Happy Drama Queen Day everyone! :)

If you do not know what this annual web site holiday is all about and what all these candle pictures are for, read on! Drama Queen Day started two years ago after yet another crisis on my message forums, when a large number of forum regulars flipped out, went totally dramatic in borderline personality fashion and stomped off the forums. To this day, we call this the phenomena of "drama queens."

See, on occasion, lonely types visit my forums frequently and mistakenly attempt to get their deepest needs met through their forum communication. In some situations, as moderator, if I wind up challenging them (and I do actively moderate/delete posts as needed), that seems to be the most common time when their emotional fuse goes off and their drama queen behavior rears its ugly head. Oooooh! I damaged their precious emotional equilibrium because I dared to maintain forum standards. Boo-hoo!

In other cases, drama queens have tended to "blow up" on forums when others might share divergent opinions (particularly on the Politics, Religion or Dating Forum) and they do not have the skills to manage their own cognitive dissonance. Furthermore, drama queens are known to "stomp in a huff" and have sometimes attempted to drag others along with them off of these forums. Again, these scenarios are fairly rare, so don't worry, but I must say that I have not had a full calendar year where my forums have been drama queen free. :(

I could say a lot more, but for now, I just want to wish you a very happy Drama Queen Day! This year's theme is: Recognizing and supporting those of us who have to put up with, continually tolerate, have suffered (or are currently suffering) from drama queens in their lives. Please know that I have so "been there" with dealing with drama queens over the years, whether in work situations, relationships or right here on these forums. I have "walked this walk" myself, and I am not asking you to go any place that I haven't gone with them myself. In fact, to this very day, there is a vast underworld of disenfranchised drama queens who are secretly plotting against my demise as I type this!

Have a rockin' holiday! And light a candle today and make a strong stand against drama queen behavior! Don't put up with their unstable crap and manipulation. Tell them to get over it! Sometimes you've just got to say "no" and turn away, because reasoning with them won't work. And without a doubt, drama queens will make you look like the "bad guy", but keep in mind that's part of their ploy.

Hang in there. Be strong! Let your light shine ... and just say "NO" to drama queens! :(

My heart goes out to you today!

-Steve :)

P.S. The pictures below are of anti-drama queen candlelight vigils that were held throughout the world for the past two nights. I hope you enjoy them! I also included the Drama Queen Color Code Alert System which is referred to occasionally on the forums. Lastly: Drama Queen Day 2005, 2004 Holiday (Known Then As "Poo-Poo Day")

Beautiful Candle Pictures ... (Anti-Drama Queen Candlelight Vigils In The World)

	Firstly, I would like to personally thank everyone who got involved in the candlelight vigils that were happening throughout the world. Your stand for strong emotional health is appreciated! Ohio... "Vanilla Bean" in Ohio proudly holds her candle to promote emotional health.
	Arkansas... Dave and Jane in Arkansas show the true spirit of standing against drama queens.
	Germany... The candlelight vigils have reached Europe! German photographer Lars Leber let his light shine for his fellow Europeans.
	Victor, Colorado... Rich and Lisa in Victor, Colorado lit this candle in memory of those who are currently suffering from drama queens today.
	New Mexico... Dave Ortiz in New Mexico lit candles including a menorah (click photo), which symbolizes his sympathy for all the suffering people have gone through drama queen crises right here on these forums.
	Colorado Springs, Colorado... Tote's candlelight vigil offers hope that one can get past some of the residual damage and crap one endures by being too close to a drama queen's wrath.
	Kansas... Kansas Kelly offers some kind of peace symbol to drama queens who are probably lurking on my web site right now.
	Chaffee County, Colorado... For my candlelight vigil, I needed to get away and at a friend's place at the foot of Mt. Antero, I lit my large cucumber melon candle. May 2006 be a drama queen free year for the ColoradoGuy forums!

Drama Queen Alert System

After the Drama Queen Meltdown of August 2004, I created a color code system to identify where things are at with drama queen behavior. (Regulars sometimes use the term "DQ-ness") They are:

RED: We're having ongoing drama queen problems as we speak and this webmaster is really pissed off! Don't mess with me, don't you even think of saying anything that's going to fuel the fire and I'm deleting posts with a freakin' vengence.

ORANGE: We're having some drama that will hopefully die down. Rest assured that I, as the webmaster, am following it closely. The drama queen crisis is manageable, but has the potential to reach "Code Red."

YELLOW: There was a moderate amount of drama *OR* I deleted/moderated/banned someone who might not be happy with me. Go along your merry way with posting on my forums, but don't be shocked if there's a little bit of drama.

GREEN: The lowest level. For whatever reason, as webmaster, something came up that was mildly "in the ballpark" of a possible drama queen altercation.

BLUE: There is no drama queen behavior happening at this particular time.

If you visit my Friendship Board (the general "Whatever" forum) regularly, you may see my posting drama queen color codes from time to time.