My thoughts on people.

[JackHurst]

So yeah, all this stuff thats been going on recently, its caused a lot of unrest. I thought I'd give my honest opinions on a lot of members of this forum out in the open so I've got nothing to hide. Just want to get stuff off my chest really.

There really is a LOT of repetition in these posts, so sorry about that. I've also realised that I need to learn some more adjectives, as I must have used some at least 10 times here. The post is so long that I cba to proof read it at the moment, so apologies if there are any errors that create ambiguities.

I'll start with the guys I met at finals earlier this month. Obviously I can say too much about without spoilering.

Eoin-Really nice meeting you and your Dad at the finals, you're a great lad. Your handshake is mega!

Marcus-You know that all of the Hurst's love you to bits, need I say anything more?

Scott-Pleasure to meet you at the finals, you're a good guy. I honestly couldnt tell what you said to me once or twice, because I am not used to your accent!

Tom-I like you. We both like Leicester city FC. You like Leicester city FC a lot more than I like leicester city FC. This does not imply that you like yourself more than I like you though.

Dan Pati-King of cool

Now I'll move onto the people on the forum who I've got mainly positive stuff to say about

Dinos and Kirk- Both of you are awesome, top guys to be around. You've both taught me loads of cool words, some of which have proved to be invaluable. You are both my countdown Idols btw. Kirk more so as you'll always be the king of countdown in my eyes. I could say much more positive stuff about you two, but I want to try and keep the arse lickery to a minimum.

Charlie-Your great, you've helped me so much in terms of countdown skills, I owe pretty much everything to you, sorry I've sponged so much from you though. Equally as great a guy as Dinos and Kirk to be around. My one criticism is that on the forum you do come across as thinking you are always right, but having met you enough times in RL, I would say that its NOT a problem with you in person.

Ryan-Your a good laugh, also one of my good friends that I've made from here. I thought that after we got put into the sanctum together you became a little bit mean, but you've calmed down a bit now. Still, you could behave like a total wanker on here and I wouldnt mind, because you are so sound in real life.

Innis & Chris-All the times I've met you both you've been awesome, always a pleasure to play you both on apterous, and maybe one day at a co event. Once again Chris, I am sorry about what I said in the thread, and I hope you've not been disheartened by all this. You're a valuable member of the forum (as is Innis, whom may I add, is probably consistently one of the best posters on the forum in terms of consistently making valid and coherent observations) and I really respect they way you sometimes post stuff close you you on here or in aptochat. I would also like to add that I don't mind that you cheated on apterous, I think the fact that you had the determination and guts to go on the show and prove you could do it, winning the hardest ever series (IMO) more than makes up for the fact that you might have used extra help on apterous once or twice (A LONG TIME AGO, may I add).

Ben Hunter & Matt Morrison-You guys seem great, good humour, and just generally cool dudes. Both at the top of my "to meet" list.

Jim-YES JIM YOU ARE THE BEST PERSON EVER I FUCKING LOVE YOU

Jono-Without doubt one of the best people on the forum and one of the few I look up to. You are funny, you make good points, your pretty cool in real life, also the conscience of the sanctum.

Neb-Ben, I've only been to one of your events but it was fricking great, the times I have met you in real life you've been good company. My only problem is that when I invited you to come and watch me in the studios you never properly got back in touch!

Michael Wallace-Having not met you in RL or interacted with you much on the forum, I don't feel theres much I can say. You're posts can be insightful and funny, and you seem like an intelligent guy. I've got no problems with you whatsoever, and would like to meet you at some point.

Mike Brown-Always a pleasure to see you at the finals and at co events, you're a bit of a countdown stat machine, so its always good fun to speak to you about the miscellany of the show.

Howard-You are one of my favourites, such a nice and generally enthusiastic man. Always a pleasure to meet you, was a shame you were in Greece whilst I recorded most of my games! Really like your puzzles too

Dod-I think you're really funny, I have no problems with you at all. I think the only time I have talked to you was in a public toilet 0.o

Derek-Having met you a few times in real life you are a nice guy. Your clearly very shy, there's nothing bad about that. Im glad you came to CoLei. I did feel quite bad about the treatment you received on the forum before you left, as I didn't really think you deserved it. Sure you posted one or two terrible jokes, but you were just trying to make us like you! I say awful jokes all the time in real life and people don't give me grief about it.

