful and intelligent. You will quickly make many friends on this board! :D
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Wow, I feel like I've come home! When I finally decided to check this site out after seeing it mentioned on the IMDB Brokeback forum and started reading the posts in this thread I was spellbound! What openness, honesty, and dare I say it, "maturity!" Let's see, where do I start?
Hi Fontaine! Welcome to Bettermost! I am pretty new here too and I have found everyone to be very kind, open and friendly. I am certain you will have a similar experience here. If you ever have any questions, just ask someone. I still have questions too, and people are always happy to answer them for me. :D
I sure am glad to have you here with us and I can't wait to read some of your posts! :)
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hello everybody...this is my first post here..been very busy on the yahoo message board since i saw Brokeback Mountain...and i am a huge fan...ive been hearing about this board for a while and hope you will take me under you wing...
simple but me...i'll tell ya more if you want to know ;D
Hi Brokeback_dev! Welcome to Bettermost! I'll be happy to take you under my wing but I am still learning the ropes here too! If you have questions, just ask someone. Everyone here is very helpful. I sure am glad you decided to join all of us, and I am looking forward to everything you have to say! :)
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Welcome All Y'all!
Just like the Statue of Liberty says:"Give us your tired, your hungry and your IMDB refugees" LOL.
Come on in, pull up a chair. No need to cry in your apple pie. We have plenty of coffee and Cherry cake. Ma Twist just made some. ;)
(http://static.flickr.com/54/164461005_360e1819e6_m.jpg)
Cheers!
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Yes, I am David-Indiana on IMDb. Did you post there too? If so, what is/was your user name there?
I kept it the same ... I made some friends over there so I wanted to make sure they knew who I was in this forum. (I love this site, by the way! Too much fun!)
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I kept it the same ... I made some friends over there so I wanted to make sure they knew who I was in this forum. (I love this site, by the way! Too much fun!)
dly64 (Diane isn't it?) - I thought your name looked familiar, but figured I better ask you first, just to be sure. :)
Yes, there are MANY IMDb users (both former and current) in this forum so you are definately surrounded by old friends, and you are about to make a whole bunch of new ones too!
Yes, it is fun here! A lot of fun!
Again, welcome to Bettermost! :D
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Hi there, did join a little while ago, but havnt as yet been very active on the site, have spent alot of time on the IMD board. I have heard that this is a far better site to discuss Brokeback , so here I am, looking forwards to meeting plenty of nice people. :-*
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Welcome Ironbark!
If you liked IMDB, you'll love BetterMost! The topics are laid out better. We can post pictures. No trolls with their rude remarks. No disappearing threads. Plus on IMDB, I noticed the questions get very repetative. Here you can find a previously discussed topic in a thread and then jump in at the bottom and add your opinion or thoughts. We love everything BBM here. Even off topic stuff has its own place. Plenty of photo threads if you like Jake or Heath or hot cowboys.
Enjoy! And don't be shy, start posting too! :)
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Hi there, did join a little while ago, but havnt as yet been very active on the site, have spent alot of time on the IMD board. I have heard that this is a far better site to discuss Brokeback , so here I am, looking forwards to meeting plenty of nice people. :-*
Hi there Ironbark! God, I am glad you here! Littlewing joined us yesterday, and so did Tomtrueman! :D
It's great to see you here, and I am really going to enjoy reading your messages! :) You are always so insightful on IMDb!
Welcome To Bettermost! :)
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Hi there, did join a little while ago, but havnt as yet been very active on the site, have spent alot of time on the IMD board. I have heard that this is a far better site to discuss Brokeback , so here I am, looking forwards to meeting plenty of nice people. :-*
Hi Ironbark! I am so glad you are here. I am seeing a bunch of ol' IMDb buddies. This site is so much fun. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I have.
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This is tomtrueman here. I've just joined, and haven't had time to explore the site and how it works yet, so I hope I'm not speaking out of turn. I'll have more time to learn how it all works when I start my holidays in a week, but I just wanted to say hi to everyone, especially to my friends and other refugees from the IMDb.
Speaking of which -- the last straw arrived about ten minutes ago when I was answering an on-topic message and got a message saying the entire thread had just been deleted. I posted a message saying "That does it, I'm outta here" and WITHIN A MINUTE an administrator had deleted that! Why weren't they ever that fast with all the ignoramuses who hadn't even seen the movie but who wanted to tell us what God thinks and wants? (As if they knew!)
ANYWAY, that board is dead to me, and I'm looking forward to getting to know this site and its regulars, when I have a bit more time.
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This is tomtrueman here. I've just joined, and haven't had time to explore the site and how it works yet, so I hope I'm not speaking out of turn. I'll have more time to learn how it all works when I start my holidays in a week, but I just wanted to say hi to everyone, especially to my friends and other refugees from the IMDb.
Tomtrueman!! Greetings! I have migrated over here as well (it was one of your posts on IMDb that let me know about the site. THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!! ::))
I think you will love it here. It is like a Brokie heaven. I was getting frustrated with IMDb, too. They went on this huge deleting frenzy. So, a bunch of us came over here. (I am sure you will recognize many names).
Anyway, good to "see" you. Will talk soon! :D
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Hello tomtrueman, even tho we havnt seen eye to eye in the past, its still nice to see dedicated brokies coming on over here. I have not long been here also, but i welcome you all the same. Hope you have nice hols.
Look forward to maybe not so many disagreeable discussions...lol. Take care.x
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Welcome ironbark! I saw you pop into chat, but you left before I could get a 'welcome' in edgewise. Nice to have you here...Enjoy!
-Lynne
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Thankyou Lynne, I didnt stay for long in chat room sorry. Look forward to seeing more of you .x chris.
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This is tomtrueman here. I've just joined, and haven't had time to explore the site and how it works yet, so I hope I'm not speaking out of turn. I'll have more time to learn how it all works when I start my holidays in a week, but I just wanted to say hi to everyone, especially to my friends and other refugees from the IMDb.
Hi Tomtrueman! Welcome To Bettermost! I'm really happy you decided to join! I always did enjoy reading your posts on IMDb and I'm sure everyone will appreciate your insight on this forum too! :)
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Hello everyone, I live in Northern England, an area south of the River Humber, called North Lincolnshire. I've been here all my sixty-seven years, with a handful of new addresses along the way. I'm a gay man, not officially 'out', and certainly not to my family. It does seem very likely from my appearance and single state, that most people will have 'got my number' by now. I live as 'straight' a life as I can, and have not attempted serious action for many years now. I was never comfortable with serious involvement in the gay world, probably because I never learned to be at ease with my nature! ::) I was probably 27 years old before I consciously spoke to another gay, by which time I was irrevocably set upon the lifelong solitary path that has been my life. I fell in love with a straight guy before I knew it, and lost ten years of my life before I accepted that romantic love was not for me! I have been virtually 'closed down' emotionally for many years, and it's only ole Brokeback which has reawakened me (bit like the sleeping beauty, but substitute a frog!). I count myself solitary but not lonely; if I am lonely it's an old friend that I'm comfortable with, and given my age I've no reason or wish to change. What is different these last months since I first saw the film, is that I really do know now what I've missed, and it’s a turning knife, that will be with me to the end of the road. Love such as that shared by our boys, is so sublime, that it makes it hard to discount divinity, it really does. Not the bible bashing variety, but the all encompassing love that created everything, and which I’ve read somewhere described as ‘God in Nature'.
I could and probably will write much more later, but I've no wish to alienate you good people so soon, and will close with a favourite quote from Annie Proulx' magical short story, it seems to encompass the miracle of Ennis and Jack's love. I'm not sure why, perhaps you can help me to unravel the mystery eventually.
"Later, that dozy embrace solidified in his memory as the single moment of artless, charmed happiness in their separate and difficult lives. Nothing marred it, even the knowledge that Ennis would not then embrace him face to face because he did not want to see nor feel that it was Jack he held. And maybe, he thought, they'd never got much farther than that. Let be, let be." - Brokeback Mountain - Annie Proulx
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Hello everyone, I live in Northern England, an area south of the River Humber, called North Lincolnshire. I've been here all my sixty-seven years, with a handful of new addresses along the way. I'm a gay man, not officially 'out', and certainly not to my family.
Hi Sam! Welcome To Bettermost! :D
I have read a few of your posts on IMDb and I am really happy you decided to come over to Bettermost! :)
A good friend of mine is from Northern England. He is from Newcastle. A few years ago, he moved to London and I lost touch with him. His name is Alex. His parents use to run a little inn in Newcastle called The Marlborough Hotel. I am not sure if they still run it anymore. I haven't talked to Alex since he moved to London. He grew up in the hotel. I met him years ago back in the days of CompuServe. I would love to get in touch with him again. He is a really nice guy.
Anyway, I am looking forward to everything you have to say here at Bettermost. They have a chatroom here too and you are welcome to jump in and join everyone anytime you want. If you have any questions about anything, just ask. I am still relatively new here myself but I will try my best to answer your questions. Everyone here is very nice and helpful and you will have many friends here in no time!
Again, welcome friend! I am really glad you are here! :D
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Hello, I am Larz. I live in Indiana (US) and came here from IMDb at the suggestion of Littlewing1957. I am pleased to learn of this place.
Take care and I will see y'all soon!
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Hello, I am Larz. I live in Indiana (US) and came here from IMDb at the suggestion of Littlewing1957. I am pleased to learn of this place.
Take care and I will see y'all soon!
Hi Larz! Welcome. I am glad to see another Hoosier! David and I are both from the great state of IN.
I know you'll love this site. It is a lot of fun. ;)
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Welcome Larz!
Gee, there are sure a lot of people from Indiana here. :D :D
So a big welcome to you from a Tucsonian!
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Hello to you all. Steven here. As an exception to the general rule, I am not from Indiana - rather, I'm a EuroBrokie from Gelderland, an eastern province of the Netherlands. I'm an out gay man, 39 going on 40 (how time flies; it still feels like 17 inside, though). I didn't see BBM in the cinema because a friend preferred Crash >:(. So I got the DVD, and after watching it life was never quite the same again. As I grow older I find I am increasingly susceptible to the emotional effects of movies and music, but BBM is something of an altogether different order than anything I've ever experienced. This is partly due to the beauties of the film as such, and partly to the fact that it triggered some bittersweet memories from my own past. Love can go wrong in so many ways, unfortunately...
I've cultivated my obsession by collecting every book and CD even remotely related to BBM, from Avedon's "In the American West" to Haden & Metheny's "Beyond the Missouri Sky" (for "Spiritual", the duet that inspired Proulx when she wrote the dozy embrace scene). I nursed it further by putting together my own ideal version of the screenplay, because I was disappointed with the published version. If you're interested: I put it on a website to share it with fellow Brokies: www.brokebackmountainscript.com (http://www.brokebackmountainscript.com) (Be warned though, it's a big file (66MB in all - I've included a storyboard comprised of screenshots from every scene), and my data traffic allowance is limited...)
At this point I've decided to go cold turkey for a few months, but I won't go so far as to include boards like these, so you'll see me around.
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Hello everyone! ;D I'm new and also testing out my signature. ??? Seems like a cool place, I'm sure I'll enjoy it. !! :D
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Hi Larz! Welcome. I am glad to see another Hoosier! David and I are both from the great state of IN.
I know you'll love this site. It is a lot of fun. ;)
Hi dly64! Nice to meet another Hoosier! :-) LOL-I have yet to find the icons here, but am famous for (over-)using them at IMDb.
Thanks for the friendly greeting.
[wave3] <--ooops, that probably won't work here but you get the point.
~Larz
P.S. - just found them in preview. ;D 8)
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Welcome Larz!
Gee, there are sure a lot of people from Indiana here. :D :D
So a big welcome to you from a Tucsonian!
Hi Gattaca! How are things in Tucson? I've only been there a couple of times, but AZ is beautiful. :)
Nice to meet you, and thanks for the warm greeting.
~Larz
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To Larz, I sent you a PM but I just wanted to welcome you here! I'm so glad to see you here. We always love it when good people join us. Listen to me, I feel like an established member already and I haven't been here a week! :)
Again, welcome! We'll be talking soon!
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Hi Littlewing! ;D PM received and answered. I also sent you one at IMDb earlier, but now that you know I'm here, uhhh - yeah. Never mind. [hehe]
You may've only been here less than a week, but I see you're a Jr. Ranch Hand already. Do you have to shovel out the stalls? :o i hope not.
Thanks for the shout! I'm glad to see you.
~Larz
P.S. - I tend to call people by their actual names rather than by their screennames. In your experience here, is that encouraged or not? Actually, if anyone knows the answer to that question, I would like to know. Thanks!
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I tend to call people by their actual names rather than by their screennames. In your experience here, is that encouraged or not? Actually, if anyone knows the answer to that question, I would like to know. Thanks!
Hello Zou - of course if you know the name of the person you are speaking to, it is quite appropriate to use names that are comfortable to the both of you. When I signed up, I was roboy (unfortunately, still am when in chat) but I quickly changed that to my real name - Both are used with ease, depending on the poster, and that's fine with me.
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Hi Roland, nice to meet you. You are welcome to call me Larz if you like.
Thanks for your response and for the info. I was flamed by strangers a few times for calling IMDb friends by their real names. Those experiences have made me a bit hesitant, especially in a new environment.
I love your sig, BTW! I'm still trying to choose one, but my all-time favorite siggy is unfortunately not from BBM, which makes me feel like a traitor! ::)
~Larz
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Boy! All kinds of new posts in this thread tonight.
Let's see, where should I start?
Hello to you all. Steven here. As an exception to the general rule, I am not from Indiana - rather, I'm a EuroBrokie from Gelderland, an eastern province of the Netherlands.
Hi stevenedel -
I saw a posting of yours in another thread, and I replied to it, but just in case you didn't see it...
Welkom in Bettermost en aangenaam vriend! I am looking forward to getting to know you better. You will enjoy it here. Everyone is very nice. :)
Hello, I am Larz. I live in Indiana (US) and came here from IMDb at the suggestion of Littlewing1957. I am pleased to learn of this place.
Take care and I will see y'all soon!
Hi Larz! It is always nice to meet a fellow Hoosier here! Like Diane told you, I live in Indiana, Indianapolis to be exact. Welcome to Bettermost! Yes, Littlewing is great! I have been posting with her for several months now. She is a good friend! :)
Hello everyone! ;D I'm new and also testing out my signature. ??? Seems like a cool place, I'm sure I'll enjoy it. !! :D
Hi Midnight24! Welcome to Bettermost. You will have a lot of fun here! :D
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Boy! All kinds of new posts in this thread tonight.
Let's see, where should I start?
Hi stevenedel -
I saw a posting of yours in another thread, and I replied to it, but just in case you didn't see it...
Welkom in Bettermost en aangenaam vriend! I am looking forward to getting to know you better. You will enjoy it here. Everyone is very nice. :)
Hi Larz! It is always nice to meet a fellow Hoosier here! Like Diane told you, I live in Indiana, Indianapolis to be exact. Welcome to Bettermost! Yes, Littlewing is great! I have been posting with her for several months now. She is a good friend! :)
Hi Midnight24! Welcome to Bettermost. You will have a lot of fun here! :D
Hello Steven and Midnight! Sorry, I missed responding to your posts. :-\
Steven, it sounds as if you "have it bad" for BBM! LOL I will have a look.
Midnight, good luck with your sig. I have yet to decide upon one.
Hello again, David! I wondered if you were the Hoosier she mentioned. I also live in Indy, on the near southeast side. I work at IUPUI by the way. ;D
~Larz
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HELLO and WELCOME to everyone new here!! WOW! This board is growing! We'll be at 500 members soon!
~ j U d E
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HELLO and WELCOME to everyone new here!! WOW! This board is growing! We'll be at 500 members soon!
~ j U d E
Jude - I just looked. I think we are at 502 now! :)
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Yay! 502 members now, and hopefully we'll keep on growing!!! ;D Congrats to whoever made the 500th member, and to everyone else for helping make it thus far!!! ;)
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Hi all!
Like stevenedel, I am a genuine EURObrokie, and proud to be! ;D
My name is Melissa and I am from Holland, I am 29 years old and I live in Zaandam with my boyfriend Jan-Willem and I work as a translator/editor in Amsterdam. At the moment I am recovering from surgery on my hand, so I can't post too much, but hopefully in the next few weeks I will be able to start posting more. First time I heard about BBM was I think October 2005, that's when I read the novel and was devastated by the story. I ACTUALLY flew to London to see it before it came out in Holland! Now, I still watch it at least once every two weeks, or I have the DVD on when I am doing chores around the house, it's comforting. My sister who lives in England shares the love for BBM, and we send each other text messages such as "Eating beans again tonight" or "You bet." and "Did you see how cute Jake's hair is in the reunion scene?". It's a lot of fun. I am at the moment trying to keep my dvd in its case for at least a month, but I doubt there will be any surprises when I watch it again in a month. I guess I still hope that there is a new, happy ending every time I watch it.
Anyway, I am happy to be here and hopefully I will be here a lot more often after the recovery from my operation!
Mel
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Hello mvansand76, nice to meet you! I'm Larz and live in Indiana, US.
Happy viewing and good luck with your recovery!
~Larz
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Hi all!
Like stevenedel, I am a genuine EURObrokie, and proud to be! ;D
My name is Melissa and I am from Holland, I am 29 years old and I live in Zaandam with my boyfriend Jan-Willem and I work as a translator/editor in Amsterdam.
Hi Melissa! You already know me but I thought I would say hi and let you know how happy I am to see you here! :)
I hope you start feeling better very soon my friend! :D
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Hi all!
Like stevenedel, I am a genuine EURObrokie, and proud to be! ;D
My name is Melissa and I am from Holland, I am 29 years old and I live in Zaandam with my boyfriend Jan-Willem and I work as a translator/editor in Amsterdam. At the moment I am recovering from surgery on my hand, so I can't post too much, but hopefully in the next few weeks I will be able to start posting more. First time I heard about BBM was I think October 2005, that's when I read the novel and was devastated by the story. I ACTUALLY flew to London to see it before it came out in Holland! Now, I still watch it at least once every two weeks, or I have the DVD on when I am doing chores around the house, it's comforting. My sister who lives in England shares the love for BBM, and we send each other text messages such as "Eating beans again tonight" or "You bet." and "Did you see how cute Jake's hair is in the reunion scene?". It's a lot of fun. I am at the moment trying to keep my dvd in its case for at least a month, but I doubt there will be any surprises when I watch it again in a month. I guess I still hope that there is a new, happy ending every time I watch it.
Anyway, I am happy to be here and hopefully I will be here a lot more often after the recovery from my operation!
Mel
Hello Melissa!! Glad to have you here, I'm Tori. Thanks for writing the short bio, it's nice to know you have a sister who will do that with you! Sorry about your hand I hope it heals up soon! I love watching BBM all the time, too, it's so comforting and emotional, I love it!! Take care and see you around! ;)
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thank you all 4 the welcome!
I am slightly overwhelmed by this board, though....WHERE DO I START? ??? :P :-X
There is so much to read, so much to post!
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thank you all 4 the welcome!
I am slightly overwhelmed by this board, though....WHERE DO I START? ??? :P :-X
There is so much to read, so much to post!
Just pick out a topic you find interesting Melissa and then jump right in! Pretty soon you will have posts all over the place.
That's what happened to me anyway. :)
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thank you all 4 the welcome!
I am slightly overwhelmed by this board, though....WHERE DO I START? ??? :P :-X
There is so much to read, so much to post!
Melissa, I feel the same way! :o I want to read all the posts and respond, but there are so many!
~Larz
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thank you all 4 the welcome!
I am slightly overwhelmed by this board, though....WHERE DO I START? ??? :P :-X
There is so much to read, so much to post!
I was the same way when I first came, you just have to try to get used to the conversations, I guess. Don't worry, people won't bit if you try to posts in threads that are over 100+ posts. ;D
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Happily, the "feel" of this place is totally different than at IMDb.
So far everyone I've met has been extreeemly nice! ;D
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Happily, the "feel" of this place is totally different than at IMDb.
So far everyone I've met has been extreeemly nice! ;D
Same with me!! Everyone I've met has been really nice to me, too!! It's such a good feeling, a lot better then on IMDb.
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I know I'm not the best one to talk about posting, I am also overwhelmed here, very often.
But I think it helps to pick a thread or series of threads that you really like, and just stick with them. And then to watch the recent posts on the bottom of the main page to see if there's anything interesting there that you'd like to post in response to.
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It's amazing what we talk about on here too. I have been posting to a thread about fish tacos for weeks now.
Can you believe it? Of all things. Fish Tacos?
It's a lot of fun though, so I guess that's what counts.
We have started to broaden our conversation a little though. A few of us are beginning to discuss fish pizza! ;)
You'll do just fine here Melissa. Everyone is really nice and you will be conversing with many people in no time!
And I am very, very happy you are here my good friend! :)
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Hi all,
I am a 43 year old male and I have to say that Brokeback Mountain affected me like no other movie. Truth is I am like Jack and Ennis. I live in an area where I have to keep my feelings repressed. There were so many times I would have liked to have been in a relationship but I didn't have the courage to out myself to anyone. I have dated girls but somehow I could never get emotionally involved in relationships with women so I am obviously gay but I keep it to myself. So like Ennis I am alone.
Once upon a time I did have a partner but it didn't pan out but I thought about him for so many years that I got his email address from a friend and although he is married he is having a relationship with a man and I got the impression that he was really in love with the guy so I am finally moving on and he is definitely apart of my past.
Like some other posters have revealed about themselves I live in a very unfriendly area for gays. It does feel better that I can say the word now and apply it to myself without having to worry or cringe. I had my partner when I was much younger and in a college town which was a little more liberal than where I live.
I consider myself a lover of the world although I live in a rather homogeneous rural area. I think a lot people can't figure out why I never got married. Thank goodness there are other non married people both women and men in my area who are my age or older so that keeps me from being so much the "odd man out." I would love to visit the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Scandinavia. Also visiting Australia someday is high on my agenda. I love Australia and its people and I also would like to visit the area of Alberta where Brokeback Mountain was filmed.
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Hi Bucky! Welcome - jump right in and post away! I'm from the UK so if you ever make that trip I could tell you all the best places to go!
Bettermost is a really friendly and supoortive community so i expect the welcome posts will be flooding in very shortly... :)
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Hi Bucky! Welcome. It's nice to meet you. ;D I'm Larz, also a newbie here.
This is a safe place where you'll not be attacked for being yourself. I hope to see you around! 8)
~Larz
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My name it Brent. Well, its the 4th of July and a great day to be an American. Also, this morning I watched BBM for I think the 10th time. I have been lurking for a couple weeks and decided give a big HELLO to everyone.
I was on IMD for alwhile but now have crossed over to a 'better' place.
I am 40 and going to be 41 in less than a week live in Ohio and have a partner of 16 years.
This movie hit me like a ton of bricks. I am still finding out why. Each time I watch BBM it effects me differently-always emotional though.
I dont have a problem with Ennis and Jack being in my head all the time but find they are in my heart. I know sometimes at work I will get a mental vison of part of the movie and just get a warm comming feeling overcome me. So I know this movie is in my heart.
I listen to the soundtrack alot and for those who have not heard nor dont have the soundtrack you should it a great track. There is a song on the track "Never going to say Goodbye" that I listen to alot. I had to watch the movie again to see where it was in the movie. Found it with Jack dancing with LeShawn.
So much about this movie.
I have recommeded this movie to a few people but have found most did not get it. Its good to be hear from those that get it.
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You're with like-minded fellow fanatics here Brent ;). Welcome!
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Hello Brent, Happy Independence Day and welcome!
Isn't the movie great! I just watched again last night. What does your partner think of it?
~Larz
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Hey there Brent!
I've heard lots of folks say how their favourite song is "The Maker Makes" and I don't understand that. I've had the song explained to me & still, there's not the emotional punch that I get from "A Love That Will Never Grow Old", or "He Was a Friend of Mine", or the two notes from "Opening" and of course "The Wings". - But I'm especially glad to hear I'm not the only one that feels that the simple "I Don't Want to Say Goodye" is THE powerhouse of a song from a tremendous soundtrack (and I ain't no country fan either!)
Welcome home to BetterMost! You're sure to find people here who can relate to you and your unusually strong affinity to everything "Brokeback".
Only 10 times, hunh? That's how frequently I admit to having seen it in the theatres. - Figured, since I don't usually see movies at the theatre, I could afford to be extravagant for this one film.
As far as recommending it to coworkers - I wasn't the first one on staff to see it, and am not the only one who really liked it, but NOBODY (at work) gets this picture like I do/did. They're aware of my obsession and tolerate it but are obviously perplexed that I'm still interested in discussing new interpretations/ understandings of details of the movie. Et bien, C'est la vie! - At least I have BetterMost ...
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Hi
I'm Daniel from the UK. Glad to have found a troll-tree zone of like-minded BbM admirers. I read the novella last year and was delighted to hear the film was on the way. Even more so when I heard Ang Lee was at the helm, having enjoyed The Wedding Banquet enormously.
So far I've only watched Brokeback twice (some kind of record, surely?) and found it even more moving the second time. I'm sure it's all been said a million times here and elsewhere but it's genuinely unforgettable.
Look forward to 'chatting' to you all.
:)
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Hi Daniel. Nice to welcome a fellow Brit to the board - we're few and far between.
If you like it here and fancy getting in on the EuroBrokie Brunch in London this September, here's the link:
http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php?topic=1158.msg52531#msg52531
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Hi Daniel. Nice to welcome a fellow Brit to the board - we're few and far between.
If you like it here and fancy getting in on the EuroBrokie Brunch in London this September, here's the link:
http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php?topic=1158.msg52531#msg52531
Thank you for the welcome and the link. Still trying to get the hang of this board...
8)
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Hello and Welcome! To all our new members I am so glad to have you here, have a seat, sit a spell and chat. :D
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Thanks for all the welcomes.
Zou- I hate to say that my partner has not seen the movie. When I brought the movie home- which I rented a total of three that day. I told him I got BBM he said'I guess you got a movie to watch when I am at work tomorrow". That is what I did and watched it 4 times on that Sautrday. I have since purchased that movie and seen it about 6 times. He still has not watched and probably will not. He says he knows all about the movie. I have tried to tell him he has not idea but will not listen.
We were out and a friend mentioned BBM and said he did not see it in the theater but bought the DVD when it was released thought he would watch part of it one night and finish it the next day- but once he started watching he could not turn it off.
Roland glad to hear that you also are hooked on 'Never going to say Goodbye'. I like you are not a big country fan but find that song very powerful. I am trying to find more work of Teddy Thompson (singer on that track) to see if it is his voice or just that song that overcomes me.
Its great to be in a BBM troll free zone.
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Thanks for the greetings and also a welcome to the other posters who came on board around the same time I did. Better most really seems like a great internet community where perhaps we can talk about the movie BBM and what it meant to each of us. The nice part about Better Most is that it seems to be "troll free" which really pleases me. To all the posters from the UK I had a pen pal from the UK when I was in high school and the experience of exchanging ideas and information about our countries and what we liked and didn't like in the world of music and movies was great. My pen pal was from Birmingham, England and really a delightfully great person. We wrote to each other for over two years and only stopped when I had to go away to college.
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Zou- I hate to say that my partner has not seen the movie. When I brought the movie home- which I rented a total of three that day. I told him I got BBM he said'I guess you got a movie to watch when I am at work tomorrow". That is what I did and watched it 4 times on that Sautrday. I have since purchased that movie and seen it about 6 times. He still has not watched and probably will not. He says he knows all about the movie. I have tried to tell him he has not idea but will not listen.
We were out and a friend mentioned BBM and said he did not see it in the theater but bought the DVD when it was released thought he would watch part of it one night and finish it the next day- but once he started watching he could not turn it off.
Brent, I'm sorry to hear that but maybe his interest will grow. He doesn't know what he's missing, but then you know that. ;D
~Larz
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I have discovered BBM either 'blows one away' (as it did me--and still everytime I see it) or, like my partner, it's just a good movie. Perhaps I needed it and he didn't. The last time I put the DVD in, he promptly fell into a content sleep, while I latch onto every word and scene.
BBM got me to a place I was enroute to. Was almost there, dealin' with the Ennis that is me, but it was the topping on the cake. My partner was a bit dissed' that it wasn't he who could get me to the end of a long journey--he tried and I put him through hell.
There now, and it feels great.
b
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Welcome to BetterMost pnwDUDE !
You are in good company here. There are over 500 similar stories like yours right here. I think most of us who were affected by BBM have decided to embrace it, not fight it. The pain of awareness lingers for some, but here we are in good company at least.
So grab a cup of coffee and a piece of Ma Twists Cherry cake. No Apple pie to cry in here ya know!
;D
(http://static.flickr.com/55/174903040_24f13e82c6_m.jpg)
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I'm Danny.
I've been lurking these boards for a while now and thought I'd join (finally).
I saw Brokeback for the first time in April, and.. well.. countless times since then. I'm pretty much hooked, like a lot of you are.
Talk to you all later. :)
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Hello Danny,
Join the club ;D
Best wishes and talk soon,
sam
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I'm Danny.
I've been lurking these boards for a while now and thought I'd join (finally).
I saw Brokeback for the first time in April, and.. well.. countless times since then. I'm pretty much hooked, like a lot of you are.
Talk to you all later. :)
Hey, welcome Danny, nice to have you here!! Yes, like most a lot of people, we've seen Brokeback Mountain countless times and can still not get enough!!
Hope to talk to you sometime and have a nice time here!! ;D
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Cool! More and more people. Welcome to both of you and I hope you love it here as much as I do. ;D
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Welcome to you both! ;D I'm also reasonably new here and everyone is so nice!
pwnDUDE, it's nice to hear of someone else who was so profoundly touched by BBM.
Danster, good to have you here.
~Larz
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Hi Bucky, Brent, Daniel, PnwDUDE and Danny...
Welcome To Bettermost!!
You will like it here! :)
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Hi everyone! ;D
I'm Kirsten and I've been a Brokeback fan pretty much since the moment I watched. It really affected me and left me sitting there after credits, still thinking about it....
Anyway, I'm looking forward to posting around here and meeting some new people :) I've been looking for a nice, active BBM forum that I could join, and this one seems perfect.
If you ever want to chat, just send me a message!
Kirsten ~*~
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Hi everyone! ;D
I'm Kirsten and I've been a Brokeback fan pretty much since the moment I watched. It really affected me and left me sitting there after credits, still thinking about it....
Anyway, I'm looking forward to posting around here and meeting some new people :) I've been looking for a nice, active BBM forum that I could join, and this one seems perfect.
If you ever want to chat, just send me a message!
Kirsten ~*~
Hi Kirsten -
If you want to meet people, you have come to the right place! And check out the chatroom too. You'll like it here.
Welcome To Bettermost! :)
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Hi Kirsten -
If you want to meet people, you have come to the right place! And check out the chatroom too. You'll like it here.
Welcome To Bettermost! :)
Hi David!! It's nice meeting you!! :) I'll definitely check out the chatroom!
This is a really nice forum, btw!
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Hi everyone! ;D
I'm Kirsten and I've been a Brokeback fan pretty much since the moment I watched. It really affected me and left me sitting there after credits, still thinking about it....
Anyway, I'm looking forward to posting around here and meeting some new people :) I've been looking for a nice, active BBM forum that I could join, and this one seems perfect.
If you ever want to chat, just send me a message!
Kirsten ~*~
Hi Kirsten, nice to meet you. I'm Larz - also new here. The people here are very nice and I hope you enjoy your stay! ;D
~Larz
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Hi, Everyone -
I've been here for a few weeks, finally registered and now
finally introducing myself. I would really like to feel a part of this
great little community and I know that that won't happen if I don't
reach out.
I live in a very small town in Maine, have a
college-age son, work for an educational non-profit,
have been separated from my husband for a year this month, and
we have a court date in a couple of weeks for our
divorce hearing after 14 years of marriage.
Sometimes I don't know what to say when people say they are
getting divorced. The correct response could be
"I'm sorry" but it could just as easily be "Congratulations!"
(Kind of like when someone tells you they're pregnant!)
In this case it's a little of both. We're both
sorry that it is ending in divorce - that isn't what we had in
mind when we got married - but it wasn't a
good relationship for quite a while, so that is where the
congratulations comes in. We're better as friends.
My reclusiveness is the Ennis part of me that I have
made a conscious decision to do something about
so that I don't end up with few friends in a
small little world like movie Ennis.
I took a big step, for me, and contacted someone
who posted over on Dave Cullen based soley on her use of the word
"jeesums" in one of her posts. I emailed her and asked her
what part of Maine she was from and it turns out that
she's only a little over an hour away.
We're getting together tomorrow for the first time.
I'm glad to be here at BetterMost (love the name!).
I came to talk about Ennis and Ellery (thanks, MaineWriter,
for providing the invitation), and like it here because
it isn't too big (yet). As a newcomer to forums (due to BBM)
it's kind of overwhelming over at Dave Cullen, especially for
someone like me who's pretty quiet until she gets to know people.
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Hi, Everyone -
I've been here for a few weeks, finally registered and now
finally introducing myself. I would really like to feel a part of this
great little community and I know that that won't happen if I don't
reach out.
Welcome tamarack! I think you will enjoy it here. I have found "kindred spirits." We don't always agree ... but there is one thing we do agree upon ... we love BBM and could talk and talk about it until ... ummm ... who knows when! ;D
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:) :) Welcome To Bettermost Tamarack! :) :)
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Thanks, dly and David. I'm glad to be here. (Had a really good time at a Thai restaurant today, too, with the gal I met on Dave's forum. The next time we get together will be to see Brokeback again. I'm going to borrow the LCD projector that we have at work and project it on the wall so it will be big again. Don't know how that works yet, but I know that it does!) Thanks again for saying Hi. ;D
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Welcome, tamarack. Nice to meet you! ;D
~Larz
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Thanks, Larz - I'm glad I finally spoke up!
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Welcome, tamarack! :D
Glad you're here and speaking up.
(and I can so relate to the...is it "sorry" or "congratulations"...)
Fern
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Thanks, dly and David. I'm glad to be here. (Had a really good time at a Thai restaurant today, too, with the gal I met on Dave's forum. The next time we get together will be to see Brokeback again. I'm going to borrow the LCD projector that we have at work and project it on the wall so it will be big again. Don't know how that works yet, but I know that it does!) Thanks again for saying Hi. ;D
That is such a good idea to borrow the projector!! It will be easy to get it to work. How much fun is that!!! Have a great time!
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Hey Everyone,
I joined BetterMost probably a month or so ago.
I am a totally addicted BBM / Jack & Ennis fan, and knew I needed an outlet to express so much of what I have been feeling since first experiencing this film back in May '06...
My job keeps me busy, so my posts may be few and far between, but I am thankful for this forum, and have many friends here from IMDb.
I have never had a film have such an effect on me, and doubt I ever will again... I watch at least part of the movie each night -- I almost can't fall asleep without Jack & Ennis' voices with me, which amazes even me still...
My favorite scene is TS2, closely followed by the Reunion Scene, and so many other subtle scenes in between. Oh heck, the whole darn movie is terrific. I don't know if there is a scene which I don't like.
Nice to know you all and look forward to seeing you around the boards....
Daphne7661
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Hi Daphne7661, ;D
I've moved over from IMDb too; the atmosphere was becoming increasingly difficult. This board seems very good indeed, but rather complicated. However I'm slowly finfing my way about. I see that I'm classed as a 'tourist', not sure how that works, but I'm still glad to be here. I'm just reading the story louise has put together, about Ennis 'moving on', and I'm enjoying it,(it's really good) but do feel rather disloyal to Annie Proulx. I hope she won't mind too much, I feel she's looking over my shoulder, and not liking what she sees maybe!
Welcome to Bettermost, it's a great place for us all to 'hang out'. Sam :)
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Hey Sam,
What is the story Louise is putting together? I think I must be out of touch with the subjects on this board, but I would like to read it, too, if possible. Can you direct me to that thread?
Can you or someone enlighten me about that and Jack's apparent comments ("fuck ...... me") in TS1 as well?
Thanks,
Daphne
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(and I can so relate to the...is it "sorry" or "congratulations"...)
Fern
Are you relating on the divorce side or the pregnancy side, Fern?
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What is the story Louise is putting together?
Daphne, if you go to Chez Trembley and look for the Ennis and Ellery thread, you will find the link to start The Laramie Saga. There aren't many things I know about this board yet, but that is one of them. It's a fun place.
Tamarack
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Howdy folks,
I'm a 34 y/o GAM in Henderson, NV. I'm very new here and just joined yesterday. Infact, this is my second post. I'm glad I found this site and it's great to see so many people who share similar feelings regarding this great movie as I did. I consider myself some where between a "Jack" and an "Ennis". Don't like to talk much, but playful sometimes. Still closeted to most, but not afraid to stand up against people who are anti-gay or anti-Brokeback.
I first heard about Brokeback Mountain in fall of 2005 and was curious on what it was all about. Then I heard that it was about gay cowboys and I'm shock but glad. Being who I am and my love for the cowboy figure, I thought this kind of movies were not possible. Then I heard Ang Lee was directing it and Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal will be the leads and I was like "WOW!" I didn't know Heath that well, but thought Jake was so cute. Seen him in "The Day After Tomorrow". But the fear in me prevented me from watching it in the theater. That was my biggest regret about this movie. If this movie will ever show again in a theater in my city, I'll go see it without a thought.
So when the movie came out on dvd, I went and got it. I watched it when I got home from work and was completely devastated. How can this movie be possible? And how can I miss out on this movie in the theater? I'm still angry and bitter with myself even now. The next day I cried even worst and was totally shaking, and I don't cry easily. I guess the second time around, I understand it even more and it hit me even deeper. I contineud to watch this movie every day when I came home from work until mid June. So I watched it over 50 times. It brought devastation, but it also brought a sence of peace in me that I can not explain, something no other movie has done before. I also went out and bought the sound track, and it brought me a lot of peace and joy. I feel like I'm a late boomer because this movie is still having a strong grab on me. Anyone else still hooked by this movie and can not get away?
So what did I learn from this movie? Plenty. I can not please my parents now by marrying a women. Not only will I ruin my own life, but another human being's as well. I also learn that life is short, so I will try to enjoy life more and live it to the fullest. If I ever find my "Jack" one day, I will not deny his existance. He will be part of me, not my secret "fishing toy". There! Finally got it off my chest. Feel better already.
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Hi, JT - Welcome to BetterMost!
Is anyone else still hooked, you ask? What do you think we're all doing here?! :D I don't think that many of us (or ANY of us) don't want to be hooked, either.
What really helped me when I was feeling really depressed (seems like the depression built each time I saw it, for the first 4 or 5 times) was that I started reading some of the really great fan fiction that is out there. The ones I started with were ones that had Jack and Ennis together (in other words, an alternate universe where Jack wasn't dead) and it helped me to sleep better (it helped me to sleep, period!). Be careful, though, because they can be very addicting! This forum has some links to some really good stories on it, and after you start to feel better and can maybe accept that Ennis might have moved on after Jack's death, you can come on over to Ennis and Ellery (at Chez Tremblay) and start The Laramie Saga.
You're going to think I'm an idiot but I have to ask. If G is "gay" and M is "man", what's the A for? ???
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Hello Tamarack,
Thank you! The "A" is for Asian. Just like the "W" in GWM stands for White. Idiot? Absolutely not.
Well I'm glad we're all still hooked. I don't seem to want to let go anytime soon. Yeah, I read a lot about the AU where Jack is alive. It made me felt great. I think it's in the "Wrangler". For some reason, this movie, as sad as it was, didn't make me depress at all. It made me think and realize life is not as bad after all and I should be happy for what I have now. I hear you when you say "addicting". I was glued to the computer for hours reading some of those stories, sometime skipping meals. Crazy! No matter how good I feel, I don't think I can ever accept Ennis replacing Jack with anyone else. To me, Brokeback Mountain was their story and their's alone. But in reality, life does go on.
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Hello Daphne, It'll maybe take a day or two, but I'll get the link to you!
Writing this I THINK I've been told that you have been directed by someone else!. If you need me contact me again.
Any way I'm happy to talk about anything to do with old Brokeback! :laugh:
Best Wishes
Sam :)
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Hey Everyone,
I joined BetterMost probably a month or so ago.
I am a totally addicted BBM / Jack & Ennis fan, and knew I needed an outlet to express so much of what I have been feeling since first experiencing this film back in May '06...
My job keeps me busy, so my posts may be few and far between, but I am thankful for this forum, and have many friends here from IMDb.
Are you the same Daphne I have been chatting with every once in awhile over on IMDb? If you are, you are a sweetheart! I am David-Indiana over there, by the way.
Anyhow, welcome Daphne to Bettermost!
And welcome to everyone else too! :)
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Hello everyone! It's nice to see so many friendly faces. ;D
I'm also from IMDb, but had spent the majority of my time playing in the sandbox and on other boards until the trolls >:( found something other than BBM to occupy their time. :laugh:
~Larz
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I am a totally addicted BBM / Jack & Ennis fan, and knew I needed an outlet to express so much of what I have been feeling since first experiencing this film back in May '06...
My job keeps me busy, so my posts may be few and far between, but I am thankful for this forum, and have many friends here from IMDb.
I have never had a film have such an effect on me, and doubt I ever will again... I watch at least part of the movie each night -- I almost can't fall asleep without Jack & Ennis' voices with me, which amazes even me still...
Daphne7661
Hey girl! We've already been communicating. I am so glad you are back from vacation. I look forward to seeing more of your posts!
I contineud to watch this movie every day when I came home from work until mid June. So I watched it over 50 times. It brought devastation, but it also brought a sence of peace in me that I can not explain, something no other movie has done before. I also went out and bought the sound track, and it brought me a lot of peace and joy. I feel like I'm a late boomer because this movie is still having a strong grab on me. Anyone else still hooked by this movie and can not get away?
OMG! A kindred spirit! I have watched this film every single day (sometimes more than one time a day) ever since I got the DVD. It kills me. I am so completely addicted ... as are many others here at BetterMost. So, welcome. You'll love it!
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JT,
First of all welcome to the bettermost board. I am a newbie myself over here having joined July 4th I believe. I did see the movie on the big screen twice in February but it wasn't until I bought the dvd that I watched it fifteen to twenty times or maybe more and I was able to analyze the movie and finally formulate some thoughts on each dramatic scene. I think it is an epic love story and it has made me analyze my own life. I have had many relationships primarily with women but also with men especially one man. I also don't think I will get married to satisfy anyone but myself. Brokeback Mountain has made me realize that it is better to stay single than to wreck other lives just because that it is what one's family and friends expect.
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JT,
First of all welcome to the bettermost board. I am a newbie myself over here having joined July 4th I believe. I did see the movie on the big screen twice in February but it wasn't until I bought the dvd that I watched it fifteen to twenty times or maybe more and I was able to analyze the movie and finally formulate some thoughts on each dramatic scene. I think it is an epic love story and it has made me analyze my own life. I have had many relationships primarily with women but also with men especially one man. I also don't think I will get married to satisfy anyone but myself. Brokeback Mountain has made me realize that it is better to stay single than to wreck other lives just because that it is what one's family and friends expect.
Well Said Bucky!! :D
The name Bucky makes me a little emotional by the way. But I love the name! I knew a guy named Bucky once. He was a great guy. I'm certain you are too.
Have I welcomed you to Bettermost yet?
If not, Welcome! I am happy you joined us! If I already did, I apologize. There are so many people joining this forum, I often forget who I said hey to and who I haven't.
But, in any event I am glad you are here! :)
Edited for spelling errors. :(
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Diane,
Thanks for the warm welcome! It is wonderful to know that there are so many kindred spirits here. Being so new, I'm still figuring out how this place is set up, but I do think I'll love this place.
Bucky,
You said it well, friend! I totally agree. I think everyone will find something in this movie that reflects some situations in their own lives. I never been through a relationship before, men or women, in my life. But ruin another person's life kills me more than loneliness itself.
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Hey David (David-Indiana),
Yes, I am the same Daphne7661 with whom you have been chatting over on IMDb, and thanks for that compliment!!!
I am happy to be here and hope to be corresponding with all my BBM friends.
I'm afraid my addiction deepens each day, sometimes worrying me. But, when I read everyone else's posts, I realize I am not alone in my love of this film and these characters and it makes my heart glad.
See you around the boards.
Daphne7661
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Well Said Bucky!! :D
The name Bucky makes me a little emotional by the way. But I love the name! I knew a guy named Bucky once. He was a great guy. I'm certain you are too.
Have I welcomed you to Bettermost yet?
If not, Welcome! I am happy you joined us! If I already did, I apologize. There are so many people joining this forum, I often forget who I said hey to and who I haven't.
But, in any event I am glad you are here! :)
Edited for spelling errors. :(
David,
You did already welcome me but I really appreciate your second welcome as well. Bucky was a user name that I came up with but I thought it had a nice sound and sort of a western sound to it as well so that was how I decided to use the user name Bucky. I remember your posts on the IMDb board and thought that you were a very insightful and intelligent poster. I always enjoyed your posts.
This forum is very nice and the best part is that it is "troll free" which is a relief to those of us who have posted on the IMDb board. I am looking forward to the posts and thoughts of people on this forum. This forum seems to be a very user friendly board with a family atmosphere to it. I am looking forward to reading more of your posts as time goes on.
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David,
You did already welcome me but I really appreciate your second welcome as well.
Well, I guess it's better to welcome someone twice than not at all! ;)
This forum seems to be a very user friendly board with a family atmosphere to it. I am looking forward to reading more of your posts as time goes on.
Back at 'cha Bucky! :)
And you're right. It is a very friendly place!
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Hey everybody! This is an attractive board. Someone is a creative talent! I really love this movie. I was 18 in 1963 and grew up much like Ennis with the spiritual and social stigma that made life lonely and sometimes hell. I would allow myself no relationships but finally did make a lot of gay friends. By the mid 80's I started losing friends to AIDS. This movie is very emotional as I wish that upwards to 30 good friends could have enjoyed this movie and these discussions. Some of them would be fanatics!
I am a retired Social Worker and have time to enjoy these boards and I will begin right now to read. Thanks for this, I will enjoy it.
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Welcome daphne7661, dly64, Bucky, and Kajunite. I'm pretty new here myself. Have fun! I'm sure we'll run into each other sooner or later.
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I'm new to Bettermost - have been on imdb but got discouraged with the trolls so I'm happy to be here. Sure seems like a purty & friendly place! (thanks administrators). I saw BBM right after the Oscars hype, so I was a little slow to start but am making up for lost time now. I saw it on DVD then a local 2nd run theater was showing it and I was so thrilled that I could see it on the big screen. I can't watch BBM every day because it's too emotional and I get lost in it but I do watch bits & pieces. Sometimes I start in the middle and watch till the end then start over so the beginning is the end. Although now the first scene of Ennis stepping down from the truck is so poignant it's enough to make me weep.
I read the story and now have "BBM Story to Screenplay" which is great - great insights. I am in love with the movie, Ennis and Jack - especially Jack/Jake whom I think is beautiful. I saw "Donny Darko" which I liked. "The Day After Tomorrow" was beyond awful but I had a great time describing all the over-the-top occurrences in the movie to friends. To paraphrase Jake's character, Sam, "This movie is bad; it's really really bad." "The Good Girl" I liked - it was a little different than I expected. I can also recommend "Jarhead" to Jake Gyllenhaal-ics. It's better than it seems it would be and Jake gives a stand-out performance - very different from the emotional angst-ridden tortured souls he often plays. (Plus Jake is very buff in this movie!)
Another movie I just watched is "Open Range" with Kevin Costner, Robert Duvall, and Annette Benning. It was filmed in Alberta so the scenery, the camp & herding duties were all reminescent of BBM. I also liked that the romantic pair was middle-aged instead of the woman being 20-30 years younger.
Guess I'm digressing so I'll go for now & maybe add more later. Thanks all. cc33
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Welcome To Bettermost Coffeecat! :D
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Welcome Coffeecat! This is the best site. Many of us migrated from IBDb. It did get discouraging over there with all of the negativity. I hope you find BetterMost as stimulating and enjoyable as I do!
PS ... here is a present for you:
(http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k185/dly64/jake1/jake21.jpg)
HELLO!!!!
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Welcome, Coffeecat33! From time to time, I drop in on IMDb and read a post or two. Recently a post from someone who is regurgitating all the time railed out at the posters. It said in essence, '...all you people need to stop talking about this movie so much. If you want to talk about BBM all day, go over to Bettermost where that is all they do!' A compliment to Bettermost!
Diane, CC33 has to share his present with me, right?
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Welcome, Coffeecat33! From time to time, I drop in on IMDb and read a post or two. Recently a post from someone who is regurgitating all the time railed out at the posters. It said in essence, '...all you people need to stop talking about this movie so much. If you want to talk about BBM all day, go over to Bettermost where that is all they do!' A compliment to Bettermost!
Ohhh. I think I saw that post too.
If it is the same one I am thinking of, you needn't worry. I went in and dropped a bomb on it.
Tormenting the trolls is a favorite pastime of mine on IMDb.
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Diane, CC33 has to share his present with me, right?
Absolutely!! He is a cutie! ;D
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Hi there.
Brokeback fan. Moved to London from San Francisco six years ago.
Never seen a movie more than once. Saw BBM seven times in a row and it took six months to stop being choked up when I thought of it.
Actually I still do sometimes.
You can get to know me better on my blog click or cut and paste the following:
http://www.meanderingtrevor.blogspot.cpm
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Hi there.
Brokeback fan. Moved to London from San Francisco six years ago.
Never seen a movoe more than once. Saw BBM seven times in a row and it took six months to stop being choked up when I thought of it.
Actually I still do sometimes.
You can get to know me better on my blog click or cut and paste the following:
http://www.meanderingtrevor.blogspot.cpm
Welcome, undercarriage--
I hope you enjoy your visits to this wonderful site. Amazing people brought together in the shared love for one amazing movie.
We have quite a few souls here from San Francisco and the Bay Area. You'll probably meet them in due time as you continue to post and read. Just about a month or so ago, there was a series of gala screenings of Brokeback Mountain at San Francisco's famous Castro Theater, which many of our members attended. It sounded like a blast--unfortunately, I didn't make it.
I saw the movie five times in the theater, and I now own the DVD, as well as the original short story in two different editions. No other film has affected me to the extent that this masterpiece has. You'll find quite a few others here who will tell you the same.
Glad you're on board. Have fun, and happy trails with our mountain boys!
Scott
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Thanks for the friendly welcome Moremojo!
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Welcome To Bettermost Undercarriage! I am looking forward to reading your posts here.
If you have any questions, please be sure to ask me/us. I'm certain you will like it here. :D
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Hi everybody, I'm Andrew from Boston. I've been posting here for a few weeks but never introduced myself.
I'm 58 and have been together with my partner David for thirty years.
I grew up in Indianapolis and there's still a lot of the heartland Hoosier in me; I went to school in Indiana at Earlham, a college founded by Quakers, then Duke in North Carolina, and lived for some years in Portland Oregon where I met David. As a teen I went every three years for summer vacation to Europe with my family, mostly Germany and Austria. In college I did six months abroad in France. Trips of the last ten years include visits to Japan, the Netherlands and Belgium and (more frequently) Provincetown, where I especially love the bike paths through the dunes. The Hoge Veluwe national park in the Netherlands was one of the few other places I've been lucky enough to visit that had such an extensive set of bike trails right through nature, far from the roads.
I especially enjoy literature, classical music and art, architecture and nature and started topics here on a few of those interests. I also like to walk and bike and I make myself run and work out to stay young and healthy. Actually, 30 pushups feel pretty good after you've been sitting at the computer for too long - may I recommend it?
I saw BBM on opening night here and discovered the Dave Cullen forum about the same time. It's both great and sad that there are so many different forums, too many to keep up with all the people and experiences. This forum I just didn't know about till recently. If I had had time to reseach all of them I might have gotten a larger group together to view the film in the theater than I did in Boston just from the DC forum. But that was a nice evening for our little group.
I'm a rather shy and quiet person, with much of the gravity historically associated with Quakers, though that's probably just my temperament. However, I love to be entertained as my David quickly discovered. I like the avatar picture I just added, even though it is old and fuzzy, because I'm smiling and because of that warm campfire glow it has. I do think of this forum as the Brokeback campfire and I'm glad one of the chatrooms has that name.
My character is that of an appreciator, a looker and listener, an admirer and ponderer, an inward commemorator. "But (Andrew) stored away all of these things in (his) heart".
Glad to meet all of you, and I'll continue to enjoy what everybody is writing!
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my real name is richard or rick im 30 live in wv been here for a few weeks met some great people so far good to see im not the only nut in the world who is crazy bout this wonderfull movie..
im shy when you first meet me but once i get to know you you cant shut me up and you wish i was shy again. i work in retail at the moment hopeing to go back to school if i can get it worked out. i read lots of books all fantasy forgotten realms/ dragonlance/ lord of the rings. i drink diet pepsi
ive never had any serious relationships for the obvious reason being forced to live a straight man in a homophobe area and ive lived there all my life
going to meet with a few friends in boston in september, cant wait , maybe meet a few more ive met on here which woud be totally awsome
saw bbm in january after some coworkers were talkin bout the oscar nominees and the "gay cowboy movie" which really ticks me off when its called that
i love jake gyllenhaal and i relate totally to ennis andi think the reason that the movie hit me so hard is IM am ennis and it took a friend to make me realize this , that this movie was really bout the person i was being forced to live by society's rules and as someone that i am not
i like all kinds of movies/music except jaz but ive never given it a shot
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I grew up in Indianapolis and there's still a lot of the heartland Hoosier in me; I went to school in Indiana at Earlham, a college founded by Quakers, then Duke in North Carolina, and lived for some years in Portland Oregon where I met David.
I'm a rather shy and quiet person, with much of the gravity historically associated with Quakers, though that's probably just my temperament. However, I love to be entertained as my David quickly discovered.
My character is that of an appreciator, a looker and listener, an admirer and ponderer, an inward commemorator. "But (Andrew) stored away all of these things in (his) heart".
Glad to meet all of you, and I'll continue to enjoy what everybody is writing!
Welcome to BetterMost. I hope you enjoy it here. There is a lot of different POV and we have some very spirited discussions. I hope you join in!
There are a couple of us here from Indiana. I lived in Indianapolis until late last year when I moved back to northern Indiana to be closer to family and for a really great job.
I am very familiar with Earlham. I went to a Mennonite school, Goshen College. I understand the Anabaptist traditions very well. The funny thing is that I am not a typical Mennonite. I am rather loud, boisterous and extremely opinionated. It takes all kinds I guess.
I will look forward to hearing more from you!
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:) Hi!
My name is Lily, I'm a 14 year old Kiwi girl from Wellington (which you may know as the home of Lord of the Rings). Reading through these posts I realise that I'm probably one of the youngest here, so I hope you don't mind me!
I have been a movie fan for years, and love all types of movies. However, none of them has had such a big impact on my life as Brokeback! I fell in love with Ennis and Jack waaay before the movie came out in NZ (blame the short story and IMDB boards!) and waiting for it to arrive felt like the longest four months of my life! When I first saw it, I wasn't quite sure what to make of it, so I went again the next day. And of course I loved it! Since then, I have seen it three more times at the cinemas, with my mum, dad and best friend, got all excited over the Academy Awards then cried when it didn't win the best picture Oscar. At the moment I am waiting with growing excitement for the DVD, which I will probably watch over and over.
I'm really glad to be here , and though I don't really have any deep and meaningful thoughts to contribute I really enjoy discussing BBM and making new friends.
Peace! 8)
Hi Lily!!! I see it's your birthday!! Happy Birthday Lileeeeeeeeeeee!!!!
(http://www.mysteriesofthemind.com/photogallery/BalloonFiesta/Birthday%20cake%20best.JPG)
OK OK 15th, not 30th, but this balloon looked too fun to pass up!~! :D Happy Birthday Lily!! :)
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Astonished to find this board (via IMDB) . . . and delighted that this community has formed . . .
I'm a single GWM in Wisconsin. In 1966, I had an Ennis. We had a relationship in university, in a foreign country. We were 19 when it started. He was from Texas. After the second year, he went home for summer, met a girl and got her pregnant. He got married and I got a Dear John letter. I never saw him again.
"I'm not like you. I can't make it..." I fell apart. Had what used to be called a nervous breakdown. I was a big, strong 6'4" 190 lb guy. I dropped to 155 lbs, couldn't eat, only wanted to die. I didn't think I would survive it. I didn't want to. Now, when I watch that last "Jack I can't stand this no more scene", it's like getting hit with a sense-memory tsunami. Been there, big time.
After years of therapy I finally came out in my late 20s. Over the years I had a couple of long-term relationships with wonderful guys, but it was never the same. Not by a mile.
My Ennis was very handsome, beautiful, even. He had worked as a model a couple times. Women would always comment on his extraordinarily long eyelashes. He was a man's man kind of guy, a powerful 6' or so former Golden Gloves boxer. He was studying philosophy. ("Ennis, girls don't fall in love with fun.")
Being from Texas, he spoke slowly, with a drawl. He was quiet and thoughtful, taciturn, like Ennis. No getting around it, I was more like Jake, but only temperment-wise (I was a cocky suburban midwesterner). Our relationship was stormy, and, like Jack and Ennis, the fights were sometimes real fights.
Forty years later, I still wonder "what if?" I've trawled the BBM boards half hoping I'd find a post that I could identify as his. And, just in case he's looking too, I'm here posting our story.
Love to you all, especially to my own Ennis, if you're reading this. --N
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I'm a single GWM in Wisconsin. In 1966, I had an Ennis. We had a relationship in university, in a foreign country. We were 19 when it started. He was from Texas. After the second year, he went home for summer, met a girl and got her pregnant. He got married and I got a Dear John letter. I never saw him again.
"I'm not like you. I can't make it..." I fell apart. Had what used to be called a nervous breakdown. I was a big, strong 6'4" 190 lb guy. I dropped to 155 lbs, couldn't eat, only wanted to die. I didn't think I would survive it. I didn't want to. Now, when I watch that last "Jack I can't stand this no more scene", it's like getting hit with a sense-memory tsunami. Been there, big time.
After years of therapy I finally came out in my late 20s. Over the years I had a couple of long-term relationships with wonderful guys, but it was never the same. Not by a mile.
Welcome to BetterMost! What a story! OMG! I am so sorry. I can hardly imagine.
You have a wonderful writing style and I hope you join in to all of the forums here. Make yourself at home!
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Forty years later, I still wonder "what if?" I've trawled the BBM boards half hoping I'd find a post that I could identify as his. And, just in case he's looking too, I'm here posting our story.
Best wishes, ekeby. And I mean that whether you find him or not. Welcome to BetterMost. :)
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Welcome To Bettermost Richard, Andrew and Ekeby!
I hope you enjoy it here! :D
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Hello ekeby,
Welcome to bettermost-brokeback,
I get the distinct impression that we're nearly all refugees here from IMDb, where the 'trolls' roam and attempt to spoil what should be a good experience.
Reading your first rate (and very moving) introduction, it sounds as though you and I might be of almost an identical generation. ;D I went through that stormy emotional phase at about the same time, when things were't easy for gays here either,in the English East Midlands. 'Gay' wasn't coined, and we had some far more unpleasant names to live with. My'nervous breakdown' was at the pressure point caused by recognising my true nature and not knowing how to deal with it (just as big a shameful secret as Ennis had to face).
Ennis's philosophy is mine, 'If you can't fix it, you gotta stand it', and I do, life is very good, better,happier, and more contented now than it has ever been, and I hope it is for you too. I just wish I hadn't spent so long agonising over the 'might have been': Never enough time,never enough time' ;D.
Oh, and thank G*d for Brokeback Mountain, a jewel of a film, to treasure.
Best Wishes, Ekeby, and all :)
Sam
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Hello ekeby,
it sounds as though you and I might be of almost an identical generation. .... 'If you can't fix it, you gotta stand it', and I do, life is very good, better,happier, and more contented now than it has ever been, and I hope it is for you too. I just wish I hadn't spent so long agonising over the 'might have been': Never enough time,never enough time' ;D.
Sam
Thanks for the kind thoughts, Sam and all who responded. Much appreciated. Strangely, writing that intro was cathartic. I've never put it so matter-of-factly, or talked about it like that. In later years I always shorthanded it.
