As of January 1, 2019, we have closed our forums. This is a decision we did not come to lightly, but it is necessary. The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk. The server software itself must be updated, and it cannot be without removing the forums.
So it is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our long-running forums. They came online in 2000 and brought together so many wonderful Disney fans. We had friendships form, careers launch, couples marry, children born ... all because of this amazing community.
Thank you to each of you who were a part of this community. You made it possible.
And a very special thank you to our Guides (moderators), past and present, who kept our forums a happy place to be. You are the glue that held everything together, and we are forever grateful to you. Thank you aliceinwdw, Caldercup, MrsM, WillCAD, Fortissimo, GingerJ, HiddenMickey, CRCrazy, Eeyoresmom, disneyknut, disneydani, Cam22, chezp, WDWfan, Luvsun, KMB733, rescuesk, OhToodles!, Colexis Mom, lfredsbo, HiddenMickey, DrDolphin, DopeyGirl, duck addict, Disneybine, PixieMichele, Sandra Bostwick, Eeyore Tattoo, DyanKJ130, Suzy Q'Disney, LilMarcieMouse, AllisonG, Belle*, Chrissi, Brant, DawnDenise, Crystalloubear, Disneymom9092, FanOfMickey, Goofy4Goofy, GoofyMom, Home4us123, iamgrumpy, ilovedisney247, Jennifer2003, Jenny Pooh, KrisLuvsDisney, Ladyt, Laughaholic88, LauraBelle Hime, Lilianna, LizardCop, Loobyoxlip, lukeandbrooksmom, marisag, michnash, MickeyMAC, OffKilter_Lynn, PamelaK, Poor_Eeyore, ripkensnana, RobDVC, SHEANA1226, Shell of the South, snoozin, Statelady01, Tara O'Hara, tigger22, Tink and Co., Tinkerbelz, WDWJAMBA, wdwlovers, Wendyismyname, whoSEZ, WildforWD, and WvuGrrrl. You made the magic.
We want to personally thank Sara Varney, who coordinated our community for many years (among so many other things she did for us), and Cheryl Pendry, our Message Board Manager who helped train our Guides, and Ginger Jabour, who helped us with the PassPorter-specific forums and Live! Guides. Thank you for your time, energy, and enthusiasm. You made it all happen.
There are other changes as well.
Why? Well, the world has changed. And change with it, we must. The lyrics to "We Go On" for IllumiNations say it best:
We go on to the joy and through the tears
We go on to discover new frontiers
Moving on with the current of the years.
We go on
Moving forward now as one
Moving on with a spirit born to run
Ever on with each rising sun.
To a new day, we go on.
It's time to move on and move forward.
PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.
But eventually, we must move on and move forward. It is the right thing to do.
So we are retiring this newsletter, as we simply cannot keep up with it. Many thanks to Mouse Fan Travel who supported it all these years, to All Ears and MousePlanet who helped us with news, to our many article contributors, and -- most importantly -- to Sara Varney who edited our newsletter so wonderfully for years and years.
And we are no longer charging for the Live Guides. If you have a subscription, it's yours to keep for the lifetime of the Live Guides at no additional cost. The Live Guides will stay online, barring server issues and technical problems, for all of 2019.
That said, PassPorter is not going away. Most of the resources will remain online for as long as we can support them, and after that we will find ways to make whatever we can available. PassPorter means a great deal to us, and to many of you, and we will do our best to keep it alive in whatever way we can. Our server costs are high, and they'll need to come out of our pockets, so in the future you can expect some changes so we can bring those costs down.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your amazing support over the years. Without you, there's no way us little guys could have made something like this happen and given the "big guys" a run for their money. PassPorter was consistently the #3 guidebook after the Unofficial and Official guides, which was really unheard of for such a small company to do. We ROCKED it thanks to you and your support and love!
If you miss us, you can still find some of us online. Sara started a new blog at DisneyParkPrincess.com -- I strongly urge you to visit and get on her mailing list. She IS the Disney park princess and knows Disney backward and forward. And I am blogging as well at JenniferMaker.com, which is a little craft blog I started a couple of years ago to make ends meet. You can see and hear me in my craft show at https://www.youtube.com/c/jennifermaker . Many PassPorter readers and fans are on Facebook, in groups they formed like the PassPorter Trip Reports and PassPorter Crafting Challenge (if you join, just let them know you read about it in the newsletter). And some of our most devoted community members started a forum of their own at Pixie Dust Lane and all are invited over.