Jeff-Like I said in your goodbye topic, sorry you've had to go through all this shitstorm, really wish you and Bee all the best.

James Robinson-Im not going to lie, you really annoyed me when you first burst onto the scene, and I was not a fan of you when you were on the show. However as time as gone on, I've realised that you are actually just a nice guy with a great enthusiasm for countdown. Your recapping is neverending, and your pretty fucking awesome on apterous now. Its a shame you didnt find apterous before going on the show because you might have got a bit further. I really hope I get to meet you in real life at one point.

Damian-A really nice guy all the times I've met you, and you do an awesome job producing the show. Really grateful for you letting me on the show, sorry about the whole shitface thing though, but hey any publicity is good publicity right? The one problem I have are the digs you have at James on apterous and the forum. I don't know the full story between you two (if there is one at all), but James seems like a nice guy with a real passion for countdown and I don't think he deserves the (perhaps its only one or two) slaggings off you've given to him. But yeah, thats only a small thing as James himself doesn't even seem to be bothered about it. Keep up the good work on the show, and may it prosper for many more year!

Matt Bayfield-You're awesome. The times I have met you you are a perfect gent, and a good conversationist. I really hope you decide to go on the show one day, you'd be great fun to watch, and I actually think you'd do quite well, and (more importantly) you'd really enjoy it!

Ian Dent- Ian you seem like a perfectly nice person to me, just a little shy. I only briefly met you at CoLin so didnt have chance to form an opinion, but I don't have any problems with you at all.

Jimmy-You've been making a lot of good points on here in the aftermath of this whole sanctum explosion. You're a good guy, you seem very moral, which is always a good thing, and I'd still look forward to meeting you one day. No need to be paranoid of what people think about you!

Richard Priest-Always nice to meet you, really glad you could make it to watch my games, always nice to have that support! Felt really good for you when you won mini CoLei in July, I could see it meant something to you to win, especially to beat Kirk.

Now the few people who I've mostly got negative stuff to say to.

Jon-When I first joined this forum, I sort wanted to be like you. You'd done well on the show, and you regularly contributed to the forum. People seemed to respect and look up to you. However, having frequented the forum for quite a long time, I can honestly say I feel that way no longer. You are one of the members whom I most despise. You're always right and you are a moral hero. The annoying thing is that your clearly very used to posting on forums and knowing what to put when a situation turns sticky. You always seem to come out on top in any arguments just by sheer force. It seems to me like you spend a lot of time on this forum, and spend a lot of time crafting your posts when you need them to be good. Don't get me wrong, a lot of the time you make valid points and you can be really funny, you do contribute A LOT of positive stuff to the forum. I want to comment on your views on Chris, however AFAIK you've not met him in real life, and seeing though I am posting this about you having not met you properly, that would be hypocritical (there are probably at least seven points I have made in this post that you can show up to make me a hypocrite anyway though). I've always suspected you have a problem with me, which in all honesty has probably contributed to my disliking of you. Your recent posts in the sanctum (I actually cant tell if they are jokes or not though) also suggest you've got a problem with Dinos for APOLOGISING. It seems like you are forbidding him from having a moral conscience, I mean what the fuck man, you can't control what he does (your digs at him in the sanctum suggest that that is what you are (loosely) trying to do), it really is fucking horrendous. Honestly, get over yourself, your head is so far up your own fucking arse. Get a life. Your avatar is the gayest avatar I've ever seen on a forum.
But look, just as a disclaimer, I'm only saying this based on how you behave on C4C, which clearly is probably not a full/accurate representation of you as a person, so It could be the case that you'd be as sound as everyone else mentioned above in the topic, but if you're like you are on here, then probably not. Thats a disclaimer covering pretty much everything apart from the avatar, I'll still always think thats its shit. (BTW I know mine is probably much worse)

Matt Green- You are a complete cunt on the forum, one or two things you posted were fucking hilarious, but most of the time I did not understand your humour. Like I said about Corby, your probably a great guy in real life, but, forum wise, you are probably the person I despised the most (well, definitely my most despised sanctum member).