Only one other person knew the whole story, a straight friend at university. As damage control I had told him about "Ennis" and myself. I assumed he'd figured it out when he saw us asleep in the same bed. Wrong. He was floored. Thankfully, he was also supportive, discrete, and amused. In those days, in my circle, if queer was seen at all in a postive light, it was as a lefty, revolutionary trait, and that's how he saw us. The times were-a-changin', if you remember, albeit at a crawl....
Yes, Sam, I'm contented now, and it's definitely more of the you-gotta-stand-it variety. Considering what we've been through, epoch-wise, we're lucky to be here at all. For me, it's easier to stand things if love is taken out of the equation. ("once burned...") About fifteen years ago I began to agree with what Andy Warhol said: "Sex is too much work."
Yeah, a lot of time was wasted agonizing over situations, people, what might have been, etc. But if we hadn't, we'd be somebody else, maybe somebody not as "complete." And then too, things might have been worse, right? --N
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ekeby,
It sounds as if your love story and mine are about identical. I too had a college romance fall apart because my guy didn't see any possible way our relationship could work. He changed colleges and left me without saying a word. A dear John letter is far better than that. I had to find it out through mutual friends. After watching Brokeback Mountain and posting on the IMDb board people encouraged me to try and find out where he lived and either write him, email him or call him. I did find out and he is doing far worse than me. He is wanting a divorce from his wife of twenty years and is in love with a man he has been seeing but his wife will not grant him a divorce so he is stuck. When he emailed that information I couldn't keep from smiling. I know revenge is not good but he did this to himself and now instead of not knowing what happened I know that his life is more "screwed up" than mine is now. Also now I have cloture and can move on with my life.
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Also now I have closure and can move on with my life.
I envy you Bucky, closure is good . . . I tracked down and phoned my guy in '81. He was polite, but evasive, and not particularly happy to hear from me. I asked him if his wife knew, and he gave me a very emphatic "No." I told him I'd keep away, and wished him well. Now, via the internet, I know where he is, and what he's doing professionally, but no idea about his personal life. I found that he took a theological degree in addition to his regular (academic) profession, so it doesn't sound like he broke his chains--rather the reverse. I realized that his kids would be about 40 now! When I saw his theology degree, I decided to leave them (in my will) the love letters he wrote me. Think "The Cheever Letters" Seinfeld episode. ("Dad! John Cheever?") . . . . I smile thinking about it. That's not revenge, right? I'm calling it Karma.
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ekeby,
I love the idea of willing the love letters to his family. I didn't realize just how much pleasure I would get to know the one big love of my life which happened when I was a junior in college would try to get my sympathy for his situation now. I know who his wife is because she is the same girl that he dated before our relationship. He told me he quit her for me and I have a feeling that she knew he was gay when she married him. Evidentally she wants to hang on to him because she won't grant him a divorce and so he is stuck in a loveless marriage and dating a man now that he really loves according to him but I know that at one time he loved me completely. Neither of us could really figure out what we were going to do about our love affair. Ennis called it "this thing" so he couldn't even bring himself to say the word. The difference is that I was willing to try and I would never have abandoned him without a word like he did me. Now he is one unhappy man and he really expected me to feel sorry for him. Once upon a time I might have felt sorry for him but now I just feel vindicated for all the heartache I went through for such a long time.
I guess the moral for the last twenty two years of my life is that I didn't have to suffer in vain and somehow it is comforting for me anyway to know that I didn't have to ruin another life to fit in with society like he did. I believe he does love the man he is seeing on the side now but he can't do anything about it because he has one seventeen year old son who will be a senior in high school next year and a wife who will not grant him a divorce. So as I said in another post his life is even more "screwed up" than my life and I just can't feel sorry for him especially considering the way he just abandoned me without saying a word. I have always heard that "what goes around comes back around" and now he is suffering. It makes me feel like singing Bob Dylan's song "Like a Rolling Stone."
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Bucky, yep, that's the way I see it. What goes around, comes around. Karma. I may have suffered, but he has to have suffered too, in some way.
I got to thinking about your story, and your phrase "she won't grant him" . . . So I just looked it up on Wikipedia . . . Since 1985 all (US) states have enacted a no-fault divorce provision: "Either party may request, and receive, the dissolution of the marriage, despite the objections of the other party." A divorce is either contested or uncontested. That is, the couple is in agreement on the terms of the split, or they aren't. So, if that's exactly what your ex said, that his wife won't "grant" him a divorce, he's still lying. Maybe he isn't divorcing for another reason? Maybe financial or for the sake of appearances? Either way, you're right, he's in a mess of his own making and you're well out of it . . . .
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Bucky, yep, that's the way I see it. What goes around, comes around. Karma. I may have suffered, but he has to have suffered too, in some way.
I got to thinking about your story, and your phrase "she won't grant him" . . . So I just looked it up on Wikipedia . . . Since 1985 all (US) states have enacted a no-fault divorce provision: "Either party may request, and receive, the dissolution of the marriage, despite the objections of the other party." A divorce is either contested or uncontested. That is, the couple is in agreement on the terms of the split, or they aren't. So, if that's exactly what your ex said, that his wife won't "grant" him a divorce, he's still lying. Maybe he isn't divorcing for another reason? Maybe financial or for the sake of appearances? Either way, you're right, he's in a mess of his own making and you're well out of it . . . .
I just wonder if he knows that about the no fault divorce? I know this I am not going to mention it the next time he emails me. Since I have made contact with him through email about two months ago he has emailed me several times telling me "that I am the one person he can really talk to about his problems." I know that he wants me to take his side but I advised him to do nothing until his son graduates from high school and goes off to college. Of course on the advice of other posters on the IMDb I did make contact with him to see if I could find closure but his plight turned out to be worse than I could have imagined. I knew he was gay and he knew he was gay but he married this girl anyway. The whole thing in my opinion was that he married her to satisify his family especially his father who was a deacon in a Baptist church. Somehow his father found out what was going on in college and wanted him to transfer to another college. In any event he was twenty one at the time and I was only twenty so he could have done things a lot differently than just completely abandoning me without a word. Now he acts like we are long lost best friends or I am a "Dear Abby" or something to that effect. I do hope he finds the true love that he claimed he found with me twenty two years ago with the guy he is seeing now but I am not going to be a party to helping him find his love.
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Now he acts like we are long lost best friends or I am a "Dear Abby" or something to that effect. I do hope he finds the true love that he claimed he found with me twenty two years ago with the guy he is seeing now but I am not going to be a party to helping him find his love
Your post is so illuminating . . . I often wondered what contact with "my Ennis" would be like now. Perhaps it is better not to have the veil lifted. Or is it? I guess you would know. Are you better off for knowing him now? I hope he at least apologized for the way he left you. It's a lot to ask for you to become his friend. I'm not sure I could, if I were in your shoes. . . .
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I think you both are very strong. Welcome to Bettermost by the way. I'm glad you've moved on with your lives. I would be devastated to be in your shoes.
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Very true, but, ekeby and Bucky, I still love and ache for a straight guy I fell heavily in love before I knew it. He told me he'd rather take a gun and shoot himself than be touched by a queer; which was one hell of a 'put down'. Later he was very kind, or at least as kind as that impossible situation allowed. He is called Robert, and was fresh out of university too and was very fine. I've had to bear it, get on with my life, make the best of things, which I have, but I've never forgotten, a long lifetime later, and never stopped hoping that one day I'll see him again. I last heard that he live'd in Gloucester, UK, but I've never tried to make contact.
you two guys at least HAD a relationship to remember with love. I know it sounds twee, but I do think you are lucky, and that you spoil the love you felt, by giving way to bitterness. For all the pain, I've never tried to 'get my own back' on Rob. You might say with justification, that you aren't bitter, but it does rather seem so. Best Wishes, Sam :)
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Very true, but, ekeby and Bucky, I still love and ache for a straight guy I fell heavily in love before I knew it.
a long lifetime later, and never stopped hoping that one day I'll see him again. I last heard that he live'd in Gloucester, UK, but I've never tried to make contact.
you two guys at least HAD a relationship to remember with love. I know it sounds twee, but I do think you are lucky, and that you spoil the love you felt, by giving way to bitterness. For all the pain, I've never tried to 'get my own back' on Rob. You might say with justification, that you aren't bitter, but it does rather seem so. Best Wishes, Sam :)
Hi Sam . . . I think falling for a straight guy would be a terrible cross to bear. We can't choose who we fall in love with, but in these days I think it must be a little easier to distinguish straight and gay for younger people, and to avoid considering straight people as an object of love. When we were young, everyone was closeted and it was harder to tell. I think sometimes straight guys like the attention, and, at some level, subconsciously encourage it. I had a straight friend like that in the 70s. He was completely comfortable around gay guys, even envious of how casual gay sex could be, but he was completely and utterly straight. It was frustrating because we were great together. Quelle drag, as another friend used to say....
I wouldn't want you to think I'm bitter--far from it. I realize that I'm lucky to have had what I did. I loved him enough that I never wished him ill, only good. It IS better to have loved and lost then never to have loved at all. I feel sorry for people who have never experienced love. These are the people who do not "get" BBM. I have to say, it was BBM that dredged all this up for me. What happened when I was 19 has been like a distant echo up till now . . . with BBM it got louder and closer and impossible to ignore. So grateful for this board and hearing my experience wasn't unique . . . .
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Hi there ekeby, Thank you so much for your measured response to my comment. I wrote it last night when I came in from my couplea pints, and feared that I'd over reacted. Still, what I do love about about these Bettermost Boards is that they're like a psychiatrist's couch, where we can all 'let it hang out', and talk things through.
:)
It comforts me a lot, that I'm not the only older person deeply affected by ole Brokeback. I did feel initially so stupid given my age to be crying like a teenager after their first failed date, but we know why don't we; Ang Lee is a magician! What you say is quite right, Brokeback Mountain has dredged up all that old angst!
One thought you mention is
<<but in these days I think it must be a little easier to distinguish straight and gay for younger people, and to avoid considering straight people as an object of love.>>
I didn't know I was developing this feeling for Rob, I certainly had no opportunity to consider <<whether he was an object for love>> like chosing from options at the shopping mall , I really was that much ignorant, or isolated or naive, whatever. We had some weeks in each other's company, and the deed was done, then he took up with a girl!
Must get goin'
Best Wishes
Sam ;D
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Your post is so illuminating . . . I often wondered what contact with "my Ennis" would be like now. Perhaps it is better not to have the veil lifted. Or is it? I guess you would know. Are you better off for knowing him now? I hope he at least apologized for the way he left you. It's a lot to ask for you to become his friend. I'm not sure I could, if I were in your shoes. . . .
ekeby,
In my case I think it is better to have lifted the veil of what my ex-partner's life of twenty two years ago has been like for the last nineteen years. He did write me a letter and send me a wedding invitation when he married this girl nineteen years ago. He never really apologized for having abandoned me but he did say that our love affair was a hopeless situation in the world at that time. He brought up the fact that we were both concerned for how it would work but my big shock was that instead of seeing it through whether we could have made it or not was his choice to just bail out on me without so much as a word. I would not go to his wedding and I explained the reasons why including that I knew he was marrying her to please his family and that I also knew that he did not love her. He couldn't have really loved her as he quit her for me at one time.
I am not really as bitter as I was before I got in contact with him. I do take a satisfaction in knowing that his life is really "screwed up." Somehow it makes me feel less of a victim knowing that he has troubles too. I also don't get a thrill when I get his emails now instead my feelings are "oh no not again." He wants my help after what happened between us and how it all came to an end. I really just don't feel anything much anymore.
You need to know though that he was the one who pursued me. I had led a sheltered life in grade school and high school. I had attractions to guys but for some reason at the time I didn't really think anything about it as I dated a girl my senior year in high school. In college I didn't really realize I think that I was gay. It wasn't until this guy began to walk to classes with me and eat with me in the cafeteria and go out of his way to be every where I was and I was both flattered and just a little embarrassed that he kept gazing into my eyes. I was becoming attracted to him but I still would never have had the courage to bring it up. He was the one who finally brought it up. I had all sorts of strange feelings when he told me that he quit his girl friend and I asked him why and he said because I like somebody else. I said who is it you like? Then he said I am looking at him. There was no doubt then in my mind and despite all sorts of mixed emotions I decided to have the affair with him. He was wonderful for a long time. Then eventually we had to come to terms with what we were going to do after college and things of that nature. Sort of like when Jack asked Ennis in the motel room scene "what are we going to do now?" Neither of us knew the answer to that question but I was committed to try and make it work somehow. However he took the easy way out and just changed colleges and didn't get in contact with me again for three years and then until around May I didn't have any contact with him for nineteen years and I haven't seen him in person in twenty two years. Now I am getting more emails from him than I really want.
I know he is a troubled man but I can't really help him because if his wife won't give him a divorce then that is not my problem. I think he is being a little insensitive to even talk to me about how much he likes the guy he is seeing now and how troubled he is that he can't get out of his marriage. It would have been different if he would let his mind go back twenty two years and think of the things we said to each other and how much love he had for me. I think it is thoughtless on his part to tell me now about how much he loves this guy that he wants to divorce his wife in order to be with. At least now I know what happened in his life and all of his troubles and I think now that I can put the past to rest.
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Ekeby, Bucky and Sam -
All of your stories make me sad. Even though I am a hetero, I can relate. I have been in a 14 year relationship to nowhere. He is black, I am white. My parents have no problems with it ... his does. So, I have been a secret for all of those years! He lives in South Carolina, I live in Indiana … so we rarely see each other. I feel like my best years have past me by! The killer is, I have tried to move on and can’t. He’s in my blood! That’s why I feel a strong bond to Jack. I think he and I have a lot of parallels in life.
Thanks again for sharing your heartfelt stories. They have really touched me!
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Very true, but, ekeby and Bucky, I still love and ache for a straight guy I fell heavily in love before I knew it. He told me he'd rather take a gun and shoot himself than be touched by a queer; which was one hell of a 'put down'. Later he was very kind, or at least as kind as that impossible situation allowed. He is called Robert, and was fresh out of university too and was very fine. I've had to bear it, get on with my life, make the best of things, which I have, but I've never forgotten, a long lifetime later, and never stopped hoping that one day I'll see him again. I last heard that he live'd in Gloucester, UK, but I've never tried to make contact.
you two guys at least HAD a relationship to remember with love. I know it sounds twee, but I do think you are lucky, and that you spoil the love you felt, by giving way to bitterness. For all the pain, I've never tried to 'get my own back' on Rob. You might say with justification, that you aren't bitter, but it does rather seem so. Best Wishes, Sam :)
Sam,
You have to realize that you are an important human being also in my honest opinion. Robert should not have said what he did to you at the time. It was cruel and uncalled for in my opinion. You can't help who you fall in love with but you have to respect who you are. It has been a lot of years now since you met Robert so my advice is the same advice they gave me on the IMDb board. Try to find out where he is and just tell him that you knew him years ago and you just wanted to see how an old friend was getting along these days. That was what I did when I emailed Cleo. Cleo is a strange name for a boy but that is his middle name. He has a first name but always went by Cleo. His folks gave him that name because his mother's sister was named Cleo and they named him Cleo after her.
You can check through the telephone directory of the white pages for Gloucester to see if Robert's name is listed in it. I was lucky in that I still had a friend or two that emails Cleo from time to time and had his email address so I just decided to email him. I didn't know what to expect really as our last contact did not end well from my end.
I was surprised that after an email or two that he really opened up to me about what a mess that he had gotten himself into and how he didn't 'know how to handle it. He was a guy that never should have gotten married in the first place. He married Doris knowing that he way gay and I know that she either knew or suspected he was gay when she married him so she didn't exactly walk into her marriage blindly. During the eight months Cleo and I were together he told me that he had quit his girlfriend of two years for me and this was before I even knew for sure that he liked me like he did. We had eight great months together but Cleo never handled pressure easily. The kicker was that both of us knew that our college love affair could not have a Cinderella style ending but I hoped something would work out so we could continue to see each other but then he just changed colleges and I was left alone without a word. Now we are talking about a month of me being pursued by him and then me falling in love with him and eight months of total happiness and then he dropped totally out of my sight. I am sorry if that seems spoiled to you but I felt a great let down. Even though Cleo never handled pressure easily I was always sure we would talk things over and if it seemed to us like it was an impossible situation that we would make a mutual decision to give each other up. I never dreamed that he would just abandon me altogether but that was his way of dealing with things. I wish he had just kept Doris and left me alone than letting our love end like that. Now he is in trouble because he is having an affair with a man and Doris won't give him a divorce and he has one son who will be a senior in high school next year. Now that he has a family he should stay with his wife until his son leaves for college. Then maybe Doris will give him a divorce. All I know Cleo put me through a lot and I can't help it if I don't feel that sorry for him in his present situation.
I am also the kind of guy who will not commit easily and I almost didn't commit to Cleo but his persistence paid off and I did give myself to him and for awhile I thought life couldn't be better but it was like we were on a boat headed straight for the rapids and when our ship hit the rapids he saved himself and let me go down with the wreck. Now his life is on a boat headed for the rapids and I can't do anything for him. Actually I am very glad that I found out about his life because all of the troubles he has made for himself is about to hit the rapids and he will have to save himself just like he did when he let me go. I guess I do feel sorry for him and I hope nothing bad really happens but I am free of it now. I no longer feel responsible for him and I didn't put him in the situation that he is in now. He did that all by himself and I won't play "Dear Abby" for him either.
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Ekeby, Bucky and Sam -
All of your stories make me sad. Even though I am a hetero, I can relate. Thanks again for sharing your heartfelt stories. They have really touched me!
These stories touch me too. This BBM experience has been a real eye opener for me, not just for having my past flash before my eyes, but learning that my situation was far from unique. I get the feeling that variations of the BBM story, like yours, Diane, are perhaps more common than not.
I'm thinking of Al's line in Latter Days: "Seriously. You need to find a way to get past this." I didn't play the "what if" game. What happened to me (and to all of us, by the sound of it), was so far out of my control that nothing I could have done would have changed the events as they transpired. Nevertheless, the sense of loss and betrayal was devastating.
It's especially hard because at some basic level, it doesn't add up the way we want it to. One: If I could live this life, so could he. Two: If he loved me the way I loved him, he should have stayed. Therefore, three: he didn't love me as much as I loved him.
That's hard. For me, it was never about regrets, or forgiveness, or what might have been. It was about the feeling that I wasn't loved enough. That I wasn't worth his giving up a straight life. Because, in the 60s, that's what it could have been, having to give up all friends, family, connections, maybe even career. I have to ask myself, is that valid? That I should feel unloved because he wouldn't or couldn't sacrifice his life?
The short answer is "no." It isn't about how much we were loved or not loved. As in BBM, it's about the other guy's fear and trembling. It's sad, even tragic. But it shouldn't effect our self-esteem and it has nothing to do with our self-worth. By participating in these boards, we're acknowledging the sadness, not indulging in self pity. It's important for us all, and for those who are reading this, to make that distinction.
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These stories touch me too. This BBM experience has been a real eye opener for me, not just for having my past flash before my eyes, but learning that my situation was far from unique. I get the feeling that variations of the BBM story, like yours, Diane, are perhaps more common than not.
I'm thinking of Al's line in Latter Days: "Seriously. You need to find a way to get past this." I didn't play the "what if" game. What happened to me (and to all of us, by the sound of it), was so far out of my control that nothing I could have done would have changed the events as they transpired. Nevertheless, the sense of loss and betrayal was devastating.
It's especially hard because at some basic level, it doesn't add up the way we want it to. One: If I could live this life, so could he. Two: If he loved me the way I loved him, he should have stayed. Therefore, three: he didn't love me as much as I loved him.
That's hard. For me, it was never about regrets, or forgiveness, or what might have been. It was about the feeling that I wasn't loved enough. That I wasn't worth his giving up a straight life. Because, in the 60s, that's what it could have been, having to give up all friends, family, connections, maybe even career. I have to ask myself, is that valid? That I should feel unloved because he wouldn't or couldn't sacrifice his life?
The short answer is "no." It isn't about how much we were loved or not loved. As in BBM, it's about the other guy's fear and trembling. It's sad, even tragic. But it shouldn't effect our self-esteem and it has nothing to do with our self-worth. By participating in these boards, we're acknowledging the sadness, not indulging in self pity. It's important for us all, and for those who are reading this, to make that distinction.
Great post ekeby. I think you "hit the nail on the head" in your summation about the ones we loved not loving us as much as we loved them. None of us would have the sadness and sorrow that we have been through over the years if our significant others had loved us the way we loved them. I know that I was willing to sacrifice a lot for my partner but he never gave me the chance. None of our partners have been willing to sacrifice for us like we would sacrifice for them so it would seem logical to me that they never really loved us as much as we loved them. In all of the last few posts that I have read I have concluded that it was out of our control and there was not a whole lot that we could do about it. The problem was with our partners and their fear and not anything that we have done. I think that if I had thought of it that way from the beginning I wouldn't have been bitter for years.
I will add this though I would advise all of you to contact the one you loved years ago if that is possible and see what they are doing with their life now. I know in my case that helped put things in perspective and my college lover lost a lot of his "mystique" after I was able to contact him. There is a sense of closure that I have now and I know that I put my guy on a pedestal far above what he deserved. Looking back on my situation now I know that Cleo had a way of bringing his troubles on himself including not doing so well in some of his classes. He was a total dreamer who had no idea of what to do when things got tough. I almost feel sorry for him now and I blame myself for trying to solve all of our problems both his problems and my problems. I now know that only he can solve his problems and I am completely out of his life now and he still has more problems than he can handle so this time around he will have to make his own decisions. I only advised him to stay with his wife until his son graduated from high school but that is the last advice that I am going to give him. :-X
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Hi everyone
just found this site... I used to post over on imdb for a while after I saw BBM and then stopped, mostly cause of the trolls. I see this where alot of the folks from over on imdb have come.
so I wanted to say hi to everyone. I live in NC, grew up both in eastern NC and southern PA (parents are divorced). BBM is one of my favorite movies alot of reasons but mostly because I think it seems so real. It's not sentimental or predictable or any of those things. It just seems honest. Alot of movies, even the good ones, sometimes feel give you the feeling that they are lying to you... like they are telling you the story they think you want to hear instead of the one that really is. BBM never felt like that.
anyways, nice to stumble on this site. I am gonna check it out in more detail :-)
B_dub
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Welcome B! Want a cuppa coffee, don't ya? Piece of cherry cake! Glad U made yr way over here. Join in! Yeah, BBM is like that. Ruthless, but exquisite.
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just found this site... I used to post over on imdb for a while after I saw BBM and then stopped, mostly cause of the trolls. I see this where alot of the folks from over on imdb have come.
B_dub
Welcome! I think you'll like it here. I was a poster on IMDb, too. It got so irritating trying to have good discussions with all of those trolls butting in! You won't find that here. Enjoy!
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BBM is one of my favorite movies alot of reasons but mostly because I think it seems so real. It's not sentimental or predictable or any of those things. It just seems honest. Alot of movies, even the good ones, sometimes feel give you the feeling that they are lying to you... like they are telling you the story they think you want to hear instead of the one that really is.
Welcom, B_dub. I think you will find that a lot of people here share your reasons for loving BBM. Have a look around. Lots of good conversations have happened here. I look forward to seeing you join in!
Katherine
:)
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Hello to all..again. Haven't been on here for quite awhile. I was under horo04 but had to change things cause I forgot my password...but horo35 will do! It's nice to be back and though I have seen the film many times I am still a fan. Too make up for my lost time I posted some pics of filming locations for you guys. BTW what is IMDB? And I take it these "trolls" are a**holes that hang around IMDB? lol :D *Actually I just found the answers in the Chez Trembley archives!*
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:D Hi all you Brokeback Mountain Fans. I have been on this site before and don't come here often. However my husband (horo04) and I are big fans of the movie. Please don't be shy to pm either of us.
We live in the Calgary area and for the last few days have been on a Brokeback Mountain little tour. Please check out out pics my husband is posting as I write the. We have found many of the town scenes and even the Twist house where ennis goes to visit Jack's parent's. Unfortunatly there was a "No tresspassing" sign on the property so we couldn't get in. However my husband was able to snap a couple of photos of the outside before scurrying off. We plan to go back again with permission to enter the house. Maybe in the fall though there seemed to be allot of wasps around the house. LOL
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Horo35 and IluvChocolate .. :)
(http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i285/Lucise/Animes/wel1.gif)
Another fellow Albertan here! I live in Edmonton .. :D
Hope you have a blast here at BT!
:)
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Opps his nick is horo35 he changed it on me LOL :laugh:
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Hey Welcome aboard horo35 and ilivechocolate! Great to have you. :D
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Welcome aboard, Kristin! Glad to see you here--grab a cup of coffee and a piece of cherry cake, and make yourself comfortable. For myself, I can say that I not only find it a pleasure to be a member of BetterMost, but an honor as well. Maybe you'll come to feel similarly as you continue to read and post.
Very best regards,
Scott
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Welcome Kristin! And welcome to all those who joined recently! Have fun and go wild!
j. U. d. E.
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Hello Everyone. I became a fan of BBM after purchasing it on DVD. I never saw the movie on the big screen. :(
I was a member of another forum but no longer go there. This seems like a nice place and I hope I will like it here. I am 46 and live in Northern California. I hope there are others here in my age group. :)
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Hi Dafna, and welcome. :) I thinik there needs to be a BBM big-screen revival this year for everyone who discovered it on DVD... and for everyone who misses seeing it on the big screen. (Though it never played on a really big screen in my town, so I missed seeing the scenery in its full glory.)
There are lots of people in their 40's here. You'll fit in fine. :)
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Hi everyone!! Thought i would stop by and introduce myself. :)
I'm a member of another forum but i'm always hearing good things about what a friendly place this is so here i am!! ;D
I love BBM, i adore Jack and Ennis and i think my fellow Brokies are some of the greatest people on the planet, so 'Hi' everyone!! :-* :-* :-*
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Hi rizla,
Welcome to Bettermost, glad to meet you. We look forward to hearing a bit about yourself (no addresses, no phone numbers, just enough to guess where you are 'coming from').
eg I'm Sam, gay, 67, from North Lincolnshire, England, and ole Brokeback has sure got me good. I love our boys :) :)
Best Wishes
sam
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I guess it's about time I intorduced myself. My name is Doug, (a.k.a. THE WINGS).
I'm a fifty-two year old, straight male who has been hit very hard by Brokeback Mountain's "gut punch" which hasn't let go yet!
To be brutally honest, when I first heard of "the gay cowboy movie", I wasn't at all impressed, and in fact, more than a little p*****-off! The whole concept of a "gay cowboy movie" was to me a contradiction in terms. Living here in Alberta, Canada's "cowboy country", I was under the mistaken "first impression" that this film was going to be "Hollywood's" way of trying to ridicule and demean a traditional way of life that I personally admire, and that so many of my friends, farmers, ranchers, rodeo cowboys, in particular, bullriders, hold so dear.
However, when I read the article in Entertainment Weekly Magazine in December of 2005, including the review by Owen Gleiberman, I started to have "second thoughts". Then when I read the short story, by Annie Proulx, that's when that "gut-punch" was first delivered, and I knew that I HAD to see this film. This I did on opening night, here in Edmonton, AB., January 6th. I can honestly say that I have never experienced such a profound, perfectly acted, superbly directed piece of cinema in my life. Heath Ledger became Ennis Del Mar, and Jake Gyllenhaal, became Jack Twist. The whole cast, including Michelle Williams and Anne Hathaway, brought all of Annie's characters to life on the big screen, and Larry and Diana's screenplay remained true to her story, even most of the dialogue was almost word-for-word identicaLto the short story.
I am really glad that this story and film has helped me to radically change my attitudes toward those who are involved in the gay lifestyle. As far as I am concerned, this is a personal matter between two consenting adults, and I feel as long as no one is either physically, or emotionally abused in any way, it is as Jack Twist says, "Nobody's business but ours". For those that can't accept the fact that this story merely puts names and faces to something that has, is, and will continue to go on into the future, I say, GET OVER IT! Also, this movie does not in any way, insult, or belittle the traditional, cowboy way of life!
I will continue to support, defend, and generally discuss this ground-breaking film, even in spite of being the "butt" of jokes, (no pun intended).
I am glad to be able to join in on boards like this one and ennisjack.com and Dave Cullen's forums. At least people's comments here are more intelligent,mature, and sensitive to the wonderful message of what a sincere, deep, heartfelt love between two people who just happen to be men, is all about.
Hopefully I haven't been rambling-on too much!
In conclusion, all I have to say is: 'Brokeback Mountain, I NEVER want to know how to quit you!' and, "Jack, I swear...."
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Welcome to BetterMost...
I hope you enjoy your stay here, we've got tons of fun things going on.... so look around and post something... We'll be looking for you. :)
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Welcome, Doug and rizla. :)
(I should do the traditional offering of coffee and cherry cake, but I'm not very good at pulling it off, so I'll just say... have a good time here. :) )
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I guess it's about time I intorduced myself. My name is Doug, (a.k.a. THE WINGS).
I'm a fifty-two year old, straight male who has been hit very hard by Brokeback Mountain's "gut punch" which hasn't let go yet!
Hey Doug . . . glad to read your post and I think everybody here feels about BBM like you do . . . most of us (the gay men anyway) have a personal history similar to BBM. My experience was almost uncomfortably close to the story, perhaps moreso than some others here--but we have almost all experienced essentially the same story. My Ennis was from Texas, taciturn, good looking. We hooked up in '65 (we were in university) so it was approximately the same era as BBM as well. One summer vacation he got a girl pregnant and decided to get married and I got a Dear John letter. I never saw him again. It was devastating and took me years to recover. In my life since then I've had a couple of long term relationships with wonderful guys, but it was never the same. Not even close.
So I wonder--was there a similar event in your life that draws you to BBM? The few straight men I've encountered (in posts) who feel like us, seem to identify with the movie in a broader context of "missed opportunities" . . . care to comment?
By the way, your increased sensitivity to what gay people go through is a beautiful thing. I don't know you from Adam but I'm proud of you everytime you speak up on our behalf. Regards, Paul / EKEBY
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Hello all,
I am 60 years old, and am a Christian minister. I am British, but I was born in China to Chinese parents. My family came to England in 1948. I have lived here ever since.
I became a Christian while I was at university. I did two degrees - in Biological Sciences, and in Archaeology, and worked as a professional biologist for a while. I still lecture in Biology (especially in Evolution and Genetics) in the university where I minister as an Anglican Chaplain.
While certainly not a fundamentalist (note that I lecture on Evolution), I am basically a rather conservative evangelical Christian. Certainly not someone who might be expected to like "Brokeback Mountain".
I eventually bought the DVD - but only as part of a special offer, to make up the numbers - to see what the fuss is about.
I didn't expect to enjoy it. Well, actually I didn't. Instead, I can say that I have seen no other film which has affected me so deeply. Indeed, on an emotional level, the only comparable experience was when I first read "Wuthering Heights" by Emily Bronte.
How does this fit in with my Christian beliefs? I'll just quote from my reply to a (possibly homophobic) poster on the IMDb forum:
"I applaud "Brokeback Mountain" because it does not hit me over the head with the "Gay agenda". It tells a simple story of ordinary flawed humans, whose flawed feelings, including those of love, can so often lead to sorrow and suffering in our inevitably flawed society, in this inevitably imperfect world. In that sense BBM, like other great works of art, actually makes connection with the mystery of existence. The love between Ennis and Jack is part of that mystery. It would be a tidier and more comfortable world if romantic love were entirely heterosexual. Unfortunately that is not the case, and thus we are challenged with our reactions to this. And in our reactions, I do believe it is more important to be loving than to be right - as so many of Jesus' actions and sayings attest."
Best Wishes to you all, whatever your race, gender, or sexual orientation.
Frank
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Greetings, Frank, and welcome. I am one of the refugees from the IMDb board, and I remember a thread (or a post), some six months ago, comparing Brokeback Mountain with Wuthering Heights thematically. Your mention of Bronte's masterpiece (one of my favorite books, incidentally) reminded me of that.
So many of us can relate to your experience of having this film impact us like no other. It is a work of art, but it transcends normal critical distinctions when analyzing art. This film and story speak directly to the soul. I've said it before, but if ever a film could be called a miracle, this would be it.
Very best regards,
Scott
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Frank and Scott, I feel the same way about "Wuthering Heights." I first read it in junior high, I think, and have read it probably 15 times since. It's my favorite book. I had a passage read at my wedding. Scott, I remember that earlier thread or post you referred to.
If either of you is interested, I would invite/advise/urge you to start a thread about it. I think there are some interesting similarities between the two stories, so I'm not surprised that they both appeal to some of the same people.
:)
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<<And in our reactions, I do believe it is more important to be loving than to be right - as so many of Jesus' actions and sayings attest.">>
Hello Frank H,
On age at least I can pip you by quite a bit, I'm 67, gay, and devoted to ole Brokeback.
You absolutely hit the nail on the head with your assessment of this miraculous evocation of love, and I applaud you for it. We don't chose who we love, if lucky all goes well and we live happily ever after; if not its a nightmare. Thats been my experience anyway. I became emotionally entangle with a straight guy before I realized, and though it's over thirty years ago, and though I eventually 'got over it', I've never forgotten Robert, nor ever will. That's why, maybe, I so empathize with Ennis, and why, eight months on, I'm still absorbed in these Boards. They have proved a remarkable psychiatrist's couch.
Best Wishes, and thanks for your greeting to all of us sinners.
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There seems to be new people coming here so I don't feel so left out and "new".
I agree, I wish there would be a big screen reshowing of BBM. I think many people would be interested. I do not think this movie's impact will fade away any time soon.
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Don't be shy about joining in, whether in an existing thread on in a new one. New people are the life of any internet community. You don't have to agree, you don't have to say something new, you don't have to know people already. We won't bite. :)
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Don't be shy about joining in, whether in an existing thread on in a new one. New people are the life of any internet community. You don't have to agree, you don't have to say something new, you don't have to know people already. We won't bite. :)
What Mel said.
Additionally, we were all newbies at one point or another. I was a relative latecomer to Brokeback fever, seeing the movie for the first time on February 18th, and, here on BetterMost, I know of at least one IMDb refugee who had joined and left before I had even signed up (on April 5th).
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Thanks so much. This is a very welcoming forum. :)
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We're all complete pussy cats... tickle our underbellies and we purr like mad. Come join the fun!
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Hi Scott, "latjoreme", and "Samrim",
Many thanks for your welcome.
Frank and Scott, I feel the same way about "Wuthering Heights." I first read it in junior high, I think, and have read it probably 15 times since. It's my favorite book. I had a passage read at my wedding. Scott, I remember that earlier thread or post you referred to.
If either of you is interested, I would invite/advise/urge you to start a thread about it. I think there are some interesting similarities between the two stories, so I'm not surprised that they both appeal to some of the same people.
:)
I intend to do this when I have time - something along the lines that the relationships of Heathcliff/Cathy and Ennis/Jack seem to speak of a dimension beyond time, while the stories themselves are firmly set in time, and with a complex time-structure.
Two other novels I've found particularly moving (although not as much as BBM or Wuthering Heights):
Dusty Answer by Rosamund Lehmann
The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder
Very different from each other, but both published in 1927.
The Lehmann novel is particularly notable because it is clear that the sexual orientation of several of the main characters, both male and female, is ambiguous. She wrote at least one other novel where this is more explicit. And all this was in the '20s and '30s.
Note to Samrim. All of us are of course sinners. Which makes the self-righteous fulminations of sections of the Christian religious right that much more objectionable.
Frank
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OKay, i'm new here, and i would like to explain myself.....brace yourselves, as i am a little too honest for most people's taste
My name is Phoenix, I am 16 years old, and i'm a gay teenager, secretly/madly inlove with a best friend.
I love to write (i'm writing a FF now, and it will be great!)
I love music, my favorite artists are
Evanescence
U2
Coldplay
Snow Patrol
Alice Cooper
Sarah McLachlan
Natalie Merchant
Before coming here, i was a very active member at one of Bettermost's rival BBM sites, EnnisJack.com.
I was banned from there, because i went on a arguing spree with Human Interests/Two Crow's Joy's author MadLori (Who doesn't know her?) i guess i was too aggressive and i made people feel 'uncomfortable' not hard, when everyone there are exactly the same-calm/quiet/easily broken. All the mods here can watch me close if they want to, but i don't plan on getting into arguments.
I'm a very sad individual that DOES go through some odd mood swings (for example, if i don't get to talk to my crush during the morning of school, i'm crestfallen till lunch) Its very hard to be gay.
I'm usually very calm and i get along with most people, but i do get over excited. Not 'spam' excited, but you will see many exclamation points in my posts...lol
I'm currently in love with James Dean (Man in my avatar) i love him, but yesterday i accidenly found a picture of his dead body, and it unsettled me completely....
anyways, i'm here because i can't go on too long without talking about my favorite movie of all time, Brokeback Mountain.
I hope i don't get into too much trouble, because after this, only DaveCullen.com remains!
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My name is Phoenix, I am 16 years old, and i'm a gay teenager, secretly/madly inlove with a best friend.
Hi Phoenix . . .
I get the impression, though you didn't say so, that your best friend is straight and unavailable? If so, please make an effort to get as much positive energy in your life as possible. We can't choose who we fall in love with, but we can try to ease the heartache and direct our attention elsewhere . . . I hope you are able to meet and be with, physically, other young gay people. A bird in hand, etc.?
It's sad-making to think you might find yourself like some of us here, looking back forty years with regret for the Jack/Ennis situations we were in. . . .
Best wishes . . . Paul/EKEBY
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Hi Phoenix . . .
I get the impression, though you didn't say so, that your best friend is straight and unavailable? If so, please make an effort to get as much positive energy in your life as possible. We can't choose who we fall in love with, but we can try to ease the heartache and direct our attention elsewhere . . . I hope you are able to meet and be with, physically, other young gay people. A bird in hand, etc.?
It's sad-making to think you might find yourself like some of us here, looking back forty years with regret for the Jack/Ennis situations we were in. . . .
Best wishes . . . Paul/EKEBY
thanks. I needed some encouragement
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Hello phoenix (and Paul)
Many years ago I fell in love with a straight guy, who was kind, more intelligent than me ( I love brainy men); he was 22 years old, very attractive in a Heathcliffe way, he played rugby, here in England, and was all I felt I needed in life. He made it clear, no! he TOLD me that rather than be touched by a queer, he'd take a gun and shoot himself.
It took me ten years and more to get over that putdown, the pain and shame was terrible. I still love him though, for afterward he was as kind as he could be, until he moved away and out of my life. Even now though, thirty years later I hope I'll meet Robert again someday and that I'll see that smile of his. At the time, all that I could give him that he wanted, was MY absence!
If, in your heart you know your friend is straight, do you really want to wallow in all that grief, do you want to give him pain, him who you love, or would it be fairer, and easier,for both of you to 'move on'. You are a nice young guy I guess, and there are lots of other young guys out there looking for someone like you. Didn't you aught to give them a chance?
My very best Wishes phoenix, and Good Luck
Oh, and I absolutely love Brokeback Mountain too, I adore Ennis and Jack, and think about them every day, even though it's nine months since the film came out here in the UK.
Sam
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Thanks Samrim. My friend, lets call him Bill, because that's his name. ;)
Well, Bill is very excepting, and not completely homophobic. I mean, if he is called gay he will do the traditional 'white man's burden, gotta kick some arse' gig. But i think he might be gay, secretly. He is much too sensitive for this world. He is very quiet, and loner-like, a outsider. I like that, and most of the time i'm like that too. I would hate to stereotype him, but he is much more compassionate than the regular straight guy. He is very loving in a friend-way. I feel like i could tell him anything BUT that i'm gay and i love him, and i want to hold him. I hate being depraved of him, it hurts everyday. I'm so glaad (haha, get it?) that he is excepting, and empathetic, and quiet, and i'm glad most of all, because he likes me. Likes me more than most.
And i hate it when he pains. Some friends of ours were doing the 'oh yer so gay' crap, calling Bill a '<0<ksu<ker' I tried to support him, but my limited plea fell on deaf ears. Bill was literally being attacked at all sides, and i just felt bad....
sorry for rambling, as i usually do when i talk about Bill.
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Welcome Frank H, Dahpna, RebelWithSadness, and TheWings!!! And all the rest of youse! Glad you're here. May you be happy and healthy!! :)
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Yes. I'm glad you are all here too! I haven't been checking this thread as often as I should.
Welcome to the neighborhood! :D
Phoenix, you may want to check out the "Safe Haven" forum here on Bettermost. There are all kinds of topics posted there you might be interested in, and of course you are always welcome to start your own thread if you want to. :)
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Hello...
Well, I suppose if I'm going to start posting here, I should introduce myself.
My name is Phil, and I'm a 37 (soon to be 38) year old gay male.
I currently live in Mississauga Ontario Canada - which is about a 20 minute drive west of Toronto.
I first saw Brokeback Mountain alone on New Years eve 2005/6... My friends took off, and I had nothing to do. I was miserable, and I had been dying for a free night off work and excuse to see it.
I loved it... and as most people know, I NEVER cry at movies... ever... and this one left me waking out of the theater with a serious lump in my throat. I had to run to the washroom because I thought I was going to throw up... (almost like poor Ennis)
Anyhow... I've found it frustrating ever since, as everyone else I've talked to doesn't seem to like this movie. So, I tend to hold it as something personal to me.
Message boards are the only place I seem to find any other appreciation for the film. (I was on IMDB for a while, but it drove me crazy)
As for the nick name I chose - Wreeah - it's a character in a comic book I've been been writing and illustrating for some time.
I used to continually go by the name 'Kaijuman' (and still occasionally do) but it was getting old, and I was trying to loose some people who were trying to contact me.
(Long story)
I hope to visit here more often. Seems like a friendly atmosphere.
Peace eh! :-*
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Hello, Phil, and welcome to BetterMost. This really is a great site, so if you're a fan of Brokeback Mountain, you're sure to find much to like here.
I know at least one of our members is in Toronto, and we have quite a few folks in Canada. I remember another fellow in Toronto from the IMDb board, but I'm not sure if he ever migrated here.
I know what you mean, though, about feeling alone or isolated sometimes in your BBM enthusiasm. I know lots of people through these online resources who have been touched as deeply as I have by this remarkable film, but have only had contact with two people in my home city who I would really describe as fans. I know there must be others here, but I haven't met them. Thank goodness for the Internet, eh? I can't imagine what the BBM experience would have been like if I had had no one else who understood what I was feeling.
Again, welcome, Phil, and welcome all, to our online BBM home (to which I like to affectionately refer as "the bean site"). It is always gratifying to see more people join in this amazing journey we are all experiencing (ain't no reins on this one!).
:D
Scott
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Yes indeed Phil - Beat you to it by 2 days - Saw BBM on the 29th of december, and though my reaction may not have been as severe as yours, I did go back to the theatre about 10 times before I got a pirated internet copy (about 2 - 3 weeks before the DVD release).
I've been quite outspoken to my co-workers about my love for the movie, and most of them (eventually) got to see the movie, their reaction has been quite varied - though no one disrespected my strong reaction to the movie. They however got tired of all the small details that I would bring up, either from reading them on IMDb, seeing it myself in the movie, or, later from the wonderful posts here at BetterMost. One thing for sure unlike that other board, things here don't get deleted for no reason whatsoever!
So, Phill WELCOME to BetterMost - a place where lovers of BBM can STILL express their thoughts, and be welcomed for them. You'll find plenty of areas here to satisfy your (re)discovery of the miracle that was Brokeback Mountain.
BTW, I think Scott meant me, when he said he knew of one other Torontonian at BetterMost, and I was one of the first 10 people to sign up as a member! Then there are others from the Southern Ontario Region - So no, you're not alone (anymore)
Bienvenue
Roland
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Hey, thanks everyone for the welcom!
:)
my reaction may not have been as severe as yours,
That's what was so unusual for me. I've sort of 'studied' film for a long time as a bit of a hobby, and I can make that separation between film and reality. The only film I ever 'cried' at was the original Charlottes Web when I was 7.
So for that film to hit me like that... well... it was just so... bizarre.
(I still didn't cry tho... came close... but I didn't! - LOL)
I think part of it was just an amalgamation of things happening in my life all at once and then the ending just sort of... hitting me.
I suppose part of it, is that I'm the age these characters are by the end of the film, and I'm still waiting for my 'Brokeback Mountain'... sorta speak.
Funny thing was, I only went back once to see it in the theater (with a friend)... then I didn't see it again until the DVD release.
I think part of the reason I didn't see it again was because of my odd work schedule. The other reason, ... I think honestly, the affect it had on me scared me.
But I've seen it on DVD now countless times.
AS for IMDB... I've left the board now. For the very reason you mentioned. I recently had a post deleted with no explanation. I still have no idea what was wrong with it. So, that was the end of that. I still visit other boards on IMDB, just not the BBM board now.
So Roland... you're from Toronto? Mind if I ask what part?
I don't know Toronto all that well, but now I do get in about once a week or so (just started taking private training sessions in Apple Computers)
It's great to get into some discussions here about the film, and I hope this keeps up for a while. I regret not getting involved here sooner.
Thanks again all! Great ti be here!
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So Roland... you're from Toronto? Mind if I ask what part?
Not at all - 401 & 400 - well actually, some 5 km south west of there.
But I go out to the gay neighbourhood on Tuesdays - to play pool - I've been a member of the Pool Bar League for over 20 years!
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Not at all - 401 & 400 - well actually, some 5 km south west of there.
But I go out to the gay neighbourhood on Tuesdays - to play pool - I've been a member of the Pool Bar League for over 20 years!
yeah...uh huh...pool!!
is that what they are calling it these days??!
::) ::) 8)
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Hello...
Well, I suppose if I'm going to start posting here, I should introduce myself.
My name is Phil, and I'm a 37 (soon to be 38) year old gay male.
I currently live in Mississauga Ontario Canada - which is about a 20 minute drive west of Toronto.
I first saw Brokeback Mountain alone on New Years eve 2005/6... My friends took off, and I had nothing to do. I was miserable, and I had been dying for a free night off work and excuse to see it.
I loved it... and as most people know, I NEVER cry at movies... ever... and this one left me waking out of the theater with a serious lump in my throat. I had to run to the washroom because I thought I was going to throw up... (almost like poor Ennis)
Anyhow... I've found it frustrating ever since, as everyone else I've talked to doesn't seem to like this movie. So, I tend to hold it as something personal to me.
Message boards are the only place I seem to find any other appreciation for the film. (I was on IMDB for a while, but it drove me crazy)
As for the nick name I chose - Wreeah - it's a character in a comic book I've been been writing and illustrating for some time.
I used to continually go by the name 'Kaijuman' (and still occasionally do) but it was getting old, and I was trying to loose some people who were trying to contact me.
(Long story)
I hope to visit here more often. Seems like a friendly atmosphere.graphically
Peace eh! :-*
Hello to Mississauga!
I was just lurking around and suddenly finding somebody from town which was my first home in Canada. I lived in Mississauga more than 2 years and all my friends and social life is actually there.
The fair inspiration for me to see BBM was "our" two boys/man from next door – the living examples of movie happy ending, with ex-wives and kids but finally together.
I was in absolute awe (in positive way) of their relationship as well as of the movie.
The other thing about the movie which caught my attention - thanks A. Lee it’s very, very almost to details graphically made.
I’m happy to see “ neighbor” here.
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Name is Dottie, I'm 45 never married straight female. I live in the US. I don't like sharing too much personal info on the internet so that's about all I have to say on that. I have an old friend who use to post here and said I would like it so here I am.
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Name is Dottie, I'm 45 never married straight female. I live in the US. I don't like sharing too much personal info on the internet so that's about all I have to say on that. I have an old friend who use to post here and said I would like it so here I am.
Hello. I'm fairly new here as well. This place is nice.
I love my crush ;)
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Well I'm pleased as pink to have you both join the BetterMost family, Dottie & Phoenix.
Been enjoing reading your posts on various thread already.
I know that Phoenix is pretty new to Brokeback (saw the movie only a couple a weeks ago) - what about you Dottie? When did you get the bug?
As the welcome saying usually goes around here: "Set a spell. You'll have a cup a coffee, a piece of cherry cake?"
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- what about you Dottie? When did you get the bug?
As the welcome saying usually goes around here: "Set a spell. You'll have a cup a coffee, a piece of cherry cake?"
Thank you, I'll have a cup of coffee but I can't eat no cake just now. ;)
When did I get the bug? Well remember that friend I said sent me here. She dragged me to see it back in January and I was surprised, NO make that shocked, by how much it touched me and spoke to my heart about paths not taken, risks verses security, being willing to risk it all for love. being willing to risk being an outcast to be with the one you love. I only saw it in the theater once because I was afraid to see it again for a long time. I had such a reaction to it, it frightened me. I am not an openly emotional person. I never cry at films and I sobbed at the end of this one. I was in pain for these characters for a long time after that single viewing. But I have the DVD and watch it privately at least once a month now and it is still speaking it's secrets to my heart. I've posted on the IMDB a little, mostly lurked. Until now the only person I've really discussed any of this with is my friend.
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Well I'm pleased as pink to have you both join the BetterMost family, Dottie & Phoenix.
Been enjoing reading your posts on various thread already.
I know that Phoenix is pretty new to Brokeback (saw the movie only a couple a weeks ago) - what about you Dottie? When did you get the bug?
As the welcome saying usually goes around here: "Set a spell. You'll have a cup a coffee, a piece of cherry cake?"
Um... I saw Brokeback Mountain for the first time in January, and i fell in love with it in February...
and before i came here and became "RebelWithSadness" i was 'FullOfSadness' at ennisjack.com, and "dragonstoneswrestling" at IMDB.com. I'm not really new to brokeback at all. :-\
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Apologies Phoenix -
I tried to find out with whom I was confusing you, but, that other fellow's seen BBM last January too! - Guess I'm just full of it this week! -
Again, sorry for the misinformation on my part.
Roland
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Apologies Phoenix -
I tried to find out with whom I was confusing you, but, that other fellow's seen BBM last January too! - Guess I'm just full of it this week! -
Again, sorry for the misinformation on my part.
Roland
its all good, i was also mistook on another thread, but i don't desire to go too off topic
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Welcome Frank H, Dahpna, RebelWithSadness, and TheWings!!! And all the rest of youse! Glad you're here. May you be happy and healthy!! :)
Thank you wdj, that is very nice of you.
Dottie, I certainly understand your concern with giving out too much info on the internet. I have been online since 1998 and have made only one online friend. We have never met. I'm on the west coast of the U.S. and she is on the east. Hopefully we will meet in person some day. We talk on the phone and I know she is a true blue person.
Mainly I wanted to mention I'm 46 never married either. I don't think there are too many of us out there. 8) I will keep the single life.
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Hi new folks, and medium new folks! Welcome! We were all new pretty recently - BetterMost only started in February of this year. So jump on in and become an oldtimer. :)
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Hello all. Name is Andy, I'm new here.
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Hello all. Name is Andy, I'm new here.
Hi Andy, welcome! Love the translation - I see your folks didn't just stop at 'Isle'... :)
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Hello all. Name is Andy, I'm new here.
Welcome to Bettermost Andy! :D
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Hello all. Name is Andy, I'm new here.
Welcome Andy! You'll find Bettermost has a "friendly & family atmosphere." Lets just say its Better than Most other forums! ;)
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Hi everyone,
name is Novi, and i live in Bali, Indonesia. i heard of Brokeback first time in a relay of Oscar night, wondering what is this cowboy movie so special it takes up quite some most important nominations. but then it was forgotten until last month.
not much of campaign on it in Indonesia, unles you really go through movie magazine which i don';t buy anymore (expensive). so one day i watched Oprah interviewing the cast, not very well performed, as she is usually gives smarter questions heartily ones. but Jake and Heath performance really makes me interested and i decided to rent the movie. then it happened.
a thousan of shock wave hitting me right on my face . this is it!! i want to wantch it again!! no othe rmovie ever makes me do.
i am hetero, got a husband i love for the world, and reason why Brokeback stick with me cause the story just kick. the love, the loneliness, the endurance, the gestures that replace a thousand word...
thanks to JPwagoneer 1964 for introducing me to this link!! ;)
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Welcome, Noviani!! I think you will find that Brokeback Mountain spoke to many of us much in way similar to what you experiened - I love how you put it:
the love, the loneliness, the endurance, the gestures that replace a thousand word...
Explore BetterMost to your heart's content, and jump in and post wherever you feel moved! There are tons of threads in the Open Forum discussing pretty much every aspect of the movie. And we never get tired of talking about it and hearing fresh perspectives. Or start your own thread in Our Daily Thoughts and tell us about yourself ;).
If you have some time, go over to the frappr map (www.frappr.com/bettermost) and add yourself. To my knowledge, you are our first member from Indonesia.
And thank you, Mark, for steering Noviana this way!
-Lynne
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Hello everyone ... so glad to find this site (thanks JakeWatch). I'm Dee, I live close to Charlotte NC and I'm 40. I originally went to see BBM for all the "hype" but I was not the same person as I exited the theatre ... it was a very touching movie and I love it ... the music, the actors, the cinematography, the story ... just amazing. I also got to read the short story recently and I was even more in love with the movie after I read the story. Glad to see there's a place here for BBM fans to get together.
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Welcome Andy, Noviani, and Jakegyllenhallic! You'll have a cup of coffee, won'cha? Piece of cherry cake??
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Thank Lynn!
Hi FR, just had some slices of mango. in season now here.
just want to drop a note in the Thank You departement up in heaven, for this site and all its donators.
i like the atmosphere.
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Hey guys, my name's Andrew, 22 year old Scot living in England - training to be a doc.
Saw BBM for trhe first time tonight, my flatmate rented it out from the store across the road. I have to admit, I'd been avoiding it for quite some time - partly coz I didn't want to be disappointed and partly because a few of my friends warned me that (knowing me and my feelings on all things LGBT) it would knock me for 6.
They were right.
I can't believe just how much this film moved me. By the end, apart from being very upset, I was shaking. I don't think I can really do my feelings about it justice with merely my words.
Such a beautiful portrayal, I think every critic has noted the astounding cinematography used throughout. Until tonight, bizarrely, I realised that no film has ever touched me in this way because it's been the first film I have truly been able to relate to. Love stories between a man and a woman I can understand & empathise with, but in the same gesture that most straight people I know freely admit to knowing they couldn't fully understand (since they are also too young to grasp the gravity of lifelong regrets) the whole message, I could never draw a true personal comparison. My own sexuality is a powerful force upon my life, which I embracer as I must feel strongly about it./think about it so much for a reason.
The fact that this story probably has, in some way, shape or form, been happening to men around the world for ages is an additional twist in the sadness it provokes. Not only men, but all forms of "forbidden" loves: mixed-race, mixed-class etc.
I know this will have a profound effect on my life, I'm so glad I saw it.
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The fact that this story probably has, in some way, shape or form, been happening to men around the world for ages is an additional twist in the sadness it provokes. Not only men, but all forms of "forbidden" loves: mixed-race, mixed-class etc.
That's the larger tragedy, isn't it? Andrew, I'm glad you're here and look forward to your next posts. :) Elle
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Welcome To BetterMost Andrew!
Everyone here was affected by Brokeback Mountain the same way you were. You will fit right in!
Don't be shy. If you feel like posting to a thread, jump right in. We don't bite here! :)
You'll be making friends in no time at all.
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HI ANDREW, NICE TO HAVE YOU HERE.
surely we are all here for the same reason, the big punch on our guts after watching BBM.
looking forward to your posts.
suggest you visit Fantasy Scenes , and Lighter Side, and I love evertything Ennis or Jack....
I'll see you around
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I know this will have a profound effect on my life, I'm so glad I saw it.
Welcome to BetterMost, Andrew - I'm very glad you found us. It sounds as if you are one of the lucky people who were in the right frame of mind, place in your life, whatever... to receive the complex and disturbing and beautiful messages of this movie. That means you'll fit in around here just fine :). All of us were touched by it, in different ways, and for different reasons, but with an intensity that is phenomenal.
As a med student, you might appreciate Leslie's clinical treatise on this phenomenon known as Brokeback Fever. Here's the link:
http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php?topic=492.0
I saw in another post that you were going to watch again before you had to return the movie to the rental store. And I know I might be being a tad presumptuous, but...word on the street here is that you may as well buy it because you're going to need to be watching it regularly for quite some time to come. ::) 8) ::)
Again, Welcome!!
Lynne
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welcome andrew... I'm sure this place will feel like home shortly - we're a friendly bunch!
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Hello Andrew,
I'm glad you have joined our Brokie Club :) your fierce response to this miraculous film mirrors mine,and everyone else who loved it.
I'm elderly, and have never had a relationship. I was young in the sixties, when the UK law was changed to make us gays 'legal, at least in private! Why in private for G*d's sake, hets can hold hands, touch in public, but not gay men. ??? Here in North Lincolnshire all I could do was keep my head down and hope no one noticed me! I never spoke consciously to another gay until my late twenties.
I was never an Ennis to look at, but his situation mirrored mine, that's why I love the film, everything about it, and especially our boys!
Welcome aboard.
Best Wishes
Sam :)
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Hi Andrew--good to have you here!
We have all been there.........
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Glad to be here. The website's been a good outlet - shame it isn't as fiery as it seems to have been in the early days.
Ready some of the stories on this thread in particular has been a very moving experience - Samrim in particular, I can't even begin to express how much your tale moved me. I hope that some things never come to late to you.
I guess I should tell mine - I've spent the past few days trying to work out why I was so taken with the film. Aside from being so well portrayed, I guess it's a result of my first love - we were young, I fell in love fast and it ended very very badly. I went through so much pain afterwards, I came out totally different - stronger, yes but cold & unable to open up. No relationship since has worked particularly well, I've become cold with men and yet try-hard - conversely, I am desperate to feel loved again. BBM has made me realise I can't live without that feeling, I know I can let myself by more vunerable. More painful route, but the amazing portrayal of the purity of the boys' bond has made me realise how far I have to go to get it from myself. I recently found out that he is still suffering because of our relationship, but I can't go back to him. I know that much - but I have heard how his life is now and I don't want that to happen to me. I wont screw up a good thing like that, like Ennis.
I have a...tempestuous and fragile relationship with someone who used to be my best friend. We're rarely "on" and now I'm beginning to fear that he might be the right one - I don't want to miss the chance again. Sadly, it's impossible right now. One day, maybe.
I love how BBM has forced me painfully to look at the parallels in my life that I've been trying to ignore. I know where things are going wrong. Hopefully it can teach me how to fix it.
I hope everyone else does too.
Thank you again for the welcomes.
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Andrew you are in good company here. Alot of us have been devastated by this film after seeing it. Many because we ultimately faced the fact that we were either Jack or Ennis.
I remember being in a funk for a good month or two after my many viewings. Even to the point of standing looking out my window and crying for no apparent reason.
Finding this site and talking to all these wonderful people has really helped me heal.
Watch for posts about BBM gatherings. Many of us get together for a meal or a pint to talk and laugh. This has been happening worldwide too.
So don't despare. For every Gay guy who rolls their eyes at the mention of BBM, there are many more of us fans out there!
David
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Hi,
I just found out about this forum from the imdb site where I started posting a few hours ago, but damn it if I can't get over the obsession by spreading myself over another board. If nobody mind's, I'd like to introduce myself by reposting my first post from there...
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I heard all the hype and buzz on this movie when it first came up... didn't watch it.
Came out on dvd... looked past it while browsing the dvd section.
Now out on cable, I felt brave enough to watch it... and have watched it every night for the past 5 nights.
It takes a great deal for a movie to make me feel something like this, but it's never been this powerful to me. I cried at every tender moment, every intense moment, and sat rapt in attention throughout every scene. And every night I say to myself "I'll watch up to this one scene and turn it off" but the closeng credits are rolling before I realize it.
But the real reason it's affected me this much is because I'm in a brokeback-type relationship and the situations in the movie seem to mirror a lot to my frame of mind of what's been happening.
I consider myself bisexual and he has always affirmed his heterosexuality. How we met was very "right place, right time" and throughout these four years, we've always managed to stay as best friends without cementing anything as to our relationship even though I've hinted along those lines. Basically what it boils down to is that I'm the Jack to his Ennis. I guess it's easier than it was in the movie as we both live in the same city, and we have mutual friends who don't suspect anything (in fact they keep saying another of our friends has a man-crush on my Ennis). We've gotten very physical with each other when tensions rose high (sent each other to the hospital where we had matching scars stitched up) and even a reunion moment after he returned from living in Texas for a couple months.
But does this work?
