Russian Women Discussion

RWD Discussion Groups => Married => Topic started by: GregfromGa on August 30, 2018, 04:04:26 AM

Title: Where are all the old timers? Its time to check in.
Post by: GregfromGa on August 30, 2018, 04:04:26 AM
I haven't been here in a while. I'm guessing the advice given here is still free.
Title: Re: Where are all the old timers? Its time to check in.
Post by: ML on August 30, 2018, 07:14:34 AM
I haven't been here in a while. I'm guessing the advice given here is still free.

No . . . you must send me money via PayPal if you want the good stuff.
Title: Re: Where are all the old timers? Its time to check in.
Post by: BillyB on August 30, 2018, 08:33:42 AM

Some guys check in. Others have checked out. We lost Groovlstk a few months ago to cancer.

http://www.russianwomendiscussion.com/index.php?topic=22849.0
Title: Re: Where are all the old timers? Its time to check in.
Post by: Jumper on August 30, 2018, 05:31:57 PM
Hi Greg,

I'm still around as time permits.
Title: Re: Where are all the old timers? Its time to check in.
Post by: tfcrew on August 31, 2018, 12:21:56 PM

                                                             OLD?
 
                                                                                (http://www.jfkassassinationforum.com/Smileys/DarkB/cheesy.gif)
                                     
Title: Re: Where are all the old timers? Its time to check in.
Post by: BC on August 31, 2018, 01:22:14 PM
Coming up on 16.  Will stick around maybe till Nov to poke a stick in some folks eyes ;)
Title: Re: Where are all the old timers? Its time to check in.
Post by: HiTech on September 04, 2018, 02:50:48 PM
Coming up our our 10th anniversary. I still check in every-once in a while.
Deans 3rd birthday this August 5.  Alyona made the cake. All is edible.
HiTech
Title: Re: Where are all the old timers? Its time to check in.
Post by: GregfromGa on September 10, 2018, 04:51:14 PM
What about Gator?  We went out to a nice Cuban dinner once in Tampa about 10 years ago. I hated hearing that about Groovistk passing. Such a terrible disease. I've lost 2 close friends the past two years to it. Its hard to believe I was here about 15 years ago. My how things change. I'm still so good looking and of course my kids are growing up way way too fast. Maya is 11 now and Nicholas is 8. Maya looks and acts like her mother and of course Nicholas is wrestling and playing football and being all boy. Looking back I honestly don't know what I could've done differently. I harbor few regrets because of my kids. I wish I could come here and tell you all is smooth. It varies. Like John Denver said "some days are diamonds and some days are stone. Ive watched a sweet innocent girl from a village become a miserable soul exactly like her mother the last 8 years. I honestly cant say I recommend this endeavor. Sure it works out sometimes according to statistics. I'm still friends with a doctor I almost went to see in Saransk back in 2001. She's divorced now. No way in hell would I pull that trigger because thats exactly what it would be.
Title: Re: Where are all the old timers? Its time to check in.
Post by: ML on September 10, 2018, 06:37:21 PM
I've watched a sweet innocent girl from a village become a miserable soul exactly like her mother the last 8 years.

WOW . . . sorry to hear that !!
Title: Re: Where are all the old timers? Its time to check in.
Post by: CaptB on September 19, 2018, 09:18:56 PM
Hey Greg,


Capt B here. I don't believe its a woman from Russia, Ukraine or here....in the states thats really the issue. I went to Russia my first time with a friend. He zeroed in on one women in particular......from the get go. Everyone in the LTP office said there were a few other women who who really like him......and I think that he would be interested in them....also........BUT..... he felt he had to remain loyal to the first gal that he met. I told him, one day, that compared to me....he was at a disadvantage. What do mean....he replied. You have never been married before....I said. An old friend of mine...JB...a member of this forum years ago said...."this venture is not for everyone.....this is the master-class.....your "BA degree" was being married....then divorced....at least one. I believe it is true....to a degree. The friend I went with on my first trip to Russia.....is now divorced. It was no surprise to me. I saw nits and pieces of her "unpleasant side"...even when we were in Russia...before they married. He is now gun-shy about trying again. It is unfortunate. He is a really great guy.


I dated a few women in Russia for an extended period of time. Eventually I broke this off....when I decided they were not right for me....as marriage material. You see....I actually learned from the mistakes of my first marriage. Some folks never do. I think my fiend has...I wish he would give it another shot. Yes dating/marrying someone from another country can be more difficult. You have all of the regular +/- issues of a regular relationship......then add language and cultural differences to the mix. I walked away from a stunningly beautiful women in Tver, Russia...because I realized she was not into me....to the same degree I was into her. She was not interested in learning English....even when I paid for lessons...and gave her a cassette course. It was hard to walk away....but I knew it was the right thing to do. There were a few others....with similar issues.