Marc-Dont want to say too much about you, but you clearly have mental issues and I do hope they get sorted. For everyones sake.

RB-I've never really understood you properly. I don't know if you have mental health issues or just a very warped sense of humour. I think the view on you is pretty much universal, so I need say no more.

Gillard-Don't get me wrong, your probably as nice as most people on here in real life, but you annoy the fuck out of me on apterous. Nobody gives a fuck if you were just 3 seconds away from beating your personal best in hypergoatnundrum attack, seriously. I think what makes you annoying is that you are constantly seeking attention because you want people to see how clever you are. In all honesty Adam, I think if you were on the next series, you'd be the favourite to take it (as long as Edward wasn't there). I hope that shuts you up a bit.


So there you go. Thats what I think of people. Theres loads of people I've missed out, mostly those of you who I've not really had much interaction with. Pretty much all the the negatives I have to say are up there, so yeah thats my take on people.

Comments and discussion much appreciated.

[Dinos Sfyris]

I know it's a bit rubbish just echoing what people have already said but "This! And absolutely all of this!" (even the negatives but I've already had my main vent at Corby in the sanctum. Just basically stop shitting on people's feelings, Jon.)

Also to further what Jack has said:

Howard and Rich, as I've told you before you are my best buds of Countdown. I think you're both terrific friends and if I had space I'dve invited you both to the wedding this Saturday. Howard is the most amazing old person I know and I hope the 3 of us continue on our adventures for another 69 years!

Also I've already met MWM and Ben Hunter so I will just add the word "again" to the end of what Jack put. You guys are legends and Ben is a hero of medical testing.

Ben Wilson and Jono - I've always had massive respect for you both and now I have even more for you. I think you've been the voices of reason in the Sanctum regarding the whole Sanctum debacle.

Karen Pearson - I think you're the unsung hero and matriarch of this board that keeps us all together. You and I have had some really nice talks and you always cheer me up when I'm down. I'm actually blubbering like a baby as I type this but I honestly wish my mum were more like you!

Shit I need a lie down!

[Rhys Benjamin]

RB

Me or Brittain?

[Ryan Taylor]

This sentimental bullshit should be in the UnSanctum.

[Howard Somerset]

I don't want to go into a description of exactly how I feel about everyone here; I'll simply say that I really do value the friendship of you all. In spite of some of the recent acrimony, it's one of the most friendly forums I've known, and I really do thank all for the welcome I received when I joined.

There's just one specific thing already said here that I really have to endose, and that is Eoin's handshake. It really is awesome. I'll say nothing futher about that, in case I inadvertently say something once again that can be deliberately mis-interpreted, Dinos.

[David Williams]

This sentimental bullshit should be in the UnSanctum.

Lose the t-shirt.

[Ryan Taylor]

This sentimental bullshit should be in the UnSanctum.

Lose the t-shirt.

Homophobe.

[Karen Pearson]

Karen Pearson - I think you're the matriarch. I wish my mum were more like you!

Thanks for the kind words Dinos (and you know the feelings are reciprocated) but it does make me feel a bit ancient!
But please don't cry because it always sets me off if someone else starts crying!

I have avoided so far expressing my views on this week's revelations but here goes. Regardless of anyone's views of whether the sanctum should exist, whether whatever was said was in jest etc, it cannot be denied that people's feelings have been hurt. We will never all like everybody else, whether on this forum, at work or wherever. However, we could just treat others as we'd like to be treated ourselves and just respect each others' different views, hobbies etc. I think, in 10 or 20 years' time, one or two people will cringe when they think about things they've said. And, please don't think me a sanctimonious prick because I can assure you there are things I said when I was in my teens and 20s that still make me cringe today!

I like this forum. I think it has an interesting mix of people, most of whom seem very nice and all of whom are genuinely passionate about Countdown. But maybe, when people feel the urge to write something nasty or critical, they could sleep on it and then decide the next day whether it is really necessary.