I say that I'm the Jack because I would like a life together. Not out in the open as a couple, but as roomies just passing time. We're both in our thirties and I feel time is running short. The fact that Jack dies at 39 really shook me up. He has said that he doesn't want that because of his girls (he has three daughters) and is reluctant to show any sign that he's not as manly as people see him. Always questioning things like Ennis asking if people know what the situation is just by looking at him. In the movie (haven't read the short story), I noticed that neither Jack nor Ennis ever said the word love to each other although it's apparent they feel that for each other. I've said it a couple times but never heard it in return. We've had straight relationships throughout but never seem to work. In my case, I don't want any other reltionship anymore besides the one that's right in front of me.
I just realized that I'd been typing a whole lot of blabbering... this after another viewing of BBM. But since I had no other outlet, I wanted to share with other fans of the movie who felt as deeply for it as I do.
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Welcome to BetterMost!
Want a cup of coffee don't you? A piece of cherry cake?
Thanks for sharing your story! Yup, BBM has impacted us all in amazing ways. You're certainly in good company around here in that regard. Have fun exploring our forums.
cheers
Amanda
:)
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Thanks Amanda,
Can't eat no cake just yet.
There's so much insight about the movie here that I feel like it'll be a late night for me. That's ok, I've been having trouble sleeping since I watched the movie the first time. Seems like my dreams are filled with sheep herders and rodeos
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There's so much insight about the movie here that I feel like it'll be a late night for me. That's ok, I've been having trouble sleeping since I watched the movie the first time. Seems like my dreams are filled with sheep herders and rodeos
Welcome Jerico! Your story is so poignant. Hope it all works out for you some how. I know what you mean about late nights. I myself have spent many a late night in these parts. So much insight, so much love and compassion on this board. As for dreams filled with sheep herders and rodeo's...Me too little darlin, me too :D See you around the forum!
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Welcome Jerico!
You are in good company. We have all been there, done that. There is a lot to see and read here at BetterMost. Take your cowboy boots off and relax. You wont find L.D.Newsome here and Joe Aguirre only peeks in from time to time to make sure none of the sheep are missing.
David
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Jerico,
Every time I hear of another pair of men in a situation sort of like yours, I am amazed at just how common it is, among younger men as well as older. And am amazed yet again at how true to life the film is, and at how rare that feeling of reality is in film.
Your story does make me curious about some things you don't go into - like whether your relationship is complicated by a current marriage on either side. And how physical he has been willing to get. A person can deny anything, but it makes a difference whether the thing between you has been made obvoous to you both and is only being kept from others, or whether he can deny both the physical and the emotional part of his attraction to you because certain things haven't been allowed to happen yet.
It always seems as if the first crack in the self-image of a man who considers himself heterosexual comes when he has taken sexual action with a man and has to face the intensity of the feelings that released in him. And of course it is much harder to deny those when it is a very good friend, than when it is a man whose name you don't know and who you never see again.
But to a person with a different makeup, it could happen first with this film (I can't say, a film like this one since there IS no other film like this one). As it did with you. Seeing yourself, with that horrible shock of recognition, up on the screen, forced to wonder if you would some day relive those exact moments, say those very words.
For reference, I'm a man who has had many years to get used to the idea that I love a man, have fulfilled myself to the utmost with my love for this man, would have led a narrow shadow life if I had never wrestled with myself. And always been grateful that it was this particular individual I had the incredible good fortune to cross paths with, not one of the hundreds of others I would undoubtedly have felt physical attraction to.
But my first love was pretty miserable -- an infatuation with a man who was dropping hints that he was starting to realize he was gay, but who also gave no indication of having anything like the feeling I had for him, while I at the same time was in a violent battle - to the death! - with the idea that I could even be feeling love for another man.
It was truly a death battle between us, but luckily it was the old self-image that died, not me.
Hope you hang around here and continue to fill us in on how it's going with you, Jerico. You won't find a more sympathetic crowd anywhere, either for what you are going through or for what a great piece of film art Brokeback Mountain is.
Andrew
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I just found this site a few days ago. I LOVE it. I loved the movie and you all are special people!
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Welcome, Carlamom2! Stay and talk awhile! You'll have a cup of coffee, won't you? Piece of cherry cake?
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I just found this site a few days ago. I LOVE it. I loved the movie and you all are special people!
Well let me be the first one ta welcome ya ta our little cyber-town
We're a rather friendly bunch an if ya got any questions about how ta get around, or where ya might find subjects of interest ta ya, feel free ta ask me or any of the moderators. Ya can find a moderator at the bottom a the home page in the "users online" sections; the mods are in red. Just click on a name there & scroll down ta send 'em a personal message. Chances are, within minutes, you'll get an answer.
In the mean time "You'll have a cup a coffee? Piece a cherry cake?"
Sheriff Roland
edit note: darn it, I never get ta be the first ta welcome folks - takin too long ta write these messages & correctin 'em
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I am a 31 yr old hetero female. Mother of 2 beautiful children, wife, friend, sister, daughter, business owner, hairstylist ect.... I saw this movie last week finally(I had been waiting so long to have time to sit and watch it). I was moved to tears. I am in an interracial marriage. I was able to relate to Ennis and Jack in my own way. I will be forever touched by this story. I am so happy I stumbled across this site. Everyone feels the same way, in many ways. I hope that makes some kind of sense. I just registered today, but I have been reading your posts for the last few days. Thanks for the welcome!
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Welcome To BetterMost CarlaMom!!
We are really happy you decided to join our family. If you see a thread you are interested in, don't be shy - jump right in. Everyone is very nice around here and you will have many Bettermostian friends in no time. Bettermost is great because we all have been affected by Brokeback Mountain just like you have. Nobody will judge you here, and everyone understands. We are all in the same boat! :D
If you have any questions, feel free to pm me. I will be more than happy to help.
By the way, my name is David and I live in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Again, welcome to BetterMost!
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Nice to meet you all. It's like a little family here. Thanks everyone for making me feel a part of it.
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Nice to meet you all. It's like a little family here. Thanks everyone for making me feel a part of it.
Welcome to Bettermost!!!, hope you find what you are looking for here, and it does feel like family here! ;)
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Andrew,
It gives me some comfort knowing I'm not alone in this situation, and a bit disturbed too that we can still be caught in it despite how far we think our society has come.
It was both a relief and little uncomfortable watching the movie the first time. When it first came out and the hype started, I joined in with the rest of my friends in making fun of it and using the term "brokeback" as a derogative term. I'd never had the courage, despite my increasing curiousity, to watch the movie before it finally came on HBO last week. I made sure to tivo it and have watched it daily without fail.
The thing that got me was the parallels I drew from the movie that reflected my life. Many of the situations that Jack and Ennis found themselves in forced me to see myself there. I saw myself as Jack, outgoing and spry with a little less inhibition, and my... I don't even know what to call him, partner? as Ennis (I'll just refer to him as "My Ennis") who is more concerned with concealment and has a lot of emotional baggage.
We became friends through mutual friends and hung out with each other almost immediatley and frequently. Things culminated at a Halloween party where our passions finally exploded and took our friendship to another level. Had a physical confrontation early on about stupid stuff (but I think it was more deep-seated) that we both ended up in the hospital with stitches. We had somewhat of an intense reunion after he returned from living in Texas for a couple months. And I suggested making something a little more permanent, only to be rebuffed because of the kids. Seeing those things on screen happeneing to other guys made me squirm a little but still held my attention. Now I can honestly say that this is one of, if not my only, favorite movie. However I can't fathom admitting it to my circle of friends or family, not even to my Ennis who'll probably think I have an agenda for showing him the movie.
To answer your questions, no neither of us are married (he's divorced, I've never have) but he does have three children (range 7 to 15) that he adores to death. And we have gotten about as physical with each other as two people can. I'm afraid to say, and I know I'll be chastised for this, that we regularly engage in unsafe activities. This is something I'm even surprised at myself because I had never done without protection. But to me that says that we trust each other.
To clarify our status, we both consider ourselves bisexual. I have no other way to describe myself but as a commitment-phobe. I've had some lukewarm to semi-serious girlfriends in the past. Never anything that escalated to the point of discussing marriage. I think I'd always found a way to leave the relationship. And it's funny seeing myself typing that because even knowing that years ago in the middle of another relationship, I just went along with my gut instinct and would somehow mess up things up.
I had my first interaction with a man when I was 19. I'd always had a twinkle of attraction for guys before but never acted on it. And anything with other men never amounted to anything past the physical. I never established any kind of relationship, mostly because I was scared and didn't understand myself. Took a while to classify myself as bisexual... I'd always just said I was a sexual person, no prefix. That somehow was alright with me.
But now my Ennis came into my life... and for the first time in my life (I'm 32 now) I'm looking to the future, not scared of what will happen, but scared that it won't happen. It boggles my mind.
So getting back to the movie after my long-winded post, it really made me see that waiting for the opportunity to take the bull by the horns may never come... that it's now or never. But even then, it's still daunting.
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Welcome Carla and Jerico! Carla, it was nice talking with you in chat the other night. Jerico, so nice to see you over here - I've enjoyed reading your posts at IMDb.
I'm gonna copy Carla's idea (imitation is the highest form of flattery, after all) and post a larger version of my (newish) avatar here since it's so small.
(http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid149/pa77a530700bbd5e9e0a1d048e652b974/f5efc784.jpg)
Nice to know ya both. I think you'll find that it's some sweet life over here.
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Barb nice pic!! And now, we break for an important message for our esteemed moderator latjoreme (katherine).
Congratz from all of us who love the Open Forum on your 2200th post!!!
(http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2006-8/1210035/2200.jpg)
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Great pic Barb. LOL, I did that at first because I couldn't get the avitar thing figured out. I do think it is nice to know the people you are chatting with, you know?
Still go the fever everyone. A sick daughter slowed me down a bit....(pnuemonia) Someone wants to borrow my copy of the short story. I am going to pretend like I keep forgetting!
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Still go the fever everyone. A sick daughter slowed me down a bit....(pnuemonia) Someone wants to borrow my copy of the short story. I am going to pretend like I keep forgetting!
LOL, I always did the same thing, and ended up not lending it to them, but buying them their own copy! ;D
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Great pic of you, Carla! What a lovely lady you are! I think it's nice to have a mental picture of folks you're chatting with, too. But then I've always been a very visual person - it's how my memory works. I can remember every phone number I've ever had, and I do it by picturing the keypad and the sequence of the numbers being entered in. I think that's why all us software developer geeks are good at coding and math and such, but not so good at listening.
ANYWAY... I've also bought copies of the movie and the short story to just give to people, too, rather than lend them my own. Hey, it's the gift that keeps on giving, and you never know when you want to take a little more from it. Plus I feel like I'm supporting it all the more by throwing as much money at it as possible.
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Great pic of you, Carla! What a lovely lady you are! I think it's nice to have a mental picture folks you're chatting with, too. But then I've always been a very visual person - it's how my memory works. I can remember every phone number I've ever had, and I do it by picturing the keypad and the sequence of the numbers being entered in. I think that's why all us software developer geeks are good at coding and math and such, but not so good at listening.
I am glad you decided to use your picture as your avatar! You look exactly like a friend of mine from my volunteer job! ;D
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I am glad you decided to use your picture as your avatar! You look exactly like a friend of mine from my volunteer job! ;D
Cool! What volunteer job do you do, again?
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As an editor for a magazine that the RSI patient association publishes for people with repetitive strain injury! :)
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an important message for our esteemed moderator latjoreme (katherine). Congratz from all of us who love the Open Forum on your 2200th post!!!
Hey thanks, FRiend! You noticed before I did. And I LOVE the art!!
Barb, I've seen pictures of you before, but this one is particularly nice and clear. Thanks for posting it!
Carla, welcome to BetterMost! Your picture is very nice, too.
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You're welcome! Say, CarlaMom2, when you say you've still got the fever, you mean Brokeback fever, right? If that's the case, I hope you never get better, only betterMost!!
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Thanks guys :-*
My friend didn't ask me about the book today whew!!!!
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I am a 58 year old gay man who has seen Brokeback at least 5 times. I come from the era of Brokeback which was the early 60's. The movie profoundly affected me in several ways. During that period of time the gay culture was underground. There were very few clubs or bars you could go to without fearing a police raid. I was actually in a bar raid where paddy wagons arrested about 100 people for being in a homosexual establishment. We also feared leaving clubs without being escorted to our vehicles in fear of being bashed. As far as my professional life, I was in the education system which was definitely not the place to be. I had to remain closeted and fearful of being outed. I had pictures of various girls on my desk as a decoy and the lies were excessive. The isolation was horrible. In addition I was an only son in a first generation Italian family. When my father found a note I had written to another gay man, he began drinking heavily which in a short time killed him.
I had the opportunity of having an eight year relationship with someone. We broke up in 1981 and he died of AIDS in 1989. Since then, I more or less gave up on relationships and stopped dating. I haven't lived with anyone since 1981. I retired to Florida from New York about 2 years ago. Last October when Hurricane Wilma hit Florida I was alone and suffered a heart problem and ended up with a pacemaker. I've kept my life filled with a few friends but never wanted to pursue a relationship until BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN. When I saw Ennis looking out that window all alone it made me realize that you shouldn't give up on love and you need to take risks. I never wanted to risk the chance of being hurt again in a relationship but BBM made me realize that the alternative (Ennis) was not the way.
I work part time at a furniture store and I met another gay man who asked me out. I never would accept a date from anyone. BBM made me change my mind and I decided to take a chance. To make a long story short, we've been together 7 months now and very happy. If it wasn't for BBM, I would have never found my own Brokeback Mountain. Thanks Ennis! And Thanks to ANG LEE for showing everyone the isolation and the fear we experienced!
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Welcome To BetterMost Vince!! :D
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I am a 58 year old gay man who has seen Brokeback at least 5 times. I come from the era of Brokeback which was the early 60's. The movie profoundly affected me in several ways. During that period of time the gay culture was underground. There were very few clubs or bars you could go to without fearing a police raid. I was actually in a bar raid where paddy wagons arrested about 100 people for being in a homosexual establishment. We also feared leaving clubs without being escorted to our vehicles in fear of being bashed. As far as my professional life, I was in the education system which was definitely not the place to be. I had to remain closeted and fearful of being outed. I had pictures of various girls on my desk as a decoy and the lies were excessive. The isolation was horrible. In addition I was an only son in a first generation Italian family. When my father found a note I had written to another gay man, he began drinking heavily which in a short time killed him.
I had the opportunity of having an eight year relationship with someone. We broke up in 1981 and he died of AIDS in 1989. Since then, I more or less gave up on relationships and stopped dating. I haven't lived with anyone since 1981. I retired to Florida from New York about 2 years ago. Last October when Hurricane Wilma hit Florida I was alone and suffered a heart problem and ended up with a pacemaker. I've kept my life filled with a few friends but never wanted to pursue a relationship until BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN. When I saw Ennis looking out that window all alone it made me realize that you shouldn't give up on love and you need to take risks. I never wanted to risk the chance of being hurt again in a relationship but BBM made me realize that the alternative (Ennis) was not the way.
I work part time at a furniture store and I met another gay man who asked me out. I never would accept a date from anyone. BBM made me change my mind and I decided to take a chance. To make a long story short, we've been together 7 months now and very happy. If it wasn't for BBM, I would have never found my own Brokeback Mountain. Thanks Ennis! And Thanks to ANG LEE for showing everyone the isolation and the fear we experienced!
Hi Vince...great to have you here..
I wanted to tell you not to blame yourself for your father. He had to have already had the addiction. and that is not your fault.
{{{Vince}}}
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Vince, Good for you! You have to move on. I am so happy you have happiness in your life again. ;)
Nice to meet you, Carla
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Just wanted to show you guys my two childre......Kyle is 6 and Sophia is 4. They are a blast!
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CUTE!!
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Thanks ;D
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When I saw Ennis looking out that window all alone it made me realize that you shouldn't give up on love and you need to take risks. I never wanted to risk the chance of being hurt again in a relationship but BBM made me realize that the alternative (Ennis) was not the way.
I work part time at a furniture store and I met another gay man who asked me out. I never would accept a date from anyone. BBM made me change my mind and I decided to take a chance. To make a long story short, we've been together 7 months now and very happy. If it wasn't for BBM, I would have never found my own Brokeback Mountain. Thanks Ennis! And Thanks to ANG LEE for showing everyone the isolation and the fear we experienced!
Welcome to Bettermost Vince, it's so wonderful to hear that this movie has affected you in this way... I had tears in my eyes when I read your post, another reason this movie is life-changing! I wish you all the best, you and your new love....
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Thanks ;D
You have beautiful children, Carla! :)
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I work part time at a furniture store and I met another gay man who asked me out. I never would accept a date from anyone. BBM made me change my mind and I decided to take a chance. To make a long story short, we've been together 7 months now and very happy. If it wasn't for BBM, I would have never found my own Brokeback Mountain. Thanks Ennis! And Thanks to ANG LEE for showing everyone the isolation and the fear we experienced!
Thanks for sharing such a life-affirming story, vince. This miracle of a movie continues to work miracles in individual lives.
I notice from your profile that you've been a member since March, but this is your first post. Your voice is very welcome here! I think I recall seeing you around on the old board on IMDb. I don't visit there very much these days; BetterMost just seems more...well, better!
Cheers,
Scott
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Thanks for sharing such a life-affirming story, vince. This miracle of a movie continues to work miracles in individual lives.
I notice from your profile that you've been a member since March, but this is your first post. Your voice is very welcome here! I think I recall seeing you around on the old board on IMDb. I don't visit there very much these days; BetterMost just seems more...well, better!
Cheers,
Scott
You are so right, Scott, I sometimes sneak in there (imdb) and every time it scares the hell out of me and I quickly return to our safe bettermost! ;D
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Hey, Vince! Good to see ya over here! Been reading your posts over at IMDb and enjoying them very much. :) As I mentioned over there, I'm in South Florida, too, and know from the fun of being alone with Hurricane Wilma. Sorry to hear of the tough time you went through during that, but I'm glad things are turning around in such a nice way for you.
Your kids are beautiful, Carla! So much positive energy coming from their eyes. They look like lovely old souls.
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Vince, I remember seeing your name for a long time too. That's an extremely touching story. I think it's really important to hear what it used to be like.
Carla, your children look peaceful and happy.
I'm glad you are both here. Both your stories are proof that some important things are heading in the right direction.
Welcome to BetterMost. I've been here since March and love it.
Clarissa
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I was so happy to read your story, Vince, and so glad you posted it here! I hope to see you around often. In the full moon chat earlier this week we talked about the importance of not giving up on love, that it is worth the risk. So many coworkers and friends of mine who are single have given up. They substitute watching a movie or TV show, or turn to drugs or alcohol. That can not take the place of finding love, even if it's only for a short time--the two months that Jack and Ennis had.
I love the photo of your two children, Carla! If you want, I would be glad to show you how to make it fit in the frame better, like JakeTwist (Jane) showed me!
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I don't know what happened, my last attatchment fit in nicely. Oh well..........You are right they are like old souls. Especially, Sophia!
It's been a pleasure getting to know all of you. I get a little overwhelmed at some of the posts that go into so much detail about the movie. I think , "Wow I just loved the movie! I must be blind or need to watch the movie more!" I do enjoy reading them, though. I have picked up alot of info from you all.
Talk to you later, gotta go do a haircut!
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Welcome To BetterMost Vince!! :D
Thanks David. Had to get off IMDB board. Too many trolls. This looks like a nice place.
Vince
(edilted to fix quotes)
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Welcome to BetterMost Kerry!
What a wonderful post. I can personally relate to many things you wrote about. My lover (now my ex lover) revealed to me he was bisexual a few months ago. Of course, this relationship didn't work out, and he is busy trying to restart our failed relationship. (I attract bisexual men like flies for some reason). Anyway, welcome to BetterMost. I hope you enjoy this forum. If you have any questions, feel free to PM me, and don't be shy. If you find a certain thread interesting, post something. Everyone is very friendly and helpful here. :D
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Kerry, thank you so much for sharing that with us. I can't imagine getting that note. Or maybe I CAN imagine it resulting in standing in one spot for hours after it. I'm so glad you are here.
David, I imagine you attract EVERYONE like flies, gay, straight, man, woman, cat, dog. You are one of the most genuinely warm people I know.
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Hi Kerry, and welcome to our little family! :D
I knew after the first few lines that I shouldn't have read your post at work - I've had to excuse myself to have a cry in the toilets! :'( You are a wonderful and emotive writer - I hope we'll hear much more from you. You'll find much love and support here... :)
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Hi Kerry, I just read your post. I was so touched. Everyone is so great here. I am sure you will like it :) Nice to meet ya!
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Welcome to Bettermost Kerry, thank you for sharing your extraordinary story, is it wrong of me to ask if you intend to write a book about it? You are indeed a very good writer, judging from your post...
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Kerry: I kind of thought about the book, too. I would love to hear your story in more detail. You went through alot, but you really overcame so much to get to the place you are today.
Carla
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Welcome, Kerry! I agree that you are a wonderful writer. I'm looking forward to reading more of your writings here.
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Thank you for your warm words of welcome. I am thrilled to have found this safe haven. This happy place surrounded by like-minded friends. I look forward to spending many hours in your company in future.
LOL
Kerry :)
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Thank you for your warm words of welcome. I am thrilled to have found this safe haven.
We're so glad you did! :)
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Welcome kerry! This is a very good place...
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Just wanted to share with you all the photo of my son I've selected for our holiday cards this year. Not exactly Christmas-y or Hannakuh-ish, but I figured I could have them printed to say "Happy Holidays, me hardies!" (or is it hearties?) or some such silliness.
(http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid220/p63a7e42ece7476d0618ad263daae2ce9/ebaadd54.jpg)
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What a cute picture, Barb! And he looks like you -- or at least, what I think you look like from YOUR picture.
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Just wanted to share with you all the photo of my son I've selected for our holiday cards this year. Not exactly Christmas-y or Hannakuh-ish, but I figured I could have them printed to say "Happy Holidays, me hardies!" (or is it hearties?) or some such silliness.
(http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid220/p63a7e42ece7476d0618ad263daae2ce9/ebaadd54.jpg)
What a cute boy! He looks so happy! :)
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Thanks for those unsolicited compliments. ;)
Yes, he's always been a happy soul. Except for that colicky period, when he screamed like a banshee and fought like a marlin between the hours of 5 and 7 p.m. every night for a month. Ed used to swaddle him up and walk around the block, just holding him tight, trying to calm him down. I'd say, "Well, look at it this way - he's going to be a lively person." Boy, was I right about that one.
And Katherine, it's funny how he looks so much like both of us at the same time. He's got Ed's mouth, but apparently my overbite (sorry, Will). He's got Ed's eyebrows, but my eyes. And he's got both of our dimples. We don't know where the heck his nose came from - we think from Ed's Mom's family.
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How adorable!!!!!!
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Thank you for your warm words of welcome. I am thrilled to have found this safe haven. This happy place surrounded by like-minded friends. I look forward to spending many hours in your company in future.
LOL
Kerry :)
Kerry,
I have read your post here, gone away, thought, gone away, thought some more, and I just still don't have adequate words to express how moved I am. I was stuck for awhile on WHAT could have happened?! But that's not helpful nor productive. Now, I think I am simply in awe of your generosity of heart and spirit as an example of love transcending all. We are thrilled that you found us, that's for certain! Welcome, friend, and be at home.
-Lynne
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Hi. I am a near-40, married, female, heterosexual, Psychologist. “Psychologist, heal thyself”, right? Well, not entirely. Since my initial viewing of BBM on Sunday evening, I have felt completely overwhelmed with thoughts and emotions, and what the movie represents on a larger scale, as well as how it applies to my own life. Of course, I’ve been forced to go to work in between being so distracted these past few days. The welling up of tears during moments when I am alone is overwhelming. I realize that many people who saw the movie a year ago have had time to process it, and perhaps move beyond the initial stages. A fresh wound of the heart was just opened for me. And it’s a gusher. I googled for images of the ‘dozy embrace’ so that I could sneak glances at it during the day on my computer. This has brought me great comfort over the past few days.
I mentioned to my husband that I watched BBM on HBO Sunday evening. So that I would not pre-influence his perceptions of the movie, I said very little (but wanted to say so much!) - other than to tell him that it was very powerful and that I could not stop thinking about it. I suggested that he watch it by himself first (so that I would not inhibit his own process during the movie), and that then, we should watch it together and discuss it. He is open to this. I don’t know what I will do though if he is not as gripped by this movie as I am. I honestly can’t take a second viewing of the movie right now.
I don’t want to make a long post (but I probably did), - I am so glad there is a support forum. I’ve actually never even written to a support forum before. Thanks for being there. From reading your posts, you all really do understand regardless of how many or few times the movie has been viewed, regardless of one’s sexual orientation, and the intensity of the experience. BBM is a story about love and it has an intense hold on me right now.
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Hi. I am a near-40, married, female, heterosexual, Psychologist. “Psychologist, heal thyself”, right? Well, not entirely. Since my initial viewing of BBM on Sunday evening, I have felt completely overwhelmed with thoughts and emotions, and what the movie represents on a larger scale, as well as how it applies to my own life. Of course, I’ve been forced to go to work in between being so distracted these past few days. The welling up of tears during moments when I am alone is overwhelming. I realize that many people who saw the movie a year ago have had time to process it, and perhaps move beyond the initial stages. A fresh wound of the heart was just opened for me. And it’s a gusher. I googled for images of the ‘dozy embrace’ so that I could sneak glances at it during the day on my computer. This has brought me great comfort over the past few days.
I mentioned to my husband that I watched BBM on HBO Sunday evening. So that I would not pre-influence his perceptions of the movie, I said very little (but wanted to say so much!) - other than to tell him that it was very powerful and that I could not stop thinking about it. I suggested that he watch it by himself first (so that I would not inhibit his own process during the movie), and that then, we should watch it together and discuss it. He is open to this. I don’t know what I will do though if he is not as gripped by this movie as I am. I honestly can’t take a second viewing of the movie right now.
I don’t want to make a long post (but I probably did), - I am so glad there is a support forum. I’ve actually never even written to a support forum before. Thanks for being there. From reading your posts, you all really do understand regardless of how many or few times the movie has been viewed, regardless of one’s sexual orientation, and the intensity of the experience. BBM is a story about love and it has an intense hold on me right now.
WELCOME TO BETTERMOST BBM Cat!!
Many of us have literally watched Brokeback Mountain close to 100 times, and we still get emotional each time we watch it.
Yes, this is a terrific support forum. Everyone is very nice and helpful here. If you have any questions or need any help, feel free to pm me. If you see an interesting thread, be sure to post something in it. Don't be shy!
Once again, Welcome! :)
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Thank you David for the warm welcome. This is a great forum for support and interesting discussions, which I hope to participate in - I've enjoyed reading so many thoughtful insights and have learned much in my short BBM career.
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Welcome, BBM-Cat. I can't tell you how much I understand your wanting your husband to be moved by it like you do. I saw it for the first time last January. And waited until April, when it was released on DVD, for mine to finally see it. He didn't have reservations for any particular reason other than that he is not quite as much of a movie buff as I am and he was perhaps put off by just how overwhelmed I was by it (and continue to be).
Your suggestion that your husband watch it alone is a good one. My husband watched it with me. But it was so important to me that he watch it in an undistracted state that I remained completely silent through the whole thing - I literally had to bite my tongue a couple of times to keep myself from making a comment or asking him what he thought of this or that. I just sat there like a statue. And he wept openly when Ennis found the shirts. I've never seen him do that in 18 years of knowing him - not even when his mother or beloved dogs died. The tears just streamed silently down his face. I was relieved beyond description. After three months of loving the film so deeply, I seriously thought it would be the end of our marriage if he didn't at least begin to understand it.
As sfericsf (Eric) and others here have said more eloquently than I, you take from this movie what you bring to it. It took me 15 viewings to finally have my own psychological breakthrough - I kept feeling compelled to watch it again and again, I'm convinced, because it was trying to tell me something. It indeed was, and it did.
Enjoy the ride. It will be a long and wonderful one.
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Hi ednbarby - thank you for the welcome! I’ve read many of your thoughtful posts. Sounds like watching BBM was a positive experience for your husband as well as for you. There is something so powerfully cathartic about this movie. I’m glad you can now both share in the wonderful gift together. You got to experience your husband’s raw reaction, which I hope to experience when we both watch it together. That was such a beautiful description.
Overall, I don’t think my husband has any particular reservations other than expecting the movie to be ‘stereotypical’. I can’t wait until he discovers it is far from that! I loved your description of watching the movie together – I feel I would do the same! I’d have to restrain myself from commenting or asking for his interpretation. You can bet I’ll direct him to this support forum if he’s interested, after seeing it.
That’s interesting “you take from this movie what you bring to it” – I’m wondering if I’m so captivated by the movie because of what I don’t bring to it, or what needs attention in my life. Speaking of what needs attention right now – I’ve got to finish my work for tomorrow or I run the risk of getting even more sidetracked than I have been over the past several days. Hard to push it from my mind but I must for now. Nice talking with you.
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Hi ednbarby - thank you for the welcome! I’ve read many of your thoughtful posts. Sounds like watching BBM was a positive experience for your husband as well as for you. There is something so powerfully cathartic about this movie. I’m glad you can now both share in the wonderful gift together. You got to experience your husband’s raw reaction, which I hope to experience when we both watch it together. That was such a beautiful description.
Overall, I don’t think my husband has any particular reservations other than expecting the movie to be ‘stereotypical’. I can’t wait until he discovers it is far from that! I loved your description of watching the movie together – I feel I would do the same! I’d have to restrain myself from commenting or asking for his interpretation. You can bet I’ll direct him to this support forum if he’s interested, after seeing it.
That’s interesting “you take from this movie what you bring to it” – I’m wondering if I’m so captivated by the movie because of what I don’t bring to it, or what needs attention in my life. Speaking of what needs attention right now – I’ve got to finish my work for tomorrow or I run the risk of getting even more sidetracked than I have been over the past several days. Hard to push it from my mind but I must for now. Nice talking with you.
Welcome BBM-Cat! It's so beautiful to see that more and more people are being captivated by the beauty of BBM... I have tears in my eyes just reading your post. I hope you will be able to share your experience with your husband and that he responds in the same way to it! Welcome to Bettermost!
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Hi BBM-Cat! Just wanted to add my welcome to the others that have been posted, and to say you've joined a warm and loving family here. What I love about this forum is the diversity of people who contribute to it, but what we all have in common is an open heart to all that this wonderful film has to share with us. I've made some close and very dear friends here and it's gone some way to restoring my faith in the essential goodness of people. Again, WELCOME!! :D
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Hey there, Kerry,
I am so glad that you joined us here. I don't think you should factor pride into the tears. Let them come whenever and wherever. For me, I still wax and wane like that beloved moon and have given up trying to make any real sense of it - I guess sometimes those unhealed wounds are more sensitive than at other times.
Thanks for sharing the details of your story with Gerard. If you want a good cry, you should check out Jeff Wrangler's short story, The Grieving Plain. A link to it, and other stories by Jeff are in this thread:
http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php?topic=520.msg5323#msg5323
The Grieving Plain had my tears flowing so heavy I couldn't see the screen while I sat at my desk - my mother thought something was desperately wrong, and I had to get a grip before she completely freaked ;). But I still re-read it and cry every time.
Also, since you mentioned the early days of the AIDS epidemic and the ensuing panic...(Cannot believe the idea of exile to the Great Barrier Reef! I mean, I believe you, but Criminy)...I was wondering if you've seen the film Longtime Companion? And if so, what you thought of it. It is set in the early 80's US, and I liked it quite a lot, though it definitely has an 80's movie feel. I've been watching a lot of GLBT films since Brokeback Mountain, trying to get up to speed. There's a thread someplace around here with recommended movies and reviews and all if you're interested. I was only 12 in 1980, so I wasn't very aware of what was what back then.
Again - I'm glad you're here, Kerry - let's try to support each other in finishing Annie's story in our own lives.
Best,
Lynne
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Hi Lynne,
Thank you for recommending "The Grievng Plain." I will visit there straight after I sign-off from you. My second-favourite GLBT movie (guess what my favourite is?! LOL!) is "Beautiful Thing." It's a gorgeous love story set in working-class London in the late '90s. Unlike our favourite movie, "Beautiful Thing" has a strong feel-good element to its predominantly upbeat romantic theme. As the title suggests, it is a truly beautiful story (have a hanky with you!). Especially look out for my favourite scene depicting Jamie and Ste's first kiss. It's a lovely, feel-good story - and very touching, too. It's available on DVD. I can also recommend "Maurice," based on the classic E.M.Forster ("A Room with a View" / "A Passage to India") novel, starring Hugh Grant as a young Cambridge undergraduate of ambiguous sexuality. Another beautiful, timeless love story. Enjoy!
Fond best wishes,
Kerry
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Hi Lynne,
Thank you for recommending "The Grievng Plain." I will visit there straight after I sign-off from you. My second-favourite GLBT movie (guess what my favourite is?! LOL!) is "Beautiful Thing." It's a gorgeous love story set in working-class London in the late '90s. Unlike our favourite movie, "Beautiful Thing" has a strong feel-good element to it's predominantly upbeat romantic theme. As the title suggests, it is a truly beautiful story (have a hanky with you!). Especially look out for my favourite scene depicting Jamie and Ste's first kiss, photographed beautifully, as they walk home after visiting a gay bar for the first time. It's a lovely, feel-good story - and very touching, too. It's available on DVD. Enjoy.
Fond best wishes,
Kerry
Kerry, I LOVE 'Beautiful Thing' - such a sweet, sweet story and the two leads have wonderful chemistry. I've just had a look at 'The Grieving Plain' myself and it's very emotive. I really should stop reading this stuff at work though... :'( ::)
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:o Wow! I just noticed that I've been promoted to Junior Ranch Hand! Yeee-Haaa! :laugh:
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Hi Lynne,
Thank you for recommending "The Grievng Plain." I will visit there straight after I sign-off from you. My second-favourite GLBT movie (guess what my favourite is?! LOL!) is "Beautiful Thing." It's a gorgeous love story set in working-class London in the late '90s. Unlike our favourite movie, "Beautiful Thing" has a strong feel-good element to it's predominantly upbeat romantic theme. As the title suggests, it is a truly beautiful story (have a hanky with you!). Especially look out for my favourite scene depicting Jamie and Ste's first kiss. It's a lovely, feel-good story - and very touching, too. It's available on DVD. I can also recommend "Maurice," based on the classic E.M.Forster ("A Room with a View" / "A Passage to India") novel, starring Hugh Grant as a young Cambridge undergraduate of ambiguous sexuality. Another beautiful, timeless love story. Enjoy!
Fond best wishes,
Kerry
Kerry-
I also love, love, love Maurice, I read the novel for literature classes in high school and after I read it I saw the movie and I was stunned, I have been a Rupert Graves fan ever since... :) I have also seen Beautiful thing and you are right, it's a truly beautiful story and the actors are amazing.
Cograts on being promoted!
Mel
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Hi Saucycobblers, thank you for the warm welcome! This is such a great forum...so many insightful posters. Makes me wish I'd seen the movie a year ago but I am just that much more intrigued. Have a great day!
Hi BBM-Cat! Just wanted to add my welcome to the others that have been posted, and to say you've joined a warm and loving family here. What I love about this forum is the diversity of people who contribute to it, but what we all have in common is an open heart to all that this wonderful film has to share with us. I've made some close and very dear friends here and it's gone some way to restoring my faith in the essential goodness of people. Again, WELCOME!! :D
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Hey all
This will be my first post in here and sort of comfortable seeing familiar names around the board
This place looks different and probably it has improved a lot since last I visited upon an invitation by fellow BBM-IMDb friends. I can still remember the big banner thanking everyoneI was reluctant to register for I was so caught up with the IMDb already. Few invitations came along until today's PM received updating me on the upcoming Brokiefest! Awesome itineraries line-up! I'm sure it will be a blast hehe...
I'm not very good in introduction...I'm 33 years young, male, hetero, status (complicated). I'm a Malaysian, Christian...
BBM is banned in Malaysia so I have no other choice but to buy the pirated copy. I'm a brokie since then, lost count how many times I watched it. I must admit that BBM had helped me in dealing with the subject matter even better. I thanked fellow brokies for their input
I was banking on Ledger to be the next A-list star and that's how I was brought to BBM and no doubt he did it and with a blast. It's late (rather dawn) in here as I have a deadline to meet will probably take a quick nap later
I look forward to enjoy myself in here
Cheers all...
taj
It's so easy to fall in love O0 ::) :D ;) It's so easy to fall in love
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Welcome, taj! Come in, make yourself at home. You'll have a cuppa coffee, won't you? Piece of cherry cake?
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Welcome Taj, nice to have you here!
:)
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Welcome to our humble abode, Taj. It's very comfortable and cozy here. :)
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Hey Taj,
Let me add my voice to the chorus of welcomes. I was on IMDb, but didn't post much, and I red-lined it here when I first saw Phillip's invite. There's a sticky thread in Movie Resources of memorable posts from 'back in the day' at IMDb if you want to reminisce.
http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php?topic=2135.msg33323#msg33323
I'd be interested to hear more about the ban in Malaysia. I posted a few articles a long time ago, but I think they were mostly about BBM being banned in China. I think it's a huge triumph when the power of what people want to see/hear/read triumphs over what others think is appropriate, but that's probably my neo-American-hippie-self speaking. ::)
I'd also love to hear what it is about Brokeback Mountain that touches you so deeply, on a personal level. So, if you want to, start yourself a thread in 'Our Daily Thoughts' and spill it :) !
Again - Welcome - we're glad you're here!
Lynne
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Hello. I am very new to this forum but I find it very comfortable and warm as i was extended an invitation by such lovely people. I fell in love with BBM the first time I saw it and I look forward to sharing with others who have been positively moved by this fine film. I just have to get used to the format and all!
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Hello. I am very new to this forum but I find it very comfortable and warm as i was extended an invitation by such lovely people. I fell in love with BBM the first time I saw it and I look forward to sharing with others who have been positively moved by this fine film. I just have to get used to the format and all!
Get ready fer an avalanche a good will & welcomes
Yer sure ta find like minded brokies here, not ta mention threads a all kinds ta entertain ya & help ya through yer own growth as a result a this wonderful film we all admire deeply
You'll have a cup a coffee? Piece a cherry cake? (had ta be the first ta say it - yee haw!)
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Welcome, Faye! Nice to have you here. When did you see the movie for the first time? Just recently?
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Hey Taj!! Welcome!
How are things in Kuala Lumpur??
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Hi Barb! I just realized I didn't introduce myself adequately!
I am a 46 year old heterosexual single Mom born and raised in south Georgia where both of my parents were educators. I spent most of my married life (14 years) living in Seattle, Washington until about 4 years ago now I'm back home in Georgia. I have been teaching middle school choral music now for about 20 years and I adore poetry and music.....ALL kinds of music from Bach to Rock although I was stictly classically trained as an itty bitty thing. I have 3 awesome children, 2 girls and 1 boy.
I first BBM on November 29th of this year and I haven't been quite the same since.
Faye
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Welcome Faye92! Come in and make yourself at home! We are all certified Broke by Brokebacks here! You'll have a cuppa coffee, won't you? Piece of cherry cake?
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Hi Barb! I just realized I didn't introduce myself adequately!
I am a 46 year old heterosexual single Mom born and raised in south Georgia where both of my parents were educators. I spent most of my married life (14 years) living in Seattle, Washington until about 4 years ago now I'm back home in Georgia. I have been teaching middle school choral music now for about 20 years and I adore poetry and music.....ALL kinds of music from Bach to Rock although I was stictly classically trained as an itty bitty thing. I have 3 awesome children, 2 girls and 1 boy.
I first BBM on November 29th of this year and I haven't been quite the same since.
Faye
Hey there, again, Faye! I didn't realize you were in Georgia! (This means you get whisky in your coffee in addition to cherry cake ;) ) Seriously, tho, I'm in TN, and I can practically count southeast US Brokies on one hand! You're going to find a lot in common with people here. Roland is a teacher. There are lots of parents (Ellemeno/Seattle and EdnBarby/Florida pop immediately to mind). David925 and Andrew and Scott and (...tons of people I'm leaving out) alll are interested in Classsical Music.
Welcome!
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Hi from me, I'm in the UK, Gay out & proud. Love BBM ;D love the cowboy threads in this place.
Zander
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another Brit! ;D
welcome and as always...
You'll have a cuppa coffee, won't you? Piece of cherry cake?
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Zander -
Welcome To BetterMost!
If you ever have any questions, please feel free to pm me. I would be happy to help! :)
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Hi Barb! I just realized I didn't introduce myself adequately!
I am a 46 year old heterosexual single Mom born and raised in south Georgia where both of my parents were educators. I spent most of my married life (14 years) living in Seattle, Washington until about 4 years ago now I'm back home in Georgia. I have been teaching middle school choral music now for about 20 years and I adore poetry and music.....ALL kinds of music from Bach to Rock although I was stictly classically trained as an itty bitty thing. I have 3 awesome children, 2 girls and 1 boy.
I first BBM on November 29th of this year and I haven't been quite the same since.
You wouldn't be in Columbus, GA by any chance, would you? That's where my husband's father and brother and his family all live and have for many years. I'm in South Florida, myself, but born and raised in Western New York, and I spent some time in Ohio before coming down here 13 years ago. We have a five-year-old son, as you've probably seen from the photo (and read from my endless blatherings about him).
I'm 41 and an IT geek at a pharmaceutical company.
Nice to know ya, Faye. And we all know from not being the same since. :)
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Hi everyone! It's ironic that you would mention Columbus, Ga.. Barb My mother lives there with my step-father. She remarried shortly after my father passed away in January of 2000. Presently I am living in Atlanta, Ga. We'll probably be paying them a quick visit for the holidays.
Lynne, you made me laugh regarding the spiked coffee...you sure got that right! ;D
David and I had a nice chat yesterday. Didn't know he was a Pa! Next time I'll have to brag a bunch about mine!
Thank you Front-Ranger! Gald to be on board!
I'm looking forward to chatting with so many of the awesome peopel here and beyond but please beware.... I loooove to talk and share. Just nicely tell me when to shut up!!!!!!!!!! :laugh:
Love ya!
Faye
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Hiya everyone, I am Emma. I'm 15 years old and I come from Southampton, England.
I came here having heard about your website on the IMDb forum, which I have been addicted to for a while! It's nice to find more people to talk to this film about, all my friends are getting fed up with me talking about it all the time.
Looking forward to meeting you guys :)
Emma.
p.s. I love these cowboy smilies!
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Welcome, Emma!! (Do you know Becky?) You'll have a cuppa coffee, won't you (or tea)? Piece a cherry cake??
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No I don't know Becky. And I don't like tea or coffee :P.... but I will have a bit of that cake, sure.
Some more stuff about me: I am in my last year of school, and I work as a waitress at a hotel near my house. I love listening to music, my fav bands are Coldplay, The Killers and Keane. Other films I like include Titanic, Edward Scissorhands & Bridget Jones. I play the piano and the oboe. I love my friends, and I love Christmas! My fav season is Summer and my least fav is Autumn (not that that is important at all). I have seen BBM at least 7 times, which is really sad, I just really like it, but a lot of my friends don't so I want people to talk to about it. Enough rambling from me, see you soon :)
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That's great, Emma. Especially about the oboe. (Do you like Death Cab for Cutie?)
But, you're supposed to say, I'll take some coffee, but I can't eat no cake just now. It doesn't matter if you hate coffee and love cake!!
I hereby sentence you to watch Brokeback Mountain every day until you can recite each line by heart!! ;D In other words, our dream vacation...
just kidding on all this, you understand!! Love yr posts!!
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Hi, Emma! I've enjoyed your posts over at IMDb. You are mature well beyond your years. I reckon you hear that a lot.
And only 7 times? Hell, I've seen it 20, and I'm just getting started. You'll find you fit right in with us here. It's pretty much All Brokeback All The Time, and we like it that way. ;D
I love The Killers, by the way. Green Day is my very favorite, though. I was very comfortably entrenched in my Green Day obsession, in fact, until this movie came along and wrested me right out of that one and into this one. I still adore Billie Joe, Tre and Mike, though.
Welcome. You're among friends here.
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Thanks :)
I've only seen it 7 times, yes, but I have only owned the DVD for a few weeks! Everyone I've spoken to seems really friendly, which is great, I feel really at home here already! I like Green Day too, but not as much as you apparently, but I haven't heard of Death Cab for Cutie - I'll have to look that up.
Nice to meet y'all :)
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You'll find you fit right in with us here. It's pretty much All Brokeback All The Time, and we like it that way. ;D
:o Spot-on! I saw Brokeback Mountain at the cinema 9 times and I've lost track of the number of times I've watched the DVD. Also lost track of the number of times I've read the original short story and screenplay. I have photo's of Jack and Ennis in the dozey embrace in my bedroom and living room and the poster is in my kitchen. Pretty much everywhere you turn at my place, you see Jack and Ennis. When I switch on my 'puter, there's Jack and Ennis again - in the wallpaper and screen saver. And yes, you're right, I like it this way. In fact, I LOVE it this way, and wouldn't have it any other way. Twelve months on and my obsession is right in its prime :laugh:
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:o Spot-on! I saw Brokeback Mountain at the cinema 9 times and I've lost track of the number of times I've watched the DVD. Also lost track of the number of times I've read the original short story and screenplay. I have photo's of Jack and Ennis in the dozey embrace in my bedroom and living room and the poster is in my kitchen. Pretty much everywhere you turn at my place, you see Jack and Ennis. When I switch on my 'puter, there's Jack and Ennis again - in the wallpaper and screen saver. And yes, you're right, I like it this way. In fact, I LOVE it this way, and wouldn't have it any other way. Twelve months on and my obsession is right in its prime :laugh:
Ain't that the truth, Kerry? Mine's gotten to the point where I don't even need those visual cues to be reminded of our boys (but that doesn't keep me from having them around). I held the door of the coffee shop open this morning for a guy wearing a cowboy hat (in South Florida, no less - he had shorts on though, not jeans), and he said "Thank ya" in this low drawl, I swear, that sounded just like Ennis. About made me do a double-take. Then I got in my car, turned the key in the ignition, switched the radio back on, and the Naked Eyes version of "Always Something There to Remind Me" was just starting up! It was almost eerie.
And yes, I *really* should get out more. :)
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It's a Seattle band somewhat in the style of Nirvana but more melodic. Look them up in time for the New Year because their CD Transatlanticism begins with a New Year song.
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Hi Emma! You play the oboe and piano? That caught my eye immediately! My son plays the oboe as well. It is a difficult instrument to play. You must be really sharp to play it and no doubt that you are! My two daughters play the cello and piano as well. How long have you been playing?
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That's great, Emma. Especially about the oboe. (Do you like Death Cab for Cutie?)
But, you're supposed to say, I'll take some coffee, but I can't eat no cake just now. It doesn't matter if you hate coffee and love cake!!
I hereby sentence you to watch Brokeback Mountain every day until you can recite each line by heart!! ;D In other words, our dream vacation...
just kidding on all this, you understand!! Love yr posts!!
Hi Front Ranger. I really need to watch the movie again. I didn't quite get this when you first asked me about the cherry cake and coffee!!! :-\
Faye
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:o Spot-on! I saw Brokeback Mountain at the cinema 9 times and I've lost track of the number of times I've watched the DVD. Also lost track of the number of times I've read the original short story and screenplay. I have photo's of Jack and Ennis in the dozey embrace in my bedroom and living room and the poster is in my kitchen. Pretty much everywhere you turn at my place, you see Jack and Ennis. When I switch on my 'puter, there's Jack and Ennis again - in the wallpaper and screen saver. And yes, you're right, I like it this way. In fact, I LOVE it this way, and wouldn't have it any other way. Twelve months on and my obsession is right in its prime :laugh:
Kerry, I think most of us can relate to those things you do.
You're gonna fit right in around here buddy! :)
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Thanks for the warm welcome!
Nothing much to say on the banning of BBM in Malaysia. We banned and probably will always ban anything lol. Kinda sad but hey I'm a good citizen :P
I just have to learn to accept that perhaps. We can ban BBM but I can always find my ways
Kuala Lumpur is superb man! Christmas and New Year are coming, the city will always be alive
I'm getting myself familiar to the features in this board. I'm so glad that you guys archived the IMDb's threads. Memories...I spent quite some time reading them ;D
Thanks to those who emailed me...you guys made me feel at home :)
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But maybe I still need a tour guide hehe..
What is the next best step? There's so many to read and I feel kinda it's too late to participate in any ongoing threads
1. Invited
2. Registered
3. Introduced myself
4. Read the archived
5. Participate in the new threads? OR? Any suggestion?
Basically I wanted to read as much info on BBM and to know how it affects ppl life like it did on mine and finally just enjoying corresponding with all you guys through and across the board
Cheers!
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Hi taj -
You can participate in any way that you like -- respond to old threads (agree, disagree, make other observations, bring a new perspective), respond to new threads, start new threads, join the chat, post in other parts of the board, be serious, be silly... Anything. Don't worry about saying things or feeling things that other people have said or felt before. When this thing grabs hold of you, you've got to deal with it. We know that.
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What Naky said ...
Some people find a lot a satisfaction on the "lighter side", many, many people love discussing minute detail a the movie on this forum (Open Forum), and if ya wanna do somethin completely unrelated, there's the "Chez Tremblay" and the "Anything Goes" forums. - Oh & did I mention, no, I forgot (& so did naky) a lot a people love to read up on fanfiction (new stories, usually involving our boys, in new stories, written by fellow BetterMost Brokies).
Ya really can go where ya wanna from there.
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Oh & did I mention, no, I forgot (& so did naky) a lot a people love to read up on fanfiction (new stories, usually involving our boys, in new stories, written by fellow BetterMost Brokies).
Believe me, I didn't forget. I figured that most people end up there anyway, and there's no need to encourage it or try to speed up the process.
:-X
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ehm Roland, did you forget something? taj, there is something here at this BBM Forum that you won't see anywhere else, it is known as "The Performance Thread". Here is a link to the first page,
http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php?topic=2739.msg44864#msg44864 (http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php?topic=2739.msg44864#msg44864)
and to get to understand what it is all about, just read Lee (Front-Ranger)'s excellent synopsiseses, here are the links to them as well.
Part 1 - http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php?topic=3353.msg74162#msg74162 (http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php?topic=3353.msg74162#msg74162)
Part 2 - http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php?topic=3353.msg105720#msg105720 (http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php?topic=3353.msg105720#msg105720)
Part 3 - http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php?topic=3353.msg105799#msg105799 (http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php?topic=3353.msg105799#msg105799)
Part 4 - http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php?topic=3353.msg105822#msg105822 (http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php?topic=3353.msg105822#msg105822)
The PT is still in production, we just passed our six-month milestone two days ago, on Jakey's birthday! ;D We are presently at Scene 49 - Bobby And His Daddy On The Tractor.
The PT is open to any BetterMostian who wants to jump in and post, and there are just five roles still open if anyone is interested in filling the roles:
Alma Jr
Jenny
Divorce Judge
Western Dancer
Carl
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I've been playing the Oboe for nearly 4 years and the piano for 8 years in January. I always wanted to learn the cello, but my mum won't let me!
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I’m wondering if I’m so captivated by the movie because of what I don’t bring to it, or what needs attention in my life. Speaking of what needs attention right now – I’ve got to finish my work for tomorrow or I run the risk of getting even more sidetracked than I have been over the past several days. Hard to push it from my mind but I must for now. Nice talking with you.
BBM-Cat2006, let me be one of the first to wish you a very happy end-of-the-year birthday!! You have enriched our lives so much in your time here, it's hard to believe you just came to us in mid-December!! "Nice to know you" BBM-etc. and I hope to see you around, huh, lots next year!!
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Hello all-- New here
My name is Ed,I am a single 47 year old man.I live in south central Kentucky.A very rural and conservitive area.I farm for a living.
I have been reading the forum for several months now.Thought it was time to join.
I hope that I might be able to add a little something to this forum as time goes on.
Ed
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Hi Ed,
Welcome again. It was nice meeting you in chat tonight. So I guess we'll be seeing you around, hunh? ;) :)
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Hi Ed, welcome. My dad was born in Green County, Kentucky, which has to be close to where you are. His father was a tobacco farmer. Dad left to go to college in Chicago, then settled in Indianapolis, where I grew up. Mom was from a farm family too.
Look forward to seeing you around!
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Hi there, Phillip,
Great site you have here! Am anxious to introduce myself to the members. Here is a short scan of my experience with BBM: took me until January 3rd, this year to hype up the courage to buy the movie in DVD format; viewing it just floored me with gut-wrenching tears. Brought back sweet and lump-throat memories of my one-month skiing on Marmot Basin in Jasper, Alberta, where I met Chuck from Valemont, BC, 10 years ago. The scene between Ennis and Jack leaving each other at the beginning just tears me apart as it did after our skiing vacation ended. I'm a gay man. Chuck, I remember, never brought up the subject. I still, today, don't know. What happened between the two of us just happened. He left one day B4 I did. We did not ski that day; just stayed in bed talking, cuddling. I could not stay in Jasper another day; the lonesomeness was more than I could take. Took the next plane out from Edmonton to Montreal (talk about an eternity!!). There were many times I wondered if it would be a good idea to try to locate him as I never got any news from him. Then entertained the notion that he's married and it would not be a good idea. Perhaps a disappointing answer I could not accept (being the introverted-sensitive person that I am). I consider myself to be the Ennis type - introverted and not much of a talker. I enjoy my own company and keep myself physically fit with racket sports although I once messed up my right hip crashing into the squash court wall which obliged me to convalesce for two months but back into it now full swing. I've had many occasions to get into a relationship but find honest and sincere relationships impossible. During the past few days I have been viewing, in the privacy of my apartment, BBM with all the lights switched off. Pent-up emotions quickly surge up. I just wish I knew how to "quit" them. It's too heart-breaking for me. Too many sweet memories coming back haunting me. Difficult times to get to sleep. I've got to go now as I feel stinging tears coming through. I'm not one who "gets over ii."
Warmest and sincerest affection for giving me a chance to briefly summarize my current make-up.
Pierre
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Hi Pierre!
First of all, Welcome to Bettermost! I'm happy you decided to join our family!
I read your post and I have been through some similar experiences. Your story really touched my heart though. I sincerely hope you will find closure soon.
You will find many caring and compassionate people here at Bettermost, willing to listen, talk and share experiences with you. Feel free to talk and express yourself all you want to. You won't be judged here.
Once again, welcome to Bettermost. If I can be of any help, please send me a pm! I'm glad you decided to join our community! :)
David.
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Hi, Ed and Pierre. Welcome to you both!
Thanks for sharing your story with us, Pierre. It makes my heart hurt to know there are still so many men living a life like Ennis' out there. I'm glad you've found the movie and us. Most of us here are not ones to just get over it, either, at least not where this movie is concerned.
I've been to Montreal once - beautiful city. And Ed, I spent six years in Dayton, Ohio, and spent a week once houseboating on Lake Cumberland in Kentucky with some friends. Pretty country there, too. Lovely to have you both here.
Barb
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Hi everybody,
I just want to say how relieved and excited I was to find this forum. I must admit, I saw the movie for the first time Saturday, 1/6/07 on HBO and then watched again Sunday on HBO on Demand. I feel there must have been a reason that I didn't see it before. I don't think I would have been ready for the impact. Sunday night I found this forum and was overwhelmed. It is now Tuesday and I am getting a little better. I have NEVER been impacted by a film this way and actually have never even been a fan of movies because I read constantly and usually prefer books. When I am a litlle more stable I will read the story. After watching I felt as if I had the wind knocked out of me. I realized yesterday that it forced me to feel feelings and stir passions that I had left for dead about three years ago. I live in a rather mundane, suburban environment, and I had succumbed to the monotony of life. I also stuffed my feelings and passions and creativity back down with too much food, alcohol and sleep. The movie awakened me. I will no longer hold back at telling someone how I feel, or spend time with people who I don't enjoy. I will no longer be afraid to feel passionately about art or books, or life just because others around me don't feel it. I crave meaning and passion in my relationships, and I will not be afraid to reach out anymore, even if it means being rejected. This film was the most wonderful thing I have ever seen, and I am eager to speak with all of you about your experience. I am so glad to be here, and I believe fate and Brokeback Mountain found me at the right time.
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Welcome, skye. Believe me, we know what you're going through. There ain't no reins on this one.
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WOW, Skye. I swear, you just told my story. You saw the movie for the first time a year almost to the day that I first saw it (my first viewing was 1/7/06). Just like you, I truly believe I would not have been ready to receive it if I'd seen it even one year prior. It reawakened me, too, and as Naky alluded to, pretty much all of us here.
Welcome. Make yourself at home. As you've probably seen, it's very easy to do here. Nothing but loving, passionate, reawakened souls around these parts.
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Howdy, all, I am an older man, who was touched very deeply by this fine film by Ang Lee. I have been in the closet for the sake of my job, but I have been in a monogamous relationship for over 11 years now. It was my partner, who first told me about Brokeback Mountain, and I couldn't get enough of it. I remember first seeing Annie Proulx's Wyoming Tales a few years ago on a shelf in a Borders store. When I heard of Brokeback Mountain I couldn't get enough of it. The first thing I got was the CD audio book, then the new book. We went to the film the evening it came out in our area. It was a high point of our lives. We got the DVD standard screen the first day of release. We were thrilled to its being nominated for best picture in the Academy Awards, but I was so offended that it didn't win that I will not watch Academy Award programs for years. I will not watch it this year. Trash, I mean Crash, winning over it is the worst injustice ever perpetrated by the Academy. They hardly award excellence, they award on the "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours" principle. Three cheers for the Foreign Press giving Brokeback its due. I love Jake, Heath, Ang, Annie, Anne, Michele, Diana, Larry, Randy, and all the rest who brought this great treasure to the world. Thank you, and may God bless all of you. We love you forever! P.S. Notice that my name on this web is taken from the story/movie. There is Brokeback Mountain and Riverton Plain. "Jack, I swear that I will always love you!"
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Rivertonplain, you are a boy after my own heart. I myself will never watch the Academy Awards again. And I was an Oscar Aficionado for most of my life. Watched it every year religiously since I was nine or ten. I'm now 41 and I am done. I think what they did was purposeful and entirely inexcusable. And it also proved that they truly have zero credibility. I had been waiting for years and years for the producers of the show to ask Ellen Degeneres to host it, and they ask her *this* year? Please. If that's supposed to qualify as an apology, it's too little too late in my view. Way too little, way too late.
I think they gave the award to Crash because they were afraid people would stop watching them if they "let" a "gay cowboy movie" win. I really do. Trouble is, less and less people have been watching them every year for several years, now. Yes, they'd have lost some viewers had that been the case. But I'd bet anything they've lost a whole lot more because just the opposite is what happened. Not only was what they did a slap to the face of the makers and all those involved with that rapturously beautiful, perfect piece of filmmaking - it was a slap to the face of some of their biggest fans - the gay community. Again, I find the cruelty of that inexcusable.
*stepping off the soapbox (for now)*
ANYway, welcome to our humble abode. Glad you've found us. And this movie.
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I myself will never watch the Academy Awards again.
I was so appalled by the comic farce of the Oscars last year that I sent the following e-mail to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Los Angeles Times and Variety Magazine on 8 March 2006 (needless to say, I received responses from none of them). Here's what I sent:
"This is an open letter from Australia to the Members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences:
So, let me get this clear in my mind. It was Mash that won the Academy Award for best picture this year? No? What then? Flash? Trash? Pash? Gash? Stash? Whatever it was, one thing’s for sure, it’s instantly forgettable. You were presented with a golden opportunity to make a profoundly grand, universal gesture and failed to do so. Brokeback Mountain is a great movie, by every definition of that word. Generations yet unborn will quote its wonderfully memorable lines (thanks to Annie Proulx), just as the present generation quotes from Gone with the Wind, Casablanca, Now Voyager, etc. It has entered the hallowed ranks of truly great, immortal works of art. It has affected and changed lives and will continue to do so. How about Crash? Do you think Crash will stand the test of time? That’s a rhetorical question. We all know it won’t. You could have soared with an eagle, but instead chose to busy yourself with a turkey."
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Kerry, what a wonderful, eloquent letter! You expressed so well what so many of us have felt over this issue. I admit it, I have been an Oscar junkie for much of my life, but I'm going cold turkey off it beginning this year...I swear! Giving that flashy, slick PR spectacle any more of my time and energy would just be an insult to everything that Jack and Ennis and their enduring, haunting story represent.