The day I met my wife....it was different. I arrived at her local airport at about midnight.....and her standing with a card with my name on it....in that goofy little leather hat. About a 20 minute drive to my apartment....with no lulls in conversation. We stayed-up all night talking. in less than 24 hours I knew.....this girl was different. She really cared about her family, friends....and others.....and still does. Fifteen years of marriage later....and things are still very good. I had it a little easier than many folks here.....she was an English teacher for 15 years when we met. That mostly (not completely) eliminated one of the two hurdles to this endeavor (language barrier).


JayH made a comment in another thread about watching out for antiquated (paraphrase) "advice". I believe some good advice is timeless. Yes...its different today......different problems.....different technology....the cultures have changed......yada yada yada....... Some things will never change. You still have to decide if the person you are interested in....is as interested in....YOU.  It is wise to get to know her relatives and friends....to see how .....THEY REGARD HER. If she will only meet you somewhere other than her hometown....they may be a hidden reason. The "10 commandments
of FSU dating are still relevant.....but still broken.....then the guy blames everybody and/or everyone.....for why things went South. Common sense never goes out of date.


19 years ago computers were common. No one was writing real (paper) letters anymore.....or using envelopes and stamps. I was told bt the RWG forum that I was crazy to write....then mail.....old-fashioned letters. But I wrote 16 brief....two short paragraph letters. I did this about 6 or 7 weeks before my trip. I received 14 replies......about 8 or nine handwritten.......the rest by e-mail. One had been matched....but they had not yet removed her profile. The 16th RW had been away for part of the summer for an internship.....just finishing law school. She called the office about 3 days before my departure. I bet a lot of guys here will say such a thing will not work...THESE DAYS. I will not tell you why it would still work...that is for you to figure out. Hint: "everyone else is doing the "same" thing"


Yes I ......agree......many things are "different"....today. But some things will always be relevant.


Oh............Hey greg.......glad to see you are still kicking. A few of us geezers are still here.......but slowly thinning. I only visit here occasionally now.
JB is still alive......but has not been here for years.


Marc  (Capt B)


   
Title: Re: Where are all the old timers? Its time to check in.
Post by: JayH on September 19, 2018, 11:45:51 PM



The day I met my wife....it was different. I arrived at her local airport at about midnight.....and her standing with a card with my name on it....in that goofy little leather hat. About a 20 minute drive to my apartment....with no lulls in conversation. We stayed-up all night talking. in less than 24 hours I knew.....this girl was different. She really cared about her family, friends....and others.....and still does. Fifteen years of marriage later....and things are still very good. I had it a little easier than many folks here.....she was an English teacher for 15 years when we met. That mostly (not completely) eliminated one of the two hurdles to this endeavor (language barrier).


JayH made a comment in another thread about watching out for antiquated (paraphrase) "advice". I believe some good advice is timeless. Yes...its different today......different problems.....different technology....the cultures have changed......yada yada yada....... Some things will never change. You still have to decide if the person you are interested in....is as interested in....YOU.  It is wise to get to know her relatives and friends....to see how .....THEY REGARD HER. If she will only meet you somewhere other than her hometown....they may be a hidden reason. The "10 commandments
of FSU dating are still relevant.....but still broken.....then the guy blames everybody and/or everyone.....for why things went South. Common sense never goes out of date.


Marc  (Capt B)
 

Marc --  love your post.
My comments were not about relationships per se -I agree that experience is timeless.
The part I was referencing in that comment was on specifics  eg huge huge difference in communication from even 5 years ago -- but dramatic fro 10 . The easy immediate access to the internet is near enough universal -- that changed a lot of things . One frequent poster repeatedly proffered advice about one city that has seen substantial change -- and despite the flaw being pointed out numerous times ( not by me) he kept doing it !
Probably the biggest difference is in the web sites and how to make contacts etc
You get my point  !
Now --please note -this is not directed at you personally  in any way ! Guys who were there in the decade after to collapse of the USSR  and the various following economic crisis had it easy -- girls did need to escape  and try and find a better life so the economic issue was much greater than it is today --it is what gave rise to the whole MOB industry.

I particularly enjoyed reading this !
QUOTE

The day I met my wife....it was different. I arrived at her local airport at about midnight.....and her standing with a card with my name on it....in that goofy little leather hat. About a 20 minute drive to my apartment....with no lulls in conversation. We stayed-up all night talking. in less than 24 hours I knew.....this girl was different. She really cared about her family, friends....and others.....and still does. Fifteen years of marriage later....and things are still very good. I had it a little easier than many folks here.....she was an English teacher for 15 years when we met. That mostly (not completely) eliminated one of the two hurdles to this endeavor (language barrier)
.

That is a lovely meeting!

I look back at my first meeting with my current lady over 3 years  ago  !  I had been on a long trip where I had finally made the break with my long term( much longer than many marriages !!) Ukrainian ex and finalised many loose ends -- with both my head and heart now being in unison - I was ready to move on .
During the 2 months I caught up with many old friends and made some new ones . Met quite a few girls but was not ready for serious.
On my way back to Kyiv I was staying in a city that is easy drive to the airport on my last day. So- I get online -first profile I look at -is from that city - so I say Hi. As it happened - she was in Kyiv ! Cutting a long story short -- we arrange to meet the next day at the airport ( which is on her way home).
So -- come leaving day - I am in terminal doing all the organising   needed  -- I look up to see this most exquisite creature walking towards me with a wonderful smile  -- I was blown away ! I half thought she would not show up -- but her photos did not do her justice--  far more beautiful and way better  looking in real life .
We talked non stop with lot's of laughing and smiling to the point where I HAD to go to catch my flight.
I could not arrange my next trip fast enough !!


