Good luck on your on your board sabbatical, and getting that pesky real life back in balance. Hope it all comes together and you wind up with a lump of your favorite coal in your stocking.
I look forward to more of your witty and informative posts when you’re ready to come back.
Cheers.
Bill
go neiri an bothar leat, a stór.
(may the road rise to meet you, m’dear)
Wishing you all the best,
John
No offense to those I care about here…really, you know me better than that.
However, the “Cloak and Dagger” response is pretty lame.
If Una wanted to be banned, then ban her. If she simply wanted time off from the SD, do it quietly and not make a big friggin deal out of it. Or if there was a big blowout, then let us all know about it but this behind the scenes, “I can’t talk about it” is crap, and crapola big time.
Una you know I care about you but I don’t agree with how this all went about. Please know that I am not stating this to bitch at anyone but the process that happened, not worthy of a Pit thread but something to let my feelings about this be known.
It is all behind the scenes for none of the general populace of the SD to know according to this thread…so why the hell make a big freakin deal out of it? Maybe it was mishandled but I must state that I have seen comments that people were more curious than a cat with only 8.5 lives left who want to know what the hell is going on. It’s a bullshit response, and this is coming from someone that cares about Anthacrite, aka Una.
Look, if you need time off, FINE, take time off but I find it wrong to have this become some big board fiasco in ATMB and again here (except in the Pit and even then that’s a scary proposition.)
FWIW, I have been there, done that. I have taken my time off but whoever handled this with the “banned” under her name then recanted only for Una to have “On Sabbatical” BS really needs to rethink how this process is handled…it does not look good upon the SD considering recent bannings and not good on Una either.
What it comes down to is, if you have a problem with the SD and it’s members (like I have had in the past) and you need time off, take it to the Pit and/or just quietly email the admins/mods to have your posting privis suspended until you feel that you can come back with lighter weight shoulders. But this banning, then special status is very suspicious for many…I think if Una wants to take time off, GREAT, I am all for it but don’t put us all in a wild frenzy (yes, it was the talk of many) about the situation…make it clear and if you can’t explain it, then why the heck make it public?
Sorry, those I my feelings. I don’t want to make this Pit-Like…Una, if you need time to take off of the SDMB, GREAT, do it. I just ask that rather than holding us hostage by suspicion and conjecture that you allow us some benefit of the doubt and give us some idea of what is the issue that surrounds this. Again the cloak and dagger routine rarely sits well here, you know that. You are you, we are how we all are. But this secretive shit doesn’t sit well with this “friend” of yours…not sure how well of friends we have been of late but this really ticks me off.
Yes, I agree that some things are better left unsaid but the way this whole thing played out is very unsettling for many here.
I had my say, sorry if I offended anyone but I tend to speak my mind and you all know it. Una, I care about you and I honored you need to not to have people email you about this but those are my thoughts, all for the world to see…I hope I didn’t hurt anyone in the process but damnit. If you make a big freakin deal about it, it will continue to be a big frickin deal, I know from experience.
Yet another of the ‘teeming millions’ checking in to say “ok”.
My take on this. Anthracite is a well known poster. For her to have merely stayed away from the boards would have elicited a response. Hell, it did. There was no such conspiracy nonsense thrown about when Crunchy took his sabbatical. If this is how she thinks it was best handled, who the hell am I to take issue with it?
And, as far as it putting the admin of the SDMB in a ‘bad light’ - only to those who are predisposed to think that way in the first place.
as for ‘cloak & dagger’ - I don’t recall reading a part in the user agreement that stated that it was absolutely necessary for me to open up my real life completely for any and all to peruse. She doesn’t want to explain it, she has absolutely no duty to do so.
again, if Anthracite herself is saying ‘this is how I wish it to be handled’ and the admins agreed to it - why is a popular vote necessary?
here’s hoping that things proceed swiftly and smoothly for you.
We’ll be waiting patiently
well kind of patiently
well some of us
{{{{{{{{{Una}}}}}}}}}}
As I’ve learned myself in the past week, the line between a message board and real life can be very very blurry. All of us need to remember that behind every user name is a real person with feelings and a life and that none of us have the right to hide behind that screen name for the purpose of making another person’s life hell. Those who do violate the sense of community that makes the SDMB so appealing.
Una, I hope the problem resolves quickly and peacefully. And if it doesn’t, kick ass and take names!
Just my opinion.
Robin
Hope all turns out well and you return quickly.
Just think of the SDMB as the virtual Motel 6!
“We’ll leave the light on for you.”
Good luck, Una! I hope whatever it is gets worked out quickly and satisfactorily…
Until then, we’ll miss your input!
If there’s anything I can do to help, please don’t hesitate to e-mail me…
Without turning this into a pit thread myself, all I have to say is that, again, we do not know all the facts. Una said herself in the OP that “others have been helping me out with a nasty IRL situation. Yes, many of us forget that there are IRL things that can impose themselves on this sanctuary of knowledge.” (bolding mine)
That would lead me to believe that it has nothing directly to do with the Board so there is no reason to “take it to the pit”. As we don’t know what the “IRL situation” is, we have no business calling Una’s (and the SD Staff’s) actions in handling it “lame”. There may be very valid reasons behind each step taken – we DON’T KNOW.
Or conversely, did you ever stop and think that maybe the whole banning thing was an accident, not meant to happen in the first place? That maybe she had just asked to have her posting suspended like Crunchy, but there was a misunderstanding? Therefore that’s why they changed her “title” to On Sabbatical and asked her to make a short post. To further avoid speculation, emails, and threads.
Hmmm, it’s a thought.
As for the OP: Una, you know I’m here for you anyway I can be. You will be missed 'round these parts – good thing I know where to find you. 
[sub]forgive any mistakes, I just woke up and have to get ready for work[/sub]
Good luck Anthhracite. I hope your troubles pass soon, and I am sure that you will give techchick68’s criticism all of the consideration that it deserves.
Sometimes I think people confuse fighting ignorