D
Deleted member 65149
Guest
Are you sitting comfortably? Then I’ll begin. This will inevitably be a ramble, but then many of you will have grown to expect that from me. How long a ramble, I don’t yet know.
What I do know is that this is me saying goodbye. I hasten to add that it’s just a goodbye to this forum. A few weeks ago it was nearly a goodbye to everything following a very traumatic incident that resulted in me losing one of my younger sisters. It was the result of her mental anguish, and in her disturbed condition she lay the blame at my feet before departing. We had been very close and always had a lot of time for each other, despite living on opposite sides of the world for over 40 years. I was so distraught that I nearly followed her. But I was reminded that I have extra responsibilities in the form of my beautiful three-year old daughter, and then I saw a post of Facebook of all places that said “Suicide doesn’t remove the pain, it just passes it on.” Those words will stay with me, not least because I’m one of the people my sister passed her pain to. I’m slowly recovering from the shock, but I’ll never forget. I’ve been lucky to have lots of support, including from one of our members here. Thank you.
Why leave the forum? I’ve been a fairly active member since 2012 and gained a lot from it. From what I’ve seen of other social networks it’s definitely one of the most informative and balanced out there. The wide range of knowledge and experience of the members provides just the right mix to make it interesting. All that’s missing is more contribution from the ladies. The members are mostly well behaved too, thanks in part of course to the administrators handing out warnings when things start getting a bit too warm.
It hasn’t always been wonderful for me here, unfortunately having had a couple of “issues”. Fairly early on I learnt all about the power of admin when I criticised a member who had posted a disgusting opinion of a well known and successful sportsman, expressing a level of hate that was frightening to read. That member didn’t like being criticised and reported me, resulting in a week’s ban for me and nothing for him! And then we all had to suffer Dieselman who, to give him his due, was nasty to everybody. Fortunately he’s now long gone, but hopefully come to his senses by now.
And of course we can’t forget DrF - as much as I’d like to. He and I have fallen out on many an occasion, in his present and past guises. Our exchanges have amused some and annoyed others. Sorry to those I’ve annoyed. DrFeelhimself (as I must call him because he insists on bastardising my pseudonym every time - either through ignorance or sheer bloody mindedness) is one of those sad people who feels the need to constantly have digs at folk for no apparent reason and totally without provocation. It may be envy as someone recently suggested or it may be that he’s lonely and seeking attention, but to be honest I no longer care. I had my rant at him recently when he had yet another unwarranted and totally irrelevant go at me, purely it seemed in order to aggravate me for his own satisfaction. He picked the wrong time. It wouldn’t have been any good letting him know what I was going through right then because he comes across as having the sensitivity of a concrete block. He’s just one of those people who get their kicks from hurting others. Fortunately he’s in the minority, but I do know that he and his ilk have caused a few nice people to leave this forum. However I refuse to grant him the pleasure of thinking he’s the reason I’m leaving too.
What’s been the counter to all that is all the fantastic members here. So many intelligent conversations that have been truly rewarding. There have been many opinions I’ve disagreed with, but those opinions have been so well expressed that they have warranted my respect. The discussions have been on such a wide range of subjects they’ve been hard to ignore. Some of those excellent contributors have left unfortunately, and are clearly missed by many. But lots remain and I’m confident they’ll continue to educate, inform, entertain and assist. I really appreciate the part they’ve played and particularly thank those with whom I’ve had private conversations. Thank you all.
The question still remains: why leave the forum? It’s because I recently updated to iOS 12. Apple’s latest operating system now tells me how much screen time I’m subjecting myself to, and where that time is being spent. The “quickie distractions” pale into insignificance compared to the time I spend here. It’s frightening to see how many hours get clocked up. Despite being retired and (mostly) the master of my own time, I have far more important things to do and I’ve decided that’s where I should be concentrating instead of here. So it’s time to say thank you and
What I do know is that this is me saying goodbye. I hasten to add that it’s just a goodbye to this forum. A few weeks ago it was nearly a goodbye to everything following a very traumatic incident that resulted in me losing one of my younger sisters. It was the result of her mental anguish, and in her disturbed condition she lay the blame at my feet before departing. We had been very close and always had a lot of time for each other, despite living on opposite sides of the world for over 40 years. I was so distraught that I nearly followed her. But I was reminded that I have extra responsibilities in the form of my beautiful three-year old daughter, and then I saw a post of Facebook of all places that said “Suicide doesn’t remove the pain, it just passes it on.” Those words will stay with me, not least because I’m one of the people my sister passed her pain to. I’m slowly recovering from the shock, but I’ll never forget. I’ve been lucky to have lots of support, including from one of our members here. Thank you.
Why leave the forum? I’ve been a fairly active member since 2012 and gained a lot from it. From what I’ve seen of other social networks it’s definitely one of the most informative and balanced out there. The wide range of knowledge and experience of the members provides just the right mix to make it interesting. All that’s missing is more contribution from the ladies. The members are mostly well behaved too, thanks in part of course to the administrators handing out warnings when things start getting a bit too warm.
It hasn’t always been wonderful for me here, unfortunately having had a couple of “issues”. Fairly early on I learnt all about the power of admin when I criticised a member who had posted a disgusting opinion of a well known and successful sportsman, expressing a level of hate that was frightening to read. That member didn’t like being criticised and reported me, resulting in a week’s ban for me and nothing for him! And then we all had to suffer Dieselman who, to give him his due, was nasty to everybody. Fortunately he’s now long gone, but hopefully come to his senses by now.
And of course we can’t forget DrF - as much as I’d like to. He and I have fallen out on many an occasion, in his present and past guises. Our exchanges have amused some and annoyed others. Sorry to those I’ve annoyed. DrFeelhimself (as I must call him because he insists on bastardising my pseudonym every time - either through ignorance or sheer bloody mindedness) is one of those sad people who feels the need to constantly have digs at folk for no apparent reason and totally without provocation. It may be envy as someone recently suggested or it may be that he’s lonely and seeking attention, but to be honest I no longer care. I had my rant at him recently when he had yet another unwarranted and totally irrelevant go at me, purely it seemed in order to aggravate me for his own satisfaction. He picked the wrong time. It wouldn’t have been any good letting him know what I was going through right then because he comes across as having the sensitivity of a concrete block. He’s just one of those people who get their kicks from hurting others. Fortunately he’s in the minority, but I do know that he and his ilk have caused a few nice people to leave this forum. However I refuse to grant him the pleasure of thinking he’s the reason I’m leaving too.
What’s been the counter to all that is all the fantastic members here. So many intelligent conversations that have been truly rewarding. There have been many opinions I’ve disagreed with, but those opinions have been so well expressed that they have warranted my respect. The discussions have been on such a wide range of subjects they’ve been hard to ignore. Some of those excellent contributors have left unfortunately, and are clearly missed by many. But lots remain and I’m confident they’ll continue to educate, inform, entertain and assist. I really appreciate the part they’ve played and particularly thank those with whom I’ve had private conversations. Thank you all.
The question still remains: why leave the forum? It’s because I recently updated to iOS 12. Apple’s latest operating system now tells me how much screen time I’m subjecting myself to, and where that time is being spent. The “quickie distractions” pale into insignificance compared to the time I spend here. It’s frightening to see how many hours get clocked up. Despite being retired and (mostly) the master of my own time, I have far more important things to do and I’ve decided that’s where I should be concentrating instead of here. So it’s time to say thank you and