Title: Re: Where are all the old timers? Its time to check in.
Post by: GQBlues on September 20, 2018, 09:26:58 AM
...Yes I ......agree......many things are "different"....today. But some things will always be relevant....


That pretty much sums it up for me, too. Considering all the tools/components available today that weren't available even a few years ago (skype, social media, availability of home computers, whatsapp, etc..), I'd say the fish barrel today is likely far more stocked and much more accessible than it ever was.

Bottom line is, this had always and largely depended on the fisherman. Just as it had always been since time immemorial. The ease/difficulty in dating, here or anywhere, had always been about 'you'. It doesn't matter whether it was back in the ice age, '50s or the 22nd century. I never understood why a lot of these men make simple things unnecessarily complicated.


BTW - next time you see jb, give him my regards. He'll probably remember me as 'Matt3' / Bodine from RWG.
Title: Re: Where are all the old timers? Its time to check in.
Post by: CaptB on September 20, 2018, 12:49:02 PM
GQ,


I remember you as....."Bodine" on RWG. Time flies. JB & wife "I" are still alive and well........I think they even have a few grand kids n/'/ow.


Capt B
Title: Re: Where are all the old timers? Its time to check in.
Post by: GQBlues on September 20, 2018, 01:00:57 PM
GQ,


I remember you as....."Bodine" on RWG. Time flies. JB & wife "I" are still alive and well........I think they even have a few grand kids n/'/ow.


Capt B


Awesome. Let jb know his advice to me when I was still in the 'search mode' is as golden then as it is today. Best advice ever given to me. Despite the fact I am still happily married with my wife, I had come to know the wisdom of his words.
Title: Re: Where are all the old timers? Its time to check in.
Post by: Stirlitz on October 04, 2018, 04:52:41 PM

Old timers you mean cars from the 1950s? :D

(http://gaz-21.su/uploads/photo-1.jpg)
Title: Re: Where are all the old timers? Its time to check in.
Post by: TwoBitBandit on October 05, 2018, 04:30:16 AM
Believe it or not, I'm still out here somewhere.
I can't believe it's been eight years since I wrote this trip report:
http://www.russianwomendiscussion.com/index.php?topic=11863.0 (http://www.russianwomendiscussion.com/index.php?topic=11863.0)

Time flies!
It's still the fourth-most viewed trip report on this forum.

I'm keeping a low profile about what I'm doing in life for my own reasons.  I'm trying not to attract undue attention to myself.  But I'm fine.  I still read the threads here once in awhile.  It sure seems like there is a lot more about politics than about relationships and Russian women.  Good to see a lot of the names I recognize are still active.
Title: Re: Where are all the old timers? Its time to check in.
Post by: BdHvA on October 05, 2018, 06:56:30 PM
Old timers you mean cars from the 1950s? :D

(http://gaz-21.su/uploads/photo-1.jpg)

Cool!  ;)

Can you post an image of a Freddy Flintstone type vehicle in your collection?


 
Title: Re: Where are all the old timers? Its time to check in.
Post by: Lee08 on October 06, 2018, 04:43:43 PM
I have not been on here for a long time, just happened to see it in my bookmarks looking for something else.


We're coming up on our 10 year anniversary also. :clapping:
Title: Re: Where are all the old timers? Its time to check in.
Post by: mendeleyev on October 10, 2018, 01:00:25 PM
Here off and on. I like being here and the members, it is just the schedule and some security concerns due to leaving Russia and migrating to Ukraine. Too many dead or missing journalists who don't sing the Kremlin's tune.


A handful of increasingly serious threats, detained temporarily when returning to Moscow from Amsterdam in 2015 over the MH17 debacle, and the requirement to register as a "foreign agent" because I work in non-Russian media were the last straws.


Speaking of old cars......found in the mountains above Sochi.
Title: Re: Where are all the old timers? Its time to check in.
Post by: rlaudiajr on October 29, 2018, 08:53:04 PM
Wow great posts from all. I thought I was the only one left who originally wrote postal letters! I remember meeting some of the guys and wives on this site for breakfast in Miami mid 2000's. Can't remember the names. Best wishes to all old timers
Title: Re: Where are all the old timers? Its time to check in.
Post by: Muckraker on November 10, 2018, 04:51:33 AM
Muckraker checking in. Haven’t been reading the board lately, but life with Oxana just gets better and better. Decided to move away from America, did some traveling and now in Vladivostok. Will stay for a year or so and then settle in London. Fourth child due in  June. Yeah I know but what the hell. Other kids are doing great, ages 12, 10 and 8 right now. Had to bring the damn dog around the world with us too.  We will be celebrating our fifteenth wedding anniversary in January. Oxana I mean, not the damn dog.

