[ML-General] Clarifications

[david]

Wow.  That is really baring your personal lives.  Takes a lot of courage 
to do so.

David M.



On 09/05/2015 04:05 AM, joshua carr wrote:
>
> In these wee hours of the morning I am my most eloquent self. I've 
> decided to write a bit tonight to clear up some rumors about myself 
> and my fiance that have been recently brought to my attention.
> When I applied for membership a while back(my 4th application in 6 
> years) I was unexpectedly and callously denied. The friends I've made 
> in the local maker/hacker community over the years were quick to 
> criticize the reasons that were given for this, but I feel that that 
> if you guys felt strongly enough about them them to turn me down, then 
> I should be just as concerned.
>
> (1) It seems that my choice of lifestyle was an issue for most. I read 
> vague assumptions about how a person who lived in a modified vehicle 
> rather than in a house or an apartment MUST be applying for membership 
> so that he can take advantage of the facilities for daily functions 
> like showering and preparing meals. I AGREE that this is not what the 
> shop exists for. I had already established more reliable means of 
> accomplishing those tasks, but there was no way for any of you to know 
> that.
>
> There were concerns that the presence of such a vehicle would hurt the 
> image of the shop. It seems that some of the members are very put off 
> by the appearance of poverty(homeless camp). What was insulting was 
> the vapid assumption that, if I was made a member again, I would "live 
> at the shop" and never leave.
> There were nights that we stayed in the shop driveway and used the 
> shower the next morning rather than driving back to Lacey's spring, 
> but only after we were encouraged for weeks to do so by several members.
>
> Ive never been treated like a hobo before, and I'm certainly no bum, 
> so I was quite upset by this, but I hold no grudges against the people 
> who said these things. They were expressing valid concerns based on 
> what they had seen or heard, and that's why makers Local has this process.
>
> (2) There were also concerns that Amanda, my girlfriend of 4 years, 
> was "part of the deal" when deciding to allow me back as a member. 
> There were statements that she was irresponsible with, or not to be 
> trusted around other peoples valuables.
>
> This is entirely MY FAULT.
> A year ago, when Amanda and I were going through a sour spot in our 
> relationship, I went on 2 angry drunken tirades, while at the shop, 
> blaming Amanda for the failure of my business and my subsequent stress 
> and misery.
> These were baseless statements made out of anger and frustration that 
> have since evolved into a bad reputation that Amanda did not earn and 
> does not deserve.
> Amanda did not steal from my company. My business failed because it 
> was not prepared to grow and I never drew a line between our personal 
> finances and those of the business.
> So, while she was partly to blame for the misery that drove me to 
> drink so much, the other problems were not her doing.
> I can't apologize enough for the things I said. I hope each of you can 
> see past this.
> I had come so far and risked so much, that I couldn't admit to my 
> family and friends that I had failed. I consider most of you my 
> friends. I have respect for each of your individual successes and felt 
> that I owed it to you to be successful as well, so I found a scapegoat 
> in Amanda, and I've been eating crow ever since.
>
> It's past time to set the record straight, for her sake.
> Amanda has been a helpful right hand to me in most of my endeavors and 
> has taken the time to clean various areas of the shop on several 
> occasions, including regularly neglected areas like the bathrooms and 
> the kitchen.
>
> Being unable to change the past, I'm focused on the future.
>
> I'm pleased to share that our lives are very different now. Since 
> reading your fervent support and damning condemnations of us, we have 
> taken some steps to alleviate your stated reasons for apprehension.
>
> (1) We don't live in the van anymore. Amandas aunt owns a 4 bedroom 
> house just over the bridge south of Huntsville, and we are renting one 
> of her spare rooms. The van has been emptied and is now merely a mode 
> of transportation again. This also means that we will no longer have 
> to bring our yappy little dog with us to the shop.
>
> (2) We are gainfully employed. Our "hustle and flow" means of 
> supporting ourselves was enough to pay our few bills before, but 
> wasn't something that many of you can relate to, so we went out and 
> got regular jobs. Amanda is managing a pizza joint and I'm a delivery 
> driver. I've been able to put more money into my projects and Amanda 
> has dusted off her sewing machine and done a few of her own.
>
> (3) We are no longer attached at the hip. We purchased a second 
> vehicle allowing us individual means of travel, and we now work 
> varying schedules that don't always allow us to both be at the shop at 
> the same time... For whatever that's worth.
>
> I'm sending this out to you all because I intend to reapply for 
> membership soon, and would rather be humble than be humiliated... Again.
>
> TL/DR
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> I'm not homeless or jobless anymore.
>
> Amanda is good people, despite what I said when I was drunk a year ago.
>
> Amanda has her own car now.
>
> Yappy dog stays at home now.
>
> I need to be a member again, cuz I got more money than time.
>
> Stop treating me like a hobo, and just let me work on my projects.
>
> Please.
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
> Josh Carr
>
> Joshuaq.carr at gmail.com <mailto:Joshuaq.carr at gmail.com>
>
>
>
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