I didn't quit the Oscars...the Oscars quit me!
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Kerry you stated it perfectly....this movie has entered the popular consciousness..look at this year's Academy Awards promotional poster; where they use famous lines from movies...
They used lines from Brokeback Mountain and none from their own "Best Picture'!!
welcome to our new members I hope you find some comfort here..I know you will find friends!
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Kerry, what a wonderful, eloquent letter! You expressed so well what so many of us have felt over this issue. I admit it, I have been an Oscar junkie for much of my life, but I'm going cold turkey off it beginning this year...I swear! Giving that flashy, slick PR spectacle any more of my time and energy would just be an insult to everything that Jack and Ennis and their enduring, haunting story represent.
I didn't quit the Oscars...the Oscars quit me!
I was very cross at the time! And I still am!!! >:(
I'll never again watch the Oscars!
P.S., I love your handle, "Amor Omnia." A related variety reads, "Omnia Vincit Amor" - "Love conquers all." So appropriate at this site, remembering our dear Jack and Ennis.
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P.S., I love your handle, "Amor Omnia."
I'm glad you like it :D. I got it from an austere but great film from 1964 called Gertrud; this was the final work of the great Danish director Carl Theodor Dreyer. You might be interested to read this post I wrote last May 15th on this film, and how its themes relate to those of BBM:
http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php/topic,1520.msg26919.html#msg26919 (http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php/topic,1520.msg26919.html#msg26919)
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Well-said, Kerry, Scott and Jess. Yep - stick a fork in 'em - they're done.
And speaking of unforgettable lines from BBM and the complete lack thereof in Crash, can *anyone* remember a single one of the characters' names in the latter? I can't now, and I couldn't an hour after I saw it a year ago.
What a travesty.
And I'm not cross. I'm pissed off. >:( ;)
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Yep - stick a fork in 'em - they're done.
Exactly! They couldn't organize a piss-up in a brewery! ::) Wouldn't recognize high art if they fell over it! Despicable bastards! You can tell I'm still carrying a lot of unresolved anger about this!!! >:( Don't get me started! Oops, too late!!! :-\
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I'm glad you like it :D. I got it from an austere but great film from 1964 called Gertrud; this was the final work of the great Danish director Carl Theodor Dreyer. You might be interested to read this post I wrote last May 15th on this film, and how its themes relate to those of BBM:
http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php/topic,1520.msg26919.html#msg26919 (http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php/topic,1520.msg26919.html#msg26919)
Wow! You write beautifully! This especially brought a lump to my throat:
"Gertrud resembles Ennis in that both characters ultimately recognize the all-encompassing importance of Love. The characters are significantly different in that Gertrud is as much in love with an idea as with any human being she actually knew, while Ennis is transfixed by his enduring memory of one very special soul. Gertrud is also a strangely static character, always hanging on to the same ideal from youth into old age, while Ennis is seen to evolve from a timid, broken youth barely conscious of his own desires to a man who, despite the ravages of his outer circumstances, cherishes the inner knowledge of the precious gift that another so tenderly lavished upon him. He knows what he is, and what he had with Jack. In his inarticulate manner, he might well concur with Gertrud that Love is indeed All."
:'(
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Hi everybody,
Thanks for the words of welcome. We have snow here in Western Pa and of course it reminded me of the movie (which everything does now). Thinking about watching again tomorrow night. Anyway, hope everyone is doing well, have a good day today.
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You and me both, brother (or sister)! I had to laugh as I was standing at Devil's Tower this past weekend, because the sight of that mammoth volcanic uprising, so tawny bathed in flickering light, reminded me so much of Ennis, while the plain stretched out before it bathed in grey-blue haze reminded me so much of Jack in that scene on the mountain that followed Tent Scene 1.
Welcome to our crazy happy bunch.
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Hi,
I live in NYC. I hope I don't seem silly, or asking a lot of goofy questions, I just watched BBM , alone, because my boyfriend absolutely refused to watch it with me, (something to consider before I take the plunge, not open minded), It was like asking him to drink draino or something. Well anyway, After watching it twice, I had so many questions, thoughts, feelings, there are things I want know, and talk to people who are also interested in this topic. the struggle between love, fear, acceptance, and need. WoW this film opens up a range of emotions that touches us one way or the other in whatever relationship we have. So here I am a little late in the game.
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It's never too late, Ladyeve. And don't be shy about asking us questions here. Many of us are more than happy to reiterate our findings about this beautiful film.
I watched it for my 24th time last night, and as I said in another thread, damned if I didn't find something new I'd never seen/thought about before.
It never gets old. I've managed to make myself sick of movies I've loved in the past by watching them over and over again in short succession. The most I ever got to before was 11 (5 in the theater and 6 on DVD) until that happened. I am not sick of this one yet. It's looking like I'm never going to be. But I do try to space out my viewings a bit, now, so as to keep it somewhat fresh.
So ask away!
And make yourself at home. It's very comfy and cozy here.
I'm in Florida, by the way. Nice to know you, Lady Eve.
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Hi,
I live in NYC. I hope I don't seem silly, or asking a lot of goofy questions, I just watched BBM , alone, because my boyfriend absolutely refused to watch it with me, (something to consider before I take the plunge, not open minded), It was like asking him to drink draino or something. Well anyway, After watching it twice, I had so many questions, thoughts, feelings, there are things I want know, and talk to people who are also interested in this topic. the struggle between love, fear, acceptance, and need. WoW this film opens up a range of emotions that touches us one way or the other in whatever relationship we have. So here I am a little late in the game.
I feel for you, Ladyeve. My husband STILL refuses to watch the movie and it's been almost a year!! But I have made some progress--last nite he went with me to a party where he met many of my Brokie friends and now, hopefully, he won't think I'm hanging out with a large group of axe murderers!
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I'm a teacher in a catholic school - they all know I'm a brokie (well they heard me talkin bout it often 'nough)
Well this past Wednesday, the superintendent was visitin our school & (we've been aquainted fer 18 years) she asked what was new! I answered that I was a brokie! The staff - sittin around the lunchroom tables, collectively raised their eyes in their sockets! The superintendent asked what I was talkin 'bout - was pretty funny really. Mostly the staff helped explain that the term comes from a combination a Brokeback Mountain & trekky
The fact that I live in Canada & that I'm just a little over a year away from retirement allows me ta be more open - though nothing about my sexual orientation is ever mentioned.
Had an obligation shortly thereafter - so I didn't persue that conversation too far (had other complaints ta bring up too - while I had her attention)
Not everyone on staff has seen the movie, but many have (including about half the male personnel) with varyin degrees a reactions - I'm the only brokie though
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Hi,
I live in NYC. I hope I don't seem silly, or asking a lot of goofy questions, I just watched BBM , alone, because my boyfriend absolutely refused to watch it with me, (something to consider before I take the plunge, not open minded), It was like asking him to drink draino or something. Well anyway, After watching it twice, I had so many questions, thoughts, feelings, there are things I want know, and talk to people who are also interested in this topic. the struggle between love, fear, acceptance, and need. WoW this film opens up a range of emotions that touches us one way or the other in whatever relationship we have. So here I am a little late in the game.
Hey Ladyeve,
I know exactly how you feel, I came here late, I first saw BBM about six weeks ago and I haven't stopped thinking of it and I only been here at BetterMost a few weeks. I understand exactly how you feel about the questions and wanting and needing to talk more.
Welcome!!!
(P.S. We're neighbors!!!!)
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Hey, Ladyeve, have you seen the movie The Lady Eve with Barbara Stanwyck??
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Hi Friends............
I am Vijay from India & presently on assignment in Bridgeport, WV. I am new memeber & sarter in this forum. I just want to say "Hai & Wish all new friends a bright good morning & great day ahead........................"
::)VJ
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Hi Friends............
I am Vijay from India & presently on assignment in Bridgeport, WV. I am new memeber & sarter in this forum. I just want to say "Hai & Wish all new friends a bright good morning & great day ahead........................"
::)VJ
Hi Vijay...welcome and good morning to you to.
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Hi Vijay, Eve, Marlb, others...
Welcome. Glad to have you here. We old timers do all we can to make you feel warm and welcomed. This is a special place.
Leslie
MaineWriter
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Hi Friends............
I am Vijay from India & presently on assignment in Bridgeport, WV. I am new memeber & sarter in this forum. I just want to say "Hai & Wish all new friends a bright good morning & great day ahead........................"
::)VJ
Welcome To BetterMost ViJay!!! :D
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Welcome, Vijay! :)
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Um, howdy folks. This is more like a re-introduction since I registered waaay back in aught-six when the Tremblayans and BBM board frequenters at IMDb were having major troll problems and found a safe space here at Bettermost. My name's Angela, and I posted infrequently and mainly lurked at Bettermost, then put myself on a self-imposed hiatus from all things BBM since I figured I was spending way too much time on it. I thought all those BBM cravings would eventually dwindle as time passed from the release date of the movie and from the time I read the originial story -- but lo and behold I discovered BBM fanfiction through livejournal. And with it came the rushing cold of the mountain, and the realization that this story/book/movie, its characters and the actors that portrayed them still have me in its clutches. And I thought, why fight it this time?
So...here I am. :)
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Well Welcome back Uberlibran
Hope yer stay will be fulfillin and you become more comf'table with yer "addiction". Lots of us have yet ta kick the habit (just watched the movie again yesterday & taday, 3rd time in 07 & I first saw the movie way back in '05!)
Been ta fanfic myself. lots there ta feed yer need ta read more stories about our boys (in all kinda guises)
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Hi Uberlibran,
I am somewhat new, or at least newer to BBM (Dec 06 :o), but I have been here a lot lately.
i watch parts of BBM every single day and haven't stopped thinking about it.
Tell you what, I have always been fighting my tendency to get taken over by things,
But this is one I decided there is no need to fight.
Welcome ;D
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Thanks, Sheriff Roland and Marlb42! This affliction that we have is indeed a tough one to get over, so I think I'm just going to pack it up and stop trying. I just hope I can contribute to the board though, because I'm sure you all have discussed most of the aspects of the book/movie and I'd hate to bring up something talked about to death - basically stomping a dead horse 'til you all have glue. But it's good to know the are some folks who are somewhat new to BBM, and so maybe I won't bore them with a topic that's been rehashed. ;)
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Thanks, Sheriff Roland and Marlb42! This affliction that we have is indeed a tough one to get over, so I think I'm just going to pack it up and stop trying. I just hope I can contribute to the board though, because I'm sure you all have discussed most of the aspects of the book/movie and I'd hate to bring up something talked about to death - basically stomping a dead horse 'til you all have glue. But it's good to know the are some folks who are somewhat new to BBM, and so maybe I won't bore them with a topic that's been rehashed. ;)
I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong impression. We all come here with our own life experience. We'll be happy ta hane you share more a yours. Hop right inta any discussion that you feel a desire ta participate in.
The Open Forum is a good startin point, and of course, the fan fiction board (Oh by the way - the chat room's frequently got avid fan fiction consumers - You'll surely have lots ta talk about in there). Then there's the Lighter Side - fer a chuckle or two, at BBM's expense. Oh and you might wanna start yer own blog in "Our Daily Thoughts" - there's always somethin jumpin in here.
Plus we're about ta celebrate our first anniversary a the BetterMost site - on the 11th a February - we got things planned fer that date! - believe it!
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;D
Hiya everybody!
I wanted to stop by here and check in. I'm Michael Flanagan - a mod over on D.C. - and I know a lot of people over here already. I was motivated to become a member here because of the wonderful time we all had at the Bay City oscar event (there were Bettermost, Ennisjack, yahoo forum and D.C. people there).
I'm a librarian and have been a music addict for a very long time. I live in San Francisco (and have for over 20 years). Anyway, just a short message to start - but I just wanted to let those of you who are over here know that I'm here now and sorry it's taken so long!
mfsf
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Welcome Michael Flanagan, Adrian (formerly adrian.delmar) here, nice to see you here. Make yourself at home!
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Um, howdy folks. This is more like a re-introduction since I registered waaay back in aught-six when the Tremblayans and BBM board frequenters at IMDb were having major troll problems and found a safe space here at Bettermost. My name's Angela, and I posted infrequently and mainly lurked at Bettermost, then put myself on a self-imposed hiatus from all things BBM since I figured I was spending way too much time on it. I thought all those BBM cravings would eventually dwindle as time passed from the release date of the movie and from the time I read the originial story -- but lo and behold I discovered BBM fanfiction through livejournal. And with it came the rushing cold of the mountain, and the realization that this story/book/movie, its characters and the actors that portrayed them still have me in its clutches. And I thought, why fight it this time?
So...here I am. :)
Hi Angela,
Welcome. I missed this intro by a few weeks, sorry! I am one of the fanfiction moderators and we'd love to have you dive in and join us. We have threads for lots of different stories, with links, and ongoing discussion.
We also have an active, daily discussion in the fanfiction room in chat.
Hope to have you join us!
Leslie
MaineWriter
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;D
Hiya everybody!
I wanted to stop by here and check in. I'm Michael Flanagan - a mod over on D.C. - and I know a lot of people over here already. I was motivated to become a member here because of the wonderful time we all had at the Bay City oscar event (there were Bettermost, Ennisjack, yahoo forum and D.C. people there).
I'm a librarian and have been a music addict for a very long time. I live in San Francisco (and have for over 20 years). Anyway, just a short message to start - but I just wanted to let those of you who are over here know that I'm here now and sorry it's taken so long!
mfsf
Hi Mike,
Welcome...glad to have you here. I am a frequenter of all three boards, too, and a moderator (fanfiction) here at Bettermost. Glad to have you join the party!
Leslie
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I'm here now!
:D :D :D YAY MICHAEL!!!! :-* :-* :-*
Michael is the smartest and sweetest guy I know!!! :D :-*
:-\ :'( sorry I couldn't make Bay City - sounds like y'all had a fantastic time - I'm saving up for Alberta!!! :D
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Welcome, Michael! Make yourself at home and visit often. 8)
Adrian, I like your new screen name. Sweet and simple. 8)
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Welcome Michael Flanagan, Adrian (formerly adrian.delmar) here, nice to see you here. Make yourself at home!
Hi Adrian!!! I missed you in Bay City friend!
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:D :D :D YAY MICHAEL!!!! :-* :-* :-*
Michael is the smartest and sweetest guy I know!!! :D :-*
:-\ :'( sorry I couldn't make Bay City - sounds like y'all had a fantastic time - I'm saving up for Alberta!!! :D
Howdy widget! We had a WONDERFUL time! And where's that Alberta thread over here?
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Howdy widget! We had a WONDERFUL time! And where's that Alberta thread over here?
Hi michaelflanagansf!
Welcome to BetterMost!! So glad that you found your way here!
I'm so happy to hear that the Bay City event was successful and fun! We've been hearing a lot about the planning for it over in Social Forum lately. I'm a mod over in Social Forum and my co-mod Front-Ranger was there for the festivities in Bay City (I'm trying to not be too jealous of her)! I can't wait to hear more about it! I think it's wonderful that lots of people from different Brokeback forums were there. That's great... we're all Brokies at heart and it's so nice to know how big our extended community really is (across all the different websites)!
The big threads about trip planning and get-togethers, etc. are housed over in the Social Forum. Here's the link to the Alberta thread!
http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php/topic,6345.0.html (http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php/topic,6345.0.html)
cheers
Amanda
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The big threads about trip planning and get-togethers, etc. are housed over in the Social Forum. Here's the link to the Alberta thread!
http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php/topic,6345.0.html (http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php/topic,6345.0.html)
cheers
Amanda
Thanks so much for the welcome and the pointer to the Alberta thread!
mf
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Welcome Michael. There are some great music and lit threads here. Hope you check them out. Good to see ya here.
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I am still frigging nervous about introducing myself out in the open, so I will try this concept that suits me just fine.
The person behind me:
Fav. City: New York, Paris, Amsterdam
Fav. Hobby: Reading [ Sucker for literature ], Cooking, Music, films, working [ I love my job ]
Fav. Music: Peter Gabriel, Genesis
Fav. Song ever: I can't make you love me by Bonnie Raitt
Fav. Book: An Evil Cradling by Brian Keenan
Fav. Food: Japanese
Fav: Drink: Margarita
Fav. Poetry: Emily Dickinson, Kahlil Gibran
Fav. Films at random: Brokeback Mountain, Angel Baby[ Australian Movie , Winner of the Public's Prize at the Rotterdam Film Festival in 1996], Ordinary People, Ice Storm,
Dances with Wolves, Missing, Kieslowski Trilogy[ Bleu, Rouge, Blanc], Paris, Texas, The Deer Hunter, Reds, Crazy, Beautiful, The Piano, Leaving Las Vegas, American Beauty,
Pay it Forward, Boys don't Cry
Fav. Attractive Men: Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, Jay Hernandez, James Blake, Josh Hartnett, George Clooney
Fav. T.V. Series: E/R, House
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Juliette: You saw and loved C.R.A.Z.Y. !! the canadian brokeback mountain from 2 years ago (maybe last year in europe)?
Hardly anyone has seen it!
Sweet!
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I am still frigging nervous about introducing myself out in the open, so I will try this concept that suits me just fine.
The person behind me:
Fav. City: New York, Paris, Amsterdam
Fav. Hobby: Reading [ Sucker for literature ], Cooking, Music, films, working [ I love my job ]
Fav. Music: Peter Gabriel, Genesis
Fav. Song ever: I can't make you love me by Bonnie Raitt
Fav. Book: An Evil Cradling by Brian Keenan
Fav. Food: Japanese
Fav: Drink: Margarita
Fav. Poetry: Emily Dickinson, Kahlil Gibran
Fav. Films at random: Brokeback Mountain, Angel Baby[ Australian Movie , Winner of the Public's Prize at the Rotterdam Film Festival in 1996], Ordinary People, Ice Storm,
Dances with Wolves, Missing, Kieslowski Trilogy[ Bleu, Rouge, Blanc], Paris, Texas, The Deer Hunter, Reds, Crazy, Beautiful, The Piano, Leaving Las Vegas, American Beauty,
Pay it Forward, Boys don't Cry
Fav. Attractive Men: Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, Jay Hernandez, James Blake, Josh Hartnett, George Clooney
Fav. T.V. Series: E/R, House
Hi Juliette! Welcome to BetterMost!! :D
I've already enjoyed reading a few of your posts in some of the other threads here on the forum.
I couldn't help but noticed the format you used to introduce yourself! I like it! You might enjoy answering some of the questionnaires, polls and personality quizzes located over at the "Polling Place".
http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php/board,9.0.html (http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php/board,9.0.html)
Send me a pm if you have any questions. I'm the moderator there, and I would be more than happy to help! :D
Enjoy BetterMost! I'm really happy you decided to join our group.
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;D
Hiya everybody!
I wanted to stop by here and check in. I'm Michael Flanagan - a mod over on D.C. - and I know a lot of people over here already. I was motivated to become a member here because of the wonderful time we all had at the Bay City oscar event (there were Bettermost, Ennisjack, yahoo forum and D.C. people there).
I'm a librarian and have been a music addict for a very long time. I live in San Francisco (and have for over 20 years). Anyway, just a short message to start - but I just wanted to let those of you who are over here know that I'm here now and sorry it's taken so long!
mfsf
Hi Michael! Welcome to BetterMost!
I have an account over at DC, but I rarely post there. I suppose I found a nice comfortable nest here and I settled in. Maybe I should start posting over there too. Anyway, I'm always pleased to see DC members join us here at BetterMost. I know many of our members post over there as well. It reminds me that we are all one big "family" united together by our love of one very special film.
I'm really glad you decided to join our BetterMost family! Send me a pm if you have any questions or concerns! :D
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Sheriff , darlin'
I hate to disappoiint you , but I meant the film with Kirsten Dunst { arghhhh] and Jay Hernandez [ yummy]
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Welcome, Juliette (and Michael, again, too)!
I'd like to respond to your questionnaire here, if I may:
Fav. City: London
Fav. Hobby: Seeing movies at the cinema
Fav. Music: Green Day, U2 (especially their "old" albums like October and War), Pink Floyd
Fav. Song ever: Wish You Were Here - Pink Floyd
Fav. Book: The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
Fav. Food: Italian, Mexican, Chinese, Japanese, Thai... If I had to pick one, Italian because it's the only one I know how to cook well
Fav: Drink: Absolut martini, straight up with a twist
Fav. Poetry: Shakespeare
Fav. Films at random: Brokeback Mountain, The Princess Bride, Muriel's Wedding, The Crying Game, Fargo
Fav. Attractive Men: Jake Gyllenhaal, Josh Holloway, Ralph Fiennes, Wentworth Miller (his eyes slay me)
Fav. T.V. Series: Lost, Dexter, Six Feet Under
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Six Feet Under!!
How on earth did I forget to add that one, thaks for the reminder
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Hello, I also have an account over at the DC site but I'm sorry to say I find that forum a group not really open to outsiders. There appears to be a very strong inner circle. I thought I would try this forum.
I'm really not comfortable giving out too much personal information at this point.
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That' no problem, welcome to Bettermost, I hope you will feel at home here, Friend.
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Hello, I also have an account over at the DC site but I'm sorry to say I find that forum a group not really open to outsiders. There appears to be a very strong inner circle. I thought I would try this forum.
I'm really not comfortable giving out too much personal information at this point.
Welcome Wishes. Bettermost is a very friendly place.
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Hi Adrian!!! I missed you in Bay City friend!
Yeah, me too. It just wasn't in the cards. Saw all the pics, so much fun!!!
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You are summonded for a command performance in Estes Park, Adrian! I'm gonna come to...uh, wherever you are and drag you and your little horse here to Colorado, be forewarned!!
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Hello, I also have an account over at the DC site but I'm sorry to say I find that forum a group not really open to outsiders. There appears to be a very strong inner circle. I thought I would try this forum.
I'm really not comfortable giving out too much personal information at this point.
Hi Wishes...ok..so no personal info! that's ok. feel free to offer as much or as little as you would like.
How long ago did you see BBM? Did you see it on TV or at the theatre?
wander around and if you need anything just let us know!
Jess
injest
moderator
Our Daily Thoughts
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Hello, I also have an account over at the DC site but I'm sorry to say I find that forum a group not really open to outsiders. There appears to be a very strong inner circle. I thought I would try this forum.
I'm really not comfortable giving out too much personal information at this point.
Welcome to BetterMost Wishes!! We're glad you found your way here.
:D
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Hello, I also have an account over at the DC site but I'm sorry to say I find that forum a group not really open to outsiders. There appears to be a very strong inner circle. I thought I would try this forum.
I'm really not comfortable giving out too much personal information at this point.
Welcome!
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HI, I'M VERY LATE TO THE BROKEBACK PHENOMENOM (I RECENTLY SAW IT ON HBO ONLY LAST MONTH OR SO)
THE MOVIE DEVASTED ME. I WAS NOT PREPARED. I AM A MARRIED TEACHER FROM NEW JERSEY. I THOUGHT THE EFFECT WAS BECAUSE I HAVE A GAY BROTHER. I ASKED ALL OF MY FRIENDS IF THEY HAD SEEN THE MOVIE. ALTHOUGH THEY HAD, I REALIZED I WAS ALONE WITH THIS IMPACT.
I'VE SPENT A LOT OF TIME CRYING. RIDICULOUS AMOUNTS OF TIME. I BOUGHT THE MOVIE (FIRST MOVIE I'VE EVER PURCHASED) AND WATCHED IT ALOT !!! ESPECIALLY THE REUNION AND OPENING SCENES. I'VE READ ALOT OF THE POSTS AND I AM TOUCHED AND CAN RELATE TO E-V-E-R-T-H-I-N-G. I DID A LOT OF READING (OF POSTS ) AND RELATING THIS WEEKEND. I THINK I AM A BIT BETTER. I FINALLY SHARED IT WITH MY HUSBAND. I HAVE NEVER SPOKEN TO ANYONE IN MY DAILY LIFE WHO KNOWS WHAT THE HECK I'VE BEEN GOING THROUGH. ANY COMMENTS/CONNECTIONS I ASSUME WOULD HELP ME. THANKS
THE SHORT STORY BLEW ME AWAY...WAY AWAY....
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Welcome Whathappened2me.
You are among friends here. :)
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Welcome What...guess know you know you're not alone. I envy and don't envy where you are at now.
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Welcome to Bettermost!!! :D
The movie blew us all away. You are not alone. I'm really glad you joined our forum too. I'm looking forward to reading your posts! :D :D
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Welcome, whathappened2me. I saw your Member Name above on the "Latest Member" line and thought you must be either: A.) Someone who was here long ago and disappeared for a while and is now back with a new name, or B.) Someone new to the Brokeback phenomenon, as you so aptly put it, who is still immersed in the early stages of grief.
Like Scott said, I envy and don't envy where you are right now. It was such a sweet pain. Exquisite, even. And just like it always does, only time has healed the wound first seeing it (and seeing it that pivotal second time, and reading the short story the first time, and reading the short story again...) gave me. I'll always have the scar, though. But I'll tell you what, (as dear Jack would say) - I wouldn't trade all the tears and heart-wrenching and multiple breakthroughs I've had with my longtime husband (and those came at quite a high psychic cost) for never having seen this beautiful, perfect film and reading this beautiful, perfect story. No way.
Feel free to share all you're experiencing now with no worries of any of us rolling our eyes at you, so to speak, for being a "newbie" and/or reiterating things that have been said many times before. We all welcome new voices at all times because we've all been there and remember the sweet, exquisite pain well and because "new" folks always add insight even those of us who've seen the movie more times than most people care to count haven't had.
So don't be shy! Post away! Let it all out. Most (if not all) of us couldn't have made it through those early days with our sanity intact if it were not for this place and each other. We can all well relate to not being able to share what this movie has done to us with anyone in our private, non-cyber-based lives.
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Welcome whathappened2m
You are far from being alone here... Even today, over a year after first reading the story and seeing the movie, there are moments when something will echo with me from the story of Jack and Ennis. From my own heart, I will say this is one of those stories sent by Spirit to touch, and perhaps help heal, those whose lives it was meant to touch. Not everyone 'gets it', not everyone was meant too. For us older folks, it is a painful reminder of just how real the lives of gay folks are echoed in this story from that time. Then I think above all, it is a story that yells at us to not just live through life, but to grab on to it, and make it our own. No matter what we have to do to get to that place, that Creation meant us to get to in the first place, this story calls to us not to give in, or to give up on ourselves, our dreams, or that love. It calls to look back before we started telling ourselves all the stories about why we just couldn't live our lives as our bliss called us to be... It's hard for those of us that were touched so powerfully by the lives of two men that never existed. And in being so touched, it demanded of me to examine my own existence in a way I probably never would have otherwise. It has been some powerful medicine for me. Painfully so at times, and Blessedly wonderful at others. May this journey you have come to bless your life as powerfully as it has mine and so many others here at BetterMost, and around the entire Earth.
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Well said, Garry. I do believe, too, that those of us who 'get it' do so because, as another very wise man among us once said, we get out of it what we bring into it. I needed to be healed, and it was (at long last) there to heal me. Thank God.
It's become my religion where I had none before. I actually finally understand why religious people look at me so pityingly when I say "I don't belong to any church." I'm sure I must look the same way at people who say, "Yeah, I saw 'Brokeback Mountain.' And it was well-written and well-shot and well-acted, but it just didn't move me like it did you."
Their loss. Entirely.
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Welcome to Bettermost whathappened2me. We've all been there, feeling the sorrow and hope and devastation, so just know you are not alone.
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Hi and thank you guys (sfericsf, Scott, Davie, ednbarby and Gary) for your BEAUTIFUL and INSPIRATIONAL words !! I know it's been a while for you guys but for me it was my first acknowledgement that this is all real. It felt really WONDERFUL! It was so EXHILARATIING/ SCARY/EXCITING to hear for you. THANKS
I wanted to share a little more background (probably for me) that the morning after I put my 3 girls to bed turned on HBO and randomly watched BrokeBack I woke up a changed person. I searched for it again in secret and watched it again to make sure. To make sure of what, I didn't know. What I am sure of is that the tears were from a person who literally woke up. Woke up feeling things differently and allowing herself to feel much more especially when it come to LOVE and LIFE. How THIS movie did this I don't even need to know anymore. Why I couldn't find one other person who remotely felt (no words to describe) well...now I do.
Just for my own fun (I know you guys have heard it ALL) Jack's face after Ennis walks away after that kiss/nuzzle/nuzzle is always in my mind among other scenes. It make me scream. I've also realized that it's all about Jack Twist for me and not Jake Gyllenhaal (as I might originally thought) Although he unbelievably created Jack for us, my revelation after seeing Jake as Jake is that it's strictly about Jack and his beauty and soul, eyes, voice, expressions, I could go on...And Ennis of course broke my heart into a million pieces. I hope most of this makes sense ! Thanks so much....I've never done this before. It feels really great though...
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It makes perfect sense!! You are among FRiends and fellow obsessives!!
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Makes total sense to me, too. Jack Twist exists apart from Jake Gyllenhaal, and Ennis Del Mar exists apart from Heath Ledger. That is what they did - they created characters that live on outside of them - I see *nothing* of Jake or Heath as I've come to see them as (mostly) themselves on interview shows and what-not in those characters. That's what acting is supposed to be all about - that is the goal. But it's very rarely achieved.
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Hi gang...
I'm new here, at BetterMost... been a member of Dave Cullen's BBM forum for about 14 months. Thought I'd join y'all, to see if your experiences are any different.
I joined DC BBM forum after seeing our movie several times. After joining the group I met Nick. Less than two months later I came out of the closet and found the Truth of who I am, after many years of hiding myself from practically everyone. Along with a large group of forum members I joined a BBM BBQ in San Antonio, Texas. One of those special weekends it was, that changed so much more about myself.
Nick and I are still together, he lives in England, I'm in the state of Washington. He's traveled to my home in Puyallup five times, I went to England and spent two weeks. One day in the future I will return to England, to stay...
Just a nut shell... in the future I will write more, sharing more of how this little movie changed me in so many ways...
Rob
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... wait! I know you!
Welcome, Rob!
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Hello Rob
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Welcome Rob! :D
Thanks for sharing your story with us here.
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Welcome To BetterMost, Rob! :D :D
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Hi gang...
I'm new here, at BetterMost... been a member of Dave Cullen's BBM forum for about 14 months. Thought I'd join y'all, to see if your experiences are any different.
Hi Rob,
Welcome to BetterMost. I've seen your name over on dc, and always want to introduce myself to you, since I'm in Seattle. But I haven't posted enough over there for it to let me do PMs. Anyway, howdy and welcome here.
Clarissa
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Welcome Rob. Pull up a stoll and sit a spell. Lot's of interesting stuff round here. Check out the BBM Radio, or drop by chat to say hello. Glad to have you here.
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Welcome, Rob! As you can see, we're a very friendly bunch here. Feel free to jump in anywhere you like. I look forward to reading more of your posts.
:)
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Hello Brokies!
My name is Lo and I was invited to join this most excellent forum by a lovely member of the BBM discussion board over at IMDb.
I am 38 years young and I reside in England. I am curently single, too dang beautiful for anyone under or over 30 and can crack a walnut betwixt the cheeks of my posterior, it's that firm. ;D I'm also exceptionally modest.
I came across the BBM movie on Play.com (sadly, it was in the bargain bucket) :'( Well, after reading all the hype, I had to part with my coin and buy this superb film. I can honestly say that I was not disappointed.
I have a penchant for writing the odd piece of fanfic so do be aware. Fore-warned is fore-armed afterall hee hee!
I sincerely look forward to making some like-minded friends here on BetterMost forums.
With my very best regards,
Lo :-*
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Welcome, Lo! 8)
I did a double-take when I saw your screen name! Around BetterMost, I'm also known as the High Priestess of the Brokeback Cult, a moniker that goes back to our old IMDb days. So don't be surprised if some folks get you mixed up with me from time to time. ;D
Here's (http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php/topic,3653.msg69108.html#msg69108) a link to the Cult thread, in case you're curious. :)
Glad to have you here at BetterMost!
Your fellow Priestess,
Meryl (who, although beautiful, most definitely cannot crack a walnut betwixt the cheeks of her posterior) :P
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Oh my....tee hee,
I don't wish to tread on any toes Meryl my sweetie! I guess we will both get on famously as HPs of the highest order! ;D
Thank you kindly for the warm welcome. I look forward to getting to know you better.
Yours kindly,
Lo x :-*
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Welcome to BetterMost Lo!
Want a cup of coffee don't you? And a piece of cherry cake?
I'm glad you've already made the acquaintance of Meryl, I was going to suggest that the two of you meet when I saw your name too.
Anyway, I think you'll find that a large number of BetterMostians made there way here via the IMDb boards one way or the other. It's one of the great launching pads to other Brokeback forums, or so it seems.
Hope you have fun exploring BetterMost!
:D
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Welcome to BetterMost Lo!
Want a cup of coffee don't you? And a piece of cherry cake?
I'm glad you've already made the acquaintance of Meryl, I was going to suggest that the two of you meet when I saw your name too.
Anyway, I think you'll find that a large number of BetterMostians made there way here via the IMDb boards one way or the other. It's one of the great launching pads to other Brokeback forums, or so it seems.
Hope you have fun exploring BetterMost!
:D
Hello there sweetie!
My humble thanks for the lovely warm welcome. Much appreciated and it made me feel right at home :)
Isn't it strange about the High Priestess name? Spooky! I own and manage several forums and always go by the name High Priestess - have done ever since I got an internet connection, tee hee! It is a definite sign that I have come home to roost on this new forum! I have a feeling I will love it here!
I have added some fanfic - I wrote a whole new piece rather than just paste in my existing work. I am not very good at it but I do but try!
Lovely to be here and many, many kind thanks for the welcomes.
With my best regards,
Lo x :-*
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Welcome, Lo! I'm sure there is room for all kinds of high priestesses here, both those who use nutcrackers and those who are do-it-yourselfers!! Welcome, you're just in time for the Vernal Equinox!!
Speaking of HP's check out the Oracle in The 300--now that was a priestess in my book!! (altho she couldn't hold a candle to you, Meryl!!)
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Welcome, Lo! I'm sure there is room for all kinds of high priestesses here, both those who use nutcrackers and those who are do-it-yourselfers!! Welcome, you're just in time for the Vernal Equinox!!
Speaking of HP's check out the Oracle in The 300--now that was a priestess in my book!! (altho she couldn't hold a candle to you, Meryl!!)
Hi there Front-Ranger,
How kind of you to welcome me - I know it can be a pain to welcome new members for on one of my forums I have a few newbies per week and I run out of welcome messages hehehe! I have to keep vigil for the new lost souls and help them to navigate their way around the boards!
I have already read a few posts in various sections and I definitely like what I see!
Everyone seems so friendly - something I encourage on my forums. Life is too short for anything less than absolute fun and pleasantries!
With my very best wishes,
Lo x :-*
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Hello! My name is Fritz, and have just recently joined, after having met so many of you in BC last month. I've been hanging around over in the DC Forum, but listen to BBM Radio frequently, so I thought I'd join over here too!
I live in Arlington VA, work for the German government (specifically the Defense Ministry) at Dulles Airport, and have lived with my partner Earl going on 29 years this coming November. Originally from New Orleans, but have lived in the Washington DC area since graduating from Notre Dame in 1969, with the exception of two years away in the Army.
Happy to be here, and to see so many of my friends here as well!
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Great to see you Fritz! It's about time!!
You'll have a cuppa coffee, won't you? Piece a cherry cake?
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Nice to know ya, Fritz! Welcome to our humble abode. What an interesting job it sounds like you have! I always thought it would be exciting to live and work in the DC area. I've had many friends there, all of whom have since moved on (a few of them worked in the defense industry as IT folks, a couple in the military, and as such, moved on as contracts/assignments changed).
Take off your coat and stay awhile. :)
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Thanks for the welcome! I'll have a cuppa coffee, but i caint eat no cherry cake just now.
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Woo-hoo! High five, Fritz!!
(oops, forgot myself there for a minute)
Wipes hands on apron, pats Fritz on the back gently.
Welcome, FRiend!
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Wow! I saw the movie for the first time Monday. It's Wednesday and I still hurt. The movie was so beautifully done. The characters were so real.
Aside from the time and the setting this story mirrored my life in so many ways it is scary. It is so true, "Love is a Force of Nature"! It has been 19yrs since the first time I saw him and I was taken at the first glance. I didn't know at the time what I was feeling was love. But it was, pure sweet and beautiful. It goes beyond gender I fell inlove with a person, a soul that happened to be in the body of another man. For 3 yrs nothing happened. Our friendship grew as did my love. He moved away and I was devesated. We kept in touch and I finally went and visited him. I met his girlfriend and we went and did stuff together. Then one night after she went home he leaned over and kissed me. I then know he was feeling the same way all those years. It was a wonderful night of passion and lovemaking. In the morning though he as well as myself, were scared of what we were feeling. We said we wouldn't talk about it. He went on to marry. he came to visit right after that by himself to see his family who all lived in our town. He stayed with me. Well, we didn't talk about it we just did it all over again. The next year I married. we both had kids and kept our secret friendship. Well, he decided he needed to live that lifestyle everyday and divorced his wife. He now lives with a man and is very happy. He told me I need to come out and find happiness. However, that won't bring me happiness. You see. I don't love men, I just love one man. I will end up like Ennis. Alone and sad. My marriage is loveless and I know it will one day end when the children are older. My wife will probably re-marry but I won't. There is only one love for me and I don't think I will ever have it again. It's not enough to have loved and lost but thats all I have so thats all I will have.
Thank you for listening and thank you to all involved with this movie!
It will be a treasure for many years to come.
Lee
(I posted this last week on the IDMP board after first seeing the movie. I have seen it twice since then and still feel the same. My heart hurts and my head hurts. what a great movie)
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Hi, Loneleeb3...welcome to Bettermost. You just found our little movie? It does hit hard. We say it gets you when you are ready to be got. You are with friends here. I know you are hurting but you can come here and talk...we have all been there.
There is a lot of talk about Ennis and whether he was a 'one man' man....I don't know. I have seen a lot of arguements for and against. But you need to remember that you have choices now that can help you NOT be like Ennis....
Read through and post as much as you like....if you have a question let anyone of us know and we will try to point you in the right direction...the moderators are all in red print...
I am glad you are here! {{{Loneleeb3}}
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Welcome Lee! I am Lee too! I hope you find a good home here at BetterMost where you can feel comfortable talking about these things...and everything! See the movie again and read the story too! We look forward to talking with you and hearing more from you. You are not alone!!
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Welcome, Lee. So glad to have you here. I'm Barb. I saw your posts at IMDb and really felt for you. As injest said, you're among friends here. Glad you found us.
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Thaks everyone! I am so glad to be here.
It really makes me feel likeless of a freak to know that there are kindred spirits out there.
I can't believe how this movie has made me feel! It helps to have folks to talk to.
This is a big place it may take me awhile to find my way around! Theres so much to do and see!
Thanks again
(feeling less) loneleeb3
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Hi Lee! I met you on the imdb board, too. Welcome to BetterMost!
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I'll add a note to the chorus of welcomes here! So glad you found your way here! And, thank you for sharing your story. I'm sure you'll find a lot of sympathetic friends around here.
cheers
Amanda
:)
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OK this bugs me! How come the welcome wagon's only bein pulled by the women a BetterMost? Hunh?!?
Time fer a guy ta chime in!
About half the membership of BetterMost are guys and we do post quite a lot too - so - Welcome to our little abode. Sure it's a little difficult figurin out the hallways a BetterMost at first. There were just 3 or 4 forums when I first got here & I needed hand holding to get around.
Don't be afraid ta ask where things are. The ladies don't bite (some a my best friends here are women!) and they have a way with words too.
I'm Roland, 54 and a Canadian, and french, and and and welcome!
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Welcome to Bettermost Lee, your story really touched me, I can imagine how BBM got to you, I hope you find a safe haven here to talk about the movie and about yourself!
Mel
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Hi Everyone,
I'm from nyc. And got bbmitis really bad. and I don't want to be cure of it.
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Hi Everyone,
I'm from nyc. And got bbmitis really bad. and I don't want to be cure of it.
Think that's the first time I hear that one! ;D NOT!
Welcome - and yer not the only NY lady here either. Don't be shy ta ask just about anybody ta help ya find yer way around - oh and
Set a spell. You'll have a cup a coffee? Piece a cherry cake? ;)
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Well thank you, and it sure nice to know I'm not alone.
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Hey Chelseagirl!
Welcome! Want a cup of coffee don't you? And a piece of cherry cake?
Yup, I've been "suffering" from Brokie-fever for over a year now! :o And, like you said, I'm happy it hasn't worn off yet!
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Welcome to BetterMost, loneleeb3 and chelseagirl. Pull up a log and stick a boot in the fire! ;D
Chelseagirl, I'm a New Yorker, too. 8)
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Welcome Lee and Chelseagirl! :D
I'm looking forward to reading your posts and messages here at Bettermost! I'm glad you decided to join. :)
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Welcome to BetterMost Lee and chelseagirl :)
I already enjoyed some posts of you and hope to talk to you soon. Always enough space around our campfire here and many warm and friendly people to talk to.
See ya!
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Hi Lee and chelseagirl, I'm glad you're here. :)
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Hi Lee!
Hi Chelseagirl!
Lee, hang in there! The years ahead are surely not that bleak!
This is probably not the most appropriate question to ask at this point, but may I ask what made you decide to watch BBM now (and not earlier, or later)? Did you buy the DVD? Did you watch it at home? Alone? With someone?
I just wonder why 'newcomers' to the film, watch it at that specific time and why did it 'take so long'. I don't mean this as a reproach! NOT AT ALL! I'm just curious, really. I think it'd be interesting to know.
Chelseagirl - no need to be cured here! We all suffer from bbmitis!!
In any case, WELCOME to both of you! For a bit of comforting check out the 'Sunrise Project' from April 15th! It will give you a warm and sunny feeling!
http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php/topic,9109.60.html (http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php/topic,9109.60.html)
j. U. d. E.
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Hi Jude
I watched now cause this was the first chance I could.
I live in a real small town and I'm married with kids so gettin to the one theater n town isn't always easy. Plus I'd see half the town there. We jsut got a free HBO weekend so i got to see it. I actually signed up for HBO so I can see it again and again. I'll have to sneak and watch it when I'm alone though.
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Hi lee!
How many kids you got? Thought, you had one daughter only!
And have you started to watch the movie AGAIN? Or HAPPY parts of it, like I suggested?
And how are you? Pray you are well and HAPPY!!
HUGS LEE
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Hello all.
I guess some of you may know me from DCF where I am Ministering angel (a username I wish I 'd never picked as it takes so long to type!)
I did wander over here some time ago but never got any further than that but since I heard about a fondness for symbolism in these here parts, I returned.
For the record, I'm over in Australia and have thought of little else other than BBM since 9th February 2006. Me? Obsessed? Yes!
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You obsessed, Naw - yer just about normal here!
Welcome aboard! Got mor'n just symbolism goin fer us here. Hope you find yerself a nice chair ta sit in and chat away with the rest a us normal folks.
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Why thank you, Sheriff, it's a pleasure to be here. I promise to behave to my usual standard.
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Why thank you, Sheriff, it's a pleasure to be here. I promise to behave to my usual standard.
Humm! to yer usual standards, well, maybe that's all one can expect! sure hope that's good enough! :laugh:
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Welcome, miniangel! Have a seat on a log, and we'll put some elk on the barbie. A few swigs of Old Rose, and you'll be philosophisin' in no time. 8)
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Welcome miniangel!!
You are among friends and kindred spirits here!
There are some fine folks here at Bettermost you'll be glad you came!
Set and stay a spell!
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(http://bestsmileys.com/welcome/17.gif)
miniangel !!!
It was so nice meeting you in chat the other evening! And, it's great to be able to welcome you here! Hope you enjoy exploring Open Forum in particular... this is the forum filled with the discussions of the symbols (and the serious analysis of all sorts of aspects of the story and film). I'm a big fan of that those threads myself.
cheers
Amanda
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Hugs too!!
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Welcome to Bettermost, Susie! Nice to meet you! I hope you have a great time here.... Please make sure to post your stories on our Fanfiction board, I think if it's small stories (drabbles), I think you can post them directly, or you can post a link to your livejournal if you have one!
Mel
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Oh Susie
How nice to see you here!!!!
I'm off to StockholmbutI'll be back Monday, late.
See you!!!
Berit
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Hi Brokies,
like Susie I´m an escapee from IMDb and I´d like to tell you a little about me.
I´m 32y/o, living in Bavaria, south of München, midwife, mother of to cowboys (2 and 4 years old) and happily married to a silent big guy (I am the one who does the talking).
It will take me some time to orient myself here, not being a native speaker doesn´t make it easier.
So please be patient with me!
And thanks again for the warm welcome, Brokies are simply the best!
And a big hug to Susie!!!
Dagi
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WELCOME Berit and Dagi! I am sure you will have a great troll-free time here!
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Hi Brokies,
like Susie I´m an escapee from IMDb and I´d like to tell you a little about me.
I´m 32y/o, living in Bavaria, south of München, midwife, mother of to cowboys (2 and 4 years old) and happily married to a silent big guy (I am the one who does the talking).
It will take me some time to orient myself here, not being a native speaker doesn´t make it easier.
So please be patient with me!
And thanks again for the warm welcome, Brokies are simply the best!
And a big hug to Susie!!!
Dagi
Bienvenue chez nous, Dagi.
Seeing as BetterMost was only started in early February 2006, we're all refugees here, whether we came from IMdB (like most of us), or other forums, or just came here directly after being devasted by the film, we are definitively all here, looking for refuge, and friendship, and understanding.
Welcome.
Seems there's a bit of an exodus happening here at this particular juncture in time, but rest assured, there's room for all here at BetterMost. Don't be shy to post on any thread in any forum, and even in your own language... who knows, maybe you'll find someone who can talk your language here too!
Moi je suis Canadien français, et même si j'écris surtout en anglais ici, il m'arrive parfois de trouver d'autres francophones avec qui je peux m'exprimer dans ma langue. Others have done so in German, in Dutch, even in American :laugh:
Again, welcome & don't be shy to ask for help if you get lost in our hallways - it is disorienting! When I first got here (early April last year) there were only 4 or 5 forums & I still managed to need help getting around.
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Bienvenue chez nous, Dagi.
Seeing as BetterMost was only started in early February 2006, we're all refugees here, whether we came from IMdB (like most of us), or other forums, or just came here directly after being devasted by the film, we are definitively all here, looking for refuge, and friendship, and understanding.
Welcome.
Seems there's a bit of an exodus happening here at this particular juncture in time, but rest assured, there's room for all here at BetterMost. Don't be shy to post on any thread in any forum, and even in your own language... who knows, maybe you'll find someone who can talk your language here too!
Moi je suis Canadien français, et même si j'écris surtout en anglais ici, il m'arrive parfois de trouver d'autres francophones avec qui je peux m'exprimer dans ma langue. Others have done so in German, in Dutch, even in American :laugh:
Again, welcome & don't be shy to ask for help if you get lost in our hallways - it is disorienting! When I first got here (early April last year) there were only 4 or 5 forums & I still managed to need help getting around.
who you talking about? huh?
:laugh: :laugh:
Welcome! Hey, chocolate? did someone say chocolate?
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Ah, Susie, I just sent you a mail (ntlworld)!!
Injest, Sheriff and Snavel, thank you for the warm welcome !
A big hug for all Brokies, I already love you !!
Dagi
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Dagi, berit and Susiebell, it's great to see you here. Thanks for letting us know a little bit about you. I live in New York City, so I'm waving at you from across the pond. ;D
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Hey Dagi, berit and Susiebell,
It wasn't that long ago I too was a newcomer here.
You have found a wonderful place filled with the kindest people!
I know you will come to feel at home here as I have.
Welcome welcome!
You are amoung friends. ;D
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Yay! More eurobrokies! :)
welcome, willkommen, vällkommen.
It's nice to have you here.
greetings from belgium :)
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Welcome, berit, Dagi and Susie! Nice to see you over here. Here's a link to the fanfic forum:
http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php/board,13.0.html (http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php/board,13.0.html)
To look through all the forums, click on the part above where it says "BetterMost, Wyoming & Brokeback Mountain Forums." That will take you to a menu of all of them, and you can jump around from there.
I live in Chicago, BTW.
Katherine
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Hi all,
My name is Debbie and I am basically new on "Bettermost." I have not posted as of yet, but have read so many of your commentaries. I became obsessed with BBM about 6 months ago when I saw it on HBO. I initially saw this wonderful movie before the Academy Awards, but I did not get it! After seeing it on TV, I could not believe the impact this movie had on me. I thought I was going crazy because of the obssession that took control of my thoughts, and even my dreams. I am so glad that I found you guys because knowing that I am not alone is such a relief.
I am married and tried to get my husband to watch the movie, but as soon as the FNIT scene came on, he turned to another channel. All I can say is that that is his loss. I bought the DVD and have watched this movie over 50 times!!
I can't believe that I never get bored watching this movie. I even still look forward to it coming on cable even though I have the DVD.
I have never reacted to a movie like this ever, and I have seen many of the great movies in my lifetime. But this is the "greatest." I think the actors were fantastic and I was amazed when I discovered that Heath had an Australian accent. I still can't fathom how he was able to perfect the western accent. I was never a fan any of the actors that played in BBM until now. I want to find out as much as possible about the actors, as well as Ang Lee. Anyway, I will close now and end by saying thank-you for being here for me- another fellow "Brokie."
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Hi Deb,
Welcome, we do know exactly how you feel. Just wanted to say that glad that you are here. I also didn't see BBM till it came to HBO last fall and I still think of it every day in some way. I am sure you will find a lot of great things around here and great people who do get exactly how you feel. So
Welcome aboard!!!!!!
Also another big welcome to all the IMBDers who just found your way here!!!!
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Welcome Delmardeb!!
So glad you found your way here! Want a cup of coffee don't ya? And a piece of cherry cake? ;)
You're certainly amongst friends here. And, it sounds like you've been struck by what we affectionately like to call "Brokie fever." This is something that most of us here at BetterMost experience from time to time. Your description of having BBM haunt your thoughts and dreams is very familiar to me (and to most of us around here). I myself saw BBM in the theatre 5 times and by now I've completely lost track of how many times I've seen it on DVD (it's possible that it's 100s of times :o ). And new revelations come all the time with regard to this film. It's so wonderful!
Are you a fan of the short story as well as the film?
cheers and welcome again!
Amanda
:)
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Welcome to BetterMost Berit, Dag, Susie and Deb!
:D :D :D :D :D :D :D
We're really glad to have you all in our Brokie family!! Have fun and be sure to send me a PM if you have any questions! I'll be happy to help you in any way I can! :)
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Hi it's me, BannerHill from IMBD so maybe I'll be BannerRoad here though my name's Jason. Let's see how this works
I love this film like no other, ever. It touched me in a deep and primal way. Still trying to figure it all out. Haven't yet, but I find I like the process, whatever it is.
Recent troll attacks have caused chaos on the IMDB board. I've heard about all the interesting things here at BetterMost, so I figured "this is a good time to give it a try"
Thanks for making this a safe place. It'll take me some time to get used to not having any trolls!
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Hi it's me, BannerHill from IMBD so maybe I'll be BannerRoad here though my name's Jason. Let's see how this works
I love this film like no other, ever. It touched me in a deep and primal way. Still trying to figure it all out. Haven't yet, but I find I like the process, whatever it is.
Recent troll attacks have caused chaos on the IMDB board. I've heard about all the interesting things here at BetterMost, so I figured "this is a good time to give it a try"
Thanks for making this a safe place. It'll take me some time to get used to not having any trolls!
Hey Jason!!! Welcome to Bettermost!!
I used to post on IMDb too. I was David-Indiana over there!
I'm really glad you decided to join our forum! If you have any questions, send me a PM. I'll be happy to help you and answer any questions you have. Just click on the little blue circle under my picture.
And you're correct! There's no trolls here! :D
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Hi it's me, BannerHill from IMBD so maybe I'll be BannerRoad here though my name's Jason. Let's see how this works
I love this film like no other, ever. It touched me in a deep and primal way. Still trying to figure it all out. Haven't yet, but I find I like the process, whatever it is.
Recent troll attacks have caused chaos on the IMDB board. I've heard about all the interesting things here at BetterMost, so I figured "this is a good time to give it a try"
Thanks for making this a safe place. It'll take me some time to get used to not having any trolls!
BannerHill, Banner Road ---mark you calenders folks ...this is a BANNER DAY!!! June 6, 2008 the day that Jason came on over ta the town a BetterMost, Wyomin!
---- Welcome! VERY happy to have you join our ranks. Seems like it's been a long time in coming. I'm sure you'll (eventually) feel comfortable everywhere in this ol community.
May seem like an overwhelmingly complicated place ta know all at once, but take your time. Chez Tremblay is a great place ta get started with getting to know the place ... and of course, right here in The Brokeback Open Forum, where BBM continues to inspire. No need to go everywhere at once, but it's all here for you to explore when ya want to. Start a blog in "Our daily thoughts", I'm sure you'll get to know some a the fine folks that populate BetterMost in no time at all. And the chat room is available 24/7 should you want more instant conversations. There are regularly scheduled meet & greets every month, but I hear there's gonna be a special one soon, so that we can meet all these new fine folks that have recently moved in. This kinda information will no doubt be displayed on the 'news banner' on the Home Page, and will probably be a thread unto itself in the Social forum.
;D ;D ;D Glad ta be the first ta say ... Set a spell... you'll have a cup a coffee, won't you? Piece a cherry cake? ;D ;D ;D (our official welcome line!)
(Ah shucks! why do I always do this - I spend so much time writing a welcome, that someone always beat me to it! - durn it!)
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Jason, I'll echo the Sheriff in saying it's a Banner Day! I saw your name listed as the latest member and was pleased as punch. You go way back with us, and I remember fondly your account of the Aero pilgrimage. Friend, I hope you come to know BetterMost in the next weeks and months and decide to call it home. 8)
Another big welcome going out to Delmardeb! :)
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Hi all,
I think I will have that cup o coffee, but will pass on the cherry cake. I am so excited that I have found a home for my BBM experience. I do have the short story because after the obsession set in, that was the next step- to download the short story.
Thank you all for the warm welcome, and "I'll be back, if the loony-bin don't get me." :)
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Hi all,
I think I will have that cup o coffee, but will pass on the cherry cake. I am so excited that I have found a home for my BBM experience. I do have the short story because after the obsession set in, that was the next step- to download the short story.
Thank you all for the warm welcome, and "I'll be back, if the loony-bin don't get me." :)
Welcome to BetterMost Delmardeb!!!
We're really happy you joined our Brokie family! Please let us know if there's anything we can do for you. Send me a pm if you have any questions. I'll be glad to help you! Just click the little blue circle under my picture to send a pm to me! :D
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Hi it's me, BannerHill from IMBD so maybe I'll be BannerRoad here though my name's Jason. Let's see how this works
I love this film like no other, ever. It touched me in a deep and primal way. Still trying to figure it all out. Haven't yet, but I find I like the process, whatever it is.
Recent troll attacks have caused chaos on the IMDB board. I've heard about all the interesting things here at BetterMost, so I figured "this is a good time to give it a try"
Thanks for making this a safe place. It'll take me some time to get used to not having any trolls!
Jason!!! It's me, Barb/ednbarby from over there. Remember me? I sure remember you! I've always thoroughly enjoyed (and agreed with) your posts at IMDb. So nice to see you here. Sorry to hear it's because it's gotten ugly over there again, but I'm glad you found us.
:-*
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Hi, to all you new BetterMostians! It's Front-Ranger. I don't know if any of my old posts still exist at IMDB.
(http://apollo.divshare.com/apollo2/files/2007/06/06/859954/Lee-priusCU.jpg)
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Hey welcome everybody! And a special welcome to Jason, my Aero and La Cabaña bud!
Hugs to all. I'm also happy to be PMed with questions on how to get around.
Elle
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<<piss-up in a brewery>>
Just returned to Bettermost,Kerry, and seen your post! Guess your a Brit like me, or has this expression 'crossed the pond'. Anyway I share your anger at the bloody academy, and your outburst made me snigger in a very evil manner
Best Wishes, and thanks for a much needed giggle! :laugh:
Sam
Samrim
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<<piss-up in a brewery>>
Just returned to Bettermost,Kerry, and seen your post! Guess your a Brit like me, or has this expression 'crossed the pond'. Anyway I share your anger at the bloody academy, and your outburst made me snigger in a very evil manner
Best Wishes, and thanks for a much needed giggle! :laugh:
Sam
Samrim
Hi Samrim! Welcome!
and welcome to everyone else too!!
Kerry is an Ozzie... so he knows piss up in breweries quite well! :laugh:
But I'm a Brit (Live just outside Glasgow) and there is a few others too... most notably Miss Saucycobblers!
and also we have a new one - Miss Susiebell too! ;D
There is a thread in the social events area - about the eurobrokie event in London last year (I couldn't go unfortunately but did get to speak to some people over the phone)
http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php/topic,1158.0.html (http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php/topic,1158.0.html)
http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php/topic,4557.0.html (http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php/topic,4557.0.html)
there was also another one in the netherlands recently!
http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php/topic,8306.0.html (http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php/topic,8306.0.html)
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If you are new here be aware that moderators move and jerk your posts around. Not a very "welcoming" thing to do.
Can't say as thats ever happened to me!
All the moderators here have been as kind as can be and very welcoming.
Sorry you had a bad experience though.
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If you are new here be aware that moderators move and jerk your posts around. Not a very "welcoming" thing to do.
If I'm correct, Wishes is refering to the time I started a 'Vintage Affection' thread using my posts along with dottie's posts that had been initially places in the Affection thread in Anything Goes. The response was overwhelmingly favourable and dottie had found a cornicopia of similar images, so we decided to split the thread. You can check out the first 3 pages of the vintage thread for confirmation:
http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php/topic,9350.180.html
When doing so, I missed moving 3 related posts and was criticized for it by this resident. When I was informed of my omission, I tried to rectify it, but obviously I was not able to please Wishes, who had erased his own post, and therefore didn't have his post moved at all.
Yes, moderators occasionally move posts, but it's hardly something that occurs frequently. It might also occasionally happen that a thread is more appropriately placed in a diff'rent forum. In such a case, the original poster is asked if he/she minds about the move, and, if agreed to, a message is left in the former forum directing people to the new placement of the moved thread.
To say that posts are jerked around is quite misleading, and as for how welcoming y'all feel, well, that's for each of you to decide for yourself.
Sheriff Roland
moderator
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Hey! Welcome to all our newbies!!! Good to have you here! :-*
And a very special welcome to another Bavarian Brokie: Dagi!! ;D
Enjoy yourself. Feel at home. Empty the minibar. Leave a mess. Whatever... :laugh:
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Hello everyone! :D
My name is Sharon. I'm logged in since 8 days and have done 62 posts at the picture threads.
For me it is easier to "introduce myself" by doing something...just jump in the scene.
But now I thought its the right time to introduce myself here.
I'm 37 years old, female and living in Germany. My friend Dottie brought me here and I'm very glad
to be at this wonderful place.
greetings from Germany
Sharon ;)
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Hallo Sharon,
Ich bin auch erst seit kurzem hier, fühle mich aber schon sehr zuhause.
Die EuroBrokieLliga wächst! Schön, dass Du da bist!
Dagi aus Südbayern
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Yeehaw, another Euro-Brokie! Welcome to BetterMost, Sharon! 8)
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Thank you Dagi and Meryl!
Ich denke hier zu sein bedeutet in einer großen Familie zu sein,
wo jeder den anderen respektiert und versteht! Das ist ein schönes Gefühl.
Grüße nach Bayern Dagi!
Danke Pipedream für die Begrüßung aller Neuen! Somit also auch mir!
To be here is like to belong to a big family where anyone is accepted and understood.
Sharon
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Congrats, Susiebelle fer postin a picture (in yer avatar) - recent or slightly older, it's still nice ta be able ta put a face to a person'e comments.
BTW, some a my pics are here
http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php/topic,3756.15.html
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Welcome BannerHill, I am so glad your here. I have always enjoyed your posts on IMBD!!!
Welcome Dagi and Sharon, It's so cool that your here and have jumped right in!!!
I'll be waving to you from across the water.
Welcome to all our old and new friends!!!!!
(http://bestsmileys.com/waving/1.gif)
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Hey there Ednbarby, Sam-rim and BannerHill,
I happy y'all made it over here. It's great to read some familiar names from IMDb. I think you'll find it pretty special on BetterMost. I love it. Yaahoo!