I will post my GoFundMe details as a sticky.

Regards,

Muck
Title: Re: Where are all the old timers? Its time to check in.
Post by: Maxx2 on November 10, 2018, 06:30:07 AM
A premature congratulations on your fifteenth Muckraker! Quite a family you got there!
Title: Re: Where are all the old timers? Its time to check in.
Post by: Jumper on December 01, 2018, 09:37:57 PM
Muckraker checking in. Haven’t been reading the board lately, but life with Oxana just gets better and better. Decided to move away from America, did some traveling and now in Vladivostok. Will stay for a year or so and then settle in London. Fourth child due in  June. Yeah I know but what the hell. Other kids are doing great, ages 12, 10 and 8 right now. Had to bring the damn dog around the world with us too.  We will be celebrating our fifteenth wedding anniversary in January. Oxana I mean, not the damn dog.

I will post my GoFundMe details as a sticky.

Regards,

Muck

Hey Muck,
Congrats on the expanding family,  and it's really nice to hear an update from you.
Title: Re: Where are all the old timers? Its time to check in.
Post by: rkn777 on December 26, 2018, 05:29:41 PM

Nice to see you Stirliz!  I'm still around. Moved to Las Vegas a few years back.  All going well here.



Old timers you mean cars from the 1950s? :D

(http://gaz-21.su/uploads/photo-1.jpg)
Title: Re: Where are all the old timers? Its time to check in.
Post by: Lily on December 27, 2018, 07:05:44 AM
One more here. Full steam ahead in sports!

Skating in the US often. Soon going to Miami for a skate with my US friends!

Title: Re: Where are all the old timers? Its time to check in.
Post by: Stirlitz on January 05, 2019, 01:09:42 AM
 :deadhorse: is
Cool!  ;)

Can you post an image of a Freddy Flintstone type vehicle in your collection?
My collection includes only 5 vehicles, and 4 of them are like this... Unfortunately, one of them was left in the Crimea.


Nice to see you Stirliz!  I'm still around. Moved to Las Vegas a few years back.  All going well here.
Hi! Nice to hear from you. My wife still remembers our time in Yalta in 2004. I lost my Crimea home and stay in Odessa all the time.


Do you have Viber? Drop me a line at +380678114493.
Title: Re: Where are all the old timers? Its time to check in.
Post by: Gator on January 13, 2019, 08:10:41 PM
Hi All,

Please excuse my tardiness in joining this thread. 

Short Story - I am still kicking and happily married.

My Cossack wife is doing very well.  We just celebrated our first meeting (Moscow - January 2, 2006).  Although having known each other for 13 years, we have been married for just 7+ years.  It is a long story and some of the OG here know the basic plot. 

She is more contented than ever, and as a result we are closer than ever.  Last week we were in Miami at the Tatiana Restaurant when she grasped my coat lapel and  explained her fulfillment and happiness.  She added what one might classify as Sweet Nothings,  yet her big tears of joy revealed her thoughts were pravda.  Made my old heart soar.  Caveat - both of us had been overserved with vodka.

When we married,  her two children of course came with her.   Her incredibly beautiful daughter has developed into an outstanding businesswoman.  The company she and her husband founded has grown rapidly and has been very profitable - enough to open a new store which she manages, to purchase and remodel a large house, and to celebrate her 30th birthday in Abu Dhabi - no expense spared.  She has the immigrant work ethic combined with the kind of smarts not found in a book.   

My delightfully charming stepson is a freshman in college.  Realizing the importance of working, he has a job at a supermarket deli.  During the holidays I ventured to the store and heard him from afar singing Christmas songs to his customers as he prepared their subs. 

Me?  I am a grandfather (a 3-yo beauty) who makes me feel truly blessed.

Age is catching up with me and I am now the proud owner of titanium knees and not such a proud owner of a larger girth.  The knee replacements stabilized my golf swing and this year I finally shot my age (a big deal).  My ol' frat brother and I teamed up to win my club's Member-Guest Tournament (for you non-golfers, that is a really big deal).   The photo shows my sheer exhaustion after playing 63 holes over three days plus 4 grueling playoff holes.   

The wife will soon travel to Russia, and I probably will have time to make a few posts. 

Title: Re: Where are all the old timers? Its time to check in.
Post by: ML on January 13, 2019, 08:23:40 PM
WOW, the Gator man returns.
Happy to hear that all is going well with you and your family.
The grandchild is from one of your sons?
Title: Where are all the old timers? Its time to check in.
Post by: 2tallbill on January 13, 2019, 09:33:46 PM
Hi! Nice to hear from you. My wife still remembers our time in Yalta in 2004. I lost my Crimea home and stay in Odessa all the time.

Do you have Viber? Drop me a line at +380678114493.

Hey Stirlitz,

Nice to see you stopping by!

