Subject: [veniceplace] New Member Joining
Date: Tue, 3 Oct 2000 10:35:43 -0700
From: KSchmo
Hello everyone. My name is Karen-Leigh. I am 55 years old, married with two sons over 30. Three dogs (an apricot standard poodle named Jayar, a miniature black poodle named Loki Beauregard (we call him Beau-gi) the puppy from hell, and a pembroke corgi named Sally.

I got an internet connection for the first time in 1997 (late huh?). At that time Forever Knight was showing on Toronto tv and I was hooked on it (did not find any of the actors hot but loved the premise of the show). So of course the first thing I did was put Forever Knight into search engine and found WOW stories and slash stories. I read a lot of them but was not hooked because I could not get my head around the two male leads. I started watching XFiles in its second year and started out hooked on Mulder and then Krycek. Searched for stories and what an explosion. I really found those two guys sexy (sexy enough that I wouldn't mind either one in my own bed) so putting them together in slash was mind blowing stuff. I found so much slash with those two that I began to get the feeling that I was not the least bit unique in this world. I bought a laptop just to store all the M/K stories that I wanted to download. I printed out boxes of stories and reread them. As my favourite writers migrated to other fandoms I stuck with it. I would only travel to other fandoms trailing Krycek. People wrote him with everyone, southpark, sentinel, due south, startrek, phantom menace, highlander, buffy, angel, you name it and my favourite rat fit right in. It forced me to watch shows I would never have contemplated watching otherwise. Nothing stuck however. XFiles is winding down and nothing was taking its place as an obsession for me (panicking a little that the volumes of words about my favourite rat were going to dwindle to a trickle - what to do what to do). Then, lo and behold the Nashville Network TNN brought back Starsky & Hutch. Playing every week day, twice a day. Now you must understand that in 1974 I saw the pilot on its first showing and was HOOKED. When the show was picked up I watched faithfully and obsessively. I loved Starsky and Hutch. I wanted to be Starsky. I wanted to be the lady in bed between Starsky & Hutch. I sent for autographs (I was over 30 at the time with two kids) I bought posters, tee shirts, the toy cars. A dealership in Toronto had a red striped Torino on the lot - I went and took pictures. I bought all of David's records and sheet music. I bought the metal Torino crest off a car from the dealership (I could not afford the entire car). I watched the show. I dreamed about the guys. This was long before VCR's. This was long before slash. I was Mary Sue all the way with the boys. I have wanted so badly for some station to bring them back in reruns (along with Baretta) for 24 years. Now, what perfect timing, just when I needed them and here they are. It is wonderful. It is like the show was on last week. The dialogue is so familiar, the emotions raised in me by those two men are the same. Obviously, the moment the first show was over I was searching the net for stories. I was somewhat disappointed with the small amount of fiction I found. If you read as fast and as much as I do (a bottomless pit of greed) and coming from the overwhelming amount of fiction on the XFiles lists you can imagine my worry. So I find that a lot of S&H fiction is in zines (that I have no way of collecting) and there are not that many archives and the archives are thin on the ground with fiction BUT the fiction is so well written. It is comprehensive and detailed and wonderful and just the kind of stuff that I can read over and over and over (just like rewatching the episodes over and over and over). So I join every list that I can and I lurk and I read stories and I send feedback and I am watching and taping the episodes every day and I ordered the set from Columbia House and I ordered a Starsky sweater from Tracy in New Zealand and I dug out my S&H memorabilia from the trunks and I tell my family and get them all watching. I send copy tapes of pilot and Coffin for Starsky to my one internet pal (a 20 year old gay guy who writes fan fiction) in Florida and get him hooked on S&H. We watch together every day (I am hoping to get him to write some S&H). I beta stories for a dozen writers in XFiles and have already betad two in S&H. I worry about posting stuff to lists as I seem to start controversy some how with my posts and get terrified. I know it is not my fault how others take my original post (whether it was legitimate or a gross error in judgement on my part) and run with it but sometimes I feel like a catalyst for nasty stuff.

Anyway this was just to say hello and let you get to know me a bit and I will go back to lurking and reading. The Set Up was on today Part 1. Hutch was wearing a white shirt.

I am the owner of Cory's big white shirt on Highlander (actually all the white shirts that Nick Lea wears on any character he plays - I have dibs). Found this quote by Don Gillmor:
The white shirt is the fashion equivalent of pi, an absolute that can be endlessly calibrated (something like Alex Krycek or Methos - two characters that are so malleable).

I love reading. I own 10,000 books which I have read over and over. I only keep the ones that I can reread. I apologize for this introduction being so long.

Karen-Leigh (who is looking for another Total Eclipse of the Heart)

Subject: [veniceplace] OT Sweater
Date: Thu, 28 Dec 2000 17:44:40 EST
From: KSchmo
Hello fellow apartment dwellers. I do not recall introducing myself when I moved in (memory goes first, pinched capillaries and all that). I am a solitary, misanthropic sort but you might have seen me lurking in the halls, scurrying past, eyes downcast hoping no one would speak and frighten me half to death. My apartment is lined with books (except for the view of our boys). Large comfortable couch, chairs suitable for curling up and reading. Huge bed with room for both Starsky & Hutch should they need a break from video cameras. I don't cook. If I can't grab it and eat it in one hand while reading forget about it. When I moved in I had two poodles (one died on Dec 15 - Jayar was 11 and went peacefully with me holding him) The remaining poodle Loki Beaurgegard is a mini black that thinks he is a great dane. Talk about alpha. I am 55 and idiosyncratic to say the least but reading letters from others in the building I realize that I am in good company at Venice Place. Still learning internet list ropes and screwing up occasionally but have found like minded people and a universe has opened up that is not as frightening as in person human contact. I am writing at this moment in a euphoric mood. Plus I am a good beta which earns me delightful gifts from grateful writers. hehe

Today I received my Starsky sweater knitted by Tracy the Knitter in New Zealand. It is absolutely beautiful. Of course I don't look as good as Starsky in it but I have wanted one for 25 years and tried to knit one for myself in '77 without success. I highly recommend her work. If I can get a picture and scan it up for you I will. I just love it. I found it here:
http://members.nbci.com/_XMCM/dellastreet/sh-sweater.htm
gibbering not so quietly to myself. I am thrilled and delighted and gushing all over the place. Yippeeeeeeeeee A sweater to go with my adidas (okay so they are black and white not blue - they bloody don't make blue anymore in that pattern but it goes with the sweater neatly) Watch for me as I strut my stuff through the halls in the New Year - the sweater will give me Starsky's courage. Now if I could only lose 60 pounds I would be in drag as Starsky every day of my life.

Other note: Having watched Starsky's swagger a lot lately I kept thinking I had seen it more recently on someone else. Over Christmas I watched Lethal Weapon 1 with Mel Gibson (now I had read write ups on his special way of walking) but when I saw him I thought hmmmmm he copied Starsky. Hasn't quite got the dance in the movement but close very close. Anyone else think that maybe Mel got to watch early Starsky and patterned himself just a teeny bit. That is all for now. Going off to prance in front of mirror some more.

Karen-Leigh