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I folks!
I'm a French Canadian gay man from Montreal.
I'm a freelance Illustrator and Graphic designer.
I'm a member of the Dave Cullen BBM forum, been there for the last year and a half.
I just thought I'd drop by and hug a few more brokies!!!!
See you soon!
John John
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((((((John John))))))
Right back atcha. :)
Welcome, and welcome to all the other new folks. It's so nice to "see" so many newbies here and to see some more familiar names from IMDb, too.
Enjoy!
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Hi John John! Thanks for checking in. Here's a hug, since you asked so kindly. ;D
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BBMLinesVisualized/CTGroupHug.jpg)
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Nice to see you here Sharon!
Thank you Susie!
Nice to see you here too!
Welcome Dagi and Sharon, It's so cool that your here and have jumped right in!!!
I'll be waving to you from across the water.
Thank ya Cameron! I`m waving back!
Sharon
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I folks!
I'm a French Canadian gay man from Montreal.
I'm a freelance Illustrator and Graphic designer.
I'm a member of the Dave Cullen BBM forum, been there for the last year and a half.
I just thought I'd drop by and hug a few more brokies!!!!
See you soon!
John John
hey! I know a French Canadian gay man....but he lives in Toronto...
:laugh: :laugh:
welcome to Bettermost!
Forgot to tell you....his name is Roland...he is in local law enforcement! LOL!!
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Hey John John
On m'a demandé de vous souhaiter au bon bienvenue chez nous. Faites comme si vous étiez chez vous. Tu veux sûrement une tasse café n'est-ce pas? ... un morceau de gâteau aux cerises? ;D
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Hey John John
On m'a demandé de vous souhaiter au bon bienvenue chez nous. Faites comme si vous étiez chez vous. Tu veux sûrement une tasse café n'est-ce pas? ... un morceau de gâteau aux cerises? ;D
:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
Look Roland! I ran this thru Babel Fish...this is what I got:
One asked me to wish you with good the welcome on our premises. Made as if you were on your premise. You want surely isn't a cup coffee? ... a piece of cake to cherries?
Baaawaahaaahaaaa!!!!
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:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
Look Roland! I ran this thru Babel Fish...this is what I got:
One asked me to wish you with good the welcome on our premises. Made as if you were on your premise. You want surely isn't a cup coffee? ... a piece of cake to cherries?
Baaawaahaaahaaaa!!!!
Now you know babel fish ain't worth much if that's what it came up with ... sad really ::)
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Now you know babel fish ain't worth much if that's what it came up with ... sad really ::)
I know! Good thing it is free....I would be MAD if I had paid for that mess!
LOL!
wonder what it would come up with if I ran that back thru and changed it back to French??
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I know! Good thing it is free....I would be MAD if I had paid for that mess!
LOL!
wonder what it would come up with if I ran that back thru and changed it back to French??
Don't really care ta know. Sound babel-y enough as is!
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Hey John John
On m'a demandé de vous souhaiter au bon bienvenue chez nous. Faites comme si vous étiez chez vous. Tu veux sûrement une tasse café n'est-ce pas? ... un morceau de gâteau aux cerises? ;D
ok here is the back to French translation..
On m'a demandé de vous souhaiter avec bon la bienvenue sur nos lieux. Fait comme si vous étiez sur vos lieux. Vous voulez n'est pas sûrement un café de tasse ? ... un morceau de gâteau aux cerises ?
not the same!! don't know what it says but not the same I can tell...
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ok here is the back to French translation..
On m'a demandé de vous souhaiter avec bon la bienvenue sur nos lieux. Fait comme si vous étiez sur vos lieux. Vous voulez n'est pas sûrement un café de tasse ? ... un morceau de gâteau aux cerises ?
not the same!! don't know what it says but not the same I can tell...
Fist two sentences still make sense (except fer the typo on my part - shoulda been "un" instead a "au"). First half a the rest is mangled beyond recognition.
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funny thing is...if you run it thru four or five times the English gets better! LOL!!!
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Hey John John
On m'a demandé de vous souhaiter au bon bienvenue chez nous. Faites comme si vous étiez chez vous. Tu veux sûrement une tasse café n'est-ce pas? ... un morceau de gâteau aux cerises? ;D
Good try Sheriff!!!
It's truly sweet of you to greet me in French!!! I really apreciate it.
One of the errors you made is the usual one, those goddammed feminine or masculine words!!
So: On m'a demandé de vous souhaiter la bienvenue chez nous. 'Welcome' is feminine in french....if you can believe that!!!
Here's how the whole thing should go;
On m'a demandé de vous souhaiter la bienvenue chez nous. Faites comme chez vous. Vous voulez un café?
Un morceau de gâteau aux cerises?
By the way I'd love a cup, I'll have the cake later, I just had breakfast!!
Glad to be here!
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Does that mean you speak with a french accent! I lurve the french accent!! Everyone's so friendly around here, I'm sure you'll settle in as quickly as I have! Nice to see you here John John!
(http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/15/15_1_148.gif)
Susie xox 8)
I'm sorry to disappoint you Susiebell, I am told I barely have one. But I could fake one just for you!!!! ;D
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Un morceau de gâteau aux cerises?
By the way I'd love a cup, I'll have the cake later, I just had breakfast!!
Glad to be here!
How do you say, "I cain't take no cake just now?"
;D
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I never did this, but since I'm thinking I might go on the Pilgrimage, I will now.
I teach English in S. Korea, have for years. It's an exotic life, but has drawbacks, like any. Too far from home, but it's very steady work, no shortage of good work. I work only 25 hour or less, have a lot of time to write, which is a passion of mine. You'll find a lot that I've written on this site and elsewhere too. I love the outdoors, hiking with friends, traveling, poetry, music, strong coffee, good food, wine, good health. I try to live a life that allows me to have an clear mind and an open heart. These days, it's not always easy, but I manage ok. So, I'm like most everyone, but I live in Asia, which isn't like too many.
There's a lot of who I am, and what I do. Nice to meet you. :)
Rayn
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How do you say, "I cain't take no cake just now?"
;D
'Je n'peux pas en prendre pour l'intant!'
Et John John - tu as raison, mais je ne suis qu'un pauvre franco-ontarien qui a reçu toute son instruction dans les écoles franco-onatiennes. Je n'ai jamais habiter ailleur qu'en Ontario. Mon français est comme il est, avec toutes ses qualités et toutes ses défauts. Mais c'est quand même un plaisir pour moi de communiquer en français (malgré mes erreurs) parce que j'y crois (à ma langue).
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I never did this, but since I'm thinking I might go on the Pilgrimage, I will now.
I teach English in S. Korea, have for years. It's an exotic life, but has drawbacks, like any. Too far from home, but it's very steady work, no shortage of good work. I work only 25 hour or less, have a lot of time to write, which is a passion of mine. You'll find a lot that I've written on this site and elsewhere too. I love the outdoors, hiking with friends, traveling, poetry, music, strong coffee, good food, wine, good health. I try to live a life that allows me to have an clear mind and an open heart. These days, it's not always easy, but I manage ok. So, I'm like most everyone, but I live in Asia, which isn't like too many.
There's a lot of who I am, and what I do. Nice to meet you. :)
Rayn
Nice to meet you, too, Rayn! Thanks for giving us your background. Along with our Aussies, you're the farthest Brokie away from Wyoming we have, I think. I hope it all works out that you can be with us in Alberta. I look forward to hiking with you. 8)
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Nice to meet you, too, Rayn! Thanks for giving us your background. Along with our Aussies, you're the farthest Brokie away from Wyoming we have, I think. I hope it all works out that you can be with us in Alberta. I look forward to hiking with you. 8)
Hey, good meeting you too Meryl and hope to get to know you on a hike. You hike a lot? I do whenever I can, just average hiking, nothing too dramatic, but I do love the mts. That's a big reason I love the movie too. The scenery and landscapes are fantastic. So I'm working on gettin up there to see everyone and will keep ya posted. No pun intended!
Cheers,
Rayn-
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Ooh I love it when you guys talk french! (http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/36/36_21_4.gif) (Of course I've no idea whatsoever what you just said!!)
Susie (http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/11/11_1_201.gif)
Susie, try Babel-fish! It would for sure be as funny as the earlier attempt!
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Rayn, it WILL be right nice ta meet you in person
Glad yer postin a pic a yerself in yer avatar!
<------------------- Ohh - look there!!! I've just done my 5 000 th post
Yee haw!!!!
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Hey, good meeting you too Meryl and hope to get to know you on a hike. You hike a lot? I do whenever I can, just average hiking, nothing too dramatic, but I do love the mts. That's a big reason I love the movie too. The scenery and landscapes are fantastic. So I'm working on gettin up there to see everyone and will keep ya posted. No pun intended!
Cheers,
Rayn-
Well, Rayn, I'm not a big hiker at all (I live in NYC), but I'm looking forward to getting some exercise up there. Don't feel bad about leaving me in the dust, though! I'll be content just breathing in that mountain air. ;D
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Rayn, it WILL be right nice ta meet you in person
Glad yer postin a pic a yerself in yer avatar!
Will be good to meet you too Sheriff Roland. Oh, and about the pic of me, yeah, it's me. I was too scared to put it on here before, almost paranoid cause I'm a teacher in a very conservative "don't ask, don't tell" country.... But lately something came over me. Like I felt, what the hell , if they fired me because "they think I'm gay or bi, or queer or something so unacceptable that they ignore my teaching skills, then so be it. They'd be getting me out of here which is something I haven't been able to do, get out of this "Gay forsaken" land. They'd be doing be a favor. LOL
Big step for me, but it's done. Yes.
Rayn
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Hey!
Roland is a teacher too!
(mean to them kids though...makes them wait forever for their grades!!)
;D
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Hey now, are you giving Roland's secrets away? Is it a secret or are you just saying that .... in-jest. ::)
R
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Ain't no secret. I got this excuse that I teach en français but of course now there's this other french guy who's seein me make mistakes in that language too. I ain't no purist in either language. (I blame it on my typos! ;D )
Where are you originally from, hun? You american or sumthin?
I'm also less than a year away from retirement, so that's allowed me to be less concerned about tellin (don't ask, don't tell), should anyone find out all about me by comin across this board.
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Hi everyone....or, should I say Howdy?
I've come over here from IMDB and I already see some familiar faces....Susiebell, how are you, girlfriend!? Are you up past your bedtime, again?
Anyway, I just wanted to say hello to those who know me, and introduce myself to those who don't.....
I am a married woman in her mid 30s and I live in Southern California. I loved BBM, but what I REALLY loved was the community of pre-troll IMDBers that I met through the discussion boards, so that's pretty much why I'm here.
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Okay
I am practicing posting here. So here is my first post.
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Okay
I am practicing posting here. So here is my first post.
Hi everyone....or, should I say Howdy?
I've come over here from IMDB and I already see some familiar faces....Susiebell, how are you, girlfriend!? Are you up past your bedtime, again?
Anyway, I just wanted to say hello to those who know me, and introduce myself to those who don't.....
I am a married woman in her mid 30s and I live in Southern California. I loved BBM, but what I REALLY loved was the community of pre-troll IMDBers that I met through the discussion boards, so that's pretty much why I'm here.
Welcome to BetterMost Banner Road and Madamebrad!! :D
Banner Road, I think I remember you from IMDb. I was David-Indiana over there! Glad to see you here. You post looks perfectly fine to me! See? You've mastered BetterMost already!! :D
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I am a married woman in her mid 30s and I live in Southern California. I loved BBM, but what I REALLY loved was the community of pre-troll IMDBers that I met through the discussion boards, so that's pretty much why I'm here.
What? And all this time I thought you was in England! Next, yer gonna tell me you ain't a real madame, neither!
I live in So Cali, too. I'm in the South Bay.
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Welcome! It's great to see you posting, BANNER HILL and madamebrad! Keep on doing that, okay? ;D
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'Je n'peux pas en prendre pour l'intant!'
Et John John - tu as raison, mais je ne suis qu'un pauvre franco-ontarien qui a reçu toute son instruction dans les écoles franco-onatiennes. Je n'ai jamais habiter ailleur qu'en Ontario. Mon français est comme il est, avec toutes ses qualités et toutes ses défauts. Mais c'est quand même un plaisir pour moi de communiquer en français (malgré mes erreurs) parce que j'y crois (à ma langue).
Your from Ontario!! My dad comes from, would you believe, 'Moose Creek' a tiny village near the Quebec border.
Sounds like a town out of Annie Proulx' stories.
I was born here in Montreal. I live downtown and right now the weather here is fabulous, so much so that I'm leaving in a few minutes for a long week end in the country.
See you folks!
JJ
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Its been so long since ive been here that i hope im writing in the correct place. Ive been a member since last year , but have only just returned to here and the IMD board recently. I was never going to go away for good, but needed the break, as the other board was getting totally out of hand.
I live in Australia, and feel very lucky for that. To be honest, i really am not one to talk about myself, so i have bugger all ideas of what to say, except for hello to all you good people here...lol.
To me Brokeback Mountain isnt a movie ; its in my heart, always will be.
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Its been so long since ive been here that i hope im writing in the correct place. Ive been a member since last year , but have only just returned to here and the IMD board recently. I was never going to go away for good, but needed the break, as the other board was getting totally out of hand.
I live in Australia, and feel very lucky for that. To be honest, i really am not one to talk about myself, so i have bugger all ideas of what to say, except for hello to all you good people here...lol.
To me Brokeback Mountain isnt a movie ; its in my heart, always will be.
Golly Gee! I think you're the only one!
not! ;)
Welcome back. you'll have a cup a coffee? piece a cherry cake? Tell us what all you've been up to this past year. :)
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What? And all this time I thought you was in England! Next, yer gonna tell me you ain't a real madame, neither!
I live in So Cali, too. I'm in the South Bay.
Toycoon, that's too funny! I'm in Santa Barbara. My husband is from Scotland and we met while I was working temporarily in London. Maybe I mentioned that on IMDB or in a PM and that's where you got that CRAZY idea from....LOL. ::)
Thanks, everyone, for the wonderful welcomes. It sure is great to "see" all of you and meet some new friends!
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Calling all new folks! Calling all old folks! Calling everyone in between! We will be having two chats to welcome the new folks. The first is tomorrow, June 16th at 9am PT/noon ET/16:00 UTC.
We've been finding that Saturday daytime chats seem to draw people from the most diverse locations. This will be an easy-going, get to know each other time, where you can learn the chat ins and outs, or help others, if you've already developed some chat techno-skills yourself.
See you tomorrow! (Click on the blue "CHAT" button near the top of the screen, and it will guide you there.)
Clarissa
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Calling all new folks! Calling all old folks! Calling everyone in between! We will be having two chats to welcome the new folks. The first is tomorrow, June 16th at 9am PT/noon ET/16:00 UTC.
We've been finding that Saturday daytime chats seem to draw people from the most diverse locations. This will be an easy-going, get to know each other time, where you can learn the chat ins and outs, or help others, if you've already developed some chat techno-skills yourself.
See you tomorrow! (Click on the blue "CHAT" button near the top of the screen, and it will guide you there.)
Clarissa
Yup, I agree. For me, this is 6pm Saturday afternoon, a good time for chat.
Unfortunately (or not so unfortunately, because it's a good reason :)), I won't be able to join and greet the new folks tomorrow. Tomorrow evening I'll meet with Louise in Heidelberg and will leave the house around 6pm.
So I just say Howdy! here and hope you'll have a good time in chat tomorrow and on BM in general. I'm sure before long it'll feel like home to you.
And welcome to everybody I haven't welcomed yet :D.
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Calling all new folks! Calling all old folks! Calling everyone in between! We will be having two chats to welcome the new folks. The first is tomorrow, June 16th at 9am PT/noon ET/16:00 UTC.
We've been finding that Saturday daytime chats seem to draw people from the most diverse locations. This will be an easy-going, get to know each other time, where you can learn the chat ins and outs, or help others, if you've already developed some chat techno-skills yourself.
See you tomorrow! (Click on the blue "CHAT" button near the top of the screen, and it will guide you there.)
Clarissa
I have a REALLY stupid question!
What does UTC mean? I've seen this before and I have no idea what it means! ???
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I have a REALLY stupid question!
What does UTC mean? I've seen this before and I have no idea what it means! ???
UTC= Coordinated Universal Time.
THE atomic time standard from which all other times zones are derivated. Formerly GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) - but don't ask me why they changed it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utc (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utc)
UTC is the actual time in Great Britain in winter time, but in summer, GB is UTC+1 (due to daylight saving time).
Germany is UTC+1 in winter, but UTC+2 in summer.
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Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!!
To all my friends,
both old and new,
Greetings from
your old friend, "True"
Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!! Welcome!!!
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UTC= Coordinated Universal Time.
THE atomic time standard from which all other times zones are derivated. Formerly GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) - but don't ask me why they changed it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utc (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utc)
UTC is the actual time in Great Britain in winter time, but in summer, GB is UTC+1 (due to daylight saving time).
Germany is UTC+1 in winter, but UTC+2 in summer.
Okay! Thanks Chrissi! I knew what Greenwich Mean Time was. I didn't realize they had changed it.
Thanks for explaining this to me Chrissi!! :)
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I'm going to a friend's baby shower tomorrow. I'm so glad baby showers are co-ed these days. It's gonna be really fun!
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The chat's at 9am west coast time.
I'll be there and will be checking my PMs frequently, so if you have trouble getting in to chat, go ahead and PM me, and I'll try to help you.
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I'm going to a friend's baby shower tomorrow. I'm so glad baby showers are co-ed these days. It's gonna be really fun!
Oh I LOVE baby showers! They are fun! You'll have a great time there! :D
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I'm going to a friend's baby shower tomorrow. I'm so glad baby showers are co-ed these days. It's gonna be really fun!
well most of the time! I love showers too!
;)
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Chat to welcome the New Folks in less than half an hour!
See our news banner for directions in. All BetterMostians welcome!
http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php
:)
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Well hello all!
I go by the name of Lo,
I am 39 years young and my interests include travel, fishing, camping, UFOlogy, Science, Spiritualism, Tomb Raider, computing, mushy peas, vinegar and sleeping a lot ;D
I hope to meet new friends soon and of course engaging with my current (lovely) friends from IMDb. I'll get to posting up a profile very soon....currently I am just working in another tab and writing up the voting rules for one of my Eidos fanfic competitions!
Thank you for having me and I look forward to becoming a [hopefully valued] contributor!
With thanks and best wishes,
Lo :)
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Well hello all!
I go by the name of Lo,
I am 39 years young and my interests include travel, fishing, camping, UFOlogy, Science, Spiritualism, Tomb Raider, computing, mushy peas, vinegar and sleeping a lot ;D
I hope to meet new friends soon and of course engaging with my current (lovely) friends from IMDb. I'll get to posting up a profile very soon....currently I am just working in another tab and writing up the voting rules for one of my Eidos fanfic competitions!
Thank you for having me and I look forward to becoming a [hopefully valued] contributor!
With thanks and best wishes,
Lo :)
WELCOME Lo! Hope you have a great time here....
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Hi Snavel! Thanks for the warm welcome :)
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Wilco Susie sweetpea and fankoo for the welcome!!
Just writing one up now actually in Word! Hope it passes! ;D It's not rood! It's just a bit rubbish me finks and not up to scratch (so far) :-\
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(http://bestsmileys.com/welcome/16.gif)
Welcome Lo! So nice to have you here. Hope you have fun exploring the forums. Want a cup of coffee don't you? And a piece of cherry cake?
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I recommend the cake, Lo. ;D
Oh, and welcome to BetterMost! 8)
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Our moderator is away for a few days, and it's up to us to keep this joint hopping until she returns! Help me out, please, FRiends.
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Sure enough Sister Mod! :)
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I've already introduced myself though. But can again.
Hi Everyone, I'm Clarissa, also often called "Elle," short for "Ellemeno," which is pronounced "L-M-N-O." I divide my time between Seattle, Washington and BetterMost, Wyoming. I'm an admin here, and thus have special powers which I use for the good of the people. I am happy to help anyone who is stumped by sumpn here, just send me a PM.
Welcome to all the new peeps. Wasn't so long ago we were all new. Just start posting and posting, and soon you'll be an old timer too. :)
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ok then I will reintroduce myself!!
I am Jess! (injest)
also called "Her Majesty" "Goddess" and "she who must be obeyed"
I am twenty five, blonde, gorgeous (Ford BEGGED me to model for them but I refused) I live in Paris (and London, and Spain) I drive a Masarati...
Hmmmm oh and I NEVER lie!!
:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
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really!!
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ok then I will reintroduce myself!!
I am Jess! (injest)
also called "Her Majesty" "Goddess" and "she who must be obeyed"
I am twenty five, blonde, gorgeous (Ford BEGGED me to model for them but I refused) I live in Paris (and London, and Spain) I drive a Masarati...
Hmmmm oh and I NEVER lie!!
:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
Well, in that vein,
I'm Lee.
I'm 6'5 built like a brick shit house and hung to make horses jealous!
I drive a Fearrari Testarosa but I am also partial to my Truck.
I am the best Bronc and Bull rider in the Country!
I make millions on the rodeo Circut.
Brad Pitt was going to leave Angelina Jolie for me but I told him he was too scrawny and just not my type.
Oh yeah, I have a huge ranch where Bluebirds sing and there's a Whiskey Spring!! ;D
Hows that!
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Well just like Jess I never lie either. Lee can vouch for that.. I am 31 blond hair and green eyes.
Have a very womanly figure. not to fat not to thin, just right. And i love to watch the squirrels and birds outside my window. No whiskey spring, but blue birds do come and eat from the feeder..Bluejays.
I live in oregon in my three story mansion. But I have no titles like Jess..just maam or mama :)
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I never ever lie either. But I will reintroduce myself too. My real name is Cameron and I am 32 and I have blond hair and I am 5'10. I live in a fabulous penthouse in Manhattan. It has ten huge rooms and amazing views of the city. I go to all the big parties practically every night. I own three art galleries and I spend all my time painting and hanging out with all the amazing artists whose work are in my galleries, and in my spare time I do a little writing too. Since I live right in the city, and usually go places in limosines, I don't have to drive much, but when I do have to drive I admit it gets tough to choose between my three Mercedes or the Volvo's.
Really!!!
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HUMPH!
seems to be a plethora of BLONDES showing up in here!
(At least I kept MINE realistic!!)
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. :o
(At least I kept MINE realistic!!)
Really Jess?
You mean you don't beleve me?
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. :o
Really Jess?
You mean you don't beleve me?
Marlene! I know you wouldn't exagerate...I was talking about those OTHER wannabes.... :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
;) ;)
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:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
Of course, Jess. ;D
Now I feel better.
I would never exagerate. ;) ;D ;D ;D
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:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
Of course, Jess. ;D
Now I feel better.
I would never exagerate. ;) ;D ;D ;D
we gorgeous rich blondes have to stick together.... :-*
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Yup, that's for sure! (http://bestsmileys.com/wink/1.gif)
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Hi, I just got here via a pal at IMDB. (Are you here, pal? Perhaps under a different name? You will recognize mine.)
I write short stories (clearly!), see a lot of movies, like to travel; hetero, female, solo; mess around on the Internet a lot, early 40s but actually look 30something, California native.
Hello!
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Hi, I just got here via a pal at IMDB. (Are you here, pal? Perhaps under a different name? You will recognize mine.)
I write short stories (clearly!), see a lot of movies, like to travel; hetero, female, solo; mess around on the Internet a lot, early 40s but actually look 30something, California native.
Hello!
(http://www.smilie-harvester.de/smilies/Alltag/schaukelstuhl.gif) Hello & welcome, you young whipper snapper. Pull up a rockin chair and tell us more a yerself.
I'm a 54 year old gay man, living in Toronto and I'm a moderator of a few boards here. You might find navigating around a little frustrating at first, but in no time at all, you'll be comf'table finding your way around. Let me know (or any mod, if you like), if there's anything I can do to make your first week or two a little easier.
and as the saying goes ... you'll have a cup a coffe? piece a cake?
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:) Hi, Merr, Susie, Roland!
More about me....Well, I'm about to go out for a walk, which I do quite a bit. Just got back from a day trip to a casino yesterday. It's called Buffalo Bill's and yes, there are indeed cowboys there!
I also like day spas. And sometimes I like my job of teaching English to college students.... and other times I want to chuck it all and go join the Peace Corps. I prefer my second job of assessing placement test essays, which tend to be filled with all sorts of goofy sentences. If you would like to see some of these howlers, do let me know.
I sell a lot of stuff on eBay and at half dot com.
That's it for now.....My walking partner is on the way. Thanks again for your lovely and animated welcomes!
shortfiction
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Welcome to BetterMost, shortfic! 8)
What's not to love about day spas? Sigh..... :P
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Hi everyone!
So, thanks again for the sweet welcome posts! I am very delighted to be the 1000th member. :)
Okay let me tell me something about myself. ;)
I am Ally-at-BetterMost, a twenty-something, student, soon living together with my bf of five years, music freak (I particularly love everything U2 and MUSE), BBM fan for a month, maybe two months now (I can't recall anymore, I've been too hooked on that film :laugh:). I am both a Heathen and Gyllenhaalic, I just love their work and attitudes! I love going to concerts and going to the cinema. BBM is the first film ever that got me hooked in a way I have never experienced before. It got me thinking about so many things... :-\ ;) ;D
If you have any questions, feel free to ask me!
Cheers,
Ally
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LOL just the coffee please! ;D ;)
Thank you for your welcome post and your story, Merrily! Yes, I also started at IMDB, but was quickly 'referred' to BetterMost! No trolls! ;D
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Hi everyone!
So, thanks again for the sweet welcome posts! I am very delighted to be the 1000th member. :)
Okay let me tell me something about myself. ;)
I am Ally-at-BetterMost, a twenty-something, student, soon living together with my bf of five years, music freak (I particularly love everything U2 and MUSE), BBM fan for a month, maybe two months now (I can't recall anymore, I've been too hooked on that film :laugh:). I am both a Heathen and Gyllenhaalic, I just love their work and attitudes! I love going to concerts and going to the cinema. BBM is the first film ever that got me hooked in a way I have never experienced before. It got me thinking about so many things... :-\ ;) ;D
If you have any questions, feel free to ask me!
Cheers,
Ally
Ally - given your sig line (plus the MUSE reference) - I'm guessing you must be UK or at least Euro based - I love a bit of the Kaiser Chiefs - Ruby Ruby Ruby RUUBBBY!!!! Ahahahahaha!
Hello and welcome from another twenty something, 25 to be exact, who has been on bettermost for 16 months now... also an IMDB refugee as many of us here are.
I'm Scottish and also a music lover - off to t in the park this weekend! woohoo!
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Congrats Ally for being the 1,000 member,
Hi my name is Debbie and I have been on the this forum for a few months and it's been great. Sure you don't want the cherry cake? I am 56 years old and never has a movie obsessed me like this. It does get you thinking. Just yesterday I went out and bought the soundtrack to the movie and I am listening to it as I am typing. I can't even tell you how many times I've watched this movie. I fall asleep with it on. The bottom line, is you are not alone and you are not crazy.( I felt like I was) :-\
When I first realized how Brokeback got me it was a bit scary until I found folks just like me! So sit back and enjoy the ride. "There ain't no reins on this one."
Debbie (Delmardeb)
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Meryl, I firmly believe that if more people went to day spas, they wouldn't have to go to the doctor so much.
Ally: I love U2 as well!
Merr, yep, had a nice long walk, thanks. Too bad it's like a blast furnace around here. :P
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Hi and welcome, Ally! Glad to have another youngster on Team BBM. It truly is one of those rare movies that speaks to folks of all ages. I'm 58 myself, and getting younger every day. ;)
Lots of us here came over from IMDb and are contentedly settled in our new digs. Grab a seat on a log, stick a boot in the fire, and gab away! ;D
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Welcome again Ally! Hope you have lots of fun exploring the forums. I'm Amanda and I co-moderate the Social Events forum with my good bud Front-Ranger. I've been here at BetterMost since early April 2006 and am also a refugee from IMDb. I had been active over there for maybe a month or so before moving to BetterMost permanently. I'm 32 and am a big music fan myself. Up until my Brokie-fever hit, most of my online activities had centered around music. Anyway, we're a really friendly bunch around here and hope you feel right at home!
Here's an extra decadent cup of coffee to help celebrate your arrival.
(http://www.mocha.uk.com/shop/full/45096036_ecs.jpg)
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Meryl, I'm curious about your name. Is that a nickname? My name is Merrily and my siblings call me Merrill - I think it is pronounced like your name. I am also an IMDB refuge.
Merrily
Yes, Merr, it's a nickname. My real name is Cynthia, but I almost never use it online, preferring Meryl. I picked it because I like the name and feel like it suits me. I like your name, too, as well as other variations on it (I have a cousin named Merrell, went to school with a girl named Merrilee). It's pretty. :)
We may end up getting each other's PMs occasionally, since the software automatically fills in the name when you start to type it. If the sender isn't paying attention, uh-oh! ;)
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Hi Merr,
Nice to know you too. I have been on this board for a few months and I have mainly been reading the old posts and playing the games. Like I said, I don't know how many times I have watched this movie but I just seem to never tire of it.
Are your children aware of your Brokie obsession? It seems so wierd since out of the hundreds of movies I have seen, no movie has ever had the effect on me that Brokeback Mountain does. It is so strange.
I am from New Jersey, about 20 minutes from NYC, and have never been to the Macy fireworks. Too many people. Also, I don't like driving in New York. The cabbies are the worse >:(
I am just glad to have found this forum so I don't have to feel alone in this obsession.
To Ally- again- Congrats on being # 1,000.
Deb(Delmardeb)
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Did you go to the Macy's fireworks display. Both of my kids live in NYC and one year when I was there, we took the trip down - what a people traffic jam. But it was good clean fun - despite what people say about New Yorkers, everybody was very nice and pleasant even though it was a brutally hot night.
Nope, haven't been to the Macy's display since 1976 when I braved Lower Manhattan for the Bicentennial festivities. I saw them from the roof of a building on the Upper West Side a few years ago. Very impressive! 8)
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Hi Merr,
Nice to know you too. I have been on this board for a few months and I have mainly been reading the old posts and playing the games. Like I said, I don't know how many times I have watched this movie but I just seem to never tire of it.
Are your children aware of your Brokie obsession? It seems so wierd since out of the hundreds of movies I have seen, no movie has ever had the effect on me that Brokeback Mountain does. It is so strange.
I am from New Jersey, about 20 minutes from NYC, and have never been to the Macy fireworks. Too many people. Also, I don't like driving in New York. The cabbies are the worse >:(
I am just glad to have found this forum so I don't have to feel alone in this obsession.
To Ally- again- Congrats on being # 1,000.
Deb(Delmardeb)
Welcome Deb to Bettermost! Hope you have a great time here! I was in New Jersey a few weeks ago, in Sparta to be precise, do you live anywhere near that place? I'm from the Netherlands by the way!
Congrats Ally on being the 1000th!!! And welcome of course!
Hi Deb, my daughter is aware but doesn't share it with me. Doesn't discourage me though. I have seen probably thousands of movies and BBM as affected me so deeply as well. I thought I was going crazy - I had a lot going on in my life at the time and I thought for sure I had gone over the edge. It did feel good to cry it out too. So I kept watching it and sometimes twice a day. I would cry and cry and sob. But I felt alive at the same time. I was hiding lots of emotions too which I needed to get out - and at least it was a good cry and not just a feeling sorry for myself cry. And I felt cleansed and renewed too.
I guess if you "get it" you do, some people don't - their loss I think. I have watched it about 35+ times and I am leaving it alone for awhile now. I will come back to it soon I think. I almost watched it today but got busy here and never found the time.
Take care and see you on the Board. (http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/18/18_7_24.gif) (the wave)
Merrily
Love your avatar, Merrily!!!
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Thanks very much Snavel. Tell me about your "name" - what does it mean - translated? Kinda cute.
Merrily
It's a translation for the beak of a bird, one of the two pet names my boyfriend has for me, the other one being snuit.
I'm Mel, by the way! :D
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@ Kelda: Hi Kelda! Thank you! Yes you are right, I am euro-based! I'm not from the UK, but the Netherlands, which is pretty near though... I wish you lots of fun at T in the Park!! :D
@ Delmardeb: Thanks a lot! There are indeed no reins on this one! ;D I don't think I am ready to buy the BBM soundtrack just yet... I know I'm gonna cry... :-\
@ shortfiction: U2 are brilliant LOL ;) Have you ever been to their concerts?
@ Meryl: Thanks, yes I've 'seen' a couple of 'IMDB'ers' on here! You are all so sweet!
@ atz75: Thanks for the delicious coffee and cool to see another music fan! My online activities had also been solely based on music before my BBM crush. What are your favourite bands?
@ Susiebell: Hi there, thank you for your comlpliment about me sounding like I'm from the UK!! I'm from the Netherlands actually, so it is kind of near the UK... I do have English ancestors though! ;D
@ Merrily: I stiil don't think I can't eat no cake yet. :laugh: ;)
@ Delmardeb: Debbie, thanks again! ;)
@ SnaveldelSnuit: Hallo en dankjewel! (Hello and thank you!) ;)
You are all very sweet! Thanks for making me feel very, very welcome! O0 :-* ;D
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Ally - I'll be in the Netherlands in just over a week - I am doing the The International Four Day Marches at Nijmegen.. you anywhere near that?
Mel (SnaveldelSnuit) is going to come see me when I'm there!! ;D
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Ally - I'll be in the Netherlands in just over a week - I am doing the The International Four Day Marches at Nijmegen.. you anywhere near that?
Mel (SnaveldelSnuit) is going to come see me when I'm there!! ;D
Yes I am!!! So you're telling me you're Dutch, Ally? Nog een Nederlander hier!
;)
Mel
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Yes I am!!! So you're telling me you're Dutch, Ally? Nog een Nederlander hier!
;)
Mel
'Efkes' een beetje Nederlands tussen al dat Engels, dat kan echt geen kwaad! ;D
okay, okay, for all you non-dutch speakers, I was just saying that a bit of Dutch now and again here at Bettermost, can do no harm. :D
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'Efkes' een beetje Nederlands tussen al dat Engels, dat kan echt geen kwaad! ;D
okay, okay, for all you non-dutch speakers, I was just saying that a bit of Dutch now and again here at Bettermost, can do no harm. :D
Dat kan helemaal geen kwaad!!!! ;) Ik vind het altijd zo leuk om Nederlands te praten hier! We moeten al de hele tijd in het Engels schrijven, mogen wij nu ook een keertje??
Ik wil dat vanaf nu gewoon iedereen Nederlands praat op Bettermost, om ons zielige non-natives tegemoet te komen!
LOL!
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Ally, do you know about the live performance of BBM that happened in Holland recently? The long thred for it starts here: http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php/topic,8306.0.html.
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Thanks Snavel del Snuit
I live in East Orange, NJ and Sparta is about 30 minutes from me. I wish I had known while you were here in NJ. Maybe the next time you are 'passin through' we can meet and talk about being a Brokaholic! ;D
What brought you to the Garden state?
Merrily- I will see you too in the Bettermost forum. Clarissa (Ellemeno) invited us to chat last night, but I hadn't downloaded Java. I have it now. A chat would be great sometimes.
You are very welcome Ally :)
Debbie (Delmardeb)
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Ally, do you know about the live performance of BBM that happened in Holland recently? The long thred for it starts here: http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php/topic,8306.0.html.
Woah, i didn't know until now!! :o Ah I missed it! But that's because I wasn't into BBM yet. :'(
Bet it was a good play! ;D
It's nice to see so many different people on here, and people who speak Dutch! :)
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Thanks Snavel del Snuit
I live in East Orange, NJ and Sparta is about 30 minutes from me. I wish I had known while you were here in NJ. Maybe the next time you are 'passin through' we can meet and talk about being a Brokaholic! ;D
What brought you to the Garden state?
Yeah, that would have been great... :D
My sister and I flew in from London and Amsterdam respectively to see Gordon Lightfoot in concert in Sparta! It was very pretty there, I never thought much about New Jersey before we went there, but I liked it!
Mel :D
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Ally - I'll be in the Netherlands in just over a week - I am doing the The International Four Day Marches at Nijmegen.. you anywhere near that?
Mel (SnaveldelSnuit) is going to come see me when I'm there!! ;D
Hey Kelda. a friend of mine is doing the Four Day Marches too! I don't know if I'll be there yet, because I'm busy with my research... But if I'm going... I'll let you know, okay? ;D
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Hi Mel and all of you, doesn't it seem like the world is getting even smaller with out ability to communicate all over the world! There is a German girl here too = her name is Dagi and you can find her lots of times on the J&E Fanfic board. She is multi-lingual so you might try communicating with her as well.
Love this Board.
Merrily
Yes, I already 'met' Dagi on the Jake Jake Jake thread and on Fanfic. Do you read fanfiction? I am 5 chapters away from finishing my first fanfic story. You and Dagi are both from imdb, right? I was on there together with David until April 2006, then we moved here because of the trolls. Been here ever since (so that's a year and three months!). I love this board too, even if I am not on it that much the past couple of weeks because I spend so much time writing! But I still take a peek here every morning and evening at least! And the Bettermost layout is so much better than imdb, isn't it? ;)
Hey Kelda. a friend of mine is doing the Four Day Marches too! I don't know if I'll be there yet, because I'm busy with my research... But if I'm going... I'll let you know, okay? ;D
Oh that would be so cool if you could come too!
:D
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Hi Mel, yes the BM format is better - hard to decipher at first but I like it now. I like that you can tell whose on line and even where they are. And the profile, if people fill it out, tells you a little something - like where they live, etc. Also the avatar makes it nice to see how people look and it feels more like you know someone when you can put a face to their writings.
I'm a "reader" of fanfic, but I finally posted my first story yesterday. I've been around at IMDb first (yes both Dagi and I came over after the last troll attack) since early April and finally came here in June. I feel like a true Brokie now that I've written a story.
Your story will be even longer than mine and I thought mine was long. I have trouble condensing my writing. I actually did trim some of it out.
I have peeked a few times over at IMDb, but it seems to be so negative and that's why I like this board - so much friendlier and upbeat. Nobody comes here just to say that they don't like the film. But that's a whole other story in itself. Anyhow I'm glad to be here and glad to get to know you too.
Merrily
Did you post your story here? What is it called?
:)
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Hey Kelda. a friend of mine is doing the Four Day Marches too! I don't know if I'll be there yet, because I'm busy with my research... But if I'm going... I'll let you know, okay? ;D
Cool!!!!
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Cool!!!!
It sounds like the Netherlands is gonna be rockin' and rollin' next week! :D
PARTAY!!!!
I wish I could be there. :)
Have fun Kelda, and everyone! :D
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There is a German girl here too = her name is Dagi and you can find her lots of times on the J&E Fanfic board. She is multi-lingual
:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: multi-lingual ? Hardly! But that´s what I call a compliment! thank you, Merr dearest.
Dagi
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Well, you speak German, English and Spanish (and write same) so I would call that multi-lingual. But, I suspect you know other languages as well like Italian and French, Hunh?
Talk to you soon honey.
Merrily
How do people do it? ???
I spoke Dutch as a kid, but I've forgotten nearly all of it. I took Spanish in junior high school and flunked it. I took French in high school... another big red F. And I really tried too, but I failed them both. I'm just not very good at learning languages. I'd love to, but I can't seem to do it. The language never sinks in.
But I greatly admire those people who can do it. Speaking even 2 languages fluently is remarkable imo. :D
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Wow you spoke Dutch as a kid! :o ;D
Are you of Dutch descent, David?
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Wow you spoke Dutch as a kid! :o ;D
Are you of Dutch descent, David?
I will answer that question for him, cause David's asleep (at least he should be!!! >:( ;)), yes, he is of Dutch descent (and English, native-American, French among others). His grandpa taught him Dutch! :D He always tells me he has forgotten nearly everything of it, but when I write Dutch to him, he always understands a lot!
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I will answer that question for him, cause David's asleep (at least he should be!!! >:( ;)), yes, he is of Dutch descent (and English, native-American, French among others). His grandpa taught him Dutch! :D He always tells me he has forgotten nearly everything of it, but when I write Dutch to him, he always understands a lot!
I can vouch for that, Melissa. I have witnessed David chatting with you in Dutch. He is also fluent in Latoka Sioux. And though I know little about that ancient language, from the quotes I have read when David has posted them, it sounds like a very beautiful language, indeed. Me? I struggle to make myself understood in English, alone! I admire David's communication skills. He is a true wordsmith and a great communicator. Don't mean to embarrass you, David. That's just the truth, as I see it. :D
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I can vouch for that, Melissa. I have witnessed David chatting with you in Dutch. He is also fluent in Latoka Sioux. And though I know little about that ancient language, from the quotes I have read when David has posted them, it sounds like a very beautiful language, indeed. Me? I struggle to make myself understood in English, alone! I admire David's communication skills. He is a true wordsmith and a great communicator. Don't mean to embarrass you, David. That's just the truth, as I see it. :D
Don't say that! Your English language skills are excellent! I remember you telling us about your brother on this very same thread when you only just joined us, and the way you wrote that brought tears to my eyes!
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Don't say that! Your English language skills are excellent! I remember you telling us about your brother on this very same thread when you only just joined us, and the way you wrote that brought tears to my eyes!
Ah, now, you see, when I feel passionately about something, I somehow find the words, I guess. And I'll always dearly love my darling brother. Thank ya kindly for your sweet words, Melissa. :)
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Ah, now, you see, when I feel passionately about something, I somehow find the words, I guess. And I'll always dearly love my darling brother. Thank ya kindly for your sweet words, Melissa. :)
Will you write it all down someday? Or have you done that already? I was gutted by it, I can tell how much you loved your brother...
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I will answer that question for him, cause David's asleep (at least he should be!!! >:( ;)), yes, he is of Dutch descent (and English, native-American, French among others). His grandpa taught him Dutch! :D He always tells me he has forgotten nearly everything of it, but when I write Dutch to him, he always understands a lot!
I can vouch for that, Melissa. I have witnessed David chatting with you in Dutch. He is also fluent in Latoka Sioux. And though I know little about that ancient language, from the quotes I have read when David has posted them, it sounds like a very beautiful language, indeed. Me? I struggle to make myself understood in English, alone! I admire David's communication skills. He is a true wordsmith and a great communicator. Don't mean to embarrass you, David. That's just the truth, as I see it. :D
Melissa and Kerry, you both are so cute and sweet!!! :-* :-*
[[[Melissa]]]
[[[Kerry]]]
Wow you spoke Dutch as a kid! :o ;D
Are you of Dutch descent, David?
Hi Ally!!
What Melissa said is exactly correct! I am Dutch! About 25% Dutch; maybe a little more. My father's side of the family is from Gelderland and Noord Brabant, mostly from the cities of Arnhem, Nijmegen and Eindhoven. My dad also told me we have some family members in Zuid Holland and Zeeland. My Dutch grandfather taught me and my sister Dutch when we were very young. We sometimes spoke Dutch in the house (ESPECIALLY when grandpa was visiting) and my sister and I would sometimes speak Dutch with each other just for fun. I remember going downtown sometimes and speaking Dutch with my sister. People would walk slowly past us listening to us talk with confused looks on their faces! haha! It was fun! :D
Once grandpa passed away we stopped speaking Dutch. I think we did it out of grief, but now I think it was quite an injustice to him and his memory. I met an exchange student from Rotterdam when I was 15, and for a year I found myself speaking Dutch again. But now it's been 30 years and I only remember tiny remnants of the language. It's a terrible shame.
Grandpa taught me many things about the Netherlands, the people and the culture. He taught me to see the world from a European perspective rather than only an American one. I've always been grateful to him for that. And even though I have forgotten much of the language, my love of the Netherlands, it's people and it's culture is still very strong and will remain close to my heart until the day I die.
And as Melissa pointed out, I am also Lakota Sioux. Again, about 25%. Just like my Grandpa, my mother also taught me many things about my Lakota heritage. I am a member of the Sioux Nation, and I also belong to a local Native American group here in Indianapolis. I am currently trying to learn the Lakota language, and it's a very difficult language to learn. I am not very good at learning languages. There aren't any accepted spellings of Lakota words and this make learning the language even more difficult. For example, the word "wash'te" means "good or greetings" (it means both) but it can be spelled "wash'te", "washte", "waste", "was'te", etc. There is no correct spelling. This is true of ALL Lakota words. We spell the words based on the sound of the word, so there are as many different spellings as there are pronunciations and dialects. Pretty confusing, isn't it?? :D
I am also Creole French and English; with a tiny bit of African American, Romanian and Choctaw too! My grandma always told me I was a "Dukes mixture" whatever that means!! ???
Did I read you live in the Netherlands Ally? What part of the country do you live in?
I hope you are enjoying BetterMost Ally! We sure are glad you decided to join us here!! :D
Ah, now, you see, when I feel passionately about something, I somehow find the words, I guess. And I'll always dearly love my darling brother. Thank ya kindly for your sweet words, Melissa. :)
Kerry, I think you write beautifully!!! :D
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WOW David, what a fascinating family tree you must have!
Let's see, my mum and dad were born in Derby, all four grandparents were born in Derby, all eight great grandparents were born in Derby ... I'm a true Derbyshire lass!
Susie (http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/11/11_1_201.gif)
My English side of the family came from the Southhampton and Bristol area. The next time Alex is here he's going to start teaching me about my English heritage! I can't wait!! I know some things about it, but not nearly as much as I would like. England is a country with a very rich and extensive culture and history, and I'd like to know a lot more about it. :D
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Aww Susie! You're cute!! :D
And where do you find all these great pictures and cartoons? I love them!!! :D
I swear. You and Dottie! You both always animate your posts. It's very cool! 8) 8)
:D :D
Yeah, there's a lot of history and culture in England; well, the whole of Great Britain actually. I think it's very interesting.
Thanks Susie!! :-*
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My father's side of the family is from Gelderland and Noord Brabant, mostly from the cities of Arnhem, Nijmegen and Eindhoven.
Gosh, it is, indeed, such a small world. I'm not proud to confess that my knowledge of the Netherlands is not vast. And what I do know mainly comes as a consequence of my interest in art. As a little nipper, I was besotted by Vincent Van Gogh and made it my business to find out as much about him as I could. Most of the knowledge that came from my adolescent obsession has subsequently faded from my memory. However, having said that, when you mentioned Noord Brabant and Arnhem, David, my ears pricked-up big time. Correct me if I'm wrong, Melissa, but aren't both of those locations iconic within the Van Gogh canon? David, I wonder if you've got any Van Gogh blood in those multicultural veins of yours lol! I am impressed! :D
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David, I wonder if you've got any Van Gogh blood in those multicultural veins of yours lol! I am impressed! :D
I don't think so Kerry. If I was, I'm sure my grandfather would have told me about it many years ago. I'll ask my dad the next time I see him, which should be tomorrow during my lunch break. He lives about 5 minutes away from where I work at my part time job.
No, I don't think I'm related to Mr. Van Gogh. But it sure would be cool if I was!! 8)
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I don't think so Kerry. If I was, I'm sure my grandfather would have told me about it many years ago. I'll ask my dad the next time I see him, which should be tomorrow during my lunch break. He lives about 5 minutes away from where I work at my part time job.
No, I don't think I'm related to Mr. Van Gogh. But it sure would be cool if I was!! 8)
Now that I think about it, it probably is unlikely. Vincent's father was a Protestant minister and I'm guessing that your Dutch ancestors would have been Catholic, David. They may have known each other, though? Bumped into each other at the market, perhaps? It's exciting to consider! :D I don't think Arnhem was a very big place in the late 1800s.
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My father's side of the family is from Gelderland and Noord Brabant, mostly from the cities of Arnhem, Nijmegen and Eindhoven.
Once grandpa passed away we stopped speaking Dutch. I think we did it out of grief, but now I think it was quite an injustice to him and his memory. I met an exchange student from Rotterdam when I was 15, and for a year I found myself speaking Dutch again. But now it's been 30 years and I only remember tiny remnants of the language. It's a terrible shame.
David! I didn't realise you're family are from the Nijmegen area - I'll be sure to take lots of photos when I'm there doing my walk!! Any particular village round there? as no doubt I'll be walking through them!
I bet that if you were emersed in the culture it would all come flooding back. I only did Standard Grade French but about 5 years later i went to Paris with my Mum, and I was left to take charge - it was amazing how it started coming back to me - certainly i wasn't proficient - but then I never was! - but i got by and I was only there for a long weekend.
It's all forgotten again - but if I went back.. who knows!
Kerry - I haven't seen your writings about your brother - do you have yor own blog that i missed - Mel's comments makes me want to see your writings - sounds beautiful!
xx
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Gosh, it is, indeed, such a small world. I'm not proud to confess that my knowledge of the Netherlands is not vast. And what I do know mainly comes as a consequence of my interest in art. As a little nipper, I was besotted by Vincent Van Gogh and made it my business to find out as much about him as I could. Most of the knowledge that came from my adolescent obsession has subsequently faded from my memory. However, having said that, when you mentioned Noord Brabant and Arnhem, David, my ears pricked-up big time. Correct me if I'm wrong, Melissa, but aren't both of those locations iconic within the Van Gogh canon? David, I wonder if you've got any Van Gogh blood in those multicultural veins of yours lol! I am impressed! :D
From wiki:
Vincent Willem van Gogh was born in Groot-Zundert, a village close to Breda in the Province of North Brabant in the southern Netherlands[1]. Vincent was the son of Anna Cornelia Carbentus and Theodorus van Gogh, a minister of the Dutch Reformed Church.
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Kerry - I haven't seen your writings about your brother - do you have yor own blog that i missed - Mel's comments makes me want to see your writings - sounds beautiful!
xx
When I first came to BetterMost, last November, Kelda, I wrote a little Intro about myself here at this thread. I was very touched that Melissa had remembered what I wrote about my brother. I have since deleted that post. Not sure why I deleted it. I was very emotional back then, suffering badly from Acute Post-BBM Stress Disorder. With the assistance of the sweet, loving folks here at BetterMost, I have done a great deal of healing since then, and I guess I felt it was time for me to move on. That was when I deleted it. I have a copy of the post somewhere and will try to locate it. If I can find it, I'll re-post the part about my brother. :)
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I am also Creole French and English; with a tiny bit of African American, Romanian and Choctaw too! My grandma always told me I was a "Dukes mixture" whatever that means!! ???
Hey David!
Well, whatever she meant, it is obviously a very sexy mixture :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:!
And you speak Lakota! I´m impressed! Isn´t that a completely different system of languages? Like chinese?
Dagi
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When I first came to BetterMost, last November, Kelda, I wrote a little Intro about myself here at this thread. I was very touched that Melissa had remembered what I wrote about my brother. I have since deleted that post. Not sure why I deleted it. I was very emotional back then, suffering badly from Acute Post-BBM Stress Disorder. With the assistance of the sweet, loving folks here at BetterMost, I have done a great deal of healing since then, and I guess I felt it was time for me to move on. That was when I deleted it. I have a copy of the post somewhere and will try to locate it. If I can find it, I'll re-post the part about my brother. :)
:) :)
[[[Kerry]]] :-* :-*
Now I feel like crying! That is so sweet! :)
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:) :)
[[[Kerry]]] :-* :-*
Now I feel like crying! That is so sweet! :)
I know, it made me cry too! :'( But also happy in a way... :)
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When I first came to BetterMost, last November, Kelda, I wrote a little Intro about myself here at this thread. I was very touched that Melissa had remembered what I wrote about my brother. I have since deleted that post. Not sure why I deleted it. I was very emotional back then, suffering badly from Acute Post-BBM Stress Disorder. With the assistance of the sweet, loving folks here at BetterMost, I have done a great deal of healing since then, and I guess I felt it was time for me to move on. That was when I deleted it. I have a copy of the post somewhere and will try to locate it. If I can find it, I'll re-post the part about my brother. :)
Kerry, no need to report - you've moved and thats a good thing... you'll need to write about something else as beautifully for me instead!
We love you lots and you brighten up Bettermost for us so much too. :-*
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Sorry if I made you guys cry (Kerry too fights back the tears).
:-*[[[David]]] :-* :-*[[[Melissa]]] :-* :-*[[[Kelda]]] :-*
It's sometimes good to cry.
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Hey David!
Well, whatever she meant, it is obviously a very sexy mixture :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:!
And you speak Lakota! I´m impressed! Isn´t that a completely different system of languages? Like chinese?
Dagi
Hi Dagi!
Yes, it's a COMPLETELY different language system. Lakota is a Macro-Siouan language. It's very different from European languages, but it's also very differet than Chinese. The language has a musical, and sometimes gutteral sound when spoken. :D
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Sorry if I made you guys cry (Kerry too fights back the tears).
:-*[[[David]]] :-* :-*[[[Melissa]]] :-* :-*[[[Kelda]]] :-*
It's sometimes good to cry.
Yes Kerry, that's true. Sometimes it IS good to cry. :)
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Yes Kerry, that's true. Sometimes it IS good to cry. :)
David! :o
Shouldn't you be in bed?! ???
Unless you're up really early! ::)
I figure it must be around 4am there in Indianapolis right now!!! :)
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David! :o
Shouldn't you be in bed?! ???
Unless you're up really early! ::)
I figure it must be around 4am there in Indianapolis right now!!! :)
My sleeping habits are all messed up this week Kerry. I worked a full time schedule at my part time job this week at the Referral Center, and now I'm working on payroll for CH Gallahue. I'm trying to get it finished before tomorrow evening. But I have to download payroll in batches from the server at work, and it's moving slowly tonight. I'm just about ready to give up on it and go to bed. But I took a cat nap after I got home from work this afternoon, so I'm okay.
Plus I went and played with a puppy tonight, and I've been thinking about him! :D
But I'm going to bed soon.
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David! :o
Shouldn't you be in bed?! ???
Unless you're up really early! ::)
I figure it must be around 4am there in Indianapolis right now!!! :)
So now you all know it too, David doesn't sleep at night, he is a vampire you see, that's because of the Romanian blood in his veins....
:)
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My sleeping habits are all messed up this week Kerry. I worked a full time schedule at my part time job this week at the Referral Center, and now I'm working on payroll for CH Gallahue. I'm trying to get it finished before tomorrow evening. But I have to download payroll in batches from the server at work, and it's moving slowly tonight. I'm just about ready to give up on it and go to bed. But I took a cat nap after I got home from work this afternoon, so I'm okay.
Plus I went and played with a puppy tonight, and I've been thinking about him! :D
But I'm going to bed soon.
Well, I hope you've got nice heavy drapes in your bedroom, David, so you can catch up on some sleep during the day. :)
Did you say something about playing with a puppy! :D
Might there be a new member of your family on the way? Will there be a little brother/sister for Cody to play with? :D
I gotta go have my dinner now (approaching 7pm on Saturday night here in cold, wintery Sydney). Have a lovely Saturday! Please keep me up to date on what's happening with the puppy! :D
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So now you all know it too, David doesn't sleep at night, he is a vampire you see, that's because of the Romanian blood in his veins....
:)
Vampires are in my blood!! :laugh:
So all y'all better watch your necks!! :D
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Well, I hope you've got nice heavy drapes in your bedroom, David, so you can catch up on some sleep during the day. :)
Did you say something about playing with a puppy! :D
Might there be a new member of your family on the way? Will there be a little brother/sister for Cody to play with? :D
I gotta go have my dinner now (approaching 7pm on Saturday night here in cold, wintery Sydney). Have a lovely Saturday! Please keep me up to date on what's happening with the puppy! :D
A baby boy perhaps? ::)
Ooopssss... have I said too much?
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Vampires are in my blood!! :laugh:
So all y'all better watch your necks!! :D
I knew you had a thing for necks, David, but I thought it was to kiss them, not puncture them!!! :P 8) ;)
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Funny thing is whn I was a child (2nd grade) I lived in Delaware and had to take spanish.
It was an immersion course and I was pretty fluent at the end of the year.
I can't speak it at all now except for a few words that most people now by way of the words being common in the vernacular. However, Sometimes i have dreams in spanis LOL!
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Hi Steve!
How very nice to meet you! WELCOME to the Bettermost family! You will have a good time here, Im sure!
Dagi
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Hello All, I have been lurking around for awhile so I thought it was about time I introduced myself. I am Steve and my husband, yes husband, is Kenn. We live in Tampa, Florida and have been together for 30 years. The movie's impact on my life was such that I realized I had been living life as Ennis with Jack by my side all these years. Brokeback Mountain swept me away and life has been changed forever. On our 30th anniversary we were legally married in Niagara Falls, Ontario. The changes now continue with family and firends on a positive note much to my delight. As a tribute to Brokeback Mountain, we played the soundtrack as the backround ceremony music. I hope to be more active here now and we are discussing going on the Brokeback2008 trip.
Best Wishes to All!
tampatalon
"And I know a love that never grows old"
WELCOME to Bettermost, tampatalon!
Hope you have a wonderful time here and please make sure to post anything you would like to see discussed!
That's beautiful how you used the soundtrack as the background music for the ceremony! :D
Please feel free to PM me if you have any questions about Bettermost!
Mel
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Hello All, I have been lurking around for awhile so I thought it was about time I introduced myself. I am Steve and my husband, yes husband, is Kenn. We live in Tampa, Florida and have been together for 30 years. The movie's impact on my life was such that I realized I had been living life as Ennis with Jack by my side all these years. Brokeback Mountain swept me away and life has been changed forever. On our 30th anniversary we were legally married in Niagara Falls, Ontario. The changes now continue with family and firends on a positive note much to my delight. As a tribute to Brokeback Mountain, we played the soundtrack as the backround ceremony music. I hope to be more active here now and we are discussing going on the Brokeback2008 trip.
Best Wishes to All!
tampatalon
"And I know a love that never grows old"
Welcome!
I've always thought I don't want to say goodbye would be a nice first dance.. congrats on getting married after all those years! I'm sure it feels no different however!
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Looking for a way to PM or email Merr7242......Anybody know?
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Looking for a way to PM or email Merr7242......Anybody know?
I'm sorry, SF, I think Merrily left Bettermost. I think she is still on imdb though... :-\
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I am Steve and my husband, yes husband, is Kenn. We live in Tampa, Florida and have been together for 30 years.
tampatalon
"And I know a love that never grows old"
Welcome Tampatalon! We are neighbors! I'm so glad you posted. I live in Hernando County just north of Tampa about 40 milies. I am dying to meet other Brokies. Maybe we could plan to do lunch? heehee
dev
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tampatalon:
You must have slipped in while I was out of town. I will be sure now and send you the official Bettermost Welcome. It is great that you and your husband have used BBM as the catalyst to make the big step. After all those years. It is amazing!! I know you will find lots of lovely and warm people here and soon you will be a full fledged regular. janice
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Welcome Tampatalon! We are neighbors! I'm so glad you posted. I live in Hernando County just north of Tampa about 40 milies. I am dying to meet other Brokies. Maybe we could plan to do lunch? heehee
dev
Dev, WOW! Glad to know there is another Brokie so close also. We all could do lunch in Pasco County.
Steve
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...and we are discussing going on the Brokeback2008 trip.
Welcome to the forums! You will treasure the experience of coming to visit my gathering in Wyoming next June. I'll add you to the "maybe" list; keep me informed if you book airfare to Denver and make it a definite.
I haven't been around the forums much so if you have q's or ever wanna come and visit Wyoming, send me a message.
-Adam aka Ennis
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Sorry for my late welcome, but I've always been late to parties......
.......so..........
Welcome to Bettermost Tampatalon! I hope you enjoy it here. If you ever need anything, just send me a pm, okay? I'll be happy to help! :D
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Hi, I'm here! You may already know me, I am BBM-Cat's husband Mike.
At first, I thought of Brokeback Mountain as 'the gay cowboy movie' thanks to the media. After my wife sat me down and forced me to watch it with her, I learned to appreciate the movie. After going on the trip to Alberta, that's when I realized just how powerful the movie is. I thoroughly enjoyed the trip and the people who were there. I especially enjoyed hearing their stories, and how the movie impacted them. I am not very good at meeting new people, but everyone there made me feel comfortable - and I feel like I have about 30 new friends! I hope to continue these friendships through this forum and look forward to posting and PM's.
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Hi, I'm here! You may already know me, I am BBM-Cat's husband Mike.
