I wanted to mention that I was prepared to be wrong - either way. So, when my polly friends seek me out to have a little fun -I'll laugh along with them and take the jabs because I have so much to be thankful for. And, I might add, if things stay up and we never see any serious problems I will behave exactly the same as I would have if things went teotwawki on 1/1/00 - grateful to be prepared for anything, and accountible. I know that I personally influenced several friends and family members to prepare. They trusted me and did make prudent preps - none of which cannot be used or put a negative impact on their lives. I am not ashamed of this - but rather very relieved. I personally hope they learned the value of being prepared for contingencies. No one has reported to me they are willing to give up their preps yet. I cannot regret being open to the possibilities -especially when there are so many other threats in this life besides computer failure.

To be afraid to believe there are things we can't control just because it makes you look foolish is to ignore all of the trials of the independent thinkers through out history.

-- April (Alwzapril@home.com), January 03, 2000

Answers

I think this is what is going to separate those who prepared for the sake of preparing from those who follow blindly..no one told me to prepare for y2k..i followed noones advice..i read and read and investigated for myself..if someone seemed to gloomish, i questioned their motives..i did the same with the "no problem" folks..i rejected any advice from someone trying to sell me beans =) that said, i prepared for y2k to hit hard and i prepared for it not to..i think the total im out with no catastrophy is less than a hundred bucks..ive wasted more than that in my lifetime on a reasons a whole lot less sensible..had there been serious initial problems, as my research showed there could be, id have been glad i had those items..im also very very glad they werent needed.. what ive gained from y2k was immeasurable..i am even more prepared than i was 2 years ago to deal with any situation..i am debt free (heh, guess i made my hundred bucks back there, huh?).ive met a wonderful group of like-minded people who i wouldnt trade for the world..if i have to catch a little ribbing for it, all in all, i think i got a deal.. i will NOT blame anyone for scamming me, bamboozling the public, etc, etc..and will ignore those who do..i am an adult who did the research and decided it was prudent to prepared..i still stand by that.

-- glad to be alive (here@there.com), January 03, 2000.

The only prudent thing to have done was to prepare. We still don't know.

-- Mara (MaraWayne@aol.com), January 03, 2000.

My life will continue toward self-sufficiency, I now have some time. I found a great deal of joy in being prepared for contingencies for my loved ones, friends and neighbors. I knew I was a sharing/caring person but had never had it really put to the test, I like what I now see about the inner me. Y2K good or bad, has brought me joy about my motives and love of people.

-- Sammie (sammiex0@yahoo.com), January 03, 2000.

Excellent post April. And thanks for the response to mine below. You and I are on the same side here. You did the right thing and have nothing to apologize about. I'll come over and stand by you too.

-- Ynott (Ynott@incorruptible.com), January 03, 2000.

Part of something I posted a little higher on the thread... ~snip~
Personally, I'm going to keep my own preps and rotate them. I've been on the homeless side before and, if it weren't for the fact that I have been a 'Survivalist' for years, I would be dead. So I personally feel better having these things as insurance. I didn't get a woodstove or generator. Deciding I wanted mobility instead. Now, I will re-evalute what I've got, make some other purchases as I see fit and then I will be in a better postion if some unforseen things were to happen. There are a lot of people here who are really in better positions than they were before the 'Y2K crisis' was even thought about. I would reccomend staying in that position and teaching others how to get into it as well. Like I said elsewhere...who will be in a better position if there was a major blizzard or drought or hurricane? The Prepped or the Pollies?
~snip~ Guess I'm in with y'all! ~G~

-- Satanta (EventHoriz@n.com), January 03, 2000.

I have already eaten some of my tastier preps--imported Swiss chocolate bars are all gone. Might even buy some more. Wouldn't it be great to get pimples again?

-- Lars (lars@indy.net), January 03, 2000.

April,

You do not know if you are even wrong yet!!! Give this a good two-weeks to a month. Degradation of systems is a slow and building deal. Lets wait to see a Gov. benefit check from yr. 2000 being sent out. Lets wait til the world markets trade two weeks.

I am flabbergasted that so many who prepped seemed to expect a disaster movie scenario. If degradation occurs within a wide sector of systems, then the end result will be the same, with a much less "flashy" onset.

Whether food supplies gravitate downward in supply, or upwards in pricing, the stomach still growls when unfed. So, try and push the propaganda away at least for two weeks. To think any of us know what is occurring throughout our nation right now, behind closed doors(in some cases), is quite an illogical viewpoint to adopt. Also, supplies can be buffered for a time with what was and is in the pipelines. ONLY TIME WILL TELL US ON OUR STORE SHELVES AND AT THE GAS PUMPS.

Regards,

-- (He Who) Rolls with Punches (JoeZi@aol.com), January 03, 2000.

April,

You do not know if you are even wrong yet!!! Give this a good two-weeks to a month. Degradation of systems is a slow and building deal. Lets wait to see a Gov. benefit check from yr. 2000 being sent out. Lets wait til the world markets trade two weeks.

I am flabbergasted that so many who prepped seemed to expect a disaster movie scenario. If degradation occurs within a wide sector of systems, then the end result will be the same, with a much less "flashy" onset.

Whether food supplies gravitate downward in supply, or upwards in pricing, the stomach still growls when unfed. So, try and push the propaganda away at least for two weeks. To think any of us know what is occurring throughout our nation right now, behind closed doors(in some cases), is quite an illogical viewpoint to adopt. Also, supplies can be buffered for a time with what was and is in the pipelines. ONLY TIME WILL TELL US ON OUR STORE SHELVES AND AT THE GAS PUMPS.

My Regards,

-- (He Who) Rolls with Punches (JoeZi@aol.com), January 03, 2000.

While I suspect that those who regarded Y2K as a fixable problem yielding BITR impact (deYager, Flint, Ken Decker, Kosky) may prove to be correct after all, I wouldn't yet "bet the farm" on this.

While I am beginning to crack open those cans of tuna (yum yum...(NOT!!)...do you have lots of recipes other'n tuna sandwiches??), it will be a long time before all my preps are fully exhausted. In the meantime I will eat some, buy about half of my normal groceries, and give a way a little to the homeless shelter.

Luckily I stayed put (more or less), made no major life changes, and did not purchase a firearm that I did not know how use or need (thank God). The food which I will eat is no problem, just stuff I'd normally have anyway. My grocery bills should be minimal-to-zero in the coming months! woo-woo!

-- coprolith (coprolith@rocketship.com), January 03, 2000.

Be assured, Hewhorolls, I have no plans to stop being prepared. I just wanted to make it clear I'm not backpeddling or hedging. I believed we would see broken supply lines and I still believe this and since we prepared to be without income and this remains to be seen, I am not going to change my stance. :)

-- April (Alwzapril@home.com), January 03, 2000.