Bill
Title: Where are all the old timers? Its time to check in.
Post by: 2tallbill on January 13, 2019, 09:35:00 PM
The wife will soon travel to Russia, and I probably will have time to make a few posts.

Thanks for stopping by Gator!
Title: Re: Where are all the old timers? Its time to check in.
Post by: Gator on January 14, 2019, 10:04:58 AM
WOW, the Gator man returns.
Happy to hear that all is going well with you and your family.
The grandchild is from one of your sons?

Yes, my older son.  He and the mother are not married.   

My stepdaughter is married without children.  They just purchased a German Shepherd puppy, prompting me to infer that children could be next.  OTOH, I do not fully understand millennials.   The puppy cost $4,000 (he was whelped in Germany)!!!  If one wants puppy, why not get the best.    The dog receives better care and attention (e. g., organic meat)  than I gave my sons.  Cute dog, much longer hair than the breed I see in America.    I told my wife the dog makes her a babushka, and she smiles.   
Title: Re: Where are all the old timers? Its time to check in.
Post by: ML on January 14, 2019, 11:19:21 AM
Yes, my older son.  He and the mother are not married.   

My stepdaughter is married without children.  They just purchased a German Shepherd puppy, prompting me to infer that children could be next.  OTOH, I do not fully understand millennials.   The puppy cost $4,000 (he was whelped in Germany)!!!  If one wants puppy, why not get the best.    The dog receives better care and attention (e. g., organic meat)  than I gave my sons.  Cute dog, much longer hair than the breed I see in America.    I told my wife the dog makes her a babushka, and she smiles.

What is the process for obtaining immigration for a foreign dog ?
Perhaps a fiancee/fiance visa !
Title: Re: Where are all the old timers? Its time to check in.
Post by: Stirlitz on January 14, 2019, 01:48:17 PM
Hey Stirlitz,

Nice to see you stopping by!

Bill
Nice to see you too! How’s life?
Title: Re: Where are all the old timers? Its time to check in.
Post by: msmob on January 15, 2019, 01:42:36 AM
Doesn't Ed breed German Shepherds in Florida ? ;)
Title: Re: Where are all the old timers? Its time to check in.
Post by: Cameraguy on January 17, 2019, 06:05:25 PM
Greetings, old-timer here. Looks like my last PM was from Jet in 2006. Is it really possible 13 years have passed? Yikes.

Kudos to Dan, the mods and some fellow old-timers I recognize from RWG for their efforts in shepherding  the best RW forum on the internet. Never thought any of them would exceed RWG. I was wrong.

A brief history for the vast majority who don't know me. In 1988 I was sent on assignment to the Soviet Union as a well, cameraguy to document the then-popular sister city relationships with Russian cities (Irkutsk in our case) with a goal of improving relations between the US and USSR. "Glasnost" and "Perestroika" were the sentiments of the day. Mathias Rust had just flown his Cessna from Germany under Soviet radar and landed on the cobblestones of Red Square as a "goodwill gesture" on behalf of the German people. Soviet military authorities were not amused. Mathias was held in solitary confinement, not so much as punishment but for protection from the hundreds of air defense troops who were imprisoned with him.

Back then, very few Russians had even seen an American except on "Dallas", one of their favorite TV shows. I was treated like a rock star, chauffeured in my own limo that sped through red lights with militsia escorts. Vodka parties broke out everywhere we went. Outside a former "hard currency" shop in Moscow, I was offered $100 for the Levis I was wearing, which I would've gladly sold if I hadn't been concerned about looking really silly.

While on a boat tour of Lake Baikal, the twin teenage daughters of the Irkutsk oblast governor shyly approached me and asked, how many airplanes did I own? Taxi drivers who knew an American delegation was in town brought a beautiful RW to my apartment after she demanded to be taken to meet the American. I told the taxi driver sure I'll meet her, after all, who was I to dash this young girl's dreams?  ;)

Lake Baikal was vast and mind-blowing -- the largest, oldest, deepest lake in the world, with a fifth of the world's fresh water, but which most Americans had never heard of.

In short, I was hooked on this strange but exceedingly beautiful and friendly place. In the ensuing years, I probably made a dozen trips through 9 of Russia's 11 time zones, from Moscow to Kolyma, which to this day elicits shudders from Russians for being the location of the infamous Stalinist gulags, which I also visited by way of 6WD Soviet Gaz troop carrier (and which despite Solzhenitsyn, a shocking number of Americans still haven't heard of.) Many of these remote gulags are still intact -- rickety guard towers standing watch over prisoner barracks, surrounded by double barbed-wire fencing and preserved in time by the brutal Siberian climate.

During some trips, I met a variety of Russian women, everywhere from the early AFA tours at the Hollywood Nights nightclub in St. Petersburg (anyone remember those? lol), to various agencies in cities I happened to be traveling through. Not trusting agency profiles of their "traditional women" I never made much of an effort to write anyone in advance, which in hindsight was a mistake because no one had much of an investment in a random American tourist passing through town.

