ok, i'll answer.
a. I AM shy in person. this is an anonymous way to show off a bit.
b. i used to weigh 250lbs. i lost 100lbs in a year, by myself, no encouragement at all and quite a lot of opposition. the compliments i got when i first came here were the only ones i got at all other than people on the street that i don't pay attention to. a few people (like deltreefitness once), said they thought me being humble was bull- but when i explained that people here see what i show them, not the completely unnoticable woman walking around that i usually am and that i'm NOT some totally hot thing thats used to compliments, he understood a little better. I know i'm ok looking- but yeah, its REALLY nice to hear it from others, even if they are strangers that don't know me. hearing it now from someone that isn't a stranger and does know me... damn thats nice.
c. yes, the attention and interaction with others is cool. I live in a slightly small world- i work for my parents, i live with my kids, and i have a few close friends. i know i don't have to show off what i have, and i usually don't. i know plenty of well known people in a particular sport because of what i do- not one of them thinks i'm playful at all cause this is really the only place i let myself go.
and, there is actually another, more personal reason, that makes what i read here mean something to me sometimes, even though its from strangers that i'll never see or know.
Please Scroll Down to See Forums Below 