[Andy Wilson]

This message is boring.

I'm really pissed off that people might lose friends over this. I hope anyone who has been stung might come round eventually. I don't think anyone should hesitate to apologise to anyone if they feel like they want to either publicly or privately. This a brilliant little community. A bunch of people who like a TV show enough to celebrate it as much as you all have. People who appear to have become actual important parts of each other's lives. That is really fantastic. James Doohan is the only person I talk to really regularly online and I met him playing apterous. It makes sense because we get on really well and it's not feasible to just hook up due to proximity, so we keep in touch via online chat and there's no one else in my life that I talk to so regularly online. It's been fecking lovely to have him to chat to now for the last 18 months or whatever and long may it continue. Thank you very much C4C. I'm pissed off that I've wasted time getting involved in personal disputes and I'm sorry for meddling something that really isn't any of my business in this whole craic, but I guess if you use this forum then it is to an extent your business.

I also feel bad for those who have been hurt before and probably mostly for Derek, probably because along wth Mike he's the current joint holder of title of 'longest actual in the flesh conversation of anyone I've met through c4c' but also because he's kinda been treated pretty roughly in fairness. Even though the nasty stuff on his offtopic site (which he went to the trouble of creating and maintaining, thus taking people that were too boring or thin skinned or just too nice maybe for here away from the forum) was all unearthed to give it a bad name (thus scaring people away from it, serving to drive some of em closer to this forum again), I don't recall him ever saying anything nasty about anyone and aside from his jokes, his contribution should have been valued more on here in my opinion. Then, I suppose you left here of your own accord Derek, right? Anyway, I've said it before, but I reckon you should just stroll back in like you never even left, if you can swallow it.

I'm a painfully sensitive bloke at times as I embarrassingly demonstrated with my little online public breakdown a few months ago and I hate gossip even though I probably do it more than I realise. Anyone who gossips with you, will probably gossip about you, though. I've been an awful cunt in the past and I don't doubt that if i'd been inside in the sanctum i'd probably be apologising for something I'd said by now.

And Jesus I really wanted to say something about all this before but held off because surely we all have more interesting sh!t to be worrying about than what people may or may not have said behind someone's back. This will blow over, eventually, i hope. I'd still appeal to Richard and/or Derek to remove the private stuff that's on Gandiseeg and, not that I really contributed anything lately anyway, I reckon I have to cancel my user account because of it. Sorry Derek.

The really important thing about friendship is the presence that that person has in your life at a particular time, right? It doesn't matter how long or how well you know them, if they are doing you good, making you happy and looking out for you.

[Jon Corby]

FWIW Jack, I don't know where you've got the idea from that I don't like you. (I've possibly just gone off you a touch now though.) Seriously, if there's something I've put that you feel you'd like an explanation for, go for it. If it's that I didn't comment at all on your shows, then I'm sorry but it's because I didn't see them. I fell out of the habit of recording and watching the shows a few months back, and never got back into it. I was going to make an effort to watch them because my dad had said you were great, but alas I hadn't. Other than that, I have no idea. I'd answer your other points, but I'm not sure what they are. I take a long time over posts? I know what to write to come out of it okay? What can I say to that? (Other than obviously I don't if "I'm the person you despise the most".)

Nice list though.

What the fuck is going on round here?

[Jon Corby]

Just basically stop shitting on people's feelings, Jon.)

What are you talking about? Whose feelings have I shat on?

[Charlie Reams]

Jack Hurst probably my favourite person who doesn't know the difference between your and you're.

[Ryan Taylor]

Jack Hurst probably my favourite person who doesn't know the difference between your and you're.

Twat.

[Gavin Chipper]

You're always right and you are a moral hero. The annoying thing is that your clearly very used to posting on forums and knowing what to put when a situation turns sticky. You always seem to come out on top in any arguments just by sheer force.

Jon, I like you (as I like most people on here) but I can't help but see an element of truth in this. The closest I came to touching on it was probably here but when there's an argument that's gone on a bit too long and it's probably time to start resolving things, I think you're like a dog with a bone.

