You’re not alone. I counted no less than five people who tried, through the limited medium of the message board, to do what your friend did for you in real life later. To help you get past the disconnect you were experiencing, or to get you to take a step back to help you get some emotional distance from the conflict. I’ve been around these boards for a while now, and I can tell you, they’re FULL of people like that. People who will stand up and lend a hand whenever they see someone falling. You’ve done it for others in the past, your work with the Humane Society is just a small example of a lifetime of being a positive influence in the world. Keep your head up and you’ll see people standing beside you. We’ve been here all along, and we’re not going anywhere.
I see this thread as quintessential Dope. It’s got some funny snark, some heated discussion, a mess of misunderstanding and a lot of decency–and one very sour note from a Doper I admired.
It’s got it all, except for pie, but I’m not partial to pie.
Quasi–please continue to post and interact here. You are much liked and worried over. We are a community and as such, we need to be cognizant of one another’s frailties (well, those not stemming from personal conceit, that is).
Put some italics on that word, but it did little to dispell the vision of toothless old women turning those thin strands of thread into a shit-basket which are then painted in bright colors and sold to American women such as Britney Spears.
I remember your bike ride because I live in Dallas, TX and I was sorry I missed the chance to see you when you were here. It was and is a good cause and I visited your site recently and see that you’re planning a ride for '09 and I think that’s great.
I can’t make promises about any individuals of course, but when I said that we’d be here, that’s pretty solid. There are a lot of individuals on this board, and most of them are good people who would be glad to be your friend. A number of them spoke up in this thread during your hour of need. Even if the readership of this thread had been different individuals, I’m betting some of them would have spoken up. That’s the kind of people Dopers, in general, are. Even if the SDMB were to close for some reason, there have already been some plans to move significant numbers of posters to other boards so the community doesn’t evaporate. I’m certain you’d be welcome at any of them. I didn’t remind you that you’re not alone because I’m here. You’re not alone because we’re here.
heh 