At first, I thought of Brokeback Mountain as 'the gay cowboy movie' thanks to the media. After my wife sat me down and forced me to watch it with her, I learned to appreciate the movie. After going on the trip to Alberta, that's when I realized just how powerful the movie is. I thoroughly enjoyed the trip and the people who were there. I especially enjoyed hearing their stories, and how the movie impacted them. I am not very good at meeting new people, but everyone there made me feel comfortable - and I feel like I have about 30 new friends! I hope to continue these friendships through this forum and look forward to posting and PM's.
Welcome to BetterMost Mike! I'm glad you decided to join our family. Please send me a pm if you have any questions or need help. :)
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Hi, I'm here! You may already know me, I am BBM-Cat's husband Mike.
At first, I thought of Brokeback Mountain as 'the gay cowboy movie' thanks to the media. After my wife sat me down and forced me to watch it with her, I learned to appreciate the movie. After going on the trip to Alberta, that's when I realized just how powerful the movie is. I thoroughly enjoyed the trip and the people who were there. I especially enjoyed hearing their stories, and how the movie impacted them. I am not very good at meeting new people, but everyone there made me feel comfortable - and I feel like I have about 30 new friends! I hope to continue these friendships through this forum and look forward to posting and PM's.
Welcome Mike! Well, I never managed to get to Alberta - it would have meant a good few plane journeys from Scotland! But I look forward to getting to know you!
Kelda
x
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Hi, I'm here! You may already know me, I am BBM-Cat's husband Mike.
At first, I thought of Brokeback Mountain as 'the gay cowboy movie' thanks to the media. After my wife sat me down and forced me to watch it with her, I learned to appreciate the movie. After going on the trip to Alberta, that's when I realized just how powerful the movie is. I thoroughly enjoyed the trip and the people who were there. I especially enjoyed hearing their stories, and how the movie impacted them. I am not very good at meeting new people, but everyone there made me feel comfortable - and I feel like I have about 30 new friends! I hope to continue these friendships through this forum and look forward to posting and PM's.
WELCOME MIKE!!! Hope you have a great time here and if you need any help, please let us know! :)
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Wow, that must be my good-lookin' husband! Glad you're on board and along for the ride!
Love,
Chris.
your sneaky BBM-Cat
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Welcome Mike. Was great to meet you in Alberta! :)
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Mike, I'm glad you took the plunge and enlisted! ;D
You and Chris were Pilgrims extraordinaire, and I loved meeting you. Thanks for all the great pics and stories. 8)
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I saw a remark about Bettermost on the Brokeback Mountain board on the Internet Movie Database and came over to check it out. Seems to be a very nice place you have here.
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I saw a remark about Bettermost on the Brokeback Mountain board on the Internet Movie Database and came over to check it out. Seems to be a very nice place you have here.
Nice to meet you Pettifoger!! If you have an questions please feel free to ask them here or PM me (using th IM button underneath my photo)
Coffee and Cherry cake for you?!
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Why Thank You Kelda. Coffee's fine but I can't eat no cake just now.
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I saw a remark about Bettermost on the Brokeback Mountain board on the Internet Movie Database and came over to check it out. Seems to be a very nice place you have here.
It sure is, and I hope you have a great time here, just let any of us know if you have any questions!
:)
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Mike -
I'm so glad that your wife Chris sat you down and forced you to watch BBM with her, that you learned to appreciate the movie, and came on the Alberta Pilgrimage! I really emjoyd spending time with you and Chris and gettin to know you both. :)
Everyone on the BBM trips I'm been on has always me feel comfortable, too! It's great that you want to continue your BBM friendships through this forum - so please post away!
Pete
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Hello everyone, I just joined the community last week from IMDB. I've heard about this community at IMDB - only good things! I have visited here several times, but being comfortable at IMDB, was hesitant about joining here. It seems quite big and overwhelming at first. There's so much to see and explore over here. Hey tampatalon & dev - I also live in Florida - central, on the east coast. Been here just about 20 years. I'm originally from Connecticut, and moved here after being divorced. Twenty years ago the real estate here in central Florida was a lot more affordable than it is now, and the winter weather here is well worth having to go through these hot summers to get to it!
I am female, 50ish, hetero, and first saw the film in April, 2006. I was stunned when I first saw it in the theater. It really has affected me over the past year and not a day goes by when I don't think of Ennis and Jack. I'll tell you what, at the reunion kiss, there were people in the audience who actually gasped at the intensity of that hug and kiss. I've never heard that before at a theater when 2 people kissed on film.
I am hoping to be able to meet residents here who can understand how I feel about this movie. I will be driving to work or somewhere, and just out of the blue I will think of Ennis and Jack, of how passionately and desperately they love each other, and the hopelessness of their situation, and my eyes start to tear up. It happens every so often; sometimes while I'm driving, while I'm at work, sometimes doing gardening, or some mundane task. I'm glad I haven't yet had to explain to friends why I am suddenly all teary-eyed. There is no one that I personally know who feels about this movie the way I do, and I am very happy to be here to meet you all and discuss and comment on this masterpiece of a movie! Some people at work saw it when it came out last year and one of their comments was that it was a very strange movie. I must admit I didn't "get it" until I watched it a number of times. There's so much to notice and understand about the film the more you watch it.
I'm glad to be here and am looking forward to meeting everyone!
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Hi, Dobie! I'm on the east coast of Florida, too - Boca Raton. Been here about 14 years - moved down from Ohio, to which I had moved from western New York six years before. Sometimes I still marvel that I have lived here of all places longer than I've ever lived anywhere else.
Your Brokeback story is basically mine, too. It took many moons to get past those spontaneous crying jags. I'm lucky in that a couple of co-workers who love movies and watch pretty much everything out there really loved and appreciated the film - enough to see it two or three times, but not to the point of obsession like me. It took me about 15 viewings (seven in theaters, the rest on DVD and finally HBO) to figure out precisely why it had moved me so deeply. I truly believe it has something very personal to say to each of us who find ourselves Brokies. The people who "don't get it" either can learn nothing about themselves from it or aren't open to what it has to say.
One of my favorite Brokie experiences was after my fifth theater viewing. I was walking out alone, and there were a couple of different klatsches of older people talking about it on my way out - most very approvingly. I got on the elevator to go up to where my car was parked in the parking garage, and an older woman who looked as if she had just been taken and shaken got on with me. She says, "Did you just see 'Brokeback Mountain' too?" I said, "Yes. It was my fifth time, actually." Normally, I wouldn't divulge that to a complete stranger, but something about her told me she and I were on the same page. She goes, "Oh, I can understand that - I can see myself coming back to watch it again tomorrow very easily." I told her my name and she told me hers - we shook hands as if we were colleagues (which we were in a way), said our "Nice to knowya"s, and went our separate ways.
I often wish I had given her my card with my phone number on it and said something like, "I hope this doesn't sound weird, but if you ever want to talk about the movie with someone who understands feeling so deeply about it, call me." It's always the things that we didn't say or didn't do when given the chance that we regret the most, though, isn't it?
So, nice to knowya. And if you ever want to talk about the movie with someone who understands feeling so deeply about it (and who, well over a year later, hasn't grown the least bit tired of talking about it), you know where to find me.
Barb
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You guys and gals already know me here as Artiste!! Yes, yes, oui, oui, as I am a real artist painter...
and may I invite you to my next exhibition:
L'AngdonArt, L'AngdonArt!! www.franco.ca/langdonart1
Come to the next exhibition September 11th till September 24th 2007 at the La Galerie Le 1040! (See english below French one please!!)
INVITATION EXPOSITION: Réflexions doubles Peintures L'AngdonArt
Artiste L’AngdonArt revient à La Galerie Le 1040, au 1040, rue Marie-Anne Est, Montréal du 11 au 24 septembre 2007
La galerie d’art pour la 3e année consécutive, La Galerie Le 1040, accueille en ses murs du 11 au 24 septembre 2007, des peintures récentes créées par Artiste L’AngdonArt. Réflexions doubles, exposition qu’il présente au public de Québec, permet l’exploration des multiples facettes du concept de réflexions par ses peintures dynamiques. Par exception que pour cette expostion, la galerie est accessible à chaque jour du 11 septembre de 10 à 22 heures jusqu'à lundi le 24 octobre de 10 à 14 heures.
Les peintures réflexions à la L'AngdonArt, sont comme un casse-tête ou une intrigue à déchiffrer, traitant de la condition de la Terre et de la condition Humaine. Les réflexions que détaille chaque œuvre de l’artiste soulignent donc des reflets ou deux paysages différents par chaque peinture, approche propre à Artiste L'AngdonArt. Mais c'est plus que ceci!!
†
D'habitude, même si il y a une réflexion tempêtueuse, L'AngdonArt accentue aussi une réflexion paisible. Créant des peintures spectaculaires, parfois des paysages panoramiques, L'AngdonArt développe son propre style comme un jeu. Non seulement artistique, mais aussi social (comme L'Occident et L'Orient), intellectuel, terrestre, culturel. Par des images de vraisemblance de la nature et des planètes, L'AngdonArt propose des jeux humains rendus visibles par son imaginaire exprimé sur ses toiles.
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Artiste L’AngdonArt sera présent à la galerie pour toute la durée de l’exposition, au 1040, rue Marie-Anne-Est (monter la rue Saint-Denis, tourner droite sur Mont-Royal, jusqu'au sens unique Christophe-Colomb et descendre une rue jusqu'au coin Marie-Anne Est). Il vous invite à venir explorer en sa compagnie les récentes compositions artistiques de son nouveau concept pour vous le dévoiler.
Venez découvrir les réflexions L'AngdonArt et deux fois!!
S.V.P., tu mentionnes que tu es sur Bettermost, quand tu me visite à la galerie lors ce temps, ou bien par tes courriels (email): [email protected]
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You are welcome to see daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. the recent 2007 L'AngdonArt paintings from September 11th to the September 24th till 3 p.m., at La Galerie Le 1040, at 1040 Marie-Anne Est, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; go up on the Saint-Denis Street, turn right on Mont-Royal Street, till the one way Christophe-Colomb Street turning right till next corner where is the beautiful art gallery at the Marie-Anne Est Street! As L'AngdonArt presents two different landscapes in each painting!! To discover, yes to discover twice or more!! Please mention that you are on Bettermost when you visit me at the gallery or communicate by emails... husg, hug!!
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Hi Artiste! It's so nice to see you back online! And congratulations on the exhibition!
:)
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I second what Amanda said! Welcome back Artiste!! I see you're back with flying colours!!
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Merci, yes thanks atz75 and Front-Ranger!!
You warm my heart, and twice great, great!!
I do not have much time as am preparing for my next two exhibitions.
Do try to come??
Hugs, hugs!!
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Hi Ednbarby! Thanks for the warm welcome! It is nice to know you! I enjoyed reading your post. I only saw the movie in the theater once - it wasn't around all that long. I love talking on the boards about the movie with others who feel the way I do. I guess I'll see you around then!
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Hello! I have been roaming around this board for about a month or two and finally created an account. My name is Kristin. I just turned 18 on the 27th of August. I was born in Chicago but have moved around my whole life. I've lived in places such as Colorado, Texas, Kansas, Atlanta, Brunswick, Evanston, Hawaii, and now California. I saw BBM about two months ago (and I received the two disk special edition DVD for my birthday:)) and I fell in love with this movie. Everything about it is beautiful and I feel lucky that I was privileged enough to see this film. I don't think there is anything else I can say to show just how much I love this film, so I will just leave it at this. I can't wait to post more on here, it is a great message board. :]
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Hi everyone,
I got introduced to this board by a fellow poster I met in a video store who was wearing an "I love Jack and Ennis" button. Unfortunately, I was recovering from heart surgery and was on pain meds at the time, so I do not remember his name or anything. Sorry about that.
I am 55 years old, have been in a relationship for 29 years. Brokeback hit me because that was what my life could have been like had I not busted through some walls on both of our parts back then. Although I loved Ennis in the movie, my sweetie and I were like two Jacks in heat.
I am attracted to this board because of its positive nature. I have been a member of a mixed Off Topic board for several years, but have gotten tired of its negativity. There is no flaming, but each thread is somebody complaining about something. Life is too wonderful to be whining all the time.
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(http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x221/Shasta542/WELCOME.jpg)
to you, Sagebrush Dan and Kristin!
Have a(http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x221/Shasta542/COFFEE.gif)?
Piece a(http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x221/Shasta542/CAKE.jpg)?
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(http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s31/Susiebell_album/Glitter/howdyhat.gif)
Nice to see you here Kristin! I can't believe you left Hawaii ... I went there for my honeymoon and had to be dragged screaming off the island! Hope to see you around the board ... you'll find me mostly in the fanfic forum!
Susie (http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/11/11_1_201.gif)
Thank you Susie. =] My dad's job had us leave Hawaii, and every other place I lived lol. Thanks for the warm welcome. :D
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Welcome Sagebrush Dan and Kristen,
You'll find it's a real sweet life here at BetterMost, Wyoming. I think you're gonna like it here.
Shameless plug #1: Check out the Jack with Ennis Fanfic Game when you get the chance.
Shameless plug #2: Take a look at the Brokeback Mountain Craft Corner and make something nice for your loved one.
Enjoy your stay. :)
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A big WELCOME to you, Kristin and Dan!
I'm sure you will have a wonderful time here!
:-*
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Yes! welcome both of you!!! I look forward to seeing a lot more of you on the board!
xx
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Welcome to BetterMost Kristin and Dan! I'm happy you decided to join our brokie family! If you have any questions, please send me a pm. I'll be happy to help you. :D
I'm looking forward to reading your posts.
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Welcome Kristin & Dan! I, too, am somewhat of a newbie, and have been here, oh about a week or two now, and I really like it here. I know you'll like it too! Everyone is so friendly and courteous to one another. I look forward to talking to you both here again soon!
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WELCOME KRISTIN AND SAGEBRUSH DAN,
WANT A CUP OF COFFEE DON'T YA, A PIECE OF CHERRY CAKE?????
YOU WILL LOVE IT HERE. BROKEBACK GOTCHA GOOD- HUH????? :)
Debbie
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Here's some cherry cake for all our new friends to share...
<img src="http://www.divshare.com/img/1901649-b0e.jpeg" border="0" /> (http://www.divshare.com/download/1901649-b0e)
Welcome!!
:D
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Thanks everyone for the warm welcomes. :) I hope school doesn't take up a lot more of my time so I can post on here.
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I am proud to say that I am an artist painter, trying this way to better humanity. As a gay man too!!
If any of you can find me an art gallery, cultural centre, art critic, exhibition, etc., where i could mail one or more of my paintings, be happy to post it anywhere in the world.
I have my very own style of two different landscapes in each paintings, plus I create many wonderful and wondrous prototypes never seen before in the worlld!! Fun but hard to create such!! Somehow joyful for you to discover!!
Email me direct anyone or here,
hugs!!
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Merci, that's thanks!!
Wish i did have my own thread here!! How to do so?
Presently you can find some on this:
http://www.franco.ca/langdonart1
And on many other sites... want more??
Come to my exhibition till October 14th in Quebec City!! So great here!! You have been here??
Where are you?
Hugs!!
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Merci, yes thanks!!
Wow!!
Can you take pic or pics from my sites and bring them here??
Hugs!!
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Merci beaucoup Susiebell!! That's thanks very much!!
It is great that you explain beautifully how to add pics!!
I want to create such but can not presently becuase this iMac at the present gallery where I am at do not have the copy mouse!!
That mouse does not copy!!
Somehow could... I guess otherwise than with the mouse.
Must go... as peolple in the gallery. Will return later.
Hugs!!
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Thanks!
Looking forward to add pics, later.
And get your help.
Hugs!
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I've been posting on "Bettermost" for a few months and this is the first time that I have noticed the "Introduce Yourself" thread. Well, howdy.... I sure would like to do that.
I actually first placed these thoughts below on our brother web site "Ennisjack" because I noticed a thread called "Do you have your "brokeback mountain"? But it looks like "Introduce Yourself" would be the appropriate thread to tell this story on"Bettermost". Sorry this is so long, I just couldn't tell it in any other way.
I had a long-running Brokeback type of experience for several decades. My "Ennis" and I grew up in the same small town in Texas back in the 1960's and 1970's. Chris and I were born only 3 days apart, and his parents owned the land next to my family's place. My earliest memories are of Chris, running together, playing, and wading in his parent's pool. I have a treasured picture of Chris and I being taught how to wade in the pool by his older brother and my older sister - we were both about 4 years old. Chris and I attended the same schools together : elementary, jr.high, and high school. This was a small town, so we usually were in the same classroom, and with alphabetical attendance seating and his last name only one letter away from mine, we always sat near to each other.
Chris's dad was in the same business as my dad, in fact they worked together on several projects, his family attended our church, our mothers were in the same civic organizations and sororities, and both his parents and mine were active in the same political party. The two families were so close that we often took vacations together. Chris was like a brother, that was fine by me because all I had was a sister, and because I was a little boy I wanted a brother.
My first memories of developing sexual / puppy love feelings were with Chris, maybe when I was 12. We used to sleep over at each others house and like a lot of young adolescents, we "messed around". Chris was responsive to me, and we really liked being intimate with each other. At the time, neither of us thought of it as anything other than being "naughty". We both dated girls in high school, but Chris was the one who took girls seriously. We were very closeted, living in denial in a homophobic environment. This continued thru high school, I have very happy memories of the times we would sneak off and drive down to the Gulf and use the spare key to stay in my parent's beach house. Chris would take his guitar along and sing his favorite Beatles tunes. It was always just Chris and myself going to the beach, I guess that was one of our "Brokeback Mountain" times.
We both went off to college in Austin at the same time. Our paths in life began to diverge from each other. Our first year we shared some rooms in an off campus dorm. I was serious about school and enjoyed going to class and the general university environment.Chris on the other hand became involved
in the mid 70's "Cosmic Cowboy" scene, and dropped out of college never to return. I met Willie,Michael Murphy, Lester Threadgill, and several other CW greats while tagging along with Chris in that period. My path began to change when I discovered the "gay scene" on 6th street during this period. I loved the bars that were popular back then and had a blast meeting people. Once or twice tried to get Chris to go with me to one of them, but he got really defensive and told me that just wasn't his scene. He made it clear he wasn't happy that it was becoming my scene.
So, I began the journey of self-acceptance as a young gay man, but Chris stayed in denial. I knew that I was gay and I knew that I was in love with Chris.
I couldn't imagine not having him in my life. He was looking for a straight relationship and found several wonderful supportive women to share with him.
I liked all of Chris's girl friends and later his 2 wives, and they liked me. Chris and I kept seeing each other, and I never gave up on him. We would take trips outside of Austin together, we both liked "Enchanted Rock" near Fredricksburg, going there was like recapturing our times at the beach house. But when we got back to Austin, Chris would go back to a "straight life", he was closeted and somewhat homophobic, and I being less closeted and less homophobic would go back to being comfortable with gay friends. I never once told my gay friends about Chris. He was my precious secret. I received several questions about "who is visiting you at night when I knock on your door"? I just ignored the inquires, protecting our privacy. I had several gay affairs thru the years, some would last 2,3 or 5 years each. But, I always knew that Chris was there for me, and I was always there for him. I never even considered "quitting" him, and he never walked away from me.
Fast forwarding thru the decades, we saw each other once, sometimes several times each month for years. We had the ups and downs of relationships between two people who are on such divergent paths. Chris definitely drank too much at times, and never stopped getting "high" to ease his pain.
I was of the opinion that he had become "dependent" by the time he was 30. He would sometimes show up at my house drunk or high, I just dealt with it, he was always a sweet happy drunk, not violent or angry like many people who are dependent. My mother and I had discussed my feelings for Chris way back in the mid 80's. I learned then that she had known all along about us back when we were in high school, and discussed it with Chris's mom and my dad. They never mentioned this it to me until the mid-80's . I told my mom in the mid 80's that I wished she had brought it up earlier. She said that the three of them decided to keep it quiet in order to keep the news hidden from Chris's dad. They all agreed at the time his reaction would be violent.
In 1999 after his second marriage ended in divorce, he came over to my house depressed. He was blaming his ex-wife and women in general for his unhappiness, they "just don't understand me". I told Chris that night that perhaps he was failing with women because he wasn't able to give his heart to them completely. In clear declarative terms I told him that he was hurting himself and others by not being honest about his feelings for me. (The scene with Ennis and Cassie in the bus stop cafe hit home for me so hard I had to get up and leave the theater the first time I saw BBM). I will never forget the pain on his face as he said to me, "...you're probably right, but its too late to change habits now". I told him that was a bunch of BS, he didn't argue, he just laid back on the couch and fell asleep.
Two weeks later, my mother called me and broke the news that Chris had died in a traffic accident in California. My mother called because she wanted to break the news as gently as she could. Chris was only 42. It took me several years to get over an anger and a rage I had never known in my life. I felt that I had been cheated in life and I couldn't figure out who to blame. Finally, I met a wonderful young man named D.L. We have been dating for 5 years now, and I am very happy with him. He is a patient person who understands my grief, he has had to live with grief too. He too is a bit like Ennis ro Chris, quiet and closed mouthed. But, we have good times together and slowly he is accepting himself and is just beginning to see how homophobia has hurt his life.
When I go to the cemetary to tend to my parents graves, they passed on a few years back, I stop at Chris's grave. I tend to his grave as well. His mother passed on last year and I tidy her space as well. Brokeback Mountain has worked as a catharsis in me, it has allowed me to deal with my grief and memories. I feel a part of the Brokeback story - a secret relationship with a closeted man that ended sadly. But, it may surprise you that I feel lucky. I have loved a wonderful talented man over a large portion of my life, and I have been fortunate enough to find another wonderful man to love again. I will retire at the end of the year, I have been running my family's business since the death of my Aunt and my father's incapacitation in the late 90's. Now I will have more time to try to help men like Chris and Ennis and Jack and myself who have coped or failed to cope with the closet. I'm more excited and full of energy now about my future plans than I have ever been in my life.
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plex. thankyou for that story.. and a belated welcome.
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Thank you so much for sharing your amazing story, Brokeplex and also... welcome! I hope you have found a safe haven here... :-*
Mel
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Thanks very much Brokeplex!
You are making my day, my week and more!!!
Your story is indeed revealing as well as interesting. It deserves to be said here, and as a book too?
Write it yes, as a book! You write so well! And surely much more can be said!
Awaiting for more,
hugs!!
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Brokeplex, Thank you for sharing. My hat is humbly off to you and I am teary eyed. I wish you all the happiness that life can bring for you and your partner.
TampaTalon ^">
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Thanks very much Brokeplex!
You are making my day, my week and more!!!
Your story is indeed revealing as well as interesting. It deserves to be said here, and as a book too?
Write it yes, as a book! You write so well! And surely much more can be said!
Awaiting for more,
hugs!!
I agree with Artiste, this should def. be a book! Any intentions of writing one?
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Yes, give us more here, as a start of your book.
And often please!
Hugs!
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Yes, give us more here, as a start of your book.
And often please!
Hugs!
thanks to all of you for your supportive posts, I am delighted to share my experiences with the hope that someone who has felt the frustration that I have felt can relate to it and know that there is hope, you can carry on with your life even though you are grieving. There is a little more to the aftermath after Chris's death, and I'll write more later!
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Please do write more... brokeplex!
I was at the police station to-day to pick up reports! I glanced at them. Boy they seem NOT accurate!
Glad that your story reveals!
Hugs!
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thanks to all of you for your supportive posts, I am delighted to share my experiences with the hope that someone who has felt the frustration that I have felt can relate to it and know that there is hope, you can carry on with your life even though you are grieving. There is a little more to the aftermath after Chris's death, and I'll write more later!
Just as a follow thru on my earlier post about my time with Chris back in the 60's,70's,80's and 90's, I want to tell you the tale of the Little Miracle of the Cemetery.
As I noted in my earlier post I have an older sister. She and I were very close while she was living at home when I was a little boy. My sister is 12 years older than I am. We have no other siblings younger or older, and she doted on me, took care of me, and generally spoiled me when I was a boy. When she left for college I was about 6 years old and I cried bitterly. I missed her so much, and we contined to be close even after she married and started her own family. As I got older and went off to college, she became more distant and judgemental of me. Well, you can guess why. She is a devoted Southern Baptist who sings loudly out of the Broadman hymnal. To her my life was a bit of a contradiction. We had a couple of conversations when I was about 21, where she gave me lectures about "heading in the wrong direction." Interestingly, my parents, as conservative as they were never gave me even one word of reproach. Never one unkind word. They were always supportive.
Moving time forward, after my parents grew elderly we made the decision as a family to move them into an assisted living facility. I was executor of their estate and mostly handled all of their retirement issues. My sister was supportive and she and her children and grandchildren, visited my parents, showered them with gifts, cards, flowers, etc, but I was the one who assumed day-to-day care. If any of you out there have been or have become the primary caregivers for your elderly parents, then you can relate to me when I tell you that that is a almost a full time occupation in and of itself. I am not griping, I am so grateful for all of the support and opportunities my parents gave to me thru the years, that I performed this task unflinchingly. My memories of caring for my elderly parents are are fulfilling happy memories. I am so happy to have had the time in their last years to get very close again to them.
After my Dad's incapacitation, I took over the day-to-day running of my family's business, my sister acted as co-operator but left the running to me by her choice. She and my brother in law have been very pleased with my decisions and we are now able to sell out to a larger independent - hence my impending retirement. After our parents death, my sister and I had all of the property and furnishings to divide. Most of the property was simple to deal with, it was already set up in trust by my parents,and my uncle and aunt. Easy to deal with, and both of us saw the division as fair. But, my parents furnishings, art, collections, and other personal effects were another matter. Oh, there was no real confrontational disagreements, it is just we never really could entirely agree, and everything had been sittting in storage for some time.
Now to the miracle. In the Spring of 2007, my sister and I agreed to meet in our hometown to sign some of the last documents disposing of some of our parents real property in the area. We were to meet at the bank at a particular time, and I arrived in town early and went to the cemetery. Weeds grow rapidly in the Spring so I wanted to tend the graves. I was digging in the soil and putting some new flowers out, when I looked up and saw my sister smiling at me. She said, "I saw your truck, and I wanted to stop and help". "Dig in!" I responded and handed her a trowel. We finished the normal maintenance of their graves and stood up. I was wiping my hands when she said to me, "Lets walk over to Chris's grave, I'll help you weed." I couldn't have been more flabbergasted! I cut right to the heart of the matter and said, "Youv'e known about Chris and me?" She nodded her head. (Well, we really do live in glass closets.) I took her by the hand and said, "Its time I told you my story." We talked for a couple of hours after that and doing our business at the bank. Very quickly after that, the log jam blocking the disposition of my parents furnishings vanished and all outstanding issues were resolved. All of the bridges between us that had been in very bad repair were suddenly whole again.
Afterwards we started keeping much closer in touch, and she and my brother-in-law were very supportive of my plans to sell out and retire. Now this is where this story gets more interesting.One day, in the early summer 2007, she and I were emailing and talked about some movies that her grown children had seen.I asked her if she had seen "Brokeback Mountain". She said no, and reminded me that the last movie that she and my brother in law went to the theater to see was "Pearl Harbor". They are not frequent theater attenders! I didn't say anything other than the movie has meant a great deal to me and probably has affected me more than any other movie I have ever seen.Later that day, I had an inspiration, I bought an extra copy of "Brokeback", put it in a mailer, and mailed it to her - no note inside, just the movie and my return address on the outside of the mailer. I had every expectation that she would send me a polite thank you card and that would be it. A week later, I get an email from her indicated her thanks for the movie. She then went on to say in the email that, "now I have to tell you that for a director who is said to strive for verisimilitude, he sure dropped the ball in that rodeo scene where the cowboy with the black hat meets the cute cowgirl with the red hat. Now you know that there are no free-standing groves of Pinetrees in the Childress,TX area.There are no trees at all! Look behind the rodeo events arena, there are a bunch of Pinetrees. Now, they filmed this movie in Canada, and that showed. Oh, and Petey (my brother in law) says the type of prefabbed steel horse barns pictured in that same scene was not sold until the late 1980's."
I couldn't have been more stunned. Not only did she watch the movie, but she watched it with my right wing homophobic brother in law, and they took the movie seriously and are critiqueing the small details! So, we started a friendly dialog about the Brokie trivia, the meaing of the shirt, the closets, etc. She had questions that I couldn't answer and wanted to. So, I went on line, discovered "Bettermost", "Ennisjack" and other sites and began looking for answers to our trivia questions. Overtime, I became an obsessed Brokie and felt the need to post my experiences.
One final miracle......last week I got a telephone call from her asking me what my plans were for Christmas. She wanted to invite me to join her family at her home. Now I haven't received an invitation like that in more than a decade. I told her that D.L. and I were making plans to go out of state to see some snow, I'm sentimental about snow at Christmas. She laughed and said of course she meant to include D.L. in the invitation! Well, that was one more stunned moment. I talked to D.L. about it and it looks like D.L. and I will be spending our Christmas here in Texas, we can see the snow later.
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Wow, wow brokeplex!
You sure write so well!! I just read that and have a tear! Maybe two or more!!
So great to hear about you and your sister!!
I sure want to hear more...
hugs!!
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Wow, wow brokeplex!
You sure write so well!! I just read that and have a tear! Maybe two or more!!
So great to hear about you and your sister!!
I sure want to hear more...
hugs!!
thank you Artiste!
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You do write well Brokeplex and its great to hear your haoppy ending story. And that brokeback brought people closer once again. It really is amazing.
and as a side note - perhaps you might be interested in this discussion...http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php/topic,11420.0.html
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You do write well Brokeplex and its great to hear your haoppy ending story. And that brokeback brought people closer once again. It really is amazing.
and as a side note - perhaps you might be interested in this discussion...http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php/topic,11420.0.html
Thanks Kelda, I will definitely contribute to the thread you linked me to! In the 1990's when I was fully immersed into the world of geriatric needs and rights, I was totally unprepared! I learned so much and do not regret one moment of the time I spent helping my aging parents. So many issues were met, so many bridges were built or rebuilt in the time I spent caring for them in their last years. And, I really learned a great deal of PATIENCE! With the geriatric system, and with myself.
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well I'm sure you'll ahve plenty of valuable contributions - people that look after their parents really do a valuable job in the community!
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Hi....I'm really new in here...just wanted to get my feet wet and say hello. Thank you for offering a haven for my thoughts...my craziness ...
I live in Chicago....all my life....a city gal with a country heart,always did...felt different from the start. As a girl I always wanted to move ..get away from the fast pace and crime of city life...but Chicago is a beautiful place,and now that I'm older,I can't imagine living any where else.
This movie of ours was something else....turned me around in all directions..changed the way I think,feel,see....I'm straight,married, kids, dogs and live in a house with a white picket fence,sort of speak....thought I was living the perfect full life....well,I wasn't ...this movie taught me that...this fast paced gal had to slow down or die a silent death..alone
I'll be lurking some more...thank you for giving me the opportunity to join..hope to meet ya'll around the Forum
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Hi....I'm really new in here...just wanted to get my feet wet and say hello. Thank you for offering a haven for my thoughts...my craziness ...
I live in Chicago....all my life....a city gal with a country heart,always did...felt different from the start. As a girl I always wanted to move ..get away from the fast pace and crime of city life...but Chicago is a beautiful place,and now that I'm older,I can't imagine living any where else.
This movie of ours was something else....turned me around in all directions..changed the way I think,feel,see....I'm straight,married, kids, dogs and live in a house with a white picket fence,sort of speak....thought I was living the perfect full life....well,I wasn't ...this movie taught me that...this fast paced gal had to slow down or die a silent death..alone
I'll be lurking some more...thank you for giving me the opportunity to join..hope to meet ya'll around the Forum
Brokeback caught all of us here like that...to a more or less degree. My friend says that Brokeback hits you IF you are ready to hear its message...otherwise it is just a good movie.
I am happy you joined us here and hope you enjoy us too.
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nice to meet you Agirl!!
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Dear Brokeplex, What a story! I feel so honored that you decided to tell your story here! Come in and make yourself at home here, you'll have a cup a coffee, won't you? Piece a cherry cake?
And ditto to you, too, A-girl! Welcome to BetterMost! We hope to hear a lot from you in the coming months!!
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Thanks guys ;D
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Hi....I'm really new in here...just wanted to get my feet wet and say hello. Thank you for offering a haven for my thoughts...my craziness ...
I live in Chicago....all my life....a city gal with a country heart,always did...felt different from the start. As a girl I always wanted to move ..get away from the fast pace and crime of city life...but Chicago is a beautiful place,and now that I'm older,I can't imagine living any where else.
This movie of ours was something else....turned me around in all directions..changed the way I think,feel,see....I'm straight,married, kids, dogs and live in a house with a white picket fence,sort of speak....thought I was living the perfect full life....well,I wasn't ...this movie taught me that...this fast paced gal had to slow down or die a silent death..alone
I'll be lurking some more...thank you for giving me the opportunity to join..hope to meet ya'll around the Forum
Howdy neighbor!!!
I'm just down the road from you in Indianapolis, so we're in the same neighborhood! :)
Welcome to BetterMost!! :D
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Dear Brokeplex, What a story! I feel so honored that you decided to tell your story here! Come in and make yourself at home here, you'll have a cup a coffee, won't you? Piece a cherry cake?
And ditto to you, too, A-girl! Welcome to BetterMost! We hope to hear a lot from you in the coming months!!
thanks, I feel very much at home here. I'll take some coffee, but just can't eat no cake right now.
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Okay, brokeplex. Here's your coffee. I'll just hover here on your right until it's time for me to rest my bony hand on your shoulder and invite you to go upstairs!!
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(http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x221/Shasta542/COFFEE.gif)
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Shasta and Front Ranger, you have both made me chuckle!
Have a great weekend!
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Brokeplex, I was so delighted that you have felt comfortable and welcomed enough, to tell your story.
It is both beautiful and sad. I want to extend my condolences for your losses. And hope from now on your
life will be full and happy..Good luck to you and your partner, I am so happy that our beloved movie has
yet again, brought such good results for yet another person.
Welcome to Bettermost, we are very glad that you have joined our little community...
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Howdy neighbor!!!
I'm just down the road from you in Indianapolis, so we're in the same neighborhood! :)
Welcome to BetterMost!! :D
hey...awesome.....and thank you ;D
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Welcome AguadaGirl!! So glad that you've found a home here! We can certainly all sympathize with and completely understand your strong reaction to Brokeback. It really is a life-changing film/ story. You're definitely among friends here. Hope you're having fun roaming the forums!
Want a cup of coffee don't you?
<img src="http://www.divshare.com/img/2818056-973.jpg" border="0" /> (http://www.divshare.com/download/2818056-973)
And a piece of cherry cake! :)
<img src="http://www.divshare.com/img/1800662-321.jpg" border="0" /> (http://www.divshare.com/download/1800662-321)
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Thank you...OMG...I'd LOVE some Cherry cake!! ;D
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And hugs to you Aquadagirl!
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Thanks for the hugs (((Artiste)))....and thank you Susie...;D
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Good afternoon everyone and happy new year from Bonnie Scotland! I’m thirty, live in Glasgow and married to a man who has Jack’s open heart and Ennis’ protective nature.
We saw our film in February 2007. Every day I kick myself for not seeing it on the big screen! Having read what feels like every forum, article and fiction on the internet to date, I was hungry for more and decided to join this community.
I have read the effect that it has had on everyone and I’m still trying to make sense of the effect that it has on me. Every time I think of it, I feel a lump in my throat. I have taken a long hard look at my life, and all seems well. I have asked the hard questions, yet my answers suffice. I still feel like I have been punched in the stomach and I guess the real issue is that I can’t identify the message that the film has for me.
So, here I am. I’ve pulled up a chair and am waiting on my cherry cake!
Sandy
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Hey Sandy, Welcome. Good to have you here. Take some time to explore, we're a friendly bunch.
Leslie
aka MaineWriter
Moderator, Fanfic and Creative Writers
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Good afternoon everyone and happy new year from Bonnie Scotland! I’m thirty, live in Glasgow and married to a man who has Jack’s open heart and Ennis’ protective nature.
We saw our film in February 2007. Every day I kick myself for not seeing it on the big screen! Having read what feels like every forum, article and fiction on the internet to date, I was hungry for more and decided to join this community.
I have read the effect that it has had on everyone and I’m still trying to make sense of the effect that it has on me. Every time I think of it, I feel a lump in my throat. I have taken a long hard look at my life, and all seems well. I have asked the hard questions, yet my answers suffice. I still feel like I have been punched in the stomach and I guess the real issue is that I can’t identify the message that the film has for me.
So, here I am. I’ve pulled up a chair and am waiting on my cherry cake!
Sandy
Welcome Sandy! :D :) 8)
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Good afternoon everyone and happy new year from Bonnie Scotland! I’m thirty, live in Glasgow and married to a man who has Jack’s open heart and Ennis’ protective nature.
We saw our film in February 2007. Every day I kick myself for not seeing it on the big screen! Having read what feels like every forum, article and fiction on the internet to date, I was hungry for more and decided to join this community.
I have read the effect that it has had on everyone and I’m still trying to make sense of the effect that it has on me. Every time I think of it, I feel a lump in my throat. I have taken a long hard look at my life, and all seems well. I have asked the hard questions, yet my answers suffice. I still feel like I have been punched in the stomach and I guess the real issue is that I can’t identify the message that the film has for me.
So, here I am. I’ve pulled up a chair and am waiting on my cherry cake!
Sandy
Welcome Sandy! Ya have come to the right place. I am stilling figuring out my message
but I am begining ta think its a calling instead. Once again I want to give you
and very warm welcome.
TampaTalon^"> (Steve)
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Thank you guys!
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Welcome, Sandy! Glad you're here!! Hope you like the cherry cake and coffee. ;)
(http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x221/Shasta542/CAKE.jpg)
(http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x221/Shasta542/COFFEE.gif)
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Welcome to BetterMost, Sandy! Pull up a log and stick a boot in the fire! ;D
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Good afternoon everyone and happy new year from Bonnie Scotland! I’m thirty, live in Glasgow and married to a man who has Jack’s open heart and Ennis’ protective nature.
We saw our film in February 2007. Every day I kick myself for not seeing it on the big screen! Having read what feels like every forum, article and fiction on the internet to date, I was hungry for more and decided to join this community.
I have read the effect that it has had on everyone and I’m still trying to make sense of the effect that it has on me. Every time I think of it, I feel a lump in my throat. I have taken a long hard look at my life, and all seems well. I have asked the hard questions, yet my answers suffice. I still feel like I have been punched in the stomach and I guess the real issue is that I can’t identify the message that the film has for me.
So, here I am. I’ve pulled up a chair and am waiting on my cherry cake!
Sandy
Welcome Sandy! I hope you have a wonderful time exploring the forums here. :) It's so great that you've found your way to BetterMost! It definitely sounds like you've been struck with Brokie fever... with all the classic symptoms.
Happy New Year!
:D
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A Happy New Year to all newcomers!
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Well, I'm 23. And I'm probably one of the few who identifies as lesbian here. To keep things short, thanks to BBM (Ennis in particular and Jack too) showing me what could or would happen if I didn't follow my heart. I'm basically fixing what I can in my own life and moving on from things I can't fix. And I've finally had the courage to be my true self after so long of being scared.
I would put more details, except most of it is in my blog. Which I think I put on my profile (not trying to advertise.....honest ;D) And well, some people will know me here from IMDB. And like some I migrated here to avoid trolls and troglodytes on the BBM board on IMDB. I should have joined a long time ago, no clue why I didn't. Oh wait, yeah I do. I was studying.
And Happy new year!!.
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A big ole Texas howdy to you !
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Hey Katness!
Welcome to BetterMost! And, thanks so much for introducing yourself here. We have the cherry cake and coffee all set to go for you! ;D
It just so happens that I'm a lesbian too. As you'll see there are a lot of women here in general, and the women of this community are all very active participants here on BetterMost. There are definitely other lesbians and bisexual women here among them, so you're most definitely not alone.
I'm a co-moderator in the Social Forum Events area of BetterMost (I work with my lovely Sister-Mod named Front-Ranger over there). Over in that forum we do things like organize chats here at BetterMost, organize big/elaborate trips and help folks coordinate smaller get-togethers. There are also tons of photos posted in that forum so you can see a lot of our smiling faces. Since there's so much specific info posted in Social Events... that's one of our few "members-only" forums.
In case you're interested, we have a chat scheduled for noon (Eastern time) this upcoming Saturday. This upcoming chat is a standing, monthly chat that we call "Smarten Up-Second Saturday"... it happens every second Saturday of each month (and of course it's named after Alma's line in the movie). You'd be more than welcome to drop by.
I'm a refugee from imdb too. I made my move over to BetterMost in April of 2006. And, like you it was due to a huge problem with trolls taking place at the time over there. Once I came here, I really never looked back.
Anyway! Welcome again! :D
<img src="http://www.divshare.com/img/2993102-44b.jpg" border="0" /> (http://www.divshare.com/download/2993102-44b)
<img src="http://www.divshare.com/img/midsize/1800585-2e0.jpg" border="0" /> (http://www.divshare.com/download/1800585-2e0)
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Welcome to BetterMost, Katness! 8)
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Welcome To BetterMost Katness!! :)
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Thank you for the welcome from everyone. Hmmmm. Now I'm just going to figure out timing.......between me and where you guys are that is. *points up* about the chat thing I mean. I always had trouble figuring out time zones. :-\
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Hey, everyone.
Well, guess I'd better introduce myself since I've already been posting here, LOL.
Anyway, I'm a 42 year old male of what they call the asexual species. What that means is I haven't, yet, found the perfect partner on either side of the line, but will eventually. (I hope) ;D
I'm originally from Florida, but emigrated to Wyoming looking for more room to stretch out in. :)
If anyone here reads/posts Brokebackslash, I'm know as Icewolf88 over there. Just to let ya know that if ya can't find me here, I'll be there. LOL.
Here's hoping that I get a chance to participate in the upcoming Brokeback outing here in June. I've never had the opportunity to attend one and look forward to my first time. I've heard all about the ones in the past and hope to have an exciting time.
Anyway, that's me in a nutshell. Take care.
EnnisJack
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Welcome EJ. We do have a Fanfic forum here as well, where you can post links to a story (if you write), or jump into discussions about other members stories. Lots of forums to explore here, so pull up a stool and set a spell. Good to have to have you here! If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.
Scott
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Hello Ennisjack. Uhhhh nice to meet you. ;D
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Welcome to Katness and EnnisJack!
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Thanks, Scott, and everyone else for the warm welcome. I hope to have much fun here. :D
EJ
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Thanks, Scott, and everyone else for the warm welcome. I hope to have much fun here. :D
EJ
Hi EJ!
A big welcome from down here in Cowtown!
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Hey EnnisJack and Katness!!
So glad to have y'all here.
You have found your way to a remarkable place filled with extraordinary people! ;D
Feel free to PM me if you need any help finin your way!
Richard AKA Loneleeb3
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Thanks, Scott, and everyone else for the warm welcome. I hope to have much fun here. :D
EJ
Howdy EJ,
Be sure to stop by Ennis With Jack The FanFic Game http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php/topic,10312.0.html (http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php/topic,10312.0.html) and the Bettermost Craft Corner http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php/topic,10857.0.html (http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php/topic,10857.0.html) (shameless plug).
Cup of coffee? Piece of cherry cake?
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Thank you for the welcome from everyone. Hmmmm. Now I'm just going to figure out timing.......between me and where you guys are that is. *points up* about the chat thing I mean. I always had trouble figuring out time zones. :-\
Hey, Katness! If you go here (http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php/topic,10871.new.html#new), all the times for our next organized chat are laid out for you!! It's called the Smarten Up Saturday chat and it's on the 12th. See you there!
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Well, I'm 23. And I'm probably one of the few who identifies as lesbian here. To keep things short, thanks to BBM (Ennis in particular and Jack too) showing me what could or would happen if I didn't follow my heart. I'm basically fixing what I can in my own life and moving on from things I can't fix. And I've finally had the courage to be my true self after so long of being scared.
I would put more details, except most of it is in my blog. Which I think I put on my profile (not trying to advertise.....honest ;D) And well, some people will know me here from IMDB. And like some I migrated here to avoid trolls and troglodytes on the BBM board on IMDB. I should have joined a long time ago, no clue why I didn't. Oh wait, yeah I do. I was studying.
And Happy new year!!.
Welcome, Katness! You probably know me from over at IMDB. I've always enjoyed reading your posts over there, and I want to welcome you here! :)
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Welcome To BetterMost EnnisJack!! I hope you enjoy it here! If you have any questions or problems, please send me a pm. I'll be happy to help you in any way I can. :D
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welcome y'all!!!
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Hey, Katness! If you go here (http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php/topic,10871.new.html#new), all the times for our next organized chat are laid out for you!! It's called the Smarten Up Saturday chat and it's on the 12th. See you there!
THANK YOU. Knowing me I'll still be up then. So I'll drop in.
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Welcome, Katness! You probably know me from over at IMDB. I've always enjoyed reading your posts over there, and I want to welcome you here! :)
Hello Littlewing, I do remember you from IMDB. And thank you.
Sincerely, Kat.
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[Welcome Katness and EnnisJack]
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You two will love it here. :) Everyone is friendly and will make you feel right at home. So with that said- do you want a cup of coffee; a piece of cherry cake?
And Katness- sorry that I spelled your name wrong in another thread.
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Hi. I've been debating since yesterday whether or not to join this site. I happened to see a link to it in a post that quickly disappeared in the deluge on IMDB. Unfortunately, I can't tell you who it was who posted it. I have lurked around, and I have seen that the attitude toward IMDB may not exactly be the best here, but you all seem like a very nice bunch of people, so here I am.
You can call me Azaelia. I'm a 20 year old girl, and I'm from a middle-of-nowhere New England town. People seem to be in the trend of identifying their sexualities, so I'm straight. I'm a college sophomore, an acting major, and a big fan of movies (good ones, that is), like Brokeback Mountain. I hesitated at joining here because I never posted on the Brokeback Mountain IMDB board, or if I did, I only did so once or twice. I guess I was intimidated by what seemed to already be such a close-knit community, and also mostly people who were older than I.
I first saw Brokeback Mountian when I was 17, shortly after it hit theaters, with one of my closest girl friends. She had said she was going, and I decided to go along, just to see what it was all about. I wound up entranced by the movie. I'd never seen anything like it, and I think it's safe to say I never will again. I hadn't expected it to be so beautiful, both in terms of images and in terms of emotions it evoked. It was, in a word, heartshattering. I cry fairly frequently when watching movies, but no movie has made me cry the way this one did. It means so much to me, but I don't know how to put a lot of it into words. One thing's for sure, though. It has a special place in my heart, and I'm NEVER going to forget it.
I've only seen it twice--it's a tall order of a movie, one that comes with a mood that lingers for a good couple weeks at the very least. *sigh* I wanted to watch it again, but I think I'm going to have to wait a bit before I'll be able to make it through the movie, not to mention, my college roommate scurried off with our apartment's DVD a couple nights ago ( :'( ), and I believe she left it at her friend's apartment, as I haven't seen it around since.
Anyway, I feel like I'm just rambling, and I'm also not quite sure about talking about myself...so that's me. Here I am, and if anyone wants to know anything else, just ask. Cheers!
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Hi Azaelia!!!
good to see you made the jump!! I am a bit older than you that is true...and we mostly have been hanging around fussing and teasing and fighting with each other for a while...but we always enjoy meeting new friends.
Don't be afraid to jump in anywhere. We are a generally nice group (watch out for David, that is all I am gonna say *ahem* ;D ;) ) and there are a TON of movie buffs here too.
If you need anything holler at me (or any of the guys in red)....well ok...dont HOLLER...just pm and talk regularly :laugh: :laugh:
Jess
injest
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Azaelia, I also wanted to say welcome, it is really good to have you here.
I understand your hesitation about jumping in to the forums, but everyone around here is really great.
I am sorry that you come here first following such sad circumstances, but I look forward to reading more of your thoughts/perspectives.
Bel
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I first saw Brokeback Mountian when I was 17, shortly after it hit theaters, with one of my closest girl friends. She had said she was going, and I decided to go along, just to see what it was all about. I wound up entranced by the movie. I'd never seen anything like it, and I think it's safe to say I never will again. I hadn't expected it to be so beautiful, both in terms of images and in terms of emotions it evoked. It was, in a word, heartshattering. I cry fairly frequently when watching movies, but no movie has made me cry the way this one did. It means so much to me, but I don't know how to put a lot of it into words. One thing's for sure, though. It has a special place in my heart, and I'm NEVER going to forget it.
Azaelia, I'm glad to see you here. Your experience sounds much like my own. You express yourself beautifully, too, so I hope you will find your way to the Open Forum and give us the benefit of your thoughts. Please make yourself at home. Yes, there are old-timers here, but BetterMost is a very welcoming group. You'll fit in in no time. :)
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Welcome A...
xx
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Thanks for the warm welcome, all! I'm pleased to meet you :)
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Welcome Azaelia! It's so nice you found your way here.
<img src="http://www.divshare.com/img/2993102-44b.jpg" border="0" /> (http://www.divshare.com/download/2993102-44b) <img src="http://www.divshare.com/img/1800662-321.jpg" border="0" /> (http://www.divshare.com/download/1800662-321)
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hello all.
my name is leigh-ann. i'm 30. i'm married. "got two little girls"....and i live in the middle of freakin' nowhere, which is port alberni, bc, canada.
i think we might be on a map by now...but i'm not sure. lol
i used to write on the other bbm forum, and visited here a few times last year.
anyways, i'm a bbm fanatic. love jake. loved heath. love michelle. love 'em all. i think i've seen the movie about thirty times or so. i've introduced it to 7 straight guys over the years, including my hubby, and they all loved it, even though they thought they wouldn't.
i am a christian, but don't let that scare you off. like i said, i love the movie, i love the story, and i love the actors, and i just happened to love god too.
i don't judge, so please don't classify me in "that" category....
although i'm embarrassed by how many fellow christians act, i'm still very proud to be one because i honor god's name by loving people, not judging. so no "fire and brimstone" crowds for me lol.........however, i do like to smarten up once in a while and go to church socials. lol
so thanks for the warm welcome's already. it's good to be here.
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H forsythia and redazalea,
Welcome to Bettermost! I'm glad you chose to join our community. There are a lot of friendly folks here and it shouldn't take long to make new friends. I know that it sometimes seems a bit intimidating to try to fit into a group of people who have all known each other for a while. It can feel a bit like dropping in on someone else's high school reunion, but we are a pretty diverse and friendly lot, and we genuinely enjoy it when someone new joins us!
Nice to meet you both!
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Howdy forsythia and redazalea,
Welcome to the beautiful Bettermost! You're gonna love it here, you'll see.
Amanda, I love that picture of the cherry cake you found. You finally found a picture of cherry cake that looks appealing to me.
Please stop by the Brokeback Craft Corners for fun stuff to make:
http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php/topic,10857.0.html (http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php/topic,10857.0.html)
and Jack with Ennis Fan Fic game for naughty stuff to read:
http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php/topic,10312.0.html (http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php/topic,10312.0.html)
Enjoy your stay here!
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welcome all newbies who have joined in the last few weeks.
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Amanda, I love that picture of the cherry cake you found. You finally found a picture of cherry cake that looks appealing to me.
Thanks Toycoon!
;D
It's the closest photo I've found so far to what Ma Twist's cake actually seems to look like from what we can make of it in the background of the Lightning Flat scene.
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Hi,
I have had so many kind emails I thought I should introduce myself.I am 45 married mom with 3 kids.Moved from the U.K to USA 2 years ago.I watched Brokeback for the 1st time the day of Heaths's death,having owned it for 18 months.From that moment on my life was turned upside down.In fact untill I found this site I
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Welcome to BetterMost, optom3 :)
Hey, I probably shouldn't be the one to extend the welcome. The old hands are much better at that. I just happened to be in this thread thinking it was about time I introduced myself, too, since I've only been here a few months. Just thought, since we passed in the street, it might be neighbourly to say welcome.
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Amanda, I love that picture of the cherry cake you found. You finally found a picture of cherry cake that looks appealing to me.
Well, it looks like you are a maraschino man, then, Toy-c!!
And underdown, we oldtimers don't have the monopoly on welcomes! You go right ahead with your welcomes, you're good at it! And while we're at it, welcome to you too!!
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Welcome to BetterMost optom3! 8)
Underdown, it's about time you introduced yourself! Glad you feel at home enough here to welcome more newbies. ;D
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Oh, ok. Maybe I should. Probably before I make it to the 1000+ posts club ;D
Rob
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Hello there.
I´m here since a few weeks but I didn´t had so much time to write and read.
I´m from Germany (Cologne) and into BBM since November 2006 and I´m glad to be here :)
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Willkommen in Bettermost!
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Hi Fiona.......glad to see you here.....and cornflake, welcome......looking forward to hearing more from both of you.
Hey Rob.....gee...you have all ready made so many friends here and I'm sure you will make many more......you are a great example to all our new members....you have joined in so many discussions with great comments, some serious, some very witty and humourous....Im glad you are here, along for the ride with us.
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welcome!!!! :-*
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Welcome to BetterMost, optom3 :)
Hey, I probably shouldn't be the one to extend the welcome. The old hands are much better at that. I just happened to be in this thread thinking it was about time I introduced myself, too, since I've only been here a few months. Just thought, since we passed in the street, it might be neighbourly to say welcome.
Hi to all those kind people who have welcomed me. I thought I should introduce myself and give a man woman Brokeback.First I cannot express how much this site has helped me.I first saw the film the day of Heaths death and have watched circa 30 times since.If I take it as the most poignant heartbreaking love story so far committed to film then it is my tale almost ad verbatem.I went into complete shock having watched it,and am still reeling.How could someone have told my story when they know nothing of me,scary and deeply unsttling.
I am a married woman of 45 with 3 kids who has literally and metaphorically fallen to pieces since viewing the film.Actually viewing is such an understement,I lived the film.Every subtle gesture and nuance I have seen with my own eyes.Many years ago my 1st marriage ended when my husband found the courage to live the life he was really intended to.He is a truly wonderful man in fact one of a kind and I bear him no ill will.In fact I have only great affection for him.We lived in England at the time and I think "comming out" is easier there,even so he had a complete breakdown before he finally took the plunge.
Moving on I then remarried and had my 1st son,that marriage too ended due to the violent and abusive nature of the man,caused by his alcoholism.2 years later I married my current husband of many years.He is kind and good and became a wonderful father to my son.There it should have ended,happy ever after and all that implies.
However in a cruel twist of fate not long after marrying him,I met by chance the man who became my Brokeback for 15 years.I ask not to be judged morally as I have donr that myself,far harsher than anyone ese could.I was caught completely offguard when this man walked into my practice,the air stilled,and you cut cut the atmosphere with a knife.
I did nothing, I was married,but from then on he would arrive in the practice ostensibly to see my partner who was always on his day off.Well long story short,the affair started.The reason the film crucified me was we literally had our own Brokeback,an idyllic mountainous region in Egland called the Lakes.I have lived some of the films scenes,even down to him saying to me one late afternoon,we could have this always if you would just leave.He held me just as in the film in silence,with the majesty of the scenery.It was not to be,I was the female Ennis,haunted by not a visual image but my mothers words "no happiness can be found based on others misery"
Also how could I break up my sons life again.So it continued with him crying and even on one occasion me saying I just couldn't bear it any longer.I broke off for 2 years and had my second child.Then he appeared again.Nothing had changed,the only difference between the film reunion scene and mine is that I was in my test room.But as in the film I could not have cared who walked in and then just as in the film we ended in a hotel.As in the book nothing changed but nothing was resolved.So many scenes in the film destroy me as I watvh I find I can hardly breathe.
I suppose a part of me did not want yet another failed marriage to add to the list,and yet logically the first were no fault of mine.I argued my husband did not deserve to lose his children through my selfish actions and yet the way I continued to behave was equally selfish.As in the film we never returned to our Brokeback it would have been to painful,also as in the film all I have is an old shirt albeit a Tshirt and a card.
In desperation when the opportunity came to emigraye to the states.I agreed.I never said goodbye it was beyond painful.The film is so exquisitely acted I honestly feel the actors surely must have experienced torment in real life.Just like Ennis in the alley I was physically sick for most of the plane journey here.I knew that the person who was truly my other half the person who made me whole was now lost,no going back.
I recognise Jacks at one time hopeful expressions and then utter hopelessness,I have witnesed it myself.I know Ennis's inner torment throughout the film,coupled with moments of brief peace.I have experienced every one of them.I see the peace which is always forshadowed by darkness as the knowledge that this peace is transitory and therefore always tinged with the dread of what lies ahead.
In the final scene I completely collapsed as the full horror of the realisation that I too have only a shirt and card tucked away.That and a lifetime of regrets.I have accoplished nothing by my actions.As my kids have survived and indeed blossomed by emigrating,would they not have survived a divorce.I have thrown away what most people spend a lifetime searching for.I now have to live with all I have done and ensure my husband who has no inkling never suffers from my actions.
I realise what I did was wrong,but I live with the guilt daily.Notwithstanding the horrendous pain of the loss.The film opened up wounds which are now so raw I am amazed that I move my way through each day.As in the book it is a good day when I have dreamt of him and likewise sometimes I awake and the pillow is wet.
To call this a film is to reduce it to almost the banal and relegate it to the space occupied by much lesser pieces.It is an experience that is felt with every cell in your body.I watch again and again and can almost feel my neurones screaming in pain.
I hope one day to use the experince to move forward but at this time it is fsr too close to the surface.Fortunately my virtual collapse has been put down to our Visa not renewing in time for a visit back to the UK so leaving us temporarily landlocked.I hope I am not too harshly judged.Was it not said to err is human to forgive divine.
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hi optom,
just wanted to say hello, and thank you for sharing your story.
there is much to be said and considered... my 'story' is similar to yours only in that I, too, sometimes worry about regrets and what I have thrown away. there is a lot on the forums to explore in terms of how to try to make our lives better (and, subsequently, the lives of those around us). it sounds like you are new to "what brokeback means to me", having only seen the film recently. I first saw it almost two years ago, and it is an ongoing journey, figuring out "what brokeback means to me."
I hope you will stay here at bettermost, and perhaps find some pain relief while you are here...
Bel
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hi optom,
just wanted to say hello, and thank you for sharing your story.
there is much to be said and considered... my 'story' is similar to yours only in that I, too, sometimes worry about regrets and what I have thrown away. there is a lot on the forums to explore in terms of how to try to make our lives better (and, subsequently, the lives of those around us). it sounds like you are new to "what brokeback means to me", having only seen the film recently. I first saw it almost two years ago, and it is an ongoing journey, figuring out "what brokeback means to me."
I hope you will stay here at bettermost, and perhaps find some pain relief while you are here...
Bel
Hi yes I am new to this site.but what a lifeline it has proved to be.I could never have imagined such kindness from total strangers.It is also at least in some small way cathartic to voice thoughts that owing to the nature of my story,have untill now remained buried deep.I think that the film disturbed me so badly because 15 years is a long time to harbor those feelings.Also the parallels in the film and indeed book refect so much of my life it is hard to bear at times.I wanted to jump into the screen and shout at Ennis to grab wht he had before it passed him by.Or was I really shouting at myself? who knows.
I know my 1st husband was much braver than me,he made the decision to stop living a lie and has been with his partner for 20 plus years now.Who just happens to be a lovely man too.In the process his mother disowned him and still does to this day,but his father embraced the situation 100%.An irony that as a mother I find strange indeed.
I hope one day to finally come to a place where I find some solace ,knowing that at least I have truly loved and been loved.I try each day to see what happened in those terms but right at this moment with little success,I almost wish I had not watched the film,but then at some stage we have to confront our demons I guess.As it is I have become like some obsessive,waiting till I am on my own and then watching and rewatching it.If I am not watching the film then I am reading the book or screenplay.Does everyone act like this initially?
It is almost as if I watch it enough times it may end differently.How ridiculous is that.Or is it because I am yearning for a different end to my own experience.One thing for sure it has left an indelible mark on me,just as surely as if I had been branded.It strikes me as one of lifes many travesties that the Oscars chose to pass over the acting of Heath and Jake.I can only assume this stemmed from some misplaced moral judgement.
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Optom, thanks so much for sharing your story so openly. You certainly have had a dramatic reaction to BBM, but you aren't alone in that. The beauty of the film is that everyone in it is so honest with the characters and story that it's impossible to see it without some sort of emotional catharsis. For some it's mild, for others, life-changing. I'm so glad you were led here to BetterMost. It seems to me that your healing has already begun.