Despite getting close to several RW and one UW in particular, I remain unmarried, which I'm actually fine with. Things have changed a LOT since those early halcyon days and I probably don't have it in me to traverse the RW minefields again. Coincidentally, I'm currently visiting a former RWG member and his wonderful RW wife who I've known for decades and I also remain in touch with a couple other guys I've met on the boards. These highly adventurous trips to remote corners of Russia remain the absolute best times of my life but it feels like this entire RW/WM era has passed. It's amusing to read highly opinionated but obviously noob RWD posters -- one in particular -- who mistakenly believes RW will faint at the mere sight of his western-resident presence without having a whole lot to offer except disdain for local women. Sorry to say we were once FSU rock stars, now we're in a garage band. Despite all the hard-won experience and sage advice he's been offered, it's painfully obvious he'll have to learn everything the hard way. I guess some things never change.

~CG
Title: Re: Where are all the old timers? Its time to check in.
Post by: Gator on January 17, 2019, 11:07:01 PM
CameraGuy,

A legendary name from the distant past.  You were a very prolific and insightful poster on the pre-RWD board when I joined in 2002.  You shared sagas of the real MOB scene when men would become engaged during their first and only one-week trip.  And there were printed color catalogs of women. 

I agree that Russia was best explored as a travel adventure rather than a speed dating trip.   I recall you thought highly of RW, yet never pulled the trigger.   That was back then, and now I read it is true today.  That means you never had a Bachelor Party.  What a loss!!!!!!

Good luck to you, and great to hear from you!
Title: Re: Where are all the old timers? Its time to check in.
Post by: Cameraguy on January 18, 2019, 02:02:15 AM
Thanks for the kind words, Mr. Gator. Not to engage in a stroke fest, but your recognition means a lot. I'd have a hard time coming up with many other posters who've given such consistently solid advice for so long. That sage advice is reflected in your long-term successful marriage and family, for which congratulations are in order.

Yes, I remember the color catalogues and OWWs (one week wonders) who rarely listened to any advice because what could possibly go wrong with their "traditional" hot young fiancée, who after a few dinners and shopping trips expressed her undying love but wouldn't kiss them or hold their hand. Sure, perfectly normal. Probably just a cultural difference. Those early days compared to the present remind me of the title to David Spade's book, A Polaroid Guy in a Snapchat World.

Great hearing from you too!
Title: Where are all the old timers? Its time to check in.
Post by: 2tallbill on January 18, 2019, 08:59:50 AM
Despite all the hard-won experience and sage advice he's been offered, it's painfully obvious
he'll have to learn everything the hard way. I guess some things never change.

~CG

Quote of the day for sure.

There will always guys who have to learn everything the hard way.
I learned a few lessons in life myself that way.

Title: Re: Where are all the old timers? Its time to check in.
Post by: GQBlues on January 18, 2019, 10:09:52 AM
Greetings, old-timer here.<snip>

WOW! CG! Nice to see you're still out and about.

There's a 'recent' member here (almost) with the same handle that I thought was you...

Richard (RKN77) already came around. Now if JayPatches can make a cameo, author and creator of the 'Ice Princess' saga, it'll definitely be a blast from the past!
Title: Re: Where are all the old timers? Its time to check in.
Post by: Cameraguy on January 18, 2019, 11:14:14 AM
That's funny GQ, Richard was the one who told me about this thread.


I'm visiting Lysander and we're all hanging out together here in Lost Wages.



Title: Re: Where are all the old timers? Its time to check in.
Post by: GQBlues on January 18, 2019, 11:38:42 AM
That's funny GQ, Richard was the one who told me about this thread.


I'm visiting Lysander and we're all hanging out together here in Lost Wages.



Awesome CG! Wifey's (one of) favorite place, Sin City! We both discovered the 'fun' (Heaven forbid!) in those $10/$15 Blackjack tables (#!@#!) .
Title: Re: Where are all the old timers? Its time to check in.
Post by: Cameraguy on January 19, 2019, 03:47:43 PM
GQ, teach your wife to count cards. Maybe you'll be able to pull in 400k on a weekend like those MIT guys. ;)

Many years ago, my brother purchased an expensive card-counting device that strapped to his leg with a special pair of shoes that had toe switches to input every card played. The machine would vibrate when the count was favorable. Despite this advantage, he never won a huge amount of money because of the high variability of multi-deck tables and the large bankrolls needed to fully press that advantage. Eventually, he started getting nervous when pit bosses would walk over and stand next to him, scrutinizing every movement. Those were the days when it was still possible to be taken to a back room for a "discussion."

Title: Re: Where are all the old timers? Its time to check in.
Post by: CaptB on January 21, 2019, 12:51:37 AM
Cameraguy,


Nice to see another blast-from-the past. When I joined RWG back in 1998......there were only about 350 members. What impressed me at the time was the relatively large percentage of guys who were actually visiting the FSU....mostly Russia at that time. I don't know if you remember "jb". He is still alive and kicking and happily married. In 2002 I was co-best man at his wedding in Moscow (his new step-son was the other best man). I remember the
"catalogs" (European Connections ?) and my friends videotapes from Lifetime Partners in Tver. I was married a year after jb in Zhukovsky, Russia. Some
really great times.


