My own little Vaya con dios

The BBQ Pit
1

While I’m not under the illusion that my not renewing will cause any great distress on the SDMB, I am egotistical enough to think someone might notice, and attention-whore enough to think that seven years and 5000 posts entitles me to my very own kiss-off thread.

Unfortunately for those hoping for entertainment, I don’t intend on going out in a hail of snark. (This thread is in the Pit really only because 90% of my posts have been here and in GD.) I’ve just come to the conclusions that the SDMB isn’t fulfilling the function it once did for me, and that I don’t think it ever will again. It still works for other people, and that’s great. I’ll certainly lurk for awhile, and I won’t even rule out returning at some later date, but for now it’s best I take at least an extended break.

Many thanks to those who have educated and enlightened me. The full seven- year list would be too long to name, but among currently-active dopers would include Bricker, Dewey, Minty Green and Hamlet for making me think I missed a lot of fun by not being a lawyer, and LHoD, SentientMeat, John Mace, Rickjay, Liberal, cmkeller, PatriotX, BrainGlutton, Kunilou, Mr. Moto, Polycarp, The Gaspode, Clairobscur, astro, age quod agis, John Corrado and Johnathan Chance and many others for always making me think. Whether I agreed or not, reading your words was always time well-spent. xtisme I will miss for a somewhat weirder reason – I nearly always did agree with him; I could put a “me, too” after 95% of xt’s posts, except that he usually says it better anyway. (which certainly makes me superfluous…) Special thanks to Tomndebb for both his moderating and his posting.

If you read that list and think that those folks are the the kind of doper you want to be, you’re probably one of the ones I forgot.

I hope Ellis, Weirddave and the rest will shoot me an email come August … Ron Dayne is gonna be worth that keeper, just you wait.

2

Can you clarify that-- what function did it serve that it no longer does?

Just curious. Good luck, if we don’t meet again here!

3

Hope you come back some time, furt. Good luck in all your endeavours.

4

furt, you’re one of the folks leaving that I’ll miss. Best of luck in all you do (except, probably, working on behalf of political candidates :wink: )!

Daniel

5

Dang, furt, I’ll hate to see you go.

But since you didn’t mention me in the OP, I ain’t gonna miss you that much.

6

furt, I’m sorry to see you go. We may disagree on some issues, but you’re consistently a thoughtful, intelligent, and funny poster, and your contributions will be missed. I’m hoping you’ll stick with us in the football league, if for no other reason than you’re an easy win for me. Seriously though, best of luck to you and yours. See you in the fall.

7

I suppose the easiest way to say it is that it’s stopped doing much ignorance-fighting FOR ME. Back when I first came here, I would routinely find myself listening to conversations that I had never heard before, among multiple people who were manifestly smarter, better-read and more articulate than myself. That isn’t often the case anymore, though it’s as much because of me as because of the board. I do think the board itself – the signal-to-noise ratio – has also changed over the years, though at this point I don’t think it’s getting any worse; it’s stabilized at a level that, while significantly higher than I care for, is still within my tolerable range. That played a role in my decision, but it also played a role last year when I renewed.

The biggest thing is just that I am (I hope) myself a smarter, better-read person, and as I’ve become smarter and better-read, it’s getting harder and harder to find new ideas that I haven’t heard before. Many (though by no means all) of the topics that get hit on in GD have been hit before, and increasingly I find that I can often pretty much predict the course the conversation will take, and what many people – including myself – will think and say. When I start knowing everyone’s lines, it’s time for me to watch a new movie.

I don’t feel I’m too good for anyone or anything, anymore than I felt I was too good for college when I graduated; for those for whom the SDMB is still novel and stimulating (or for whom it’s more of a social than an intellectual place), I wish nothing but the best. I consider many of you grad students and professors.
Miller, Daniel, Hamlet: Thank you sincerely for your kind words. I really do value your opinions.

tdn, add your name to the list.

8

Gotta disagree with you on this bit.

9

Que tengas una buena vida.

I think I’ll leave to, only because I think that the board takes a bit to much of my time. In between studying half time and working full time, the SDMB takes a bit too much time that I want to use for other things. I’ll certainly tune in when Cervaise starts his BSG threads come October and I won’t be deleting the fora from my bookmarks, since there’s still good entertainment here.

It’s been fun, I’ve learned tons of stuff, and I’ve broadened my view about culture, pop culture and science, and hae reached a better understanding of politics.

Sorry for hijacking your thread, but I wanted to say this, but not confident enough to start my own thread.

10

Bummer. I especially dislike seeing long-time members depart - and I note your user ID number is prior to mine. Best of luck in your future endeavors, furt.

11

Why don’t the ass holes ever leave? Why is it folks like furt and Mr.Moto?

Enjoy a break. But come back.

Regards,
Shodan

12

Ok, that makes sense. Although I doubt you’ll ever deplete GQ as a source of new and interesting info. There are a lot of smart people who inhabit that forum, and it is 99.4% politics-free. :slight_smile:

Anyway, you’ll be missed!

13

Dang! Don’t much agree with furt, but overall, I do think he is a classy poster (as is xt) from the “other side.”

Too bad you’re leaving; not many like you. All the best to you and yours should you not reconsider.

Gaspode – bummer. You’re one of the good guys in my book. Damn, you even had me chill my Spanish temper on occasion. Hate to see you and – and your boxer – leave us.

My dobegirl and I will miss ya. :frowning:

14

Watch that swinging door.

15

why is this in the pit? Everyone’s all weepy and huggy.

16

I’ll miss you as well, cutie-pie. I like what you’ve had to say and hope you come back sometime.

17

Because someone will come along expressing their inability to understand why people insist on making their departures public.

18

And, as** furt** noted in the OP, this is where the majority of his posts are.

Otherwise, I echo the above people who are going to miss the Good Ones who leave us.

19

Good luck, furt. I don’t really remember much about yourself, but I’m fairly sure you were one of the stable infrastructure of the SDMB over the past few years. The people that generally don’t get involved in the “controversies” and “psychodramas” and just take the SDMB for what it’s worth.

Remember why you came here in the first place, and the positive things that happened, and take those with you. See as well if you can still enjoy the Straight Dope, even if you’re not on the Board. And hopefully, sometime, you’ll return.

20

Your user name sounds like someone passing gas under water.
Peace. And long life.