Dante, Gordo. I agree with Julia. Your hearts are such that you will always be beautiful to me, no matter what you may think of your outward appearances.

Julia, everyone. Expect lots of hugs from me too. Not sure how many of us will be standing up to hug though. ;)

Gordo. I am a total math geek!

I was just wondering, aren’t kids without BIID playing just the same? And then I thought… well, they probably do, but the emotions behind their play and ours must be different. What do you think about it? I must say that yesterday and today I was repressing again and it all felt like a dream. Maybe this is where those thoughts come from.

As for your looks, dear Gordo and Dante, I couldn’t care less. Looks are the least important thing in my opinion, the heart is the important thing. I found that this is hard to comprehend for men because they are usually quite focussed about women’s looks and can’t imagine that women are more searching for ‘the good heart’. Well, probably not all of us. But there’s a definite shift in interests when it comes to that point. And then.. well, we wouldn’t have to marry each other. *grins*

It happened quite often that I was talking with a friend about someone and said “He’s gorgeous, don’t you think?” and she just saw him and didn’t know him and said “Well… no.” and I was wondering what SHE saw in him and watched her change her opinion when she knew him better.
(btw, I like the average asian nerd :-p)
I usually take it for granted that a person is enough the way they are. Just enough. Well, I’ll end this topic now or I won’t end at all, I’m a bit of a philosopher when it comes to worth/self esteem/dignity-related topics. ;)

Thanks Sophie for the hint that it was only her friend, it has been so long ago I can’t even remember detail. I just found it can be downloaded as a free (and legal!) audiobook at librivox.org, it’s in the public domain. (Is it ok to post this sort of Links here? If not, just delete it, Sean!)

Right now I really feel like hugging you all. Be prepared if we indeed should meet somewhen… ;-D

And thanks for your compliments on my English, although I hope you believe me it was genuine insecurity and not fishing for them! ;)

Grazie, Gracias, Merci, Danke, Dank U, Arigato, Efcharisto, Obrigado, Thank you!!!

I also have a pretty good grasp of the Spanish language as well, I certainly add to the translation efforts.

Sophie, that grade sounds like the scores I was getting in my French classes!

I really liked Heidi too, cept the copy we had taped had the end cut off for some reason >.<

Things like playing doctors, or the ruler thing (At first I used to tie my leg with a bandage as if I were an amputee but then I discover that using a ruler to fix my knees makes me feel greater). Tv has a very strong impact too…to me Heidi was a little bit boring until the paraplegic friend appears.

The first thing I can remember related to BIDD is when I was a child I had flat feet and I needed to go to the orthopedic. There were a lot of wheelchairs, crutches… I thought that the people who need a wheelchair was because they hadn’t learnt to walk. In that moment I whished that never I’d learnt how to walk.

(it’s exhausting trying to express myself in english because they are the more strongs feeling I’ve ever had and if I have no words in spanish how can I say it in english)

Yeah – I would always think, “That’s not real!” It really destroyed the story’s suspension of disbelief.

I also had a fascination with books and tv shows about the disabled. I was always SO disappointed when they walked again!

While I’m usually trying to repress childhood memories, I do remember a particular habit I had (even in the hottest days of summer) of stuffing earmuffs with paper and then wearing them to try and simulate impairment, while it wasn’t quite clear to my parents what I was trying to accomplish, they still thought I was a bloody loon.

My aunt (who worked at a school especially for deaf/Deaf children) never seemed to pick up why I was so eager to go to all the special events with her, though…

It would be interesting to have ‘Transabled – LIVE!’, but I too, believe most of you all would be quite dissapointed at my appearances :p

As for Heidi, I remember watching both the animated version and the “real people” version.

We do have loads in common!

Childhood memories really get to me. That’s why Gordo’s play has an immediate emotional impact on me right from the beginning, because it starts with childhood. It never ceases to amaze me just how similar our childhood experiences have been.

I certainly relate to being embarrassed. I was extremely self conscious. On occasion there was a BIID connection. One morning, I think around eleven years old, I was bandaging up a leg so that I could spend the day thinking there was something wrong with it, the bandages being hidden under my clothes. My sister opened my bedroom door suddenly without knocking, to ask if I wanted to go ice skating with her. I said yes, but she said I couldn’t go if I’d hurt my leg that badly. I said I’d be fine. I was SO embarrassed! I would bandage a long ruler to my leg when nobody else was home, so that I couldn’t bend my knee.

It is indeed wonderful to know that we are not alone, Julia; that we have had the same thoughts, the same feelings, done the same things. The idea of meeting everyone in the same room is very emotional for me. The relief of not feeling alone, after so long; I think I would just sit and cry for the first hour.