Hey Dom,
I was delighted to discover your inaugural post, for it was great meeting you in Anaheim last week.
As you and many others know, Ben is my real name. When I first began posting, it never occurred to me to adopt a different moniker, but then people have told me that Ben could be treated as a DS character (Ben Stokes), too.
You did inspire me to give my avatar a badly needed update.
It was refreshing to hear that your early memories of the show were "faint," for I'm sometimes intimidated by the true diehards who remember with great detail their very first DS ep. The earliest storyline I can remember is of Quentin's ghost and the haunted telephone, and I craved the DS soundtrack LP, which I got as a Christmas present in 1969 -- this led me to conclude that I first started viewing DS that year. But then I also distinctly recall the names Cassandra Collins and Victoria Winters, so I must have begun watching earlier than that. Exactly when will always be a mystery. ?!?
So who'd have thought that 30 years later, I'd have the luxury of being able to view the entire series?
It was even more thrilling to come home from work every night to watch the two eps taped earlier that day, than it was to run home from school every afternoon to catch the last 15 or 20 minutes on my family's b&w Sears Silvertone.
Our dear henry referred me to a previous incarnation of this board in March of 2000. Back then, as now, it was a most astute, collegial, and fun bunch. I wanted to attend my first DS Fest that July, but a family reunion in LA three weeks before the Fest made it impractical to travel twice to California in the same month.
While waiting for the next one in 2001, I got to know more of the great folks on this board, so that attending my first fest almost felt more like a sort of family reunion!
Welcome, Dom ... you're among family here.
Ben