Capt B
Title: Re: Where are all the old timers? Its time to check in.
Post by: Maxx2 on January 21, 2019, 06:37:31 AM
Great to see you here ~CG! I remember our phone conversations years back. Last time we talked Richard was visiting you and Lysander in Vegas. This must have been about 10 years or so ago.


Just so everyone knows, ~CG is a doppelgänger to the actor Richard Gere!



Title: Re: Where are all the old timers? Its time to check in.
Post by: Cameraguy on January 21, 2019, 04:49:36 PM
Ha! Thanks Maxx, but if I looked anything like Richard Gere, life would be a *whole* lot different. When I was younger, the only similarity I ever heard mentioned was Todd Rundgren. Both are more than a decade older though, hope I don't look like a stary kozol quite yet!


Hey, you got a spare bedroom in Batumi? If things keep going the way they have been in America, maybe I'll emigrate and open up a cha-cha stand.


And CaptB, OG of the OGs and one of the most helpful, easy-going posters I've ever known. But just for contrast, if you want to see steam shoot out of jb's ears, just mention me! Even though we were similar in having traveled to the Soviet Union during the 80s, we seemed to specialize in getting on each other's nerves. Glad to hear he's still kicking and happily married though. IIRC, his wife was Edna. (sp?)


Not sure if you remember, but the more experienced members used to wield the patented 'RWG Clue Bat', specifically designed for one-week wonders, guys who fell in love with photos or who sent money for visas and airline tickets to RW they hadn't met, etc. I remember the mightiest bat swings usually came from jb, who didn't suffer starry-eyed noobs and impending train wrecks gladly. Too bad most guys wouldn't listen. OTOH, everyone I knew who had met jb in person claimed he was a generous host and genuine nice guy, which I'm sure is true.


Yep, would love to hear from Jay Patches, MarkInTx, even the notorious B/B!


~CG
Title: Re: Where are all the old timers? Its time to check in.
Post by: Gator on January 21, 2019, 08:05:20 PM
CG,  was it you who introduced RWG readers to a preliminary report of a survey of FSUW-AM marriages prior to the year 2000?   

The study's findings of a 98% (!!!???) divorce rate had many RWG members criticizing the study as a fraud.  However, the study had some credence for being scientific because the data were collected from interviews, the report's terms and presentation style were scholarly, and the author (Chester?) gave a good defense of his work in a session on RWG.  Unfortunately, Chester never completed his study.   
Title: Re: Where are all the old timers? Its time to check in.
Post by: Cameraguy on January 21, 2019, 09:21:34 PM
Wow Gator, what a memory.


That was indeed me. And you are correct, it was hotly disputed by just about everyone.


My conclusion was, without the study being completed, I really didn't know what to make of it.


I realize '90 Day Fiancée' is just a TV show and I think there's already a thread about it somewhere. But we were watching it as a goof the other day, especially this character named Colt who brought a *very* attractive Brazilian lady to Las Vegas, where we live.


He starts by showing up at the airport empty-handed, where she good-naturedly berates him for not bringing her flowers or candy. Then he tries to rush her along, complaining about the $2/hour short-term parking. Then they climb into his econobox with a broken air-conditioner, which in the summer is bordering on criminal. The first place he takes her is the 'Welcome to Las Vegas' sign, where she wryly notes, "Well, it's not exactly Christ the Redeemer." Great line. Then he drives her to his mother's house, where they'll be living and they proudly show her their full-size slot machine in the dining room. Once again, she's a bit underwhelmed. OMG, it was only one segment and we were howling.


Just recently, it was in the news that she was arrested for domestic battery. I really don't know what took her so long. And the rest of the couples didn't look much better. An obnoxious 300-pound bleach-blonde AW and her young Nigerian boyfriend was another classic. I'm afraid there might be a lot more Colts than we realize.


P.S. Could it really have been 98%? Not sure we'll ever know...

Title: Re: Where are all the old timers? Its time to check in.
Post by: CaptB on January 21, 2019, 09:43:31 PM
Cameraguy,


Thanks for the kind words. Jb's wife...."I"......had the handle "Etna"..........as in mount Etna :-)   Jb is a genuinely nice guy....but had a short fuse for
the "clueless". He might have been the inventor of the "clue bat". A guy named "Strob" was one of the stand-out "trolls" on the RWG. Iolani, from
Hawaii....nice guy who married an RW. "Doc Woody" who met his wife through Lifetime Partners in Tver, Russia. He later bought LTP from the American partners and thought he could run the business long distance (from his home in Florida). The employees stole customer records and eventually started their own business. And then there was "Gameranger". A good story teller.....but I always suspected (along with other forum members) that his exploits were fictional (al be it.....entertaining). Quite a few guys met their RW through an American expat with the handle "Comodore Steve". A friend of mine and I would always visit his website....maybe one a week. His dating/marriage agency had locations in (all in Russia) Stavropol (my wife's hometown),
Samara, Volgograd, Moscow.....and maybe on or two other cities. His was one of the most entertaining agency websites.