So we encourage you to stay in touch with us and your fellow community members wherever works best for you!
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So I have this friend who is maybe the worst money-manager I've ever seen. I've known her for over 10 years now, and I can't tell you how many times she's had the power turned off, had the car almost re-po'ed, been evicted, and more. I've lent her money several times (I know, I'm a sucker), which I don't really expect to ever see again. But she was there for me during some tough emotional times, so I try to be there for her.
Anyway, I got a call from her tonight - I didn't recognize the number b/c she changes phones a lot. She left a message saying she needed a favor and to please call her. DH immediately said "no, you are not lending her money again," which I agreed with, as I have no money at the moment, and had even thought about calling her to see if she could pay back some of what she owes me. So I called her back and she and her partner are getting evicted - again - and she needs someone to look after her dogs for a week til they can move into their next apartment. I have no idea where they're staying in the meantime. So I talked it over w/ DH and he said okay, the dogs can stay here.
I guess I just don't understand what she's thinking when it comes to money. She makes a good salary, and her partner works, though not at a great job. Cost of living around here isn't the cheapest, but it's definitely do-able on what they make. It's not like they buy a lot of stuff, either. Sure, I've seen them waste money from time to time, but not enough to not be able to pay their bills month after month. Her partner has custody of her two daughters, gets child support (no deadbeat dad problems here), and the kids' medical is covered by their father. They don't do drugs or even drink. So what's up with the money???
I mean, I've never even bounced a check. Ever. I despise late fees and NSF fees. My current financial situation is driving me crazy and I haven't even come close to missing a payment on anything - even if I didn't have DH helping me pay my bills. So I don't know how someone can live this way.
Okay, I don't know what the point of this was. Maybe just send some pixies that she eventually figures out how to handle her money. And send some my way for looking after her dogs. I have the feeling they're not current on their vaccinations and I'm going to have to find a way to keep them separated from my gang. I know, I'm such a sucker.
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Pat (a.k.a., PFlamingo) "We are the people our parents warned us about."
Registered Message Board Members save 30% off PassPorter guidebooks! When you register you'll have access to a discount coupon good for 30% off the list price of PassPorter books in our online store.
Sounds like your friend and her partner are just poor at prioritizing. Rent comes before eating out, electricity before movies, water bill before cable. Some people never get their priorities straight. And, since she hasn't really had anything horrid happen to her yet (I assume she's not been on the street, homeless and without any resort) - she'll never change. People don't change if they don't have any incentive.
She may not even NOT be able to pay her bills, but more just someone who chooses not to. My father had a neighbor like that once - they rented the house next door, paying first and last. They never paid anything after that, and it took the owner over a year to evict them - after 6 months of no payment! They had money, they just chose not to pay for their rent, since they could get another place quickly - and they had a house for 18 months for the cost of 2 months!
It's very kind of you to take her dogs for her. I'd talk to her about what she owes you still. Just let her know that you're having some difficult times yourself, and her paying some of what she owes would be great.
I have a friend who is the opposite of your friend. She doesn't work, only her husband does. Their one salary barely covers their rent, utilities and food and I can't tell you the times she's told me about how they won't make their rent money that month. And yet, somehow they've got the money to take a trip to San Diego and Las Vegas for New Years this year. I make WAY more money than her husband does, and I still have to save forever to afford the vacations I take, and even then I still have to work extra hours. I just don't know how they do it!
I'm glad you are taking care of the dogs. They deserve it. I would call the vet and ask about shots. My neighbor, who does rescue, was talking to me the other day about how she is no longer doing all the shots if the dogs still have immunity from previous ones.
Why do people who can't pay their bills have pets? Pets aren't cheap and maybe your friend should consider finding her dogs loving homes with people who can afford to make sure they are current on their shots.
Oh yeah, you're all saying things I've thought before.
