Introducing Me!

[Victoria]

Following Stephane's nimble lead, and having been congratulated via PM on my 1000th post (which I knew I was nearing, but had no idea I had "hit" Wednesday night), I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself to RWG. Finally.

Let me tell you a story.

Two, actually. One is a grandpa story. And one is a Christmas story. Ready?

My mother's father was a severe old German gentleman of the Old School.

He didn't suffer fools gladly, and wasn't in the habit of holding his peace about any opinion he had in life. He was also one of those persons who believes that their taste is not just "an opinion" or reflection of what they like -- but that his taste was absolute. He was 100% convinced that his taste was good taste simply because it was.

Try as I might, opinionated as I am, I grew up very different from him, but back to the story.

This old gentleman with a duelling scar on his cheek had many passions, which took the form of collecting. So, when I was a child, I used to enter his bedroom and sneak up to an enormous black ornate "Schrank" (wardrobe) in that heavy German style, which looks like a mini-cathedral. It rises up and up and up, ending in a spirelike point of charred blackness, and it's very scary. But scary-good.

I knew I wasn't allowed there all alone, but I got up on a chair, opened the Schrank, and there before me was displayed a case in heavily polished wood, with all his watches twinkling inside even in the darkness. They looked better than any doll I had ever gotten, and twice as good as any candy.

(Which, by the way, I hate. So no chocs and roses for me on our first date, okay?)

He died not soon after that memory, but not before one day, sitting me on his lap, and unlocking his little watch treasure trove and showed me all his watches. I wish I could tell you what they were, but one, a solid piece of meshed steel had one word on it which I struggled to pronounce.

So grandfather did it for me, "Longines".

Long after I went to bed that night, I kept repeating the word Longines in my head. To this day, I don't think there is a more alluring word anywhere in the world. Lohnnn-zheennnn. Magic.

-

I am about 5 years-old and living in Canada with my parents. Dad's profession took us all over the world, and that year we had landed in TO, as the cool people call Toronto.

It's snowing that Christmas eve, and we're doing some last minute shopping, I THINK in Eaton Centre, but I am not sure since it's a child's memory: at once deeply acute about certain details, and hazy about others -- you remember the kind of thing, don't you?

I am standing in front of a glass case, and inside is a a Mickey Mouse watch.

It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen, especially the cute hand pointing up sideways to the hour markers, but I didn't know the terms back then. I just stared.

I cannot tell you how much I wanted to own that watch, but instinctively the way children had, you knew when not to ask for something of your parents: then young, struggling kids themselves.

Rushing back to my parents side, because back then children roamed around all by themselves, and no one thought a thing about that, I grabbed my father by the hand and looked up.

Whatever it was that he sensed, and he's not a very perceptive man admittedly, he bent down and asked me what was wrong. Didn't say anything. Just led him to the case, and pointed to the Mickey watch.

But the story isn't a happy ending one, because when we left Eaton Centre, I didn't have my Mickey Mouse watch, after all.

Guess the parents really couldn't afford it, for what they said was, "Santa will be upset because he's already gotten you a present. You don't want to upset Santa, do you?".

I understood. I sucked up the tears, and childish disappointment, and grabbed both my parents' hands as we walked out together from the mall, happily.

Later that night, I was staring out of my bedroom window, with a knot in my throat. Such a silly thing, I was, looking back on myself. But there we are.

When I got down from the window sill, I looked on my bed, and there was a package...with my Mickey Mouse watch.

To this day, I don't know how my mother or father did it, because I was with them the whole time afterwards, but as long as I live, nothing that they've ever given me meant so much as that watch.

I may not believe in Santa Claus today. But I deeply believe in the power of family.

If you want to know who I am, that's who I am above.

Pleased to meet you.

[cornerstone]

Cheers for the great intro!

Don't get me wrong - when you opened the wardrobe I was hoping for Narnia, but a box of watches will do.....

[FxrAndy]

Concratulations on 1000posts and thanks for the story. Do you still have the watch?

[KB]

An only child Victoria?

I know how they did it we do it with our girl all the time..........but you need good sales staff to pull it off.

Great write up and congrats on 1000 post's.

Ken

[slay]

"...duelling scar on his cheek...."

So he was a frat boy?! 3 of my friends got those scars aswell.

In america, when you want to join a fraternity, you have to run around naked or some other stupid chicken stuff the like, in germany they carve your face open so EVERYONE will ALWAYS see that you are a frat brother

[Victoria]

Cheers for the great intro!

Don't get me wrong - when you opened the wardrobe I was hoping for Narnia, but a box of watches will do.....

LOL! Well, wardrobes are very mysterious things. They're like missing socks, leap years and girls all rolled into one.

@Kenberg: How did you suss that out? ...typical only child, me. Spoilt rotten, too mature for her age, etc. And if you can tell me the sleight of hand my parents did with the watch, I'd appreciate it! It's been bugging me all these years (as you can see).

@Nanuq: Thanks buddy! *shakes vigourously*

@to all who replied so far, thanks!!

[Victoria]

Concratulations on 1000posts and thanks for the story.

Thanks, Andy.

Do you still have the watch?

Damn skimpy!

@Usil: When you've been raised on Hollywood classics, your whole life is a happy ending (no Godard there!). Merci!

[Usil]

Nice stories. I like happy endings.

Usil

[jkarpas]

wow... great intro V, very artistic!

i really enjoyed it.

congrats on the 1000 posts may your pams be 1000 one day too !

[By-Tor]

Nice story Vic, thanks for sharing.

My first watch was an automatic Longines as well. A gift from my dad.

[Steve G]

That was a nice story. I was having a crappy day at work, so I use RWG as an escape, your story cheered me. Welcome aboard. I have a 2 year old daughter that seems facinated with my watch box. I wonder if the day will come she will long for Mickey or Minnie on her wrist.