As you explore the site, be sure to check out Our Daily Thoughts and Safe Haven where people tell their own stories, as well as the Open Forum, where we discuss all sorts of topics having to do with the film. Also feel free to start your own blog if you'd like. Again, welcome! :)
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WOW!
I'm just flattened.
It's been a long time since I've bothered to welcome a new member on this thread, though I often read it. Your story, optom3 is huge. As Meryl said, everyone (Brokies) has been affected strongly by the movie - that's what brought us here, and for some, brought us to view (and analyse every tiny piece of) the movie many times. For me it was about 10 times in the theatres - and I haven't seen any other movie at the theatre in the past 20 months. Musta watched it 100 times by now (and read the short story and additional 20 times).
Here's hoping that you'll find solace in here, as you are among folks who should be able tounderstand what you're talking about.
Welcome home optom3.
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wow, thats some story - cant really saya anything more than whats already been said. welcome again.
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Hi yes I am new to this site.but what a lifeline it has proved to be.I could never have imagined such kindness from total strangers.It is also at least in some small way cathartic to voice thoughts that owing to the nature of my story,have untill now remained buried deep.I think that the film disturbed me so badly because 15 years is a long time to harbor those feelings.Also the parallels in the film and indeed book refect so much of my life it is hard to bear at times.I wanted to jump into the screen and shout at Ennis to grab wht he had before it passed him by.Or was I really shouting at myself? who knows.
I know my 1st husband was much braver than me,he made the decision to stop living a lie and has been with his partner for 20 plus years now.Who just happens to be a lovely man too.In the process his mother disowned him and still does to this day,but his father embraced the situation 100%.An irony that as a mother I find strange indeed.
I hope one day to finally come to a place where I find some solace ,knowing that at least I have truly loved and been loved.I try each day to see what happened in those terms but right at this moment with little success,I almost wish I had not watched the film,but then at some stage we have to confront our demons I guess.As it is I have become like some obsessive,waiting till I am on my own and then watching and rewatching it.If I am not watching the film then I am reading the book or screenplay.Does everyone act like this initially?
It is almost as if I watch it enough times it may end differently.How ridiculous is that.Or is it because I am yearning for a different end to my own experience.One thing for sure it has left an indelible mark on me,just as surely as if I had been branded.It strikes me as one of lifes many travesties that the Oscars chose to pass over the acting of Heath and Jake.I can only assume this stemmed from some misplaced moral judgement.
Yes, that is how I reacted initially. No, it is not ridiculous.
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WOW!
I'm just flattened.
It's been a long time since I've bothered to welcome a new member on this thread, though I often read it. Your story, optom3 is huge. As Meryl said, everyone (Brokies) has been affected strongly by the movie - that's what brought us here, and for some, brought us to view (and analyse every tiny piece of) the movie many times. For me it was about 10 times in the theatres - and I haven't seen any other movie at the theatre in the past 20 months. Musta watched it 100 times by now (and read the short story and additional 20 times).
Here's hoping that you'll find solace in here, as you are among folks who should be able tounderstand what you're talking about.
Welcome home optom3.
Hi,
thankyou so much,it seems that's all I seem to say these days!!!! Two things I never mentioned in my original tale, were that since we have been in the states my 14 year old son has been diagnosed bipolar, which his psychiatrist thinks may have been triggered by an incident of sexual abuse at his scout summer camp.He has been unwell for some time but after the camp his behavior disintegrated beyond all belief.He refused ever to go back to scouts and in my infinite wisdom I thought he had just decided it was uncool!!!
A phone call from the scoutmaster one afternoon revealed the real cause for his complete disintegration.He has still not spoken of it but is undergoing intensive psychotherapy and is on large doses of medication.Less than one month after ,my husband was robbed at gunpoint by a masked man.So as you can imagine my head is in a very bad space at the moment.Watching the film over and over merely opened the floodgates.I questioned why I had not followed my heart ,as had I so done neither my son or husband would have fallen victim to such horrendous incidents.
It is all so complex but I guess tied in with a lot of guilt.Just like Ennis I thought I was doing the right thing and yet just like him my actions and cowardice have ended in tragedy.That is why I weep like a baby every time I watch it.I continue to analyse both the film ,book and my own actions and end up just going round in circles.Not only that but there is the ten ton guilt weight sat on my shoulders as I still miss the man so badly.
I have found real hope from some of the stories here and will stay around for as long as I am welcome.I need to make ammends for so many things,whilst at the same time learning to control my own grief.
One final thought and that is I have had more help and good advice from people here than via several expensive councilling sessions,so bless everyone for that.I try to look forward and hope that one day my life will be full of joy and promise and that in some way I will be able to grow from all I have been through.I pray daily for my son that he too will find some peace without the need for such heavy duty medication.On a positive not my other son and daughter have had nothing but wonderful experiences since being here.With opportunities that would never have come their way back in England.
best wishes
Fiona
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Welcome Fiona!
:)
My, these are just such heartfelt and amazing posts you've been contributing here. I hope that even the process of just writing some of this down is helpful to you as you sort through some of these issues and feelings.
I wonder, have you considered starting a blog over in the Our Daily Thoughts forum? It might be right up your alley.
Hope you're enjoying your time here at BetterMost so far.
:)
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optom, there is a bipolar charactor in the series Degrassi, did you know?
These are school kids.
Great serie...
keep care and hugs to you and your family!!
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Hi
no I did not know but will certainly look out for it,
I am getting any help ,from wherever I can these days.So many problems,never enough time.My son is not in a good place at the moment, I am just trying to be positive that the new meds,will alleviate some of his pain.
Thats why I just love this site.I can try to alleviate some of my pain, thus allowing me to then concentrate on my son.
Not to mention trying to protect my other 2 children from some of his near nuclear fallout,
thamks for caring
optom3
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Hi Fiona,
thank you for sharing your story here. We can relate to your reactions to BBM. We've all gone through a rough time after seeing the movie, some more, some less - but in the end, we're still here, two years later. This says something about our reactions.
Welcome to BetterMost. I'm glad you found us.
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Welcome Fiona!
:)
My, these are just such heartfelt and amazing posts you've been contributing here. I hope that even the process of just writing some of this down is helpful to you as you sort through some of these issues and feelings.
I wonder, have you considered starting a blog over in the Our Daily Thoughts forum? It might be right up your alley.
Hope you're enjoying your time here at BetterMost so far.
Have done just that,Posted a blog)
Thanks for the suggestion, I have had some amazing replies.Each one helps just a little bit more.I think at the moment ,it is a case of baby steps.It truly was a good day when I decided to post,instead of just lurking in the background.
I enjoy BetterMost more each day.Seeing people who have begun healing,or are at least in the process,provides light at the end of the tunnel for me.
Posting also makes me examine myself (not always easy) and therefore opens doors,which have remained closed for too long. No one could ever say it is easy,but I have realised that if I do not confront things,nothing will ever change.
I also want to try and gain sufficient insight into myself,actions and motives,so that in future I will be able to impart realistic,heartfelt (if somewhat world weary) advice to my children.
They may not listen,but at least I will know I have tried,and as a mother that is all I can do.If nothing else,then by helping them, and indeed others,some positive may result from the last 15 years of mess and regrets.
:)
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Hi Fiona,
Like everyone else, I welcome you to Better Most. Your story is moving and heart wrenching and I am glad that you feel comfortable enough to share your life with us. Don't worry about being judged here because we all have a story to tell and the folks at Better Most are not about that.
And yes, Brokeback Mountain is a movie that affected all of us and I too am grateful that I found this forum.
The people are friendly and understanding so you are definitely in the right place! Like Sheriff Roland said- you are home. ;) I have also seen the movie over 100 times. If that's not excessive or obsessive, I don't know what is. :)
These past few weeks have been overwhelming because I witnessed a community of people come together in a matter of days to pay tribute to Heath Ledger. It was awesome. It felt like we were family coming together for a wonderful cause!
Just know that you are not alone in your search for truth and peace in the situations that you and your son are encountering.
Debbie
p.s. Would you like a cup o coffee? A piece of cherry cake?
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Yes please to the coffee and cake,
how that made me smile.
I hope to find some peace in finally comming to terms with the 15 year affair as well .What a lot of soul searching I have ahead of me ,looks like I will need tht coffee and cake to keep my stamina up.
What a terribly messy thing this love business can be.What a relief to find a film where it doesn't all sickingly work out just so at the end.
True love in my case was infinitely more harrowing and I think more realistic.How can it be a rollercoaster of emotion(which it is) when everyone ends up happy ever after.
That is for fairy tales,or maybe I have just become cynical'
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Susie - thankyou for telling your story. I'm glad you feel dafe here. I hope that in some way writing this all down had been cathartic for you.
Welcome - I hope to talk with you much more.
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Hi susie,
I am fairly new here and I cannot tell you how.kind.sympathetic and helpful the people here are.Iy helped me enormously to write down things.Not something I have ever done before.It would nt be an under statement to say this site has become a bit of a lifeline.
I cannot say it enough,I have had nothing but positive reactions,Not to mention heartfelt private mails.You have come to a good place.
I hope you gain as much from it as I have
best wishes optom
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Helloo!
Am a BBM fan and Heath Ledger is the reason.
I am very pleased to see Brokeback Mountain forums like this and I am grateful to be one of your member.
I am from The Island called Philippines.. and BBM is widely spoken throughout the island because of its unique message upon mankind introducing the feeling of LOVE not only to the opposite sex but for all the people who was caprured in their true sense of feeling in love.
Thanks for the beautiful people who created the forum in honor of the late actor Heath Ledger.. I would like to say.. Long Live Brokeback Mountain.
White_angel
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well HI! sneaking in here at 4 in the morning! (well at least that is what time it is where I am!!) :laugh: :laugh:
good to see you, welcome to Bettermost.
I am so happy to hear that BBM made such an impact in the Phillipines!
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well HI! sneaking in here at 4 in the morning! (well at least that is what time it is where I am!!) :laugh: :laugh:
good to see you, welcome to Bettermost.
I am so happy to hear that BBM made such an impact in the Phillipines!
Yes. it made an impact here in the Philippines when it was shown.
And there are lots od Filipino actors who imitated the role of Heath in the movie but they are not to compare.
When Heath pass away...my heart fell like I can;t pick it up anymore.
It is 6:40 PM here in PI
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Hi Susie.
I can identify with some parts of your story very much. Thanks for sharing it with us. Yes Bettermost is a safe place to be, your very welcome here. :) It,s hard to beleive it,s been just over 4 weeks now isn,t it? :'(
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Welcome to BetterMost white_angel! It's so nice that you found your way here. It's fascinating to hear about Brokeback's impact in the Philippines. I hope you have lots of fun exploring the forums here.
8) :)
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I am looking forward to more interaction as well. You are from Scotland, right? That part of the world is so beautiful - it is where I got engaged.
I'm indeed - from just outside Glasgow. Where did you get engaged?
Welcome white_angel! Glad to have you here!
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In the Highlands - Inverlochy Castle. My husband is a romantic. I am lucky that way.
Near fortwilliam I see form wikipedia - looks lovely!
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I'm indeed - from just outside Glasgow. Where did you get engaged?
Welcome white_angel! Glad to have you here!
Small world,
my parents are from burnside just outside Glasgow.They moved to England 50 years ago but still have their accents.We used to go all ovee Scotland on holiday when we were kids.Love the place.
My brother has lived in Japan for 25 years now and I moved to Sarasota Florida 2 years ago.I do not miss England but I do miss Scotland,particularly,Wester Ross and also on the other coast forther down ,the small villages past,St. Andrews.
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Small world,
my parents are from burnside just outside Glasgow.They moved to England 50 years ago but still have their accents.We used to go all ovee Scotland on holiday when we were kids.Love the place.
My brother has lived in Japan for 25 years now and I moved to Sarasota Florida 2 years ago.I do not miss England but I do miss Scotland,particularly,Wester Ross and also on the other coast forther down ,the small villages past,St. Andrews.
Small world indeed!
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Okay so I have just spent about a half an hour writing my intro when I hit some wrong key and the whole site shut down on me :( I am not up to writing it again right now, but will try to do so later. Meanwhile, I want to say "Hi" to Meryl Marie and Peachy who I have had the privlege of meeting in real life :)
The very short version...my husband and I just watched Brokeback for the first time last week, and though we found it a bit slow at times, I in particular felt deeply moved by it...so much so that I ended up paying the balance on the movie at the video rental store yesterday so I could keep it ;)
As to *why* we hadn't watched until now...that is the main subject of the long post I just lost and will have to wait till another time.
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Okay so I have just spent about a half an hour writing my intro when I hit some wrong key and the whole site shut down on me :( I am not up to writing it again right now, but will try to do so later. Meanwhile, I want to say "Hi" to Meryl Marie and Peachy who I have had the privlege of meeting in real life :)
The very short version...my husband and I just watched Brokeback for the first time last week, and though we found it a bit slow at times, I in particular felt deeply moved by it...so much so that I ended up paying the balance on the movie at the video rental store yesterday so I could keep it ;)
As to *why* we hadn't watched until now...that is the main subject of the long post I just lost and will have to wait till another time.
Welcome to BetterMost iorhael!!! I'm sorry to hear about the frustrating situation of losing your first intro message by hitting the wrong key... I've definitely been in that situation myself before. Anyway, can't wait to hear more about how you found your way to BetterMost. And, I hope you have lots of fun exploring the forums here.
Want a cup of coffee and a piece of cherry cake? :D
<img src="http://www.divshare.com/img/2993102-44b.jpg" border="0" /> (http://www.divshare.com/download/2993102-44b)
<img src="http://www.divshare.com/img/1800662-321.jpg" border="0" /> (http://www.divshare.com/download/1800662-321)
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As to *why* we hadn't watched until now...that is the main subject of the long post I just lost and will have to wait till another time.
Welcome Iorael......I hope you enjoy yourself here.
What a pain, losing all your post....you have me wondering "WHY" you hadn't watched until now.
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Okay so I have just spent about a half an hour writing my intro when I hit some wrong key and the whole site shut down on me :( I am not up to writing it again right now, but will try to do so later. Meanwhile, I want to say "Hi" to Meryl Marie and Peachy who I have had the privlege of meeting in real life :)
The very short version...my husband and I just watched Brokeback for the first time last week, and though we found it a bit slow at times, I in particular felt deeply moved by it...so much so that I ended up paying the balance on the movie at the video rental store yesterday so I could keep it ;)
As to *why* we hadn't watched until now...that is the main subject of the long post I just lost and will have to wait till another time.
Hey, Deb, welcome to BetterMost! I'm glad to know that you and I now share more than LOTR as an obsession interest. ;D
I'd be glad to know the rest of your post when you feel like getting around to it. Meanwhile, pull up a log and stick a boot in the fire. ;D
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Welcome!!!
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Okay so I have just spent about a half an hour writing my intro when I hit some wrong key and the whole site shut down on me :( I am not up to writing it again right now, but will try to do so later. Meanwhile, I want to say "Hi" to Meryl Marie and Peachy who I have had the privlege of meeting in real life :)
The very short version...my husband and I just watched Brokeback for the first time last week, and though we found it a bit slow at times, I in particular felt deeply moved by it...so much so that I ended up paying the balance on the movie at the video rental store yesterday so I could keep it ;)
As to *why* we hadn't watched until now...that is the main subject of the long post I just lost and will have to wait till another time.
Iorhael, welcome to Bettermost! I hope you will try again with your post, that is frustrating, but we would love to hear your thoughts and experiences watching the movie. My husband and I sat down and watched BBM just over a year ago, so it's never too late. And, there is nothing like meeting real Brokies in person. Glad you've had the opportunity!
Take Care,
Chris.
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Hey everyone - might as well start with an introduction of sorts, though it seems a while since anyone else has..
I go by elomelo which means 'scattered' in Bengali, my mother tongue so to speak, and it really sums me up as a person; confusing, personality-wise, meaning I can be hyper and talkative (like right now) one minute and quiet and pensive the next. My interests lie in writing, reading, playing sports, thinking (ha!) and just musing in general.
I have to say Brokeback really opened my eyes a bit wider and for a fifteen year old, that's a huge leap of character. Being at that stage of not really being sure of my sexuality but not really pursuing my intentions in life in terms of that, this movie was something I'd heard about but never feigned any interest in. Until that fateful month that Heath Ledger passed away and I guess something in me sparked, and I just had to see it. I was just blown away by the whole thing and for a person who finds crying at movie a bit over-the-top, I was going through my second box by the time the credits were rolling.
I can't say I've been in the Ennis-Jack situation but I found Brokeback hit me hard and I couldn't help but watch it a few more times again. It took be a while to notice that the first five or so minutes of the movie don't even have dialogue - Ang Lee kept me spellbound for sure! Amazing scenary, the kind that wants me to get on a plane right now and go there even though I don't have the cash, was all over this thing and it was just another bittersweet piece of the puzzle. Jake Gyllenhall was amazing as usual and I was impressed by how he'd played the dreamer of a rodeo cowboy, a new role for him, without overdoing the 'black sheep' role he's known to play way too often while still retaining that Jake-originality. And Heath Ledger. He didn't talk much in this movie but all the same said a thousand words. That is high quality acting. I couldn't get over that smile on his face when he sees Jack's truck pull up after three long years.
The ending was sad yes but made it all that more powerful. I'll save that for another thread. xD
*sigh* There I go, ranting again. Well I still have many question which I'm sure I'll get answered here in due course. I'd like to give kudos to the 'mayor' of this forum for bringing us all BBM devotees to one warm-hearted place to share our thoughts and feelings. :)
So...hope to talk to more people as I make myself familiar around the forum. :D See y'all around!
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Welcome elemelo, enjoy the ride......
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Thanks, Katie. And I'm sure I will (:
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Hey everyone - might as well start with an introduction of sorts, though it seems a while since anyone else has..
I go by elomelo which means 'scattered' in Bengali, my mother tongue so to speak, and it really sums me up as a person; confusing, personality-wise, meaning I can be hyper and talkative (like right now) one minute and quiet and pensive the next. My interests lie in writing, reading, playing sports, thinking (ha!) and just musing in general.
I have to say Brokeback really opened my eyes a bit wider and for a fifteen year old, that's a huge leap of character. Being at that stage of not really being sure of my sexuality but not really pursuing my intentions in life in terms of that, this movie was something I'd heard about but never feigned any interest in. Until that fateful month that Heath Ledger passed away and I guess something in me sparked, and I just had to see it. I was just blown away by the whole thing and for a person who finds crying at movie a bit over-the-top, I was going through my second box by the time the credits were rolling.
I can't say I've been in the Ennis-Jack situation but I found Brokeback hit me hard and I couldn't help but watch it a few more times again. It took be a while to notice that the first five or so minutes of the movie don't even have dialogue - Ang Lee kept me spellbound for sure! Amazing scenary, the kind that wants me to get on a plane right now and go there even though I don't have the cash, was all over this thing and it was just another bittersweet piece of the puzzle. Jake Gyllenhall was amazing as usual and I was impressed by how he'd played the dreamer of a rodeo cowboy, a new role for him, without overdoing the 'black sheep' role he's known to play way too often while still retaining that Jake-originality. And Heath Ledger. He didn't talk much in this movie but all the same said a thousand words. That is high quality acting. I couldn't get over that smile on his face when he sees Jack's truck pull up after three long years.
The ending was sad yes but made it all that more powerful. I'll save that for another thread. xD
*sigh* There I go, ranting again. Well I still have many question which I'm sure I'll get answered here in due course. I'd like to give kudos to the 'mayor' of this forum for bringing us all BBM devotees to one warm-hearted place to share our thoughts and feelings. :)
So...hope to talk to more people as I make myself familiar around the forum. :D See y'all around!
Welcome elomelo! What a lovely introductory post! I'm so glad you found your way to BetterMost and hope you have tons of fun exploring our forums. You're certainly among friends here who can relate to your reactions and experiences with BBM. Don't hesitate to ask questions as you navigate around. My name's Amanda and I'm a co-moderator with Front-Ranger over in the Social Events Forum (where we do things like organize online chats here and help promote and organize lots of Brokie get-togethers, both big and small).
So, it looks like it's time to break out the coffee and cherry cake. :D
<img src="http://www.divshare.com/img/midsize/1719615-adb.jpg" border="0" /> (http://www.divshare.com/download/1719615-adb)<img src="http://www.divshare.com/img/1901651-7bf.jpg" border="0" /> (http://www.divshare.com/download/1901651-7bf)
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welcome elomelo!
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Only fifteen, and so savvy? Nice to have you in Brokiedom, elomelo! 8)
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Hello everyone! My name is Teri and I live in Florida. I'm a certified optician and lab technician. I'm also the associate producer for Scar Tissue productions. We are working on our first movie! My hobbies include, writing, reading, photography and whatever else catches my fancy. I'm not married but have been with my bf for 7 years. I have no human children but am the mommy to 6 rats, 4 cats and several fish.
I didn't see BBM until a few months ago. It was one of those movies I had wanted to see but just never got around to it. I didn't expect it to have the impact on me that it did. I wasn't expecting it to be this good!
I'm also a member over at Dave Cullen's board.
Anything else you want to know about me, just ask!
Teri
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Working on a first movie? That's very interesting - just curious what is the topic of the movie?
And welcome again to Bettermost!
Chris.
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It's a movie about a girl with split personalities; one evil, one good. It's basically a horror movie. Thanks for the welcome!
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Welcome Teri!
Thanks for introducing yourself. That's so exciting about your first movie as a producer. Best of luck with that! 8)
LOL, and I'm curious about how well your 6 rats and 4 cats get along? ;D I'm a major cat-person. I have an only-cat at the moment named Vivien. She's a beautiful, petite "classic" black cat and I love her to bits.
Hope you have lots of fun exploring the forums around here!
Ma Twist has been busy baking those cherry cakes lately! Such a great group of newcomers here very recently! She made a fancy one this time around...
<img src="http://www.divshare.com/img/2818056-973.jpg" border="0" /> (http://www.divshare.com/download/2818056-973) <img src="http://www.divshare.com/img/1800582-5f2.JPG" border="0" /> (http://www.divshare.com/download/1800582-5f2)
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Oh yum! Coffee and cherry cake! Thank you!
Well, my rats and cats are separated. My one cat that is 16 has been around the rats i've owned for years so he pays no attention. The others are curious but have gotten over it. My bf and I built a big bookcase style cage so there is no way for the cats to get in it. They honestly never pay any attention to them. When they were curious they would sniff around the cage and the rats will jump at them through the bars. Rats know predators and will attack them. If one of the cats gets bitten on the nose I assure you they will stay away. Luckily that hasn't happened yet. The rats are actually very sweet and smart. I've never been bitten and i've owned rats for 8 or 9 years.
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Greetings, MsMercury! Thanks for joining us! You have some fascinating hobbies (or vocations) and I'm sure you will be posting up a storm very quickly!
Also, welcome elomelo!! You'll have a cup of coffee, won't you? Piece a cherry cake?
We'd love to hear more about your reactions to the movie and whether you have read the story that it's based on!
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When I was a kid I had two pet mice (never rats though). They were white with grey spots... so cute and sweet. I had a cat too, and she never seemed to bother them in their cage. I seem to recall that they provided some entertainment for her to watch from time to time, but otherwise seemed to co-exist alright. I was inspired to get them after reading some children's books about mice that I totally adored.
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I also used to have a pet rat. I have never met a fellow rat person before. I picked my rat up in a pet shop as a baby. He was cute and very smart. He was being sold as snake food, which was why I rescued him.
Welcome to BetterMost!
Poor starving snake!! :laugh: :laugh:
Welcome Ms Mercury!!
We're glad you are here!!
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I find rodents of all shapes and sizes to be absolutely adorable, right down to their little paws. The capybara, the world's largest rodent, is my favorite animal at our local zoo.
I've always wanted a pet squirrel. They always seem so bright-eyed and intelligent! Back home there was one who would come right up to you and look at you and take a peanut right out of your hand. :D
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I also used to have a pet rat. I have never met a fellow rat person before. I picked my rat up in a pet shop as a baby. He was cute and very smart. He was being sold as snake food, which was why I rescued him.
:o Eeew! I'm glad you rescued him! :D
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Hmmm... An introdaction you say? Let see...
Bard is slash fanfiction fan. Have LJ with fic recs in different fandoms. (http://bard2003.livejournal.com/)
Even that BBM was a 2005(?) movie I never seen it (yes I did read the story) till a week ago. I tried to write, but I am not good in it.
I am a reader, not a writer! ;)
So... I will be lurking here, reading the stories. See you!
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I've always wanted a pet squirrel. They always seem so bright-eyed and intelligent! Back home there was one who would come right up to you and look at you and take a peanut right out of your hand. :D
Ewwwwwww!
My Step mom had a pet squirrell named pockets.
She had this big ole ficus tree and pockets would hang out in there and when I would walk by he would jump on me and bite my ear! Only me no one else!
Used to freak me out!
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I also used to have a pet rat. I have never met a fellow rat person before. I picked my rat up in a pet shop as a baby. He was cute and very smart. He was being sold as snake food, which was why I rescued him.
Welcome to BetterMost!
We own a pet shop and sell lots of mice and rats.....but unfortunately most of them do go to snake owners.
If I am working in the shop, (usually once a week), and if anyone comes in to buy one which I know is going to be snake food, I just tell them that the ones we have are "breeders" and not for sale. Just cant bring myself to sell one, knowing its doom.
I told one customer that, one time, and then he said " well, I will just have to buy a guinea pig then"......I was flabergasted.....told him to go buy his snake food somewhere else.
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I know rat owners who also own snakes. They feed frozen pinkies to their snakes. I know it's not how they eat in the wild but rats or mice can do damage to a snake so it's safer for the snake. I couldn't bring myself to feed a mouse or rat to a snake, even before I became a rat owner. Usually when rodents are sold as feeders, they are cheap, like $1.99 but when you see pet rats they are usually $7.99 and up. That's how pet stores keep the snake owners away. A lot of big chain stores like Petsmart will only sell rats or mice as pets.
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They feed frozen pinkies to their snakes.
NO no, say it isn't so! :o
;D
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Hmmm... An introdaction you say? Let see...
Bard is slash fanfiction fan. Have LJ with fic recs in different fandoms. (http://bard2003.livejournal.com/)
Even that BBM was a 2005(?) movie I never seen it (yes I did read the story) till a week ago. I tried to write, but I am not good in it.
I am a reader, not a writer! ;)
So... I will be lurking here, reading the stories. See you!
Welcome bard2003! Hope you enjoy your time here!
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Welcome bard2003!
Lurk away - there are so many good stories and as many good authors. Enjoy your stay! :)
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(http://bestsmileys.com/welcome/4.gif)
bard2003!!!
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Hi I'm Shosha, I'm English, I have lurked for a long time, and have decided to actually register and post.
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Hey there Shosha!
Well lurk no further and welcome :)
Hope you enjoy your time here - there are so many wonderful and friendly people.
Hugs,
elomelo
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Can I be nosy and ask where you are and have you been here for a long time?
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Can I be nosy and ask where you are and have you been here for a long time?
Ha, not nosy at all.
I'm in Toronto which is in Canada and no, I haven't been here for very long - not even a week, actually.
I was a lurker too and finally registered a few days ago, and now feel much better.
If I can be nosy too, how about you? :)
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South of England at the moment, but Husband is British Army so we move about alot.
Have friends in Canada, but in Alberta, and have a son who is looking into emigrating there.
What do you do?
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What do I do? Do you mean as in work?
Well, I work part time in the summer but school usually occupies my time. I'm probably younger than you think I am so yeah...ha, a bit misleading I know.
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(http://bestsmileys.com/welcome/17.gif)
Welcome to BetterMost skola! I live in Western Pennsylvania and I'm coming up on my 2-year anniversary here at BetterMost! :o ;D
Hope you have lots of fun exploring the forums here. :D
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Hi Skola or is it Shosha?
I'm in the UK too - near Glasgow.
Thanks for coming out of lurkedom!!
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Hi Kelda its shosha nickname skola, I go up to Alloa often, In laws live there, scots born (Haddington) but left a long time ago, moving back in 2012.
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a fellow scot - yay!!!
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Still trying to find my way around the site, but I will get there. ;D
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Welcome skola and elomelo!! May you live long and postmore!!
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hi there. I´m Monika and I´m a Swedish BBM fan. Been registered here for a month or so but are still finding my way around. Currently recides in Umeå in the north but am soon moving back down south (hurray for civilisation). It feels good to be here
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hi there. I´m Monika and I´m a Swedish BBM fan. Been registered here for a month or so but are still finding my way around. Currently recides in Umeå in the north but am soon moving back down south (hurray for civilisation). It feels good to be here
good to ahve you here - you want some coffee and cherry cake?
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good to ahve you here - you want some coffee and cherry cake?
hey there. Of course, I never say no to anything with sugar in it!
and thanks fo answering my newbie questions ;D
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Hello everone,
I'm a 17-year-old female Brokie from Dordrecht in the Netherlands. I first saw Brokeback Mountain when I watched a couple of Heath Ledger films with some friends after he died, as a sort of memorial. I liked BBM but wasn't really blown away by it. Some time after HL died, I became a fan of his work and borrowed BBM from a friend, watched it again (alone this time, which might have helped) and fell absolutely in love with it. I wanted to talk and read more about it so I went to IMDb to the message board of BBM where I found a link to this site. This was all yesterday and I became a member only a couple of minutes ago. I love the deep discussions on this board and how it's a lot more civilized than the IMDb boards.
I've now seen BBM three times and I'm saving up for my own 2-disc edition. I can get pretty obsessed with things and people can get quite fed up with me so a forum like this is ideal for me. Luckily, I have also infected my parents last night with the "Brokback flu" which is a relief cause they normally don't like what I love so it's great to be able to talk to them about it.
I hope to read many more interesting opinions and views on this forum.
Love,
Renee
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Welcome to Bettermost, Wyoming, Renee, Monika, skola, elomelo, and all!
(http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x221/Shasta542/welcome-1.gif)
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Hello everone,
I'm a 17-year-old female Brokie from Dordrecht in the Netherlands. I first saw Brokeback Mountain when I watched a couple of Heath Ledger films with some friends after he died, as a sort of memorial. I liked BBM but wasn't really blown away by it. Some time after HL died, I became a fan of his work and borrowed BBM from a friend, watched it again (alone this time, which might have helped) and fell absolutely in love with it. I wanted to talk and read more about it so I went to IMDb to the message board of BBM where I found a link to this site. This was all yesterday and I became a member only a couple of minutes ago. I love the deep discussions on this board and how it's a lot more civilized than the IMDb boards.
I've now seen BBM three times and I'm saving up for my own 2-disc edition. I can get pretty obsessed with things and people can get quite fed up with me so a forum like this is ideal for me. Luckily, I have also infected my parents last night with the "Brokback flu" which is a relief cause they normally don't like what I love so it's great to be able to talk to them about it.
I hope to read many more interesting opinions and views on this forum.
Love,
Renee
Hoi Renee! Welkom op Bettermost! Mede-Brokie hier, ook uit Nederland! Leuk dat je hier bent en heel veel plezier! Als je vragen hebt kun je die altijd aan mij stellen of een van de andere moderators!
Liefs, Mel
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welcome!
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Welcome to Bettermost Renee! I thought about typing something in Dutch, but I figured I would only end up embarrassing myself. It happens enough as it is, so I probably shouldn't tempt fate. ;) :D
I have a friend from Dordrecht. He is going to college here in Indianapolis! It's a small world, isn't it? Please let me know if there is anything I can do for you! I'll be happy to help. :D
hi there. I´m Monika and I´m a Swedish BBM fan. Been registered here for a month or so but are still finding my way around. Currently recides in Umeå in the north but am soon moving back down south (hurray for civilisation). It feels good to be here
Hi Monika!! Welcome to Bettermost! :)
Hi I'm Shosha, I'm English, I have lurked for a long time, and have decided to actually register and post.
Welcome to Bettermost Skola! :)
Ha, not nosy at all.
I'm in Toronto which is in Canada and no, I haven't been here for very long - not even a week, actually.
I was a lurker too and finally registered a few days ago, and now feel much better.
If I can be nosy too, how about you? :)
Welcome to Bettermost Elomelo!! :)
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Thanks everyone for the warm welcome!
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(http://bestsmileys.com/welcome/15.gif)
Welcome Renee!!
So glad you found your way here!
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Hello!
I have not plowed through much of the threads here yet to find out if I am unique or not!
----Utmost candor rant to begin----
I am actually a relative of a longtime and prominent member here (who of course shall remain anonymous). This individual includes none of their family members in activities surrounding the 'Brokeback Phenomenon' and related activities. Although we hear he is gregarious and outgoing with others, with his family members, he is very reticent and closed. I really wanted to see this community that has meant so much to him and actually have quite a bit of joy that he IS able to express how he feels to someone. He has found many friends on these boards from various parts of the world, and it's great to see. I'm hoping that by learning a bit of his world, it will help bring us as a family closer together.
So, as an introduction, I'll say that I'll be lurking and learning about your community, and hopefully as I understand the common bond you share, be able to speak without a newbie's gaff's!
-----Candor end-----
Thanks for reading!
PsyA.
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Welcome psyacoustic! This was certainly an intriguing introductory post! I hope you enjoy exploring our forums.
:)
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Welcome from me too.
I think you will find people here have very big hearts.I talk of things here which I am unable to discuss with even my husband.Some is BBM related and some just things that I find easier to discuss with like minded people.
I have had some really helpful advice and also a lot of support.I would go so far as to say that on occasion it has almost been my salvation.I think you will find a lot of people here feel like that.
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welcome pysa....
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Thanks all! Love a warm greeting I do.
Back to reading...
PSYA.
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Howdy! I live about 40 miles west of Indianapolis, IN. My farm is called Prairie Pines Foundation Quarterhorses. I live kind of where the prairie type of terrain starts and spreads west toward Illinois. It is very flat and windy so we grow a lot of pine tree windbreaks; thus the name of my place. I come from a long line of farming families ( my mom's family in America prior to the Revolutionary War, and in Indiana since 1800.
I grew up with horses and ponies, got away from that lifestyle while in college, but came back to it in my mid-thirties. My horses have Rey Jay, Blondies Dude, Skipper W, and Tardy Two bloodlines. I have a blue heeler dog ( like the herding dogs in Brokeback Mountain), a mutt/ hounddog, goats and barn cats.
I have a 1904 frame farmhouse that I am remodeling a little bit and live close to some very small towns that resemble Signal, WY in many ways! I am same -sex oriented, but do not feel like a part of the gay community at large. I choose to be out in the country and love it among rural people. I have always been attracted to masculine guys and have a "significant other " who lives about an hour away from me. I am not overly conservative but am a follower of Jesus Christ. My religious beliefs are most like those of the Mennonites, Church of the Brethren, Quakers and Old German Baptist Brethren. My Dad's family were Mennonite.
I love anything to do with the American West, cowboys, rodeos, et.al. I used to work at rodeos in Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas, and volunteered for the WRCA (Working Ranch Cowboys Association). I first came across the story of "Brokeback Mountain" while reading the collection of short stories in Close Range, Wyoming Stories by A.Proulx , about five years before they started making the movie. I related to "Brokeback Mountain" in so many ways and hope to discuss those in some of Bettermosts' forums. I don't have a computer at home, but do at my office in Indianapolis.
Hope to get to "talk" to some of you in the future! Also, the song "Wait until Dark" from Kelly Willis' album, "Easy" would be a good one for your radio station. Thanks.
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(http://bestsmileys.com/welcome/7.gif)
Welcome to BetterMost Hersch!!
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Welcome Hersh - My name is Kelda and I'm in scotland
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Thanks, everybody, for your welcome greetings.
Kelda, I've always been interested in geneology and know that I have some Scottish ancestry ( the Boyles of Kelburne , I believe ). My aunt and uncle who lived in Laporte, Indiana, their "sister city" was Grangemouth, Scotland. My uncle Bob would fish in Canada each year, but also went many times for fishing trips to the Scottish Highlands, and toured throughout Great Britain. Unfortunately, I have never been to Europe!
Well , It is around six-o-clock p.m. here and I have to go feed horses and goats and clean out stalls and put horses into the barn for the night.
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Kelburn and Grnagemouth both not to far from me!
It really is a smaller world than we think, eh!?
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Nice to know you, Hersch! Sounds like you have a sweet life out there. I live in New York City now, but I went to college at Butler in Indianapolis and have a brother who lives in Laporte. Make yourself at home here, Friend. 8)
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Wasn't Annie Hall from Indiana??
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Howdy! I live about 40 miles west of Indianapolis, IN. My farm is called Prairie Pines Foundation Quarterhorses. I live kind of where the prairie type of terrain starts and spreads west toward Illinois. It is very flat and windy so we grow a lot of pine tree windbreaks; thus the name of my place. I come from a long line of farming families ( my mom's family in America prior to the Revolutionary War, and in Indiana since 1800.
I grew up with horses and ponies, got away from that lifestyle while in college, but came back to it in my mid-thirties. My horses have Rey Jay, Blondies Dude, Skipper W, and Tardy Two bloodlines. I have a blue heeler dog ( like the herding dogs in Brokeback Mountain), a mutt/ hounddog, goats and barn cats.
I have a 1904 frame farmhouse that I am remodeling a little bit and live close to some very small towns that resemble Signal, WY in many ways! I am same -sex oriented, but do not feel like a part of the gay community at large. I choose to be out in the country and love it among rural people. I have always been attracted to masculine guys and have a "significant other " who lives about an hour away from me. I am not overly conservative but am a follower of Jesus Christ. My religious beliefs are most like those of the Mennonites, Church of the Brethren, Quakers and Old German Baptist Brethren. My Dad's family were Mennonite.
I love anything to do with the American West, cowboys, rodeos, et.al. I used to work at rodeos in Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas, and volunteered for the WRCA (Working Ranch Cowboys Association). I first came across the story of "Brokeback Mountain" while reading the collection of short stories in Close Range, Wyoming Stories by A.Proulx , about five years before they started making the movie. I related to "Brokeback Mountain" in so many ways and hope to discuss those in some of Bettermosts' forums. I don't have a computer at home, but do at my office in Indianapolis.
Hope to get to "talk" to some of you in the future! Also, the song "Wait until Dark" from Kelly Willis' album, "Easy" would be a good one for your radio station. Thanks.
oh NO!! Not a Tardy Too man!! Stop that!!
:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
ok will give you a bye since you also have the Skipper!!
welcome to Bettermost!!!
I am Jess and I live in Texas
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oh NO!! Not a Tardy Two man!! Stop that!!
:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
ok will give you a bye since you also have the Skipper!!
welcome to Bettermost!!!
I am Jess and I live in Texas
ps and I am just teasing about the Tardy Too...we had a Tardy Too mare, she was hilarious! too smart for her own good...
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You went to Butler, Meryl? I didn't know that!! :D
Butler is just down the road from me. We used to always go to Butler on the Fourth of July to see the fireworks! They had good sledding there in the winter too.
Sledding? I don't even remember a hill on campus. ???
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Welcome Brother!
So glad to have you here.
Look forward to getting to know you!
Rich
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Welcome to Bettermost Hersch!!! It sounds to me like you have found a place with several like minded people. I look forward to talking with you more. By the way, my name is Jack and I am in Asheville, NC.
Jack
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I'm from Ashland ORegon. It's a small city/town in southern Oregon known for the Shakespear Festival. I also belong to the other two Brokeback Mountain sites. I figure the more I meet and get to know other Brokeback Mountain supporters, the merrier it will be. Thanks for letting me hang out here.
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Hi Romeo! I've seen pictures of that Ashland Shakespeare Festival, and it looks great. Welcome to BetterMost! 8)
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(http://bestsmileys.com/welcome/16.gif)
Welcome Romeo!
Glad you found your way here.
:)
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I'm from Ashland ORegon. It's a small city/town in southern Oregon known for the Shakespear Festival. I also belong to the other two Brokeback Mountain sites. I figure the more I meet and get to know other Brokeback Mountain supporters, the merrier it will be. Thanks for letting me hang out here.
Welcome Romeo!!
You are among friends here!
Gald to have you! ;D
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Welcome Romeo!
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Welcome to ninisin and deaner, new BetterMost residents and veterans of the Brokeback 2008 Roundup in Wyoming! I hope they'll come over here soon and introduce themselves.
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(http://bestsmileys.com/welcome/7.gif)
Ninisin and Deaner
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Welcome!!
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Hello everybody,
I’ve been a member for a couple of days now, and spent most of that time trawling through some of the thousands of threads here, so I think I’m going to be here for sometime to come.
So with that in mind I think I should introduce myself and tell you a bit about myself and how I arrived here:
My name is Chris, I’m gay and live in Plymouth UK, I’ve lived here almost 20 years, moving from Reading with my first true love. This relationship was very intense, fired by passion, but unfortunately short lived, lasting only 3 years. Within one year of moving to Plymouth we parted company, I was so hurt at the time. They say time is a healer and to some extent it was, we both got on with our separate lives and occasionally our paths would cross, maybe once or twice a year and catch-up on “old times”.
It was almost 13 years ago I met my second true love, I considered myself lucky finding somebody I utterly adored. Initially we lived apart (over an hours drive away) for 6 months but wrote to each other almost on a daily basis. Then, quite unexpectedly, over the next 12 years, our relationship developed into deep meaningful richness, that I have never experienced before. It was almost as though we could read each others minds, even when apart. This was all to change in Jan 2008, out of the blue, he wanted to leave me, he’d found somebody else. I was gutted. My life was effectively over.
Since then I have been coming to terms with my loss, and getting used to the lonely nights in. I know that we will not get back together again, but I do miss him terribly, with so many material object that surround me just remind me of him.
Well, it was one of those lonely nights, about 3 weeks ago, I was looking for a film to watch on DVD and happened across BBM, it was a present from a friend to my ‘now ex’ sometime ago but he had never wanted to watch it, (mind you, he didn’t want to see it at the cinema either) so I sat and watched it. OMG I haven’t been able to get it out of my head since, I’ve watched it every week now. There are so many instances I can relate too, I’ve never seen a film like it that has had such a prolific effect on me, it makes me sad, happy and heavy hearted all at the same time. I’ve even been to the local library too, they have the original AP Brokeback Mountain novel and I’ve read this 3 times as well. And to top it all, today I’ve been online and bought my own copy. I’m just totally consumed.......is this normal?
I hope that is not too much of a rant on my first introduction, but I felt that I needed to give you some of my background leading to the inspiration BBM has given me.
On a slightly brighter note, in recent months, I have been catching up with ‘my first love’ again, to my surprise there is still that spark......faint but still there. Most probably nothing will come of it though, not sure if I want it too.
Chris
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I’m just totally consumed.......is this normal?
It's normal Chris! :)
Welcome to Bettermost! I'm glad you found your way here! :D
David. xx
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It's normal Chris! :)
Welcome to Bettermost! I'm glad you found your way here! :D
David. xx
Yep! I'd say being consumed with BBM is a completely normal symptom of Brokie-fever... and I think all of us here at BetterMost have gone through it... and are still going through Brokie fever.
Thanks for that great introductory post and welcome to BetterMost Chris! :D
(http://bestsmileys.com/welcome/16.gif)
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Welcome Chris and thanks for relaying your story to us. I definitely think what you are experiencing is very normal. I know it is for all of us on the forum. There are absolutely some wonderful people on here. There is no doubt about that. I don't know of a more down to earth and understanding group of people. So I hope you will post often and let us get to know you.
Jack
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Hi Chris,
if it isn't normal then there you are in good company here.I think pretty well everyone has experienced what you are going through.Plenty are still going through it 2 years later.Only the other night,I was sifting through some Heath interviews on youtube,he was asked if he had realised at the time,how profound an effect it would have on people.He replied no, and was glad at the time of filming he did not, as he felt it would have been too heavy a burden.He was however pretty pleased at the effect.
So pop by and rant at any time,I sure do.
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Thank you everybody for making me feel so welcome.
There are so many wonderful, and heart rendering posts here, it makes me realise how vunerable we can all be, fragile yet strong throughout. Since my onset of Brokie-Fever I realise that part of the cure is to change my life around, I can fix this, I keep saying to myself - it's gonna take a while but it can be done.
Since my long time relationship ended earlier this year, I've sort of shut myself away (apart from going to work of course), don't get me wrong people have been supportive but they don't really understand. But seeing BBM, and reading some of the comments posted here, I'm starting to understand that other peoples journeys are so similar. I've since come to realise there are so many things I need to do, some I'd never even considered before. You see, I think the problem with being in such a long term relationship with the man I adored, is that I lived for him and forgot about myself, and now I must change that, and do those things.
It's still early days yet, but I'm up beat about this.
Chris xx
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Thank you everybody for making me feel so welcome.
There are so many wonderful, and heart rendering posts here, it makes me realise how vunerable we can all be, fragile yet strong throughout. Since my onset of Brokie-Fever I realise that part of the cure is to change my life around, I can fix this, I keep saying to myself - it's gonna take a while but it can be done.
Since my long time relationship ended earlier this year, I've sort of shut myself away (apart from going to work of course), don't get me wrong people have been supportive but they don't really understand. But seeing BBM, and reading some of the comments posted here, I'm starting to understand that other peoples journeys are so similar. I've since come to realise there are so many things I need to do, some I'd never even considered before. You see, I think the problem with being in such a long term relationship with the man I adored, is that I lived for him and forgot about myself, and now I must change that, and do those things.
It's still early days yet, but I'm up beat about this.
Chris xx
You are indeed on a new journey Chris. I can completely relate to what you are saying. I too was in a long term relationship that ended very badly. The relationship should have ended a long time before it did. I kept thinking it should work so I kept trying. However, things got so bad that I completely lost all feelings that I had for the guy. I realized that I was living for him and forgetting about myself. That is not a good thing, but I didn't realize until much later how much of my life I had given up for him. I guess there is a certain amount of resentment in me for allowing myself to end up in that situation. However, I did after all do it to myself. So since then I have done many things to change, fix, and turn my life around. It seems I have been on adventures that at one time I would not have done. Those things including overcoming obstacles have given me a true sense of self satisfaction. I am by no means fixed, but at least I feel I am heading in the right direction. The one thing that I do not really consider as positive is the fact that I have built up a lot of walls. Some people have succeeded in getting through some of those walls, but I do still have quite a barrier built up around me. Like you I have in many ways shut myself off, but the people here have truly helped me realize that I am not alone.
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Another Brit! Yay! I'm Kelda, female and 26 and I live just outside Glasgow. You're feelings are perfectly normal - so welcome and enjoy the start of this ride!
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Another Brit! Yay! I'm Kelda, female and 26 and I live just outside Glasgow. You're feelings are perfectly normal - so welcome and enjoy the start of this ride!
There's cousin Kelda. I was telling someone at the RoundUp how we may be related ;D
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There's cousin Kelda. I was telling someone at the RoundUp how we may be related ;D
:laugh: :laugh: (In a land many years ago...)
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Hi Kelda, nice to meet you.
This place is already so addictive, normally when I get home from work, would check my email and surf generally; but since being here I log on and stay for ages. Tonight with a full glass of wine.......anyone care to join me :)
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Hi Kelda, nice to meet you.
This place is already so addictive, normally when I get home from work, would check my email and surf generally; but since being here I log on and stay for ages. Tonight with a full glass of wine.......anyone care to join me :)
We're really glad you're here Chris. :)
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Hi Kelda, nice to meet you.
This place is already so addictive, normally when I get home from work, would check my email and surf generally; but since being here I log on and stay for ages. Tonight with a full glass of wine.......anyone care to join me :)
I'm slugging fomr a glass of white as we speak!
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Well I am at work drinking tea. And it is not a Long Island Tea either.
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Kelda........a woman after my own heart
Time for glass number two ;D
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WELCOME...ChrisC...nice to meet you ...you're going to fit right in! ;D
AG
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WELCOME...ChrisC...nice to meet you ...you're going to fit right in! ;D
AG
Thanks AG
Nice to meet you too.........this place is so cool
I've only been here a few days and everybody is so nice.
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Hi everyone! I'm new here, not new to BBM though. I migrated from the imdb message board as intelligent discussions got harder and harder to find amidst the idiotic ones. Sooo, I've basically loved this movie since saw it in limited release in NYC. I then dragged others to go see it with me the second the third times in theatres closer to home. Of course I have the DVD, and continue to cry everytime I watch. This is very odd, because I'm not usually one to cry, but especially with the passing of Heath Ledger now, it's completely impossible for me to hold back the tears. The story itself is also beautiful and I don't know how many times I've read it now. Both the story and movie are my go-to forms of escapism these days (ughhh I'm in law school, one year to go, but I hate it). Though I wouldn't say they make me happy, or even completely sad, they just make me *feel* when I'm a bit numb to life. I guess I'll save the rest of my ranting for later posts. I look forward to talking with all of you!
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HI Carolina!! welcome to Bettermost....good to see you here!
If you need any help give us a holler....it is a LITTLE different than IMBD I think...
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Welcome To Bettermost Carolina! :)
My name is David. Pleased to meet you! :D
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<img src="http://www.divshare.com/img/4012760-697.jpg" border="0" /> (http://www.divshare.com/download/4012760-697) <img src="http://www.divshare.com/img/1800662-321.jpg" border="0" /> (http://www.divshare.com/download/1800662-321)
Welcome to BetterMost Carolina!
I hope you have a great time exploring the forums. I'm Amanda and I co-moderate the Social Events forum with Front-Ranger (Lee). Let us know if you have any questions as you find your way around. BetterMost can be a big place to get a handle on at first sometimes. It's great that you found your ways here. I came from imdb too... but back in April of 2006. Imdb was a launching pad for a lot of us here.
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In my mind I'm going to carolina...
Great, now that song is stuck in my head. :) Luckily I love that song.
Welcome! No trolls here.
:)
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Howdy, carolina! Hope you enjoy the buffet of BBM delights here at BetterMost. 8)
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Welcome to BetterMost Chris and Carolina :D!
I’m just totally consumed.......is this normal?
Others have already answered, but: YES, that's perfectly normal as long as you ask a fellow Brokie. Other people (read: non-Brokies) might see it differently though :laugh:.
I also went through it, back in 2006, and I remember the relief to find others experiencing the same! I thought Thank God, I haven't gone completely nuts.
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welcome carolina!
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Aw, thanks for the warm welcome! Everyone's so friendly. I like this place.
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Hi, everybody.
I'm a Chinese graduate boy,i finished my senior middle school this year`~
I like watching American movies,really like them.
Hope to make more friends..
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hello libertine nice to meet you!
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hehe,nice to meet you,too.
and are you American?
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Hi, everybody.
I'm a Chinese graduate boy,i finished my senior middle school this year`~
I like watching American movies,really like them.
Hope to make more friends..
Welcome to Bettermost Libertine! My name is David. I'm glad you decided to join our forum! :)
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hehe,nice to meet you,too.
and are you American?
No I'm from Scotland.
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Hello, my name if Jen, I'm 32 yrs. old. I live in So. Cal, about 20 miles outside of L.A. I just watched Brokeback for the very first time less than two weeks ago, and it's fair to say I'm nearly obsessed with it!! I've seen it 6 times at this point, including in the theatre last night at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater. I think there were some bettermost folks there, but I didn't meet any of them. I've bought the movie on DVD, own the soundtrack, and LOVE it as well. I've since been spending a fair amount of time on findingbrokeback.com, and drooling over images of Wyoming, the state of Wyoming tourist website, etc. I'm so obsessed, I'm daydreaming about moving to Wyoming when I retire, and live in a little trailer, and spend weeks on end every year just camping out in the woods and mountains! That movie was just so beautiful. Anyway, now I probably sound a little weird to people, so that's all for now!! I'm glad I'm here!! :)
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Hi Jenword. Welcome to Bettermost. You have come to the right place. You are not weird at all! There have been many Brokies who have gone to Wyoming to see the places Annie Proulx wrote about in the short story. Several have gone to Calgary in Alberta where the film was shot. Enjoy yourself here. Look around. Your are welcome here!
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Welcome to Bettermost Jenword! It's sounds like you caught "Brokeback Mountain Fever" just like the rest of us did! I remember seeing the movie several times at the theater, and then watching it over and over and OVER again once the DVD was released for sale. At one point I had the movie memorized and I could actually close my eyes and "watch" the entire movie in my mind. Pretty bad, huh? ;)
I'm glad you found our forum and decided to join us! You'll find lots of Brokeback related threads here, especially over in the Open Forum. And you find lots of other non related things here too, which I hope you will find fun and enjoyable. Take your time, explore and poke around the forum, and if you have any questions or concerns be sure to let us know! :D
My name is David and I live in Indianapolis, Indiana! :)
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(http://bestsmileys.com/welcome/16.gif)
Welcome Jenword! It's so nice to see you here! And, David's right... it definitely sounds like you're experiencing what we around here sometimes call "Brokie fever"... and it's something we've all experienced at some point or another since discovering this wonderful movie and story. The initial stages of discoveing Brokeback are so exciting and amazing... I remember what you're going through very well.
:)
It sounds like such a great way to start your journey as a Brokie by attending the big L.A. screening! I bet that was so much fun. And, you're right that a lot of BetterMostians and folks from the other Brokie websites were there too. So, you were definitely surrounded by some serious Brokies there. I wish I could have gone, but I'm in Pittsburgh and couldn't make the trip out there.
My name's Amanda and I'm one of the co-mods over in the Social Events forum, where we have lots of threads and subforums about upcoming and past real-life Brokie events. Some of these are major, big-group pilgrimages out to Wyoming or up to Alberta (for example, as Dev mentions) and some threads are about much smaller, more casual events involving only a few folks... and everything in between. And, we also organize online activities like chats. So, please stop by!
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Hello, my name if Jen, I'm 32 yrs. old. I live in So. Cal, about 20 miles outside of L.A. I just watched Brokeback for the very first time less than two weeks ago, and it's fair to say I'm nearly obsessed with it!! I've seen it 6 times at this point, including in the theatre last night at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater. I think there were some bettermost folks there, but I didn't meet any of them. I've bought the movie on DVD, own the soundtrack, and LOVE it as well. I've since been spending a fair amount of time on findingbrokeback.com, and drooling over images of Wyoming, the state of Wyoming tourist website, etc. I'm so obsessed, I'm daydreaming about moving to Wyoming when I retire, and live in a little trailer, and spend weeks on end every year just camping out in the woods and mountains! That movie was just so beautiful. Anyway, now I probably sound a little weird to people, so that's all for now!! I'm glad I'm here!! :)
Welcome agian Jen :).
Like others have already said, you're definitively not alone with your reaction to Brokeback Mountain.
Also about wanting to see those places; Brokeback story made me jump over the big pond the first time in my life :). I live in Germany and had never been to the US until last year. Then I went to see Wyoming and meet US-Brokies. And I went back this year, and attented our week-long Wyoming roadtrip. If that's not obsessed, then I don't know what is ;D ;). And I want to make it to Alberta next year, to see my friends again and to see the filming sites.
I'm a moderator on the Open Forum, the one this thread is in. Here we talk about the movie and short story, and about they effected us. So stop by and jump directly into our discussions, we're looking forward to hear from you :).
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Looks like another
star Brokie is born! Welcome to the family, jenword. I'll be seein' you around. 8) :)
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welcome jen word - we're glad youve joined the fold!
Yup there was some brokies there - see this thread! http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php/topic,16181.0/all.html
I'm Kelda and I'm from Gl;asgow, Scotland, 26 yo - welcome!
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Hello all!
I'm called Viper (due to my car and truck, and their engines).
I met DavidInIndy on another board, where an invitation was made to join here.
I am from Oregon, from a huge family, married (hetero) to my hubby for almost 26 years (here in a few weeks).
I care deeply about this cause, as it has impacted our extended family in many ways, and I also teach HS here in America, and have had this issue come up over the many years I have taught.
I am typically a reader/lurker, but will find it interesting to read and share a word here and there. This place is new to me, thus I will read quite a bit to get a feel, and since school is starting this very next week for me, I haven't much time to spend, as I'd like.
Thanks for the invite David!
Vipe.
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Hello all!
I'm called Viper (due to my car and truck, and their engines).
I met DavidInIndy on another board, where an invitation was made to join here.
I am from Oregon, from a huge family, married (hetero) to my hubby for almost 26 years (here in a few weeks).
I care deeply about this cause, as it has impacted our extended family in many ways, and I also teach HS here in America, and have had this issue come up over the many years I have taught.
I am typically a reader/lurker, but will find it interesting to read and share a word here and there. This place is new to me, thus I will read quite a bit to get a feel, and since school is starting this very next week for me, I haven't much time to spend, as I'd like.
Thanks for the invite David!
Vipe.
Welcome Viper! I'm so glad you decided to join us!! I've enjoyed reading your posts over at the LPBW board for months. Your contributions here will be appreciated!
If you have any questions at all, please PM me and I'll be more than happy to walk you through it. And if I'm not online, PM any moderator (moderators appear in red down at the bottom of the homepage, just click on their name) and they will help you as well. Thanks so much for joining!! And SHAME ON JEREMY AND MATT!! lol
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Nice to meet you Viper - and if David invited you, I'm looking forward to getting to know you much more!
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Have a seat by the fire, Viper! For good reading about the movie, I recommend The Open Forum or either of its sub-forums. To get to know us posters and what makes us tick, just about any forum will do nicely! 8)
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I saw that name Viper and I thought we had a Goth join!!
Welcome to Bettermost...any friend of David is a friend of mine!!
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Hello all!
I'm called Viper (due to my car and truck, and their engines).
I met DavidInIndy on another board, where an invitation was made to join here.
I am from Oregon, from a huge family, married (hetero) to my hubby for almost 26 years (here in a few weeks).
I care deeply about this cause, as it has impacted our extended family in many ways, and I also teach HS here in America, and have had this issue come up over the many years I have taught.
I am typically a reader/lurker, but will find it interesting to read and share a word here and there. This place is new to me, thus I will read quite a bit to get a feel, and since school is starting this very next week for me, I haven't much time to spend, as I'd like.
Thanks for the invite David!
Vipe.
Hey There,
I look forward to getting to know ya!
Any friend of Davids is A-Ok in my book!
Hope to see you around!
Welcome! make yourself at home, you are among friends here!
Rich
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Thanks so much for the warm replies.
I appreciate them!
I am learning the ways of the forum. My GOODNESS, this is a BIG place! lol
Vipe
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Do all you have ICQ?It's a kind of tools of communication in China.If you have ,please add me`
My ID number is165313903
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Welcome to jenword, viper, and libertine! We're looking forward to getting to know you!
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Hello Viper, Jen, and all you other newcomers! Welcome! Hello to Kelda, David, and all the folks I know and used to be in touch with much more!
The J in JC stands for Juan. I live in NYC and have been to some of the big Brokie gatherings. This includes the Alberta trip last year, a real lifechanging event for me, like the movie was. In fact, when I first saw the flick I was both blown away and scared s***less. Blown away by how beautifully the incredible love story was translated onto the screen, a feat I wasn't sure could be done. Scared because I didn't want my future to be like Ennis', due to a difficult relationship history.
I'm a social worker and love playing volleyball, although I've been sidelined lately by a sprained ankle. I haven't been able to participate as much in the last several months, but I want to reconnect to the degree that I am able to, so I though I'd reintroduce myself and say hey, and that I'm looking forward to getting to know people again.
Thanks,
Juan
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JUAN!! You came back!!! :D
It's nice to see you again baby! :-* :-*
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Hey Juan,
good to see you back! :)
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Hello Viper, Jen, and all you other newcomers! Welcome! Hello to Kelda, David, and all the folks I know and used to be in touch with much more!
The J in JC stands for Juan. I live in NYC and have been to some of the big Brokie gatherings. This includes the Alberta trip last year, a real lifechanging event for me, like the movie was. In fact, when I first saw the flick I was both blown away and scared s***less. Blown away by how beautifully the incredible love story was translated onto the screen, a feat I wasn't sure could be done. Scared because I didn't want my future to be like Ennis', due to a difficult relationship history.
I'm a social worker and love playing volleyball, although I've been sidelined lately by a sprained ankle. I haven't been able to participate as much in the last several months, but I want to reconnect to the degree that I am able to, so I though I'd reintroduce myself and say hey, and that I'm looking forward to getting to know people again.
Thanks,
Juan
I never knew you were a social worker - that's so cool! I knew about the volleyball though... did you not play in some gay volleyball event at some point?
And I'm so happy that you're planning to spend a bit more time here - I'm looking forward to it!