Capt B
Title: Re: Where are all the old timers? Its time to check in.
Post by: GQBlues on January 22, 2019, 01:07:00 PM
CG,  was it you who introduced RWG readers to a preliminary report of a survey of FSUW-AM marriages prior to the year 2000?   

The study's findings of a 98% (!!!???) divorce rate had many RWG members criticizing the study as a fraud.  However, the study had some credence for being scientific because the data were collected from interviews, the report's terms and presentation style were scholarly, and the author (Chester?) gave a good defense of his work in a session on RWG.  Unfortunately, Chester never completed his study.

...and CG would be spot on in my neck of the woods. All of the MOB marriages we closely associated with before have all been divorced. Two of the RWs had since remarried.

GQ, teach your wife to count cards. Maybe you'll be able to pull in 400k on a weekend like those MIT guys. ;)

[/font]

Nah...not us. We have our limit and play purely for the entertainment value. I do have a good handle playing BlackJack, and wifey have a great handle to losing whatever I win (and just as quickly), so it's all for kicks and laughs for us. Memories.


Title: Re: Where are all the old timers? Its time to check in.
Post by: CaptB on January 25, 2019, 08:51:27 PM
A few other geezers that come to mind..........


KenC
Rvrwind
Daveman
Andrewfi
I/O
Catzenmouse
Vaughn
Shadow
Misha
BC
Groovlsk




Capt B

Title: Re: Where are all the old timers? Its time to check in.
Post by: Jumper on January 25, 2019, 10:23:55 PM
A few other geezers that come to mind..........


KenC.  , still kicking. Divorced now remarried

Rvrwind still around snd married

Daveman

Andrewfi still posts on forums. Married and I believe living in uk.

I/O still around married with 25 children (just kidding on the number of offspring,)

Catzenmouse

Vaughn still around ,married

Shadow still around married with children

Misha

BC still around married

Groovlsk,  passed away




Capt B

There was also:
 Gon

B/b, still on some forums


I still remember folks from the st John's list, that's back when the internet was carved in stone tablets.
;)
Title: Re: Where are all the old timers? Its time to check in.
Post by: msmob on January 25, 2019, 11:40:17 PM
andrewfi ..'married' ?    :ROFL:

His is STILL giving out copious 'advice' on relationships with FSU W  - whilst repeatedly failing - and missing the irony.





Title: Re: Where are all the old timers? Its time to check in.
Post by: CaptB on February 09, 2019, 11:24:34 PM
I would add "Gameranger" to the list.


Capt B
Title: Re: Where are all the old timers? Its time to check in.
Post by: Gator on February 10, 2019, 06:32:58 PM
I would add "Gameranger" to the list.


He would post entertaining stories of his travels.  Decking Ukrainian flathead bodyguards with one swing, chatting with nude models on a secluded rocky island in Crimea, etc.  Most doubted his truthfulness, yet it made for a good read. 
Title: Re: Where are all the old timers? Its time to check in.
Post by: CaptB on February 10, 2019, 09:53:04 PM
Gator,


I agree about his stories being "fictional"..........but they were entertaining.


Capt B
Title: Re: Where are all the old timers? Its time to check in.
Post by: ChickMagnet on November 24, 2019, 08:55:37 PM
I'm still around. I just don't look here much.  I'm the original OWW who got into debates with Kenc. I've been married to my OWW wife for 14.5 years.  I didn't have any grey hair when I started out. Now I have to use Just for Men shampoo. That stuff works too. My wife has put up with me all these years. I snatched me a good wife.
Title: Re: Where are all the old timers? Its time to check in.
Post by: Gator on November 25, 2019, 09:00:28 AM
Hi Chick Magnet,

Your name to me will always be "One Week Wonder."  You did find a good one!  Congratulations for your enduring and loving marriage.   I am certain you are a happier and better man because of your decision 15 years ago to seek a  FSUW bride.   

You have been married longer than KenC was to his Russian bride.  The last I heard (a few years ago) KenC was enjoying life with his Chinese wife.   

My wife and I are still living the dream.  We first met 14 years ago, and our hesitation made me a FYW, the same as ML.   

Title: Where are all the old timers? Its time to check in.
Post by: 2tallbill on November 28, 2019, 02:04:24 PM
I would add "Gameranger" to the list.

Capt B

If you add somebody to the list, my advice is to give a small anecdote
Examples

Redhead Fred is still alive and well with his bride of 15 years
Olga Cutepoka and they are living in Corner Ketch Delaware
and he still posts here once a year on Arbor day.

Beatnik Bob is thrice divorced, married his fourth wife just last
summer and she left him two weeks ago to join the lesbian
section of the gay pride parade. Bob still believes that love
at first site is a thing.

Curly Carl is still married to his wife of 12 years and had four sets
of twins, all boys and they just need one more child to get a whole
baseball team together. His wife Zhenechka weighs the same but
Carl gained 40 pounds in baby weight.