[sssurfer]

Can't tell you enough how I appreciated this heart disclosure of yours, Clarice! -- oops, Victoria.

Out of joke, the quid pro quoad thing still holds. And as you gave us your tale, I have to assume that you also might be feeling as this board gave you something too. Or that we have ears to hear, at least. And this made me especially glad.

Welcome to your 1K, I bet it won't go long before your Powermax!

[TK471]

What's amazing is the number of posts in such a short amount of time. You make me feel guilty!

[dluddy]

Nice story Victoria. Congrats on the post count. Halfway to Powermax and the secret password

[Stephane]

Congrats Mademoiselle.

Very cute stories.

Nice share.

Cheers

Stephane

[KB]

It's all done with the eyes Victoria, I would suggest your Father had locked in on a senior (this typically wont work with junior) staffing member before you even had him at the watch.

Ken

[vlydog]

Great story Victoria! Thank you for sharing. One of my fondest memories as a child was the gift of a watch. Maybe that is why a lot of us are here. You continue to make this forum a beautiful place to be.

Best, Vlydog

[Kollektor]

Enjoyed it Vic. Nice to meet you, Ma'am.

[TheDukeZip]

Geez Vic you're making me cry over here. Seriously. Be understanding of the sensitive young men in the house.

Great story though.

[Victoria]

Nice story-thanks for sharing. Nice family convictions as well

Thank you so much, Star! I'm sure you've noticed but I am very close to my parents. There are specific reasons for that at the moment, of which I won't trouble RWG, but let's just say they are ever on my mind.

Having good parents is half the battle in life.

All I can ask is....are you sure there wasn't a large strap collection sitting aside that MM watch in the display case?

LOL! You know, he did have an enormous handkerchief collection. I mean, hundreds. That must've been his strap equivalent.

[Victoria]

wow... great intro V, very artistic!

i really enjoyed it.

congrats on the 1000 posts may your pams be 1000 one day too !

Efharisto, Jkarpas!!

Now, I don't want to flood the group with replies the same way I did in the Strap Caper thread; that was, of course, a special debut thread. But I would like to personally thank you below, individually.

@By-Tor: Thanks, sweetie. ...not sure I ever told you this, but you are my review benchmark -- all of us who follow your steps, can only hope to approach in terms of expertise and presentation. Sometimes I wish you had more catholic tastes in watches, so you could review more models!

@Steve G: When I read your comment earlier, it made me so happy. This forum is also an escape valve for me, though I don't have a stressful job like you and others do. But that we all come here to enjoy and relax is a priority! P.S.: Watch lovers transmit their genes to their offspring, look at By-Tor and me in just a few replies. I'm sure your daughter will be bitten by the bug, with or without Mickey!

@SSSurfer: My adorato. ...a nonpareil man on the board like you is one of the reasons I come to this forum, and you're right that it gives me much in terms of knowledge and happiness -- you said a very true word.

@TK471: Not at all! I just talk a lot, and in case you haven't noticed (which everyone perhaps now has), I was a born-writer. Writing is like breathing...or sex.

@dluddy: Ooh, Powermax password eh? That's like new Prime Ministers being given the secret password to the Tower of London every morning (the only other one having access to it, being the Queen!).

@Stephane: As ever, thanks!

@Kenberg: I have to remember that, when I become a mother, Ken. If I can bid at auctions without seemingly moving a muscle, I can do the same with shop clerks.

(Con't, next post)

[Victoria]

Great story Victoria! Thank you for sharing. One of my fondest memories as a child was the gift of a watch.

Maybe you should start a thread asking people how they become interested in watches. We might find out we started younger than we think.

Maybe that is why a lot of us are here.

I'm sure it is.

You continue to make this forum a beautiful place to be.

Thanks, Vlydog. You're such a wonderful member yourself, but you don't get a lot of compliments because you're not a babbling brook unlike me.

But just to say that's what makes this forum so great. A LOT of unheralded people go to making it a superb forum.

@Kollektor: Great as ever chatting with you, Kollektor. Speaking of forums, I'm glad you're over at Repgeeks too, and the vibe there is growing on me too. Each forum we frequent certainly gives us something different, and worthwhile.

@TheDukeZip: When someone can make a grown man cry with the mere power of reading some words on a monitor, that person should be very honoured. And I am, TDZ. Thanks so much for the comment!

Perhaps this is TMI, but yeah, I was crying when I wrote the last line. I'm such a softy.

[Raijor]

I hope my children look back on their childhood with memories so alive. I think your parents did a wonderful thing that day in creating a lifetime memory for you. You have a way of sharing that is very special. I hope you write more and share again. Cheers

[Victoria]

I hope my children look back on their childhood with memories so alive.

I know they will.

My parents are both professionals, and all during my childhood, they were rarely able to give me a lot of time -- my father especially. That's a big price people pay in the modern age, when you are go-getting types, wanting successful careers.

Even so, every Sunday was family day. They condensced 6 days worth of fun, memories, physical affection (very important), and family intimacy into that one day. My mother established a hard rule -- no one argued on a Sunday, and never at the dinner table.

We saved that for the other days.

I think your parents did a wonderful thing that day in creating a lifetime memory for you. You have a way of sharing that is very special. I hope you write more and share again. Cheers

Thank you so much, Raijor.

Whenever I saw news footage of the mothers going crazy over Cabbage Patch dolls in the 1980s, I laughed, agreeing it was crazy consumerism.

But a little part of me understood 'cause I imagine disappointing your child is the worst feeling a person can have.

[sayiiimd]

Heartwarming story.

I had almost the EXACT same experience with a digital Star Wars watch that my parents 'refused' to get me for my birthday because I 'couldn't tell time' on a traditional watch.