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Hi Juan, great to see you back here! I hope you can make it to dinner on October 10 when Pete's in town. Will let you know details. 8)
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JUAN!! You came back!!! :D
It's nice to see you again baby! :-* :-*
Thanks David! Nice to be back!! I feel da love!
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Hey Juan,
good to see you back! :)
Thanks nice to be back!
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I never knew you were a social worker - that's so cool! I knew about the volleyball though... did you not play in some gay volleyball event at some point?
And I'm so happy that you're planning to spend a bit more time here - I'm looking forward to it!
Thanks me too! I did play in the Gay Games back in 06 I think, it was fun. I sprained my ankle in a simple open play session, big duh! How are you Kelda?
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Hi Juan, great to see you back here! I hope you can make it to dinner on October 10 when Pete's in town. Will let you know details. 8)
Thanks, I will definitely try to make that it sounds fun!
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JC, so you are a young kid: only 42!
Wow!
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JC, so you are a young kid: only 42!
Wow!
Aw shucks! I like the sound of that! ;D
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Thanks me too! I did play in the Gay Games back in 06 I think, it was fun. I sprained my ankle in a simple open play session, big duh! How are you Kelda?
I'm very good and all the better to see you back! :-*
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Hi, Juan!! So nice to see you again!! Did you know your picture is on our calendar this month? You right in the middle of the hot tub!!
http://bettermost.net/calendar/index.html (http://bettermost.net/calendar/index.html)
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I'm very good and all the better to see you back! :-*
:-* Smooch right back at ya you sweet thing!
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Hi, Juan!! So nice to see you again!! Did you know your picture is on our calendar this month? You right in the middle of the hot tub!!
http://bettermost.net/calendar/index.html (http://bettermost.net/calendar/index.html)
Hey Lee! Ohmigod, I didn't know nude pictures were allowed on Bettermost!! J/K :laugh:
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:-* Smooch right back at ya you sweet thing!
;)
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Hello!
My name is Genevieve. I am a 53 year old female from Indiana. Both my grandparents immigrated here from France in the early 1920's.
I just stopped by to add to a post about a TV show called Little People, Big World. Very nice site you have here!
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Hello!
My name is Genevieve. I am a 53 year old female from Indiana. Both my grandparents immigrated here from France in the early 1920's.
I just stopped by to add to a post about a TV show called Little People, Big World. Very nice site you have here!
Welcome To Bettermost! Where in Indiana? I live in Indianapolis! It's nice to see another Hoosier here, and we both like Little People Big World, so there's ANOTHER thing in common! ;) :D
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Hello!
My name is Genevieve. I am a 53 year old female from Indiana. Both my grandparents immigrated here from France in the early 1920's.
I just stopped by to add to a post about a TV show called Little People, Big World. Very nice site you have here!
Hey nice to meet you Genevieve, and welcome to Bettermost.
Hey, I hope you wont just stop at one post. Have a look around, dont be shy in joining in, we are all friends here and love it when new folks come and join us.
Hey, Im a woman and in my fifties too, so thats two things in common as well.... :laugh: :laugh:
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Hello!
My name is Genevieve. I am a 53 year old female from Indiana. Both my grandparents immigrated here from France in the early 1920's.
I just stopped by to add to a post about a TV show called Little People, Big World. Very nice site you have here!
Hi Gap! Nice to meetcha!
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Welcome To Bettermost! Where in Indiana? I live in Indianapolis! It's nice to see another Hoosier here, and we both like Little People Big World, so there's ANOTHER thing in common! ;) :D
I am in the far northwest corner, Merrillville area.
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Hey nice to meet you Genevieve, and welcome to Bettermost.
Hey, I hope you wont just stop at one post. Have a look around, dont be shy in joining in, we are all friends here and love it when new folks come and join us.
Hey, Im a woman and in my fifties too, so thats two things in common as well.... :laugh: :laugh:
Nice to meet you :D
I'll try add a few threads :D
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Hi Gap! Nice to meetcha!
Hello from across the pond ;D
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Hi Gap Welcome to Bettermost. Glad you found us!
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Hi!
i have registered to enjoy watching BBM with other Brokies on 10th of January and I did. Met a lot of nice people here, and I am grateful for that experience. I was even able to see some thing at the end of the movie which usually could not see through the river of tears.
I am 42 from Croatia, married, mother of 2. I am a conservative Christian, but Brokeback got me good!
Recently, my PBS is shadowed by Heath's award and anniversary of his leave! Not easy one, I tell you!
Anyway, nice to have so many nice people arond the world to talk the pain out!
Thanks! :)
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HI Loreen, and welcome to Bettermost.
You are among others who love the movie, and no doubt you will find more things you may have missed, by reading the threads here.
And you are also among friends that are feeling the same way as you are, regarding Heath. Feel free to say how you feel, we all understand.
Welcome to the incredible journey of Bettermost.
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Great to see you here, loreen! 8)
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Hi!
i have registered to enjoy watching BBM with other Brokies on 10th of January and I did. Met a lot of nice people here, and I am grateful for that experience. I was even able to see some thing at the end of the movie which usually could not see through the river of tears.
I am 42 from Croatia, married, mother of 2. I am a conservative Christian, but Brokeback got me good!
Recently, my PBS is shadowed by Heath's award and anniversary of his leave! Not easy one, I tell you!
Anyway, nice to have so many nice people arond the world to talk the pain out!
Thanks! :)
Oooh Croatia!
Its a beautiful country I spent a week in 2002. I saw Dubrovnik, Split, Hvar Island & Zagreb. I'd love to go back.
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Hi!
i have registered to enjoy watching BBM with other Brokies on 10th of January and I did. Met a lot of nice people here, and I am grateful for that experience. I was even able to see some thing at the end of the movie which usually could not see through the river of tears.
I am 42 from Croatia, married, mother of 2. I am a conservative Christian, but Brokeback got me good!
Recently, my PBS is shadowed by Heath's award and anniversary of his leave! Not easy one, I tell you!
Anyway, nice to have so many nice people arond the world to talk the pain out!
Thanks! :)
Hi Loreen!
Thanks so much for joining BetterMost! The viewing of the movie while chatting was such a nice experience! I'm glad you had a nice time.
As others have mentioned, you're among friends here. We all understand strong emotions regarding both Brokeback and the tragic situation with Heath.
I hope you have a nice time exploring the forums here.
cheers!
Amanda
:)
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Hi Loreen!
Thanks so much for joining BetterMost! The viewing of the movie while chatting was such a nice experience! I'm glad you had a nice time.
As others have mentioned, you're among friends here. We all understand strong emotions regarding both Brokeback and the tragic situation with Heath.
I hope you have a nice time exploring the forums here.
cheers!
Amanda
:)
Thanks for your friendly words! :)
And yes! I've already read a few very interesting things here! You have lot of good stuff on the forum!
I think that my random arrival could prolong ... ::)
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Thanks for your friendly words! :)
And yes! I've already read a few very interesting things here! You have lot of good stuff on the forum!
I think that my random arrival could prolong ... ::)
Hey Loreen......most of us "randomly" arrived......and as you can see we are still "prolonging".... :laugh:
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Hey Loreen......most of us "randomly" arrived......and as you can see we are still "prolonging".... :laugh:
:laugh:
Nice meeting you Katie! :)
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Hi Loreen,
was good watching the movie with other Brokies, wasn't it? (BTW, I was Chrissi in chat)
Croatia? Nice! I was there when everything was still Yugoslavia, a million years ago, lol. Dubrovnik is truly beautiful.
Welcome to BetterMost, we hope you'll "prolong" for a good while! :)
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Hi Loreen,
was good watching the movie with other Brokies, wasn't it? (BTW, I was Chrissi in chat)
Croatia? Nice! I was there when everything was still Yugoslavia, a million years ago, lol. Dubrovnik is truly beautiful.
Welcome to BetterMost, we hope you'll "prolong" for a good while! :)
Nice to hear that! Yes, Dubrovnik is truly beautiful and a lot of people know about it.
Thanks for welcoming me! I'll be around, I guess! :)
:-*
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Loreen - Croatia is beautiful.
I was there in 2002 for a week. Saw Dubrovnik, Hvar Island, Split & Zagreb.
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Welcome to Bettermost Loreen.
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Loreen - Croatia is beautiful.
I was there in 2002 for a week. Saw Dubrovnik, Hvar Island, Split & Zagreb.
Thanks Kelda!
In fact, I thinks so too, but I am subjective! ;D
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Welcome to Bettermost Loreen.
Thanks! :)
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Welcome to new residents Testa Dura and lovelysmidge!!
I remember when I was going to the Casper, Wyoming, literary festival in October 2006 to hear Annie Proulx speak for the first time, there was a seminar being given by Testa Dura.
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Welcome Gwynllion and Lolly_Middlebrooka4d!!
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[youtube=425,350]<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="&hl=sv&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="&hl=sv&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>[/youtube]
Who am I, look through the lens of Buffymon ;D
Thanks Buffymon for doing a such a great presentation of me:)
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[youtube=425,350]<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="&hl=sv&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="&hl=sv&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>[/youtube]
Who am I, look through the lens of Buffymon ;D
Thanks Buffymon for doing a such a great presentation of me:)
Awwww, this is so, so cute. And beautiful. And lovely. Loved the music.
You've been around a lot together!
Great video, wonderfully done Monika :-*
And thanks for sharing Sophia :-*
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Awwww, this is so, so cute. And beautiful. And lovely. Loved the music.
You've been around a lot together!
Great video, wonderfully done Monika :-*
And thanks for sharing Sophia :-*
Thank you so much Chrissi!!!! :)
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[youtube=425,350]<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="&hl=sv&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="&hl=sv&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>[/youtube]
Who am I, look through the lens of Buffymon ;D
Thanks Buffymon for doing a such a great presentation of me:)
Awww! I agree with Chrissi ! Thats so lovely! I loved it!
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Awww! I agree with Chrissi ! Thats so lovely! I loved it!
Thank you so much Kelda!!!!
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That's such an awesome video, Sophia! Thanks for posting, and thanks to Monika for such beautiful work. :-*
Happy Birthday! 8)
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Thank you so much Kelda!!!!
:D :-*
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That's such an awesome video, Sophia! Thanks for posting, and thanks to Monika for such beautiful work. :-*
Happy Birthday! 8)
Thank you very much Meryl!! I appreciate it a lot!
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Hello all - I am new to here. This will be hard to believe... but I just watched BBM for the first time last week. I had heard of the movie but I had not seen it yet in all this time (but I got here as quick as I could!). Anyway I love it, I have rewatched it maybe 8 times in the past week, this movie got in my head and I am obsessed with reading about it and talking about it. LOL. This has now become one of my all time favorite movies & love stories.
About me: I am a married mom of two girls, and I live in New England. Glad to find this board!
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Welcome to our place, Sammi. You will find a wealth of information here. Also, don't be shy about asking questions. We love to discuss the movie and the book.
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Welcome Sammi!
Just wondering, did you watch Brokeback on Bravo?
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Yes I did - were there a lot of parts cut out? I am going to rent it this week so I can see the entire things swear words and all.
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Yes I did - were there a lot of parts cut out? I am going to rent it this week so I can see the entire things swear words and all.
Not a lot cut out.
The second night in the tent scene was shortened quite a bit. It's worth getting the dvd just to watch that scene.
When Bravo first showed it, almost the whole scene was cut and we raised hell about it, and Bravo put the scene back in.
Some of the language was 'softened' - Jack's middle name was not Frederick ;D
If you ever get the chance to see it in a theater, you will not be disappointed.
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Some of the language was 'softened' - Jack's middle name was not Frederick ;D
Yes that part I figured out! ;)
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Sammi
If you're interested in deleted scenes, the ones none of us have ever seen, check out FindingBrokeback
http://findingbrokeback.com/Deleted_Scenes/_Deleted_Scenes_Frame.html (http://findingbrokeback.com/Deleted_Scenes/_Deleted_Scenes_Frame.html)
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Hello all - I am new to here. This will be hard to believe... but I just watched BBM for the first time last week. I had heard of the movie but I had not seen it yet in all this time (but I got here as quick as I could!). Anyway I love it, I have rewatched it maybe 8 times in the past week, this movie got in my head and I am obsessed with reading about it and talking about it. LOL. This has now become one of my all time favorite movies & love stories.
About me: I am a married mom of two girls, and I live in New England. Glad to find this board!
Welcome to the obsession Brokie country, Sammi! ;D
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[youtube=425,350]<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="&hl=sv&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="&hl=sv&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>[/youtube]
Who am I, look through the lens of Buffymon ;D
Thanks Buffymon for doing a such a great presentation of me:)
I'm catching up slowly. It says the video has been removed. Any suggestions?
And welcome Sammi!
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Elle, that's what I found too a little earlier when I tried to watch it.... :-\
I have no idea why. Maybe Monika can repost it or sumptin'
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Hey all, I finally watched BM last week for the first time when it came on Bravo. I never intentionally avoided the movie but rarely go to the movies and when I rented it after it first came out on video, life got in the way so I never got around to watching it. So loved it on TV, went and rented it on DVD and watched it again yesterday and of course cried again.
Funny now after watching Brokeback, I seem to see a lot more boys who would be the modern equivalent (looks, accents, clothes) of Ennis and Jack in my small Texas town. In fact I heard one say today to a girl who was considering buying a pair of boots that were discounted 25% and what a deal that was: "well my daddy says you get a 100% discount if you just don't buy it". Some reason, that made me think of Ennis.
Glad to be here.
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Hunnerd percent glad you're here, tango! 8)
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Hello to Tango and Sammi!
Welcome to BetterMost!
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(http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o126/kez4oz/Album%202/welcome28.jpg)
Welcome, Sammi & Tango! :D
Have you read the original Brokeback Mountain short story by Annie Proulx? It's wonderful! I'm sure you'll love it.
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Welcome Sammi and Tango it good to have you here.
;)
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... I heard one say today to a girl who was considering buying a pair of boots that were discounted 25% and what a deal that was: "well my daddy says you get a 100% discount if you just don't buy it". Some reason, that made me think of Ennis.
Glad to be here.
Was his daddy's name John C. Twist? We're glad you're here too, Tango!!
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Welcome to BetterMost Sammi and Tango! :)
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Elle, that's what I found too a little earlier when I tried to watch it.... :-\
I have no idea why. Maybe Monika can repost it or sumptin'
its a video Monika did for my birthday photos from my early life to now. Unfortantly Monika doesn´t have an account on youtube anymore so thats why the video has been removed. I dont have the video myself but I will post a mail to Monika and ask if she can post it in a different why here on better most. Sophia
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welcome new bettermostian, sammi and tango. I am so glad new people discover this amazing movie.
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Hello to Tango and Sammi!
Welcome to BetterMost!
Bravo to Bravo for bringing us some new friends and residents!!
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its a video Monika did for my birthday photos from my early life to now. Unfortantly Monika doesn´t have an account on youtube anymore so thats why the video has been removed. I dont have the video myself but I will post a mail to Monika and ask if she can post it in a different why here on better most. Sophia
Thanks Sophia, I'd love to see it. :)
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I'm rather a newbie here myself, but I would also like to say welcome to you, Sammi and Tango!
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Thanks Sophia, I'd love to see it. :)
I've seen it but would love to see it again!!
My Village Photos and Photoshop accounts have gone dormant, so some of my pictures aren't showing up here. I'm planning to repost them using Photoshop...seems like a good winter project.
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Welcome to Sammi and Tango, you will I hope feel as if you have "come home" once you have been here a little while. :)
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Here´s the video that I made for Sophia´s 30th birthday.
A while ago, my youtube account simply vanished, so I set up a new account just now and uploaded this vid again.[youtube=425,350]<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="&hl=sv_SE&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="&hl=sv_SE&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>[/youtube]
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What's funny about being a newbie, is like I just watched the movie for the first time about a week ago. So all I want to do is talk talk talk about the movie, discuss every detail & every theme. LOL. Most of the active discussions here are regular chit chat, understandbly. I am enjoying reading the archive of topics about the movie even though some of them have not had an active post in two years. I also rented the DVD so I could see the parts that were cut out. It was slightly different than the version I saw on TV.
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There are some of us here who would LOVE to talk about the movie again, so revive those threads, Sammi!!
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Yes, Sammi, please bump a few if you want to talk... we might just end up with you saying... "That's more words than you've spoke in the past two weeks"
:laugh: :P
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Here´s the video that I made for Sophia´s 30th birthday.
A while ago, my youtube account simply vanished, so I set up a new account just now and uploaded this vid again.
What an absolutely wonderful video, Monika and Sophia!!!!
You two sure have done a fair bit of travelling together!!! :o
Some of those places I've been too, they were extra nice to see! ;) ;D
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What an absolutely wonderful video, Monika and Sophia!!!!
You two sure have done a fair bit of travelling together!!! :o
Some of those places I've been too, they were extra nice to see! ;) ;D
ha ha, I guess you are thinking about all the brokeback mountain places we have visit. I haven´t figure out yet, how many BBM related things that exist in that video. But I think it might be quite a LOT, actually. ;D
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ha ha, I guess you are thinking about all the brokeback mountain places we have visit. I haven´t figure out yet, how many BBM related things that exist in that video. But I think it might be quite a LOT, actually. ;D
Yes, them of course, but not only them.
There was the Wailing Wall, and the Golden Gate Bridge too.
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Yes, them of course, but not only them.
There was the Wailing Wall, and the Golden Gate Bridge too.
oh so you have been there too. very beutiful and interesting places to see.
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Yep, they sure are.
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Hi everyone!
I'm Mila from Hungary and I'm new to this forum.
I came across the link to this site on IMDb and decided to register after reading through the 'lovable subtle details' topic. So many additional pieces of information that made my now all time favorite movie more and more loveable in my eyes. And I'm looking forward to find even more :)
Guess that's it for now. :P
Cheers! ;D
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Sounds like you're going to enjoy being a resident of BetterMost. Welcome Mila.
You'll have a cup a coffee? Piece of cherry cake?
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Thanks! I thiink I will! ;)
I'll have a cup of coffee, but I can't eat no cake just now. Thank you. :)
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Welcome Mila!
I'm sure you're gonna enjoy it here!
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Thanks! I thiink I will! ;)
I'll have a cup of coffee, but I can't eat no cake just now. Thank you. :)
I agree! Welcome, Mila! We're glad you're here!
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Hi Mila! I'm Hungarian too, but sadly an American who never learned more than 20 words - and ten of them are the first ten numbers.
I'm glad you're here, I'm one of the admins here, so send me a PM if I can ever be of service in any way.
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Thanks! I thiink I will! ;)
I'll have a cup of coffee, but I can't eat no cake just now. Thank you. :)
You passed the test with full colours. Even really Brokies sometimes also take the cake, but you didn't take the bait.
You know your Brokeback lore.
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(http://bestsmileys.com/welcome/17.gif)
Hi Mila! Welcome! I'm glad you found your way to BetterMost. I'm sure you'll have fun here if you enjoyed the "lovable subtle details" thread. Open Forum is the place where you'll find lots of deep discussion of many aspects of BBM. There's also a BBM resources section with lots of specific info about Brokeback.
I'm a co-moderator (with Front-Ranger) of the Social Events section where we organize events, visits and things like on-line chats. And, I'm also a co-moderator with (serious crayons) of the Women Today forum... which is broadly about social, cultural and political issues that relate to women's rights, etc. It's less specifically about BBM, and more general. So, have fun exploring!!
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Welcome Mila!
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Hey all, I finally watched BM last week for the first time when it came on Bravo. I never intentionally avoided the movie but rarely go to the movies and when I rented it after it first came out on video, life got in the way so I never got around to watching it. So loved it on TV, went and rented it on DVD and watched it again yesterday and of course cried again.
Funny now after watching Brokeback, I seem to see a lot more boys who would be the modern equivalent (looks, accents, clothes) of Ennis and Jack in my small Texas town. In fact I heard one say today to a girl who was considering buying a pair of boots that were discounted 25% and what a deal that was: "well my daddy says you get a 100% discount if you just don't buy it". Some reason, that made me think of Ennis.
Glad to be here.
Hi, tango, I see you have read the story of Brokeback Mountain now too. May I ask what you thought of it in comparison to the movie? I assume you saw the movie first. Looking forward to your thoughts!!
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Glad to be here. The website's been a good outlet - shame it isn't as fiery as it seems to have been in the early days.
Ready some of the stories on this thread in particular has been a very moving experience - Samrim in particular, I can't even begin to express how much your tale moved me. I hope that some things never come to late to you.
...
Thank you again for the welcomes.
Happy birthday, Andrew!! Where you been? Here and there? Come back and get your piece a cherry cake!!
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Hi, I am Tracy . I am a new member of forum. Would a newcomer be warmly welcome here? Good day you guys!!!
__________________
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Welcome to Bettermost Tracy!! I hope you will feel welcome here! Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help! :)
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Hi, I am Tracy . I am a new member of forum. Would a newcomer be warmly welcome here? Good day you guys!!!
__________________
Hi there!
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Howdy, everybody!!
Buck here. I come to your fine forum courtesy of resident Mod, "CellarDweller." :)
How am I best defined? Donno... Mountain man? perhaps. Horse man? Definitely!
In short, I'm a big, burly guy with a heart of gold. That'is closer to it.
Actually, Brokeback Mountain is a movie that holds a deeply personal experience for me. Maybe I might explain a little more after I get settled in a bit?? Needless to say, just the mere thought of the film invokes a tsunami of emotion for me; mostly good, some melancholy... It's a deeply reflective topic for me; one I really need to be in the proper mood to discuss.
And god forbid I ever hear "The Wings" by Gustavo Santaolalla -- that is all just a bit too much for me, sad to say... :(
Any way, I'm new in town and hope to be somewhat of a participant here (as time allows).
All my best,
-B
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welcome CowboyBuck! Always glad to see a friend of Chuck's log in here!
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Cool, any friend fo Cellerdweller is a friend of mine. Welcome.
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I third that! Welcome CowboyBuck! Looking forward to swapping stories with you!
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Welcome!! So glad you found your way here! Have fun exploring the forums. :)
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What the **ck, Buck?
;D
And before anyone misunderstands, that's how Buck and I greet each other. :laugh:
Good to see ya, and I hope to hear more about your story here!
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welcome!
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Welcome, Buck! :)
Stick around long enough, somebody's sure to offer you a cup a coffee, a piece a cherry cake. ... ;)
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Welcome, Buck! :)
Stick around long enough, somebody's sure to offer you a cup a coffee, a piece a cherry cake. ... ;)
You beat me to it, Jeff! :)
Glad to see you here, Buck. Put your feet up on a log and stay awhile. 8)
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Thanks everybody for the warm welcome and kind notes!!
Here are some pics of me and my mount (sometimes she's a good girl, but most of the time she's a stubborn pain in my arse!!)
>:(
(http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x143/berkleebill/bill_horse_1.jpg)
(http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x143/berkleebill/bill_horse_2.jpg)
Yes, you horse-folk may have noticeed ... I'm *am* a Cowboy at heart, but I'll be damned if I know how to do ANYTHING useful in a Western saddle?!
;D
Have a great weekend, all you Brokies out there...
-Buck
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What the **ck, Buck?
;D
And before anyone misunderstands, that's how Buck and I greet each other. :laugh:
Good to see ya, and I hope to hear more about your story here!
Funny that's how Chuck (the offline version) and I greet each other too!!
Your horse shore is pretty, Buck!! And you aren't too shabby neither!
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Hi Buck!
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Thanks everybody for the warm welcome and kind notes!!
Here are some pics of me and my mount (sometimes she's a good girl, but most of the time she's a stubborn pain in my arse!!)
>:(
(http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x143/berkleebill/bill_horse_1.jpg)
(http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x143/berkleebill/bill_horse_2.jpg)
Yes, you horse-folk may have noticeed ... I'm *am* a Cowboy at heart, but I'll be damned if I know how to do ANYTHING useful in a Western saddle?!
;D
Have a great weekend, all you Brokies out there...
-Buck
Hey, she's a pretty young lady! What's her name?
Uh, I like the boots and breeches. ... 8) I can't quite make it out in your photo, but it appears that they're field boots? They lace over the instep?
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Hey, she's a pretty young lady! What's her name?
Her name is Starlit Moon. No, I didn't name her. My choice would something more fitting to her "trying" nature :-)
Uh, I like the boots and breeches. ... 8) I can't quite make it out in your photo, but it appears that they're field boots? They lace over the instep?
Thanks, and thanks for noticing ... but they're not Field Boots. The pair in the top photo are Dehner Dress boots, and the pair in the bottom photo are Petrie Dressage boots. I do have a pair of Dehner Field boots (the ones that Chuck is *supposed* to be breaking in for me!!) ;D that I recently acquired to use when I ride with my military drill team -- but that's the exception, not the rule as far as my riding goes. I'm usually out and about in my König or Petrie dressage boots.
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Welcome To Bettermost, CowboyBuck! I hope you'll enjoy it here. :)
Yeah, that Chuck is a great guy. I couldn't agree with you more. 8)
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I do have a pair of Dehner Field boots (the ones that Chuck is *supposed* to be breaking in for me!!) ;D
:laugh:
and I told you my size 10 foot isn't gonna fit in your size 13 boot! ;D
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Her name is Starlit Moon. No, I didn't name her. My choice would something more fitting to her "trying" nature :-)
:laugh: Still, that's a pretty name for a beautiful horse. :)
Thanks, and thanks for noticing ... but they're not Field Boots. The pair in the top photo are Dehner Dress boots, and the pair in the bottom photo are Petrie Dressage boots. I do have a pair of Dehner Field boots (the ones that Chuck is *supposed* to be breaking in for me!!) ;D that I recently acquired to use when I ride with my military drill team -- but that's the exception, not the rule as far as my riding goes. I'm usually out and about in my König or Petrie dressage boots.
Way cool. ... I've always thought dress boots look so classy. I know the Dehner brand, of course, but I didn't know they made dress boots. I've only ever seen their field boots. I also didn't know there was a type of boot just for Dressage.
Chuckie in a pair of Dehner field boots? :laugh: :-X ;D
(Love you, Chuckie. Mean it!)
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Chuckie in a pair of Dehner field boots? :laugh: :-X ;D
(Love you, Chuckie. Mean it!)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g116/CellarDweller115/smilies%20for%20forum/th5.gif)
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Her name is Starlit Moon. No, I didn't name her. My choice would something more fitting to her "trying" nature :-)
Hell, never heard of a horse named Judge Judy...
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Welcome Buck, friend of Chuck!
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Hi all! I’m a 27-year-old female here, in a Ph.D. program in Connecticut, and really sorry that I’m so late to the party. I have spent the last two weeks obsessively reading hundreds of posts on this site, and I keep wanting to jump in, but then I realize they were mostly written years ago. How did I miss this film!? I was in India from 2005-2007, and pretty cut off from back home (I’m from the States)…I don’t even remember hearing about the Oscars or reading a single review. Such a fool.
Two weeks ago, Netflix recommended the movie to me, and I was floored. Getting up to get more tissues, I collapsed onto my knees in the bathroom and sobbed uncontrollably for at least 20 minutes.
I was in a relationship with an Indian man for many years, and our relationship in many ways paralleled J&E’s in that it was a passionate, overwhelming love that came out of nowhere but was doomed from the beginning because of cultural nonsense we had internalized. Anyone familiar with the pressures surrounding marriage in Indian culture can probably guess some of the problems we had, a white girl with a very traditional, conservative Indian boy. In the last year we were together, we saw each other for a total of 13 days. Everything about the lake scene hits home. Lying to family, betrayal, needing more time together, wanting to let go but not being able to, believing that your love is destroying you, making you ‘nothing, nowhere.’
I’ve found this debate over whether BBM is a ‘gay’ love story or ‘universal’ love story really interesting, especially Daniel Mendelsohn’s point in the NY Review of Books that Jack and Ennis are different from other star-crossed lovers because they “despise themselves.” I don’t entirely agree with Mendelsohn. Hating how you love is not unique to gay people. My boyfriend hated that he loved me. He despised himself for loving me, thinking that he needed someone else, someone from his culture. Yes, BBM is in many ways a uniquely gay love story, but damn if this film doesn’t represent my relationship better than any heterosexual love I’ve seen before on screen.
Thanks, guys, for creating these boards and posting so many great threads!
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Welcome, onlysleeping. It is never too late to join our family, and I am glad you found us. I can relate to your situation. I am an African American female who was married to a gentleman from Pakistan for almost 15 years. I know what a hard time we would have had if we had actually been in Pakistan, but we met and married over here in the Bay Area. I won't go into our relationship here; if you would like to know more, send me a PM and I'll be only happy to compare experiences with you. And I am just as in love with BBM as I was when I first saw it (several times) in December, 2005. I have been here practically since this site was created. Again, welcome to Bettermost!
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Thanks for posting, onlysleeping. Even though many of the posts originated years ago, some of us are still passionate about Brokeback Mountain and love to talk about it to infinity. I really relate to your words about it being a universal love story. Have you read the book as well?
Oh, and, you'll have a cup of coffee, won't you? Piece a cherry cake? :-*
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Welcome, OnlySleeping! Want a cuppa coffee, piece a cherry cake?
Thanks so much for sharing your story. I hadn't thought about Jack and Ennis's experience translating to a situation like yours, but it certainly makes sense. You sound like you've got the makings of a true Brokie alright. Hope you stick around. :)
Oops, I see Tony-Ranger has already extended the ritual invitation. You know the right answer anyway, don't you? ;)
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Welcome, Onlysleeping!
It's wonderful that BBM still has such a powerful impact on people who see it for the first time.
Don't be sorry you're late, be happy you saw it at all.
I'm glad you found us. If you stick around and take part in discussions, I'm sure you'll find new insights and make new friends here.
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(http://bestsmileys.com/welcome/16.gif)
Hey there OnlySleeping! So glad you found your way to BetterMost! And, yeah, some of the old, deep conversations here about Brokeback really are so interesting. It's nice that you've been exploring those old threads... so many amazing insights and lines of debate.
Hope you continue to come by and contribute... it's so great to have a new, enthusiastic Brokie join! :D
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Thanks for the welcomes, everyone! Luvlylittlewing, good to know people are out there who can relate. And Meryl, thanks, I'll take a cup a coffee but I can't eat no cake just now... ;)
I'll see if I can jump in from time to time! For now, I'm going to keep piling through these archives...just watched the film for the tenth time last night...I love this site!
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Hi! :)
My name's Kathryn, I'm a 20 year old University student living in NW England. I've only been a Brokie for a few months unfortunately, I first saw the movie around Valentine's Day, ironically enough. I completely fell in love with it and never looked back since :)
Um, I've started my own fanfic, which I'll be posting a link to in the fanfic section when I've finished this message. I'm eager to make as many friends as possible. :)
I should warn you though, I have a dirty sense of humour ::) :laugh:
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Welcome, Kathryn! Pull up a log, and stick a boot in the fire!
Want a cuppa coffee, dontcha? Piece of cherry cake?
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Welcome, Kathryn! Pull up a log, and stick a boot in the fire!
Want a cuppa coffee, dontcha? Piece of cherry cake?
I don't like coffee but I'll take the cake ;D As for the cherries...is Jack around? :P
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I don't like coffee but I'll take the cake ;D As for the cherries...is Jack around? :P
Welcome, kitty! I see what you mean about your sense of humor. ;D ;)
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Welcome, kitty! I see what you mean about your sense of humor. ;D ;)
Just call me Kat Nasty ;D
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Welcome Kitty!
I've already seen what you did in the Photo captions thread, so, yes, I would agree on your sense of humour! ;D >:D
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Welcome Kitty!
I've already seen what you did in the Photo captions thread, so, yes, I would agree on your sense of humour! ;D >:D
:P
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Welcome Kitty and Only Sleeping!
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My name is seek,
I live in New York city, and BrokeBack Mountain showed me that LOVE does exist, all i have to do is go out and find it.
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Welcome Seek!
You want a piece of Cherry cake?
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Welcome Seek!
You want a piece of Cherry cake?
Im so sorry, I MEANT seek, my name is seaki, i was up late that night. SPeaking of cherry cake, I have a mean recipe. Im thinking about starting a post based on recipes, food that I have created INSPIRED by BBM
Wonderful to meet you Kelda! ;D
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Im so sorry, I MEANT seek, my name is seaki, i was up late that night. SPeaking of cherry cake, I have a mean recipe. Im thinking about starting a post based on recipes, food that I have created INSPIRED by BBM
Friend, we've got a mean recipe thread for cakes and more in the Holiday Forum. Would love to see that cherry cake recipe when you're up to it. 8)
http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php/topic,6108.0.html
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Greetings from China,
Hello to everybody whoever is still here or has left this forum as the buzz has inevitably worn down long ago but its significance and impact on lots people will truly last forever. And I just want to say A Big Thank You to all who shares your great insight, introspectiveness and experience of BBM with us, special thanks go to Phil and other co-creators who set this warm community at the first place.
I'm 22-years-old, male, living in a relatively small city in central China and have watched BBM only three days ago. I didn't know this film back in 2006 which I think it is really a big big pity because I missed so mush heart-to-heart online communications then. I stumbled on this forum yesterday when I was searching via Google the original version of a fan fiction called Somebody New which I have read the first ten episodes in a Chinese forum as it has been translated into Chinese recently by a Chinese brokie.( just learned this phrase, lol)
A person posted a list of must-see films in a forum in which I first heard BBM a few days ago and thought I haven’t watched any gay films before and it is totally alien and exotic to me. So, that night, sitting alone, I went through the movie while it was tearing my heart apart at several points I can’t recall now. Over, I found myself plunged into deep indescribable sorrow and it was like some kind of immense punches of fearness pounded on my face. I went to bed, suffering from insomnia all the night. I wish I hadn’t seen it. But I know I will have to watch it some several times in the future in order to grasp what’s causing so much terror and pain to me thought I deeply, truthfully loath to see Jack&Ennis apart.
I only have the courage to post here in English that I think I am gay, the fact which I have been in denial since I was able to aware of it consciously when I was 18. No way can I surf some gay communities online or watching films about gay when there is someone around. What if they know or even suspect? I dare not thinking about how my life would be ruined if people suspects, let alone me coming out. I was alone for nearly 23 years.
Sorry about my bad English and I really don’t want to bother you with my lengthy bla, bla, bla. I have read through every word of every post up to page 15 now which I find really cathartic to my pain and horror. I think I will just continue to finish my self-healing ordeal with all of your generosity to offer us your very own thoughts and finally make a big difference to my life, hopefully.
Ah…It feels a bit better now…
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((((qiubin1220 - big hug))))
Welcome to the BetterMost community!
It doesn't matter how "late" you found us or Brokeback, it's never "too late". I hope we see you posting all over the forum soon, you never know what conversations you may re-start just by adding your opinions and feelings.
As for your English, I think it's just fine.
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Hi there and welcome!
I hope you can find support here. I know there are people here with similar thoughts and experiences. It´s always good to have someone to talk to.
And your English is very good!
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欢迎
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Hello qiubin1220, I agree with the others, welcome and please feel free to ask all the questions you like. There are still several of us here happy to discuss the movie. I am interested also on the film being directed by Ang Lee.
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Welcome qiubin1220! I'm very glad you chose to speak up at BetterMost about your experience with the film. I find your story very moving and brave. I think your English is amazingly good, too.
Please continue to explore your feelings here in a safe environment. We share your love for Jack and Ennis, and we love to talk about them, as you can see. It's been seven years since the movie came out, and we're still just as crazy about it as ever. :)
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Seven years...has it really been that long? Welcome, qiubin1220! It will be nice having someone to talk Brokeback Mountain with again!
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Welcome qiubin1220!
Glad you found us. Feel free to explore our forum, and post in any thread you find interesting, old or new.
Want a cup a coffee, dontcha? Piece of cherry cake?
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Nice to meet you qiubin 1220!
welcome to Bettermost!
Looking forward hearing more about your stories. Discussing Brokeback with you!
Brokie! ;D
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WOW, I'm so glad to see there are still many of us here and thank you very very much for all of your warm welcome above O(∩_∩)O~
Usually I'd be a big lurker in various forums, but I just can't help to express my feelings about BBM, especially having seen the old posts in this thread. Thank you so much!
In the end, big hug to< CellarDweller > ;D; It's very heart warming to hear from you in my mother tongue, milomorris ; and Sason , thank you very much, I think coffee would be very nice :)
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Welcome, Sweetheart! It's always good to welcome another Brokie. We look forward to discussing our film with you! :)
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Welcome to Bettermost Qiubin! :)
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Hi there!
Your english is certainly NOT bad!
Looking forward to talking with you.
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My name is Ross Leonard Sayer I love the movie Brokeback Montain and so what it they had a homosexual relationship , but at least they had children.
I also Like other actors Russell Crowe he played a gay charactor in The sum of Us an australian movie, Ryan Gosling a fine actor - I shall watch him mor
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Hello Ross and welcome!
Did you watch BBM for the first time recently or are you a long time fan?
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Welcome to Bettermost Ross!
O0
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hello Ross! Good to see ya!!
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I was dumbfounded when I first saw BBM. It was so close to home that I was devastated. I had my own Jack. I was 19 and he was 22. I am now 75, and I have never experienced a love as lush and all-consuming as in our time together. I still weep to remember those times, and am reminded of the line from the film and short story, "If you can't fix it, you've got to stand it." That is hard to do.
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Welcome, X-Man! We're delighted to have you here! :)
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I was dumbfounded when I first saw BBM. It was so close to home that I was devastated. I had my own Jack. I was 19 and he was 22. I am now 75, and I have never experienced a love as lush and all-consuming as in our time together. I still weep to remember those times, and am reminded of the line from the film and short story, "If you can't fix it, you've got to stand it." That is hard to do.
Welcome X-man! I hope you will like it here.
Thanks for sharing your story, and please feel free to share more if you´d like.
Monika
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Welcome X-man! I hope you will like it here.
Thanks for sharing your story, and please feel free to share more if you´d like.
I second that. Welcome, x-man!
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Nice to meet ya, X-Man!
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Thank you Monika, Front-Ranger and CellarDweller for your welcome. I appreciate that a lot. I can say little more at this time without losing it. We were not cowboys, but seaman on a ship. I was a scrawny, very young and naive 19-year old while he was big and strong, funny, and knew everything. With him I felt safe, and every day was an adventure. So much time has passed, I would think it would get easier to bear. You can just imagine how I felt to hear Ennis say "Jack, I swear." It's what I had been saying for a long time.
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Hi X Man!Q Welcome to a Bettermost!
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Welcome to Bettermost, X-man!
We're glad to have you here. We were all struck hard by BBM, so you're among likeminded people here.
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Hi....I joined this Forum a long time ago....but I have never actually posted on here before.
Will take me a while to find my way "around"....but hope to come here more often and see what goes on here !! Some names I have seen look familiar and I dare say mine will be to them too.!
For those who don't know me ..... Brokeback Mountain haunts me and won't leave me alone.
I lust after Jake Gyllenhaal......but am totally in love with Heath Ledger. Lets leave it at that for now.
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Hi....I joined this Forum a long time ago....but I have never actually posted on here before.
Will take me a while to find my way "around"....but hope to come here more often and see what goes on here !! Some names I have seen look familiar and I dare say mine will be to them too.!
For those who don't know me ..... Brokeback Mountain haunts me and won't leave me alone.
I lust after Jake Gyllenhaal......but am totally in love with Heath Ledger. Lets leave it at that for now.
*pounces* :-* :-* :-*
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Welcome to BetterMost, Suely!
Nice to see you here!
Want a cup a coffee, dontcha? Piece a cherry cake? ;D
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Welcome to BetterMost, Suely!
Nice to see you here!
Want a cup a coffee, dontcha? Piece a cherry cake? ;D
"Yes mam ! I'll have a cup of coffee.....but...I can't eat no cake just now ! ;)
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Hi....I joined this Forum a long time ago....but I have never actually posted on here before.
Will take me a while to find my way "around"....but hope to come here more often and see what goes on here !! Some names I have seen look familiar and I dare say mine will be to them too.!
For those who don't know me ..... Brokeback Mountain haunts me and won't leave me alone.
I lust after Jake Gyllenhaal......but am totally in love with Heath Ledger. Lets leave it at that for now.
Hello Suely,
yes, I think I've read your screen name before. On Brokebackslash?
Anyway, welcome to BetterMost! :)
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I recognize the name, as well. Welcome in, Suelyblu!
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yes, I think I've read your screen name before. On Brokebackslash?
She's also a longtime member of DCF. I got to meet her in London for the costume display. ;D
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She's also a longtime member of DCF. I got to meet her in London for the costume display. ;D
Can I just say......I felt really disloyal coming here to the "Bettermost Forum".... but I can do both....can't I ?? :-\
And don't you get telling them how I much I cried when I saw the Ennis and Jack costumes Chuck ! Ooops! Did i just say that ? !
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Can I just say......I felt really disloyal coming here to the "Bettermost Forum".... but I can do both....can't I ?? :-\
Of course you can! There are more than a few people who have dual memberships!
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Hello,
I found where I am suppose to introduce myself..
Well here I am a retired psych nurse..with a child that is in the genius category...which really sucks..I have no idea what she and her father talk about..but they tolerate me so I guess I have that going for me..
I am Canadian and have worked everywhere from the Yukon to Southern Ontario...
I am finally home now in southern ontario and am very pleased..
I hope that I can fit in here as I have never really fit in any place but with people who need help and assistance in life..
Which left me at the age of 65 realizing I never helped myself..
I hope this is enough by way of an introduction, if not ask questions I love to answer questions...
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Hi Joanne and welcome to BetterMost.
This forum is mainly dedicated to the movie Brokeback Mountain and our experience of it.
Have you seen it? What did you think of it? How did it affect you?
We'd love to hear your opinion!
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welcome to Bettermost, Joanne!
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welcome to Bettermost, Joanne!
Thank you for the welcome, I am on the phone with x- man he says to say hello to muscle bear...hope to talk to you later..
8)
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Hi Joanne and welcome to BetterMost.
This forum is mainly dedicated to the movie Brokeback Mountain and our experience of it.
Have you seen it? What did you think of it? How did it affect you?
We'd love to hear your opinion!
I have not watched the movie have caught bits about it when it was first out..then x-man started to tell me about this site, and since I have been looking around abit I see that I should watch the movie and not just take other peoples take on it...obviously I was living in the bush for to long and lost touch with myself...x-man says I will like it, and he usually knows my taste..so I was surprised to hear it wasn't just a love story...that I could probably relate to some of it..I have decided to check it out so I won't be such a fish out of water..any help during my fledgling process would be much appreciated..Thank you :)
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Hi Joanne and welcome to BetterMost.
This forum is mainly dedicated to the movie Brokeback Mountain and our experience of it.
Have you seen it? What did you think of it? How did it affect you?
We'd love to hear your opinion!
Thank you for the welcome I tried to answer your questions in that last post that I made, hope I succeeded..feeling a little guilty about not knowing much about the movie but will fix that in the next couple of days...
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Thank you for the welcome, I am on the phone with x- man he says to say hello to muscle bear...hope to talk to you later..
8)
:laugh: Ah, so you're a friend of x-man, huh? cool.
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:laugh: Ah, so you're a friend of x-man, huh? cool.
Yes sir, I have known him since we both worked at Project Dare, I don't know if he has talked about that time, but it was quite an eye opener for me...
I was the only female..and from the big city Toronto..the streets, I understood the kids better than most...but I think both the kids and I had an opener there..
as we figured it was just me that the men would hassle, we did not even think of homophobia..we all came from the streets, to us everyone was okay as long
as they didn't judge..who or what we were...
Admittedly I had it easier than the kids I got to leave when my shift was over they didn't..and were subjected to more hate than they should have been, but such is
life..what hurt the most was seeing how x-man was treated..I was use to men being vulgar to me but it shocked both me and the kids the disrespect x-man was given.
He will hate me for saying this but, we understood..he had delicate soul, so when they hurt him they hurt all of us..
I rode to the rescue once, you should get him to tell you about it..I'm not sure if he can laugh about it now..but at the time, I was in my glory I put one over on those sacrosanct
idiots.. I better shut up now before I get myself in real trouble with him.. :-X
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Welcome, joannehallbeck! Want a cup of coffee, don't you? Piece a cherry cake?
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Welcome
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Welcome, joannehallbeck! Want a cup of coffee, don't you? Piece a cherry cake?
"Thank you ma'am. I'll take a cup of coffee, but I can't eat no cake just now." :-\
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I have not watched the movie have caught bits about it when it was first out..then x-man started to tell me about this site, and since I have been looking around abit I see that I should watch the movie and not just take other peoples take on it...obviously I was living in the bush for to long and lost touch with myself...x-man says I will like it, and he usually knows my taste..so I was surprised to hear it wasn't just a love story...that I could probably relate to some of it..I have decided to check it out so I won't be such a fish out of water..any help during my fledgling process would be much appreciated..Thank you :)
Please share your thoughts with us when you've watched it!
BBM has been endlessly discussed here, but I'm sure people will be interested in hearing your views after seeing it for the first time.
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"Thank you ma'am. I'll take a cup of coffee, but I can't eat no cake just now." :-\
You bet!!
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Can't believe that it's been nearly 4 years since I last posted here, so I thought A re-introduction was in order.
I watched BBM last week with a friend, who had never seen it, and I hadn't seen it for at least 2 years, and my .......all those raw emotions of Joy and sadness came flooding back. My friend who had never seen the movie was clearly moved by the experienced, and stated that she didn't realise it was such a powerful movie.
So here I am catching up on, seeing what I've missed.
I first found BM when my life was turned up side down when a long term partner decided to leave, this coincidently happened on 22nd Jan 2008. Well later that year I found the love of my life and 18 months later we had a Civil Partnership. 2 years ago our relationship was really put to the test, he suffered a major stroke (at 47), which nearly cost him his life, but he pulled through. I gave up work to become his full time Carer, and he is doing really well. He is mobile, and speech is improving all the time.
He is still very much the love of my life, we work very hard and have a lot of fun.
So watching BBM again has bought me back to here. It's like coming home.
Thank you for reading.
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Welcome back, Chris! Where you been? Here and there?
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WElcome back Chris! Good to see you!
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Welcome back, Chris! Where you been? Here and there?
WElcome back Chris! Good to see you!
Thanks Guys. Wish I could say that I've been to lots of different places, but the past couple of years has been caring for my partner, so I had to give up my job to be able to do that. We have had a few days away together and family breaks which have been great, but they have been fairly local to where we live. I suppose we are lucky that we live in one of the most beautiful places in England, with around 300 beaches not too far away.
Take a look at Cornwall on Google Maps, you'll get the idea. We live in Truro.
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((((Chris))))
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Welcome back Chris.
I love Cornwall. I once had a biking vacation there. It's very beautiful and lovely.
Don't remember if we passed through Truro or not, there were so many pretty little villages.
What a heroic task you have taken upon yourself by becoming a full time carer for your partner. Kudos to you.
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Good to see you again. All the best to you and your partner.
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Thanks guys, will keep you posted. Will try and check back most days
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Gotta know much about you guys and i love being to this board
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Hello fellow Brokeaholics!
I've thoroughly enjoyed reading through people's stories here and seeing how this phenomenal story has so deeply affected all of us. I'm a very late comer to the game, having just seen/read it about six weeks ago, though I also know that if I'd seen it when it first came out it wouldn't have had nearly the effect on me that it did. (Personal growth and circumstances, know what I mean?) I feel like BBM has ripped me completely to shreds and I'm not entirely sure why.
I'm 35, a wife, mom, nurse and student. My kids are 10 and 3, my husband doesn't want you to know how old he is, LOL. I'm going to nurse practitioner school because I finally figured out what I want to be when I grow up, after 13 years of nursing. :D North Carolina is where I hang my hat. We are not perfect down here, but we do have Cheerwine and marriage equality (finally!!!!).
Can't quite put my finger on why BBM has turned me inside out/upside down as it has. I don't have any big secrets, and everyone I love knows I love them. But God, how it has....
Thank you all for sharing here and being real.
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Nice to meet ya!
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Yes, Brokeback Mountain has a way of doing that. Welcome, friend! Have a cuppa coffee won't ya? Piece a cherry cake?
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Hello fellow Brokeaholics!
I've thoroughly enjoyed reading through people's stories here and seeing how this phenomenal story has so deeply affected all of us. I'm a very late comer to the game, having just seen/read it about six weeks ago, though I also know that if I'd seen it when it first came out it wouldn't have had nearly the effect on me that it did. (Personal growth and circumstances, know what I mean?) I feel like BBM has ripped me completely to shreds and I'm not entirely sure why.
I'm 35, a wife, mom, nurse and student. My kids are 10 and 3, my husband doesn't want you to know how old he is, LOL. I'm going to nurse practitioner school because I finally figured out what I want to be when I grow up, after 13 years of nursing. :D North Carolina is where I hang my hat. We are not perfect down here, but we do have Cheerwine and marriage equality (finally!!!!).
Can't quite put my finger on why BBM has turned me inside out/upside down as it has. I don't have any big secrets, and everyone I love knows I love them. But God, how it has....
Thank you all for sharing here and being real.
welcome and please keep us updated. It's a journey...
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Hello everyone! Very nice to see you here.
I'm JackFromMoscow, or JfM if you want.
I live in Moscow, Russia, as you could already find out of my nickname. My real name is Sergey, but I don't really like its writing in English, so maybe Serge would do it better.
I've watched BBM not long ago, in the middle of December 2014 and it has totally turned my life upside-down. I ain't joking, its effect was two-weeks-long or so. I was really depressed and couldn't think of anything but BBM. I suppose, there's nothing new you're reading, dear BetterMostians.
Earlier I rushed into BetterMost with my topic "Request for help from Russia". After two weeks of being here I understood it was quite obtrusively, because now BetterMost seems to me like home, where all the old friends sit around the table having warm and cozy conversation with each other. Some members here are the real veterans (as I would say) of BBM and this forum.
Of course, pretty big time passed after BBM appeared in cinemas (ten years anniversary this year!), and time has changed. With all these twitters and facebooks, traditional forums, as I suppose, became a little old form of having conversations; posts are changed by comments mostly. But forum makes it better having Friendly and warmly conversations. Forums suggest big and constructive messages (posts). And me, I really like big and contentful messages! :)
It is very nice to see you all here. After all these years, this Forum lives and, first of all, Brokeback Mountain lives! Of course both short story and movie will never be forgotten, because the REAL art never dies, it lives forever.
Reading this forum is like having a nice winter evening inside a warm, cozy house, with a cup of hot tea and a good book.
I was just eleven in 2005. Of course, I wouldn't understand nor even like the movie. I had no internet that year, I think I didn't even know what a forum is exactly. I remember me watching news in 2008. I couldn't figure out, who on Earth could Heath Ledger be, and I didn't know why his death makes so many people sad. I never say such things as the following one, but... I wish I was twenty in 2005. So I could wait new movies with Ledger, I could discuss the BBM with friends or here on forums... I fould watch BBM in cinema... But for my very big sorry, there never will be any new movies with Heath... there's nothing to wait... And there are half a million posts here; I suppose there's little to say new about BBM. I think all the interviews are discussed, every word of both movie and short story is examined on this very forum. Yes. It is ten years passed. And we, who met Brokeback Mountain recently, just have the oppotunity to touch something ethereal, to become a part of it.
Well, I hope I have a chance to become a part of this sweet BetterMost home.
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My post seems to be pathos a bit... excuse me for that :)
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Jack, I just read your post, and I agree. BetterMost is like a home with a warm, cozy fire. So many of us have left that fireside and moved on to other things, me included, but we never fail to love posts like yours. It takes us back to that "old, cold time on the mountain, when we owned the world, and nothing seemed wrong."
Maybe you would enjoy the thread where we all talk about our first time seeing Brokeback:
http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php/topic,16219.0/all.html (http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php/topic,16219.0/all.html)
Those were heady days, when we bonded over our love for Ennis and Jack. That bond continues. Welcome to the family.
Want a cup of coffee, don't ya? Piece of cherry cake?
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I am deeply touched by your words, Meryl, thank you very much.
I'm gonna print several topics from here, although it would take hundreds of pages, I will translate every word I don't know yet; it surely will make my English much better. I've learned my English as it is now by reading Harry Potter books. It seems I have found another Story that I not just enjoyed by, but a story able to improve my English to an upper level, as well. I have spoken for several times I'm sad my English skills are not good enough.
Although, this forum is pretty big, it doesn't seem to me there's nothing I can do. I see my mission in translating and voicing-over the movie properly, not the way it is in our country. More you can read in my topic I've mentioned up there.
"I remember you"... instead of "Jack, I swear"... it terrifies me every time I think of it.
And your words, welcome to the family... It makes me feel something more than just warm this cold winter we got here!
P.S. just a coffee, please. I can eat no cake right now... at least until I finish my translations!
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Welcome to the forum, JFM!
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Welcome aboard, JfM!
There are some really kind people here. If you ever need to obsess over small details or hash out a storyline, I'll be around. Mostly I do this in my own little world in my head since no one else really gets it in real life.
I share your feeling of being turned upside down by BBM, and my first viewing happened only a few weeks before yours last year. It's really phenomenal what this story does to those of us who 'get' it.
You come back and see us again.
Coffeedrinkintexan (Neither Texan nor a coffee drinker, but I love Alma & Ennis' exchange over whether Texans drink coffee)
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Welcome to the forum, JFM!
Glad you found us. You're among friends and likeminded people here.
No topic or detail is too small to discuss again, no matter how many times we've discussed it before.
There will always be someone who's interested in your point of view and wants to discuss it.
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Hi I'm Josh.
My Brokeback story...
I originally heard about Brokeback Mountain back in my teens looking up my favorite actor Matt Damon(still is my favorite) at the library on imdb and he was going to be in the movie with Gus Van Sant directing. I quickly looked up more and found the issue off the New Yorker the short story was in at the library and xeroxed the pages from the magazine at 5 cents a page and then read it at home later and cried.
Then YEARS later when it finally got made it was released in NY and LA right away but not near me but then an award screener leaked online so I instandly downloaded it and watched it and cried even harder even though I knew the story. I never did end up seeing it in the theater because by the time it was released near me I had watched it multiple times but I did buy the DVD the day it was released for all the bonus content.
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Welcome, Josh! Want a cuppa coffee, don't you? Piece a cherry cake? ;)
Imagine if there were 10 people like you for every one of the people who saw the movie in the theater. It was an astounding success, much greater than the charts indicated!
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Hi Josh, welcome to BetterMost!
I guess you're past the stage of brokiedom when you need to intensely discuss BBM, but there are many other threads to explore here.
And please don't hesitate to post even in an old thread, people will notice it and hopefully reply to you.
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Welcome Josh!
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I am a gay man, originally from a ranching community in Colorado's northern mountains (my grandfather was the rancher).
I read Annie's story a few years prior to the film when it was passed to me by a friend who thought I'd find it particularly poignant. I later saw the film with my lover of fifteen years (a man raised on a farm in eastern Colorado). The story and the film grabbed me and shook me, scared the hell out of me. While both beautifully portrayed an environment and activities that were familiar, they challenged the tenuous constructs which sheltered my life and my love.
The advent of the tenth anniversary of the film has led me to reexamine the story and film and take a deep dive through the closets and homophobia that have both sheltered and damaged my life. I consider BBM one of the best films ever made and the singular thing which compels me to analyze my life and the choices I have made - a process that is ongoing with a ravenous hunger and energy.
The many thoughts and musings on this site are a part of that deep-dive examination. And the fact that so much thought and musing about the meaning of every detail of this story continues ten years after it appeared in theatres and eighteen years after a simple story was published in a magazine speaks volumes about the quality of art and the ongoing relevance of it's subject.
Thanks Bettermost.
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I am a gay man, originally from a ranching community in Colorado's northern mountains (my grandfather was the rancher).
I read Annie's story a few years prior to the film when it was passed to me by a friend who thought I'd find it particularly poignant. I later saw the film with my lover of fifteen years (a man raised on a farm in eastern Colorado). The story and the film grabbed me and shook me, scared the hell out of me. While both beautifully portrayed an environment and activities that were familiar, they challenged the tenuous constructs which sheltered my life and my love.
The advent of the tenth anniversary of the film has led me to reexamine the story and film and take a deep dive through the closets and homophobia that have both sheltered and damaged my life. I consider BBM one of the best films ever made and the singular thing which compels me to analyze my life and the choices I have made - a process that is ongoing with a ravenous hunger and energy.
The many thoughts and musings on this site are a part of that deep-dive examination. And the fact that so much thought and musing about the meaning of every detail of this story continues ten years after it appeared in theatres and eighteen years after a simple story was published in a magazine speaks volumes about the quality of art and the ongoing relevance of it's subject.
Thanks Bettermost.
Welcome, coyoteman. :)
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Welcome coyoteman! There used to be a coyoteman here a long time ago, but I assume you are a new coyoteman. Want a cuppa coffee, don't ya? Piece a cherry cake?
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Welcome to the forum!
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Hi there!
I strongly feel i need a support group after this movie, so here i am!
I knew Brokeback Mountain from it's initial release, had it at home, but somehow had not come to watch it all these years. Now, finally, came to it 2 weeks ago - with horrendous consequences of not being able to think of anything else anymore!!! I mean, i am a wife and a mother, working full time - i've got stuff to do, you know!! How can i get over this movie?? Hope maybe to do so by talking it all out!
I just can relate to so much in this movie... To Ennis' character - have known such people (including my own dad to some extent [not gay, but very repressed-feelings / everything-must-be-proper-hard-working-type]), to Jack's character = totally me (romantic-never-giving-up-type)! To the difficult situations they face there, how the characters are trapped within themselves...
I am extremely heartbroken over Jack. The way he ages and gets damaged more and more and how his light vanishes from his eyes :'(. Sure, Ennis is suffering, too, but he is the "stronger" one, who can "stand it" longer, better.
While feeling very sad especially when watching the lake scene followed by dozy embrace and Jack's face 20 years later (*stab-in-the-heart*!), it is quite funny that i felt so much love after this movie... Love and passion and hope - and LOVE again! It's really funny how it works... I come home and hug my daughter and kiss my husband and am so full of loving feelings!... Quite an experience, this movie... ::)
That's how come, uh. . .
me end up here
:)
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Welcome to the forum!
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Hello BBM victim, welcome to the forum!
Want a cup a coffee, dontcha? Piece a cherry cake?
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Hi Sason,
Thanks, but can't eat no cake yet :'(
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Hi, I'm Danny.
I’m pretty new here, though I have been reading in the Forum for a while now. I am from Germany and English is not my native language. So please excuse any mistakes.
I know BBM since it came out in Germany in 2006. When I first saw this movie, it affected me in a way I hadn’t expected. I was devastated, couldn’t breathe, was lost in thoughts and couldn't stop crying and thinking about the story for a long while.
In my family there were some parallels with the story shown in the movie, and so I reacted also to a special situation in my real life some years before ( I lost a beloved relative).
I went to the cinema for 4 or 5 times and decided that this was the best movie I ever saw. Sort of “my movie”. I also read the short story some months later and was deeply moved.
The next 10 years were very busy. I seldom thought about BBM for a long time (but couldn't get it out of my mind).
Then the BlueRay Disc found me in March (it was a present from a friend whom I had told that I love films directed by Ang Lee and that I had finally bought a BlueRay Player … ). At first I was reluctant to watch the movie one more time (and started watching the movies in my Ang Lee present box with "The Ice Storm") , because I remembered my reactions in 2006, but then I couldn’t not watch it. And from the start the “Brokeback feeling” was back. Better and worse than in 2006.
I then began to analyse why this movie is killing me every time. And I found out that it has much to do not only with the life of the person I lost but with my own life and the decisions I took (or did not).
I think I’m past the stage to analyse the scenes or to talk about “what if”, but I’m happy to having found this forum. It's amazing that there are still people out there who feel about the movie the same way that I do.
It’s also interesting that there are so many little details and almost hidden words in this movie that I didn’t recognize before reading about them and watching the scene closely.
So here I am.
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Hi Danny and welcome to BetterMost!
Glad you found us! We're always happy to welcome new Brokies!
As you probably know, we were all affected by BBM more or less the same way, our lowest common denominator is the profound emotional impact it had on us.
Please post away in any thread you like, even if noone has posted in a long time. You never know, your post may start a new discussion.
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Hello Danny, I'm Chuck. Welcome to the forum!
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Thank you for your warm welcome ;D
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Welcome Danny. You'll have a cup of coffee, piece a cherry cake?
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Yes thank you for this. I'm sick of beans ;D
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Yes thank you very much. .... sick of beans ;D
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