I agree with you, Kris. If you can't pay the rent you shouldn't have a goldfish, let alone 2 dogs and a couple of cats (I'm not taking the cats. My dogs hate cats.) When DH and I talked about getting another dog, I reminded him how much shots, heartworm preventive, flea preventive, and everything else costs. We made sure we could handle the extra expense.
Unewillow, I know what you mean! DH and I have both worked as many as 3 jobs (1 full-time, 2 part-time/weekend) to pay the bills and have the money to go to WDW. If we can't afford it, and I mean afford it with plenty left over, we don't go.
Theresa, I think you hit the nail on the head. They move so often, I'm sure they're doing what your father's neighbor did. In fact, I once said to her, "wouldn't it be easier to pay the rent than move all the time?" She hasn't always been this irresponsible with money. When I first met her, she always paid her bills on time. She might bounce a check once in a while, but never got kicked out of an apartment. Once, when the electric got turned off at an apartment she had just rented, she said, "I paid them," but I had to explain to her that it doesn't count if the check bounces!! It's gotten worse since her partner moved in with her. She (her partner) has some interesting ideas. Once when she was unemployed, she told me she wouldn't work at Walmart b/c she has a college degree and that was beneath her. I thought, "you owe me money, no honest work is 'beneath' you!" I don't believe in work being "beneath" someone. They forget, I have a Ph.D., yet once worked as the Easter Bunny in the mall b/c it paid! That's just the way I was raised.
If she had asked me for anything other than taking care of the dogs, I'd've said, "no," - DH would divorce me if I didn't! But I said to him, "let's just do it for the dogs - this isn't their fault," and he agreed with me. We've been friends a long time, and I love her like a sister - like a sister who can't quite get her act together. There's one in every family, right?
__________________
Pat (a.k.a., PFlamingo) "We are the people our parents warned us about."
Registered Message Board Members save 30% off PassPorter guidebooks! When you register you'll have access to a discount coupon good for 30% off the list price of PassPorter books in our online store.
you ain't kidding there is one in every family...... Both my sisters have been this way. One more recently and she lost her house to foreclosure and does not work. I have no idea how she is paying for anything, but "suddenly" seems to have money.
I also do not understand why some one would have pets ,if they can't afford them.
You are a very good friend to loan money in the past and don't feel guilty if you have to say NO. I hope that the Dogs will have a place to go at the end of the week and not become your pets or be used to get money from you in order to send the pets back to the owner. Sorry ... Its how I think. I work more hours than I care to because my job demands it. I work when I am tired, don't feel well and because I need to pay the bills. Now I can relate to paying things late or being a procrastinator. But it affects me and not any children or any pets that count on me to be responsible.
I don't blame you for venting and I sure hope that you are not taken advantage of in this situation. Sounds like your DH may feel its possible. pixies that it works out ok and the children are taken care of too.
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Aug,1978- LBV;Apr,1987-Disneyland;March,1993-offsite;Jan,1997-offsite;Aug,1999- CBR;Sept,2000- ASMo;Aug,2001- ASSP;Aug,2002- ASMU/AKL;Jan & July 2003-POR;June,December 2004- PC;January 2005- ASMU; Aug 2005-PC;Dec 2005-AKL;Jan 2006-CBR ; July/Aug-Saratoga springs; Dec. PC;April 2007- Disneyland;Aug 2007-Disneyland & So Cal;Dec 2007-POFQ; Aug2008-POFQ & Nov 2008 PC,Y&B May 2009 ASmu, June 2009 PC ; Nov 2009 WL & POFQ;Jan 2010 BW & WL; June 2010 POFQ ; Aug 2010 Poly ;Oct 2010 WL; Jan 2011 PC
You're right - there's one in every family. Sometimes you hit the "loser jackpot" and get more than one - I have 3 step-brothers, all over 35, who essentially live off my dad and step-mama. Long, convoluted story for each of them, but the end is the same - living in dad and step-mama's house or dead grand-ma's house while dad and step-mama pay their bills (dad and step-mama live in my old house but they pay all of their own bills).
Glad you're such a great friend to take care of the dogs. Hope they get their lives together, but it sounds like it's okay to them.
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