[Jon Corby]

You're always right and you are a moral hero. The annoying thing is that your clearly very used to posting on forums and knowing what to put when a situation turns sticky. You always seem to come out on top in any arguments just by sheer force.

Jon, I like you (as I like most people on here) but I can't help but see an element of truth in this. The closest I came to touching on it was probably here but when there's an argument that's gone on a bit too long and it's probably time to start resolving things, I think you're like a dog with a bone.

Yeah, I don't disagree with that bit at all, it's completely fair comment. I'm aware I can be a bit of a nightmare when I think I've got a point, and I like to feel it's been acknowledged and if I feel it hasn't been accepted I do hammer it home. If I'm allowed to offer some defence, I do feel I've apologised publicly to people when I've been too harsh on them, and I had to backtrack in a very embarrassing way in that discussion with Kieran Child about his cups trick. So I think I can be fair as well, and I won't just try and "come out on top through sheer force" if I think that I've been wrong. Obviously though, I won't think that's very often!

The rest of it was a bit of a surprise, but hey, never mind. Jack's perfectly entitled to his opinion, and he's certainly not the first (and doubtless won't be the last) person on here to hate my guts. I honestly don't know why he thought I didn't like him though. I don't even know the guy, and I actually can't remember ever making a comment about him personally. I did make a post in The Sanctum (fuck it, might as well discuss it here, it'll be on gandiseeg if it isn't already) saying that I could see why it looked so bad, since there has been a flood of new threads/posts from the newest intake about completely 'harmless' people, where they've been unnecessarily harsh in what looks like a bid to 'join in' and copy the same style of threads which were about people there was genuine dislike for. I'd say Jack's been as guilty as anybody of this, although of course, he loved them all really, as he's just said above. And I'm certainly an easy target if you want to distance yourself from the "nasty guys" and say that you like everybody really. Not that I'm suggesting that as his motivation, I'm not that stupid/arrogant that I think I'm un-hateable!

(FTR this was what I posted in The Sanctum to Dinos where I'm trying to control him and forbid him having a moral conscience:

Let me explain that in a bit more detail:

1. You can't go blaming other people for your posts. This isn't some 'gang' where you have to toe the party line, or risk being slung out. You don't have to 'go along with the crowd', if you didn't want to say something, you didn't have to. Be your own person, make your own stand, nobody's going to get all annoyed and start saying "Well we're all slagging this/that off, but Dinos is quiet on this subject, perhaps he doesn't agree with us, maybe he doesn't belong in here".

2. You've just admitted liking Sue Sanders. She is the sworn enemy of The Sanctum. That's not on. You're either with us, or you're against us. All or nothing. We can't permit this kind of weakness in the group. That's the way it is. So either get with the programme, or... well, you know the consequences.

See if you can spot the oh-so-very-subtle joke that Jack obviously missed....)

[Andy Wilson]

The world is weird. Tonight I was sat with some mates in the pub and I was bored so I went off to mingle and left my scarf with the lads. By the time i'd got back the lads were gone and so was my scarf. I was sat ten yards away but the pub was flowing and they didn't bother to say goodbye. I automatically assumed, given the company, that one of em (my housemate and seriously good mate were among the bunch) had taken it for safe keeping. I got home to my housemate who said they all just left and he didn't remember any scarf taking. Wankers. It's a limited edition, the only run ever made, UCD AFC scarf. Honestly, this club has so few fans no one ever bothered to make scarves except for a bunch of dudes I used to do a fanzine with and we got a load of scarves made and dished em out to put a bit more colour in the ground. I've actually left it in the same pub before and got it back, but it's highly likely that I will never see it again. Yerrah, it's only a scarf.

Anyway, I also had a conversation with my second cousin who I haven't seen since I was about 12, on facebook, after he commented on a video i'd posted, and we just started off, just like that, picking up where we left off, me an adult for the first time in our conversational history. It was awesome. Brief and all, but awesome. I was too busy to chat and shit. But I can't wait to again.

