The other day I was walking with a group of friends downtown when we came upon a homeless gentleman who was urinating on the side of the public bathroom. Being the overzealous SOB I am, I waited until he was done and then said, "Excuse me, just so you know that's a bathroom." He stared blankly at me for a moment, and then asked me what difference it made.

Being a sympathetic person by nature, I tried not to simply blurt out that he should take pride in himself, as he probably has endured things that I can't even imagine. I've known quite a few homeless people considering where I work, and I'm not totally ignorant to the horrible tribulations they must endure.

When I answered, "Fair enough, I suppose it's urinarily subjective", I think I must have surprised him. His face morphed into a big smile and he had a chuckle.

There was a thread about pride the other day, which got me thinking. Is our pride about respect or is it...

First off I have to apologize for the quality of the pictures. My digicam was stolen a while back and I still haven't bothered to go out and get one. Maybe I consult a thread about recommendations.

Neeways, when I bought my home a few years ago, it was painfully obvious that it needed new carpets. I procrastinated a bit, and then a bit more. Generally, I don't like the idea of decorating my house or making it fancy, this was more about upkeep. I had a few guys come over and inspect the carpet (which some estimated is 40 years old, which means it's made entirely of asbestos and spam), and one told me that I had beautiful hardwood under the old carpet.

Last week, I took all of my furniture out and tore the rugs out. The padding had disintegrated into powder and made my vacuum into a hero. It's not a Dyson, but it sure gets the job done. The hardwood floors were flawless. It was amazing that, somehow, it hadn't been stained or damaged in any real way despite...

The first version of my first blog seemed to have been written badly. I meant to communicate that I was back, that I was going to do what it takes to never be banned again, and that I was still Willravel.

What people seemed to take away from it was that I was gloating. As if I'd bested someone and was bragging about it. Nothing in the world could be father from the truth. I'd sooner cut my wrists than do something so blatantly disrespectful and ungrateful, but I'm surprised that people think I would do something like that.

Let me make one thing clear: I've never been more humbled than I was over the past few days, online or in real life. Not only did I see consequences for my actions, but I also saw that many people on TFP are devoted to making it a better place. I respect these people a great deal. I want to contribute positively to TFP and be just as devoted.

So yeah, I'm back on TFP. Expect some eggshell walking for the time being as I earn back some trust that was lost. Still, don't expect Willravel to disappear. I'm still Willravel; I still have alarming questions about 9/11, strong views about religion, socialist leanings, a smile and a kind, honest word for anyone who wants it, and a large group of friends here that I wouldn't trade for the world.