So I noticed that the chat room this year was not as awesome as it was last year. I miss the times when we would go in to the chat room outside of the racing stuff and just hang out and chat. It did not always have to be racing related, but even when it was is was not during a race so there was not a lot of trying to place or decide what was wrong with the car or decisions being made, blah blah blah… And then there was the Q & A sessions they started. We only had 3 plus that pointless impromptu one at the Chicagoland race because you’d think Todd would that no one goes into the chat room that early. But this year they half attempted to renew the Q & A thing with their “rebranded” page and their segment The Pit Stop. Only got 4 videos in between the time they started and the end of the season, but only 2 of those videos were actually Q & A type videos. Don’t start something unless you want to finish it, or at least really give it a chance to work. And to be perfectly honest, while I’m at it, I really hated being cut off from the chat logs. They really made my life a little simpler when it came to recording the race day chats so that maybe I could actually enjoy watching the race and not just have to focus on making sure I get everything. And some will say why don’t you just copy and paste the race related stuff or skip the negative stuff…well the answer is it’s enough to have to copy and paste straight through, but to have to decipher as I go along what should stay or what should go would just be a lot more hassle and a lot more distracting. So after losing the chat logs, I found myself in a difficult place for if I wanted to go to a race and somehow get the chat recorded, so I had to improvise. I decided to try recording the screen and while that seemed to work, it depended on having a steady internet connection which most of the time I could handle if I was home, but could not be fixed if I was at a race or just out. Of course the screen recorder program that I used took forever to produce the final video once I edited it for time and such, so it was generally always the day after the race before I could get it up, so it was always best to copy and paste anyway, so that I could put something up after the race. As time went by fewer people went to the site I have for the chat logs and there were only a couple views on the recordings. So that being said I do not know if I will continue to copy and paste and/or record the chats, which is probably what the team wants anyway and why they haven’t just come out and said it, I do not know. The same basically goes for putting up the videos of when Bobby has an interview or such. I mean for a while it was great when some people would know that I would put it up, but lately it’s been kind of annoying and I hate when I’m not able to because of a DVD malfunction or if I did not know about an interview in time or what-not because then I feel like I’m letting people down, when I really should not feel like that. I wonder why sometimes how it came to be me and how did I get myself sucked into this mess…
And then there’s this whole TMS Fan Crew thing that I actually joined a while ago, but have been unable or too tired to really participate in. I mean if I was at the track I tried to post a couple photos of the TMS drivers but that was about it. I began to wonder why JTGD didn’t start something like the TMS thing. I mean they had seemed to get a start in 2011 when they brought in the chat room and trying to connect with the fans, but from there it sort of died off and it never seemed to really pick up. I mean sure we get a pretty good number of participants in the chat, although there are lots that log in and never say anything, at all. Which I suppose is fine, but couldn’t they at least say hi or wish Bobby/the team good luck or something? Anyway, so this past weekend, after the truck and Cup races, the TMS Fan Crew had a couple of Google+ hangouts and I must say it was the most fun I had all year when it came to chatting with other fans, except I suppose maybe Martinsville in which Bobby did well. It just reminded me of how much fun we had last year in the chat as I explained earlier. And though I didn’t say much, because well I’ve gotten used to the side-lines and not getting much chance to share my opinion without getting shut down, I really felt a part of the group. Even though I didn’t really know that others that were in the chat, I felt comfortable with them and letting me be myself. I haven’t felt that in quite some time. So I thank them for that. And I want to thank them for creating something where the fans can work together to put projects together and what-not. It was quite difficult to get some help a couple times this season when I had internet trouble or was at a race. Just was waiting for someone to take initiative and just copy and paste and I only ever got one person to help a couple times. To say I’m disappointed is an understatement. Just says to me that what I was doing was pointless and worthless. I hate that worthless feeling, I really do. And I added a lot of Kasey fans as friends this year and I joined some great groups, one being Kahnefanatics....we're all about Kahne-ology. It was a great group until I defended Brad D and crossed some lines and upset some people and I just want to apologize for that. So I ended up leaving every KK group I had joined just because I should never have joined them in the first place. I’m not fit to be around good fans. I should have just stuck with being a Bobby fan. There are times I wish I had stayed just that and not liked JTG-D. I learned a long time ago not to trust teams and somewhere along the lines I let my guard down, but it’s too late to change that now. I’ve made a commitment to JTG-D and I intend to stick by them no matter how much they frustrate me sometimes. I’ve come to appreciate the crew members over the last couple of years as well and no matter my final decision in the end should Bobby retire or is no longer with JTG-D, I will always have faith in the crews.
So after all that, this is what I came to about what I am planning to do. I have no idea what I am going to do. I plan on relaxing during this ‘off-season’ and trying to catch up on what I missed all year. Once I get some sleep and catch up on my homework, I plan on trying to decide how I want to approach the next season. Seeing as how I’ll be done with school the beginning of March and wanting to move and getting a job, it might be difficult to keep up the first part of season, so I’m not sure how involved I will or can be. If I ever tell anyone what I’m doing, I’m not sure. I’ve reached a point where I have to decide whom I can trust and who are my true friends. I have a feeling I’ve been blind for too long, too caring to see the truth.
On another note, I hope that everyone has a safe and happy holiday season. My your lives be filled with family, friends, laughter, and love.