Date: Fri, 10 Jul 1998 11:42:42 -0400 (EDT)
From: bdiana
Subject: [VP] Another Introduction

Hello fellow tenants!

   Thanks to Flamingo I have been a member of your list for about 
a week now and feel I must offer an introduction (albeit, not 
nearly as dramatic as Linda's (re)introduction!). Then I saw the 
post about updating the intros and thought this was as good a 
time as any. I am originally from the LA area, and spent my first 
twenty five years pretty much in the places you see in S&H 
episodes (as well as hundreds of other TV shows). I watched the 
original S&H series in the seventies and fell in love with the 
characters and that relationship of theirs (I, like Cindy, have 
always been a fan of partners). I remember watching reruns in the 
early eighties, but still didn't own a VCR. When TNT started 
showing reruns, I swiftly acquired an entire set of episodes. A 
little over two years ago, through my discovery of the Internet, 
I became aware of the fandom,  and have since collected tons of 
zines (many more than will fit in a single laundry basket), music 
videos, interviews, etc., and have "met" several wonderful 
people.

   I work in the School of Natural Resources and Environment at 
the University of Michigan, where my husband is a professor. We 
have two children, the youngest of whom left home this year for 
college, thus thrusting me into the empty nest. I began searching 
for different ways to spend my "free" time and, while 
corresponding with a fellow fan, was very gently introduced to 
slash (thanks Beth). While I may still be sliding down that slope 
(or is it jumping off that cliff?), I have become intrigued with 
the way slash writers have a tendency to dig much deeper into the 
relationship, resulting in some very entertaining and well 
written stories.  I agree with Stacey's comment about "Mojave 
Crossing," which was one of my all-time favorite stories. Upon 
rereading it after I had read so much slash, it appears quite 
tame. (By the way, I think the name of the story in TLC was 
"Breath of Life," or something like that.)

   I have been having a great time reading all your colorful and 
witty comments. I get the feeling this house is inhabited by a 
wide range of fans: from those who haven't even viewed all the 
episodes yet, to those who know more about the show and the 
characters than maybe even DS and PMG themselves; I guess I 
belong somewhere in the middle. There also appears  to be members 
of other fandoms, but I am solely a S&H fan. A few observations: 
Thanks to Flamingo for her "color comments" as TNT reruns 
selected episodes--very observant of you!  I agree that Hutch 
picks up a milk carton from the bench in the locker room in "The 
Specialist," and what about the time he falls over the ropes when 
going one-on-one with the Omaha Tiger as an example of him being 
klutzy?  I also enjoy reading about women characters in stories 
about the guys, but not necessarily as love interests (although I 
have always wished we could know more about Sandra in Emmie 
Busch's "Vengeance is Mine;" from the little we learned about 
her, she seems ideal for Hutch, and likes Starsky as well). I 
also liked Linda Perillo in Beth's "Partners" as a  third party 
who seems to know a lot about the guys and how they feel about 
each other. I don't see a problem with women in slash writing, 
especially if they are there to enhance what we know about the 
relationship. Flamingo has used these third parties throughout 
her writing and I look forward to the introduction of this new 
character.

   It looks like I still have a lot to catch up on, for example, 
I am in the dark about the Crotch and Butt page, the RUMPus room, 
RJH's, and a few other terms, but I guess I will be filled in 
eventually :>. Thank you for inviting me to join you here and I 
look forward to meeting more of you, especially now that the 
intros are being updated.  

Barb