My friend Lynda also texted a guy she fancied by accident. She was texting his mate asking if he was really single, as she'd heard he had a thing for him. That should speed things up. She was mortified though. Bleedin' morto as they'd say in Dubland. Feckin' scarlih. She wrote a song about communication and all which i think is very funny, under the circumstances. (here she is playing it in Korea http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfuJ2BAuYHY )

Things happen fast these days. A little too fast maybe, but sure we'll try to keep up with one and other.

[Andy Wilson]

Related: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAG18UUD ... 9&index=35

[Jon Corby]

Jimmy-You've been making a lot of good points on here in the aftermath of this whole sanctum explosion. You're a good guy, you seem very moral, which is always a good thing

Except for when you cross the boundary into 'moral hero', of course. I still hold out hope that one day you'll like me again Jack, after all you seem pretty fucking fickle (you are going to keep your list updated, aren't you?) You've slagged off several of your "I think you're super-awesome" list behind their back, let's face it that's the only reason you started this bizarre thread.

Quite why you then felt the need to lay into me, I'm still baffled. I basically said to Dinos that I thought his apology in this thread was a bit lame. That was it. I certainly didn't have a go at him just for apologising, I was actually the one urging people to go and make their apologies if they felt they needed to, rather than waiting for people to pop up and say they're hurt. Oh, and then I made that BLATANT JOKE post that I replicated above. Dinos seemed to think I have some vendetta against him (no idea where that's come from) so he then had a go at a character assassination culminating in telling me to "go fuck myself". Remember, I'm the bad guy here, I'm the one shitting on people's feelings.

You decided this wasn't enough, and wanted to really go for it, and in public too. Why? Seriously, if you had such a problem with me, why didn't you bring it up before? Perhaps a more private setting might have been more appropriate, too? But no, I've got a good half-page on here, where you've really wanted to get it across that you hate me, but without actually providing much in the way of "why" that I can answer back to. You touched on the Chris Davies thing, but didn't actually make any sort of point (FTR it wasn't "once or twice" he cheated either, it was a very deliberate prolonged campaign - but I don't want to go more into that in public as I already said in about my second or third post in that thread). But again, at least I haven't been two-faced about it. You're the one having to scrub around going "this is what I really think about you, I didn't mean that other stuff even though I also wrote that". I'd be wondering how I can really tell which is your honest opinion, personally.

But yeah, I'm the bad guy. Again.

[Adam Gillard]

Gillard: you are constantly seeking attention because you want people to see how clever you are

Comments and discussion much appreciated.

You'll be pleased to hear that I am trying to tone down the whole "I just achieved X on apterous" thing (I was doing pretty well until I couldn't resist posting in the chat about something last night). Oh, and some poor soul missed out on a Countdown mug because you wanted people to see how clever you are (FIRSTBORN). But I think your assessment of me is totally understandable from what you've seen and pretty accurate in any case. People do seem to think I'm a nice person, and I'm humbler in real life than I have been on apterous. I see where you're coming from, so I'll try to be less annoying in terms of bragging or going on about PBs and pencils. I can imagine if I was less annoying I wouldn't have made your list.

[Ryan Taylor]

Gillard: you are constantly seeking attention because you want people to see how clever you are

Comments and discussion much appreciated.

Oh, and some poor soul missed out on a Countdown mug because you wanted people to see how clever you are (FIRSTBORN).

Even though I don't like you that much, I thought his was pretty lulz.

[Charlie Reams]

I like both Jack Hurst and Jon Corby.

[Michael Wallace]

I like turtles.

[Ben Wilson]

I like turtles.

I like Jack Hurst, Jon Corby and turtles.

[Richard Priest]

This is getting like a therapy session......

I'm glad I joined the forum a couple of years ago and to have attended the CO events.There were a couple of people I was a little wary of at first, but having met them in real life I've found them to be decent people.Best mates (as has been mentioned) are Dinos and Howard, and I've had some good natters with those around my age group e.g. Mike, Karen and Lesley.But I enjoy bumping into everyone from time to time and there's been no-one I'd say I particularly detest. My only regret is that something that's essentially a daytime quiz show can cause so much acrimony, but hey ...