Dear Rouge,

Firstly, welcome to OLO.

It's great to come back from holidays and find
a new poster - with an interesting thread.

How did I meet my husband?

It was during a Student's Conference in Melbourne.
I travelled from Sydney, and was really looking forward
to the Conference. He was on the Committee organising
the Conference - and was responsible for helping us
"newcomers," settle in. He must have found something
about me that he liked because he simply attached himself
to me during the entire Conference - and showed me a
superb time. I of-course found him devastatingly attractive,
and didn't complain. The rest as they say is history.

We're married, have two children, and are still together
years later.

He was the first man (apart from my father)
who made me aware of my self-worth.
He's tender, satisfies my emotional appetite, and
makes me laugh.

Bronwyn & Banjo,

I'm not sure that the current cyber-script is so very damaging, though I quite see your point that, for those unused to communicating this way it can be annoying.

I tend to hold to the view that language (written or spoken) is a tool for communication and as long as it’s used to communicate meaningfully am not too picky any more.

With the growth of cyber-speak I have seen a huge growth in the numbers of people who have returned to the written word. People who have never picked up a book since leaving school, or written a letter in their entire life are now diving into forums and blogs and taking part in a world they always thought they were not qualified to take part in. That’s got to be a good thing, surely?

Notice I did qualify the word with communication with the word "meaningful". What I find hard to stomach is the semi-literate ravings of people who have no interest in communication as a two way channel, but simply as a one way street.

Short-forms and abbreviations assuredly get up some peoples noses, but to me, they don't render the English language as meaningless as phrases like "I would of thought", or "You better tow the line" do. At least a phrase like ‘u r gr8” gets the message across quite fluently and is structured in a grammatically correct form.

And Bronwyn...My only basis for BF= Best Friends are the gang down at Southpark. Are you also a fan? And yeah – 21 husbands? The Guinness Book of Records would be camping out on my doorstep by now, I guess. I’d be making Liz Taylor and Henry Tudor look like rank amateurs.

rough I got to know my girlfriend on my daily commute on the train. A group of us would sit together regularly and chat about all sorts of stuff and she joined the group.

I had the joy of getting to know her well before romance was an issue. I knew about how she treated others, enough about what kind of person she is to trust her and value her as a friend.

R0bert

"If she does meet someone maybe she should not write to him as she came across a being a lazy and inconsiderate person." (Quote:Banjo).

Are you serious? What a lousy welcome. Tell this OP...(original poster to you), how you met your partner,..or perhaps it might be better to say nothing more?

Just a thought.

Dear Ginx,

Welcome back!

It's been far too long.

Thanks kiddo. You've been holding your own against the forces of darkness very well I've noticed!!