Anne Stokes brought me to card collecting and eventually here. I also collect Zippo Lighters and Anne Stokes has a line of Zippos out, I've always loved her fantasy work, I'm a sci-fi/fantasy geek at heart so I've always loved the creativity in things. While looking around for Stokes Zippo's I came across her Collection Deck, which brought me to google, then Ellusionist, Theroy 11, and I was hooked on the variety and creativity. Being a fan of magic didn't hurt either and I'm kind of reliving my younger days in that respect.
Why here? Well I have to admit I poked around a few sites, but seemed to feel more at home here and was getting answers to my questions rather than being scoffed at as a noob. You guys have a great community, and I've said it before, I haven't been around long, but it feels like I have. Kudos to the powers that be and the community for sharing, helping and having a genuine interest in other members.
So thank you 
Aw, you're makin' me blush...
It's very easy to be dismissive to a n00b and make him feel like a leper. Given enough time, you get fewer n00bs that stay and become contributing members, and stagnation sets in, followed eventually by the death of the community.
It's even easier to remember that you, too, were once a newbie, a.k.a. a new member, a new enthusiast, as was everyone else, and to take pleasure in sharing knowledge with everyone and giving them respect as fellow enthusiasts. And the occasional ribbing on the LOLAQ... Everyone, right down to the very first poster, was at one time the new guy/gal - no member springs into existence with a hundred posts under their belt. I prefer empathy over derision, and the pleasure of growing this hobby we all enjoy so much. Granted, it gives me more people to compete with when trying to buy the next limited-edition deck, but I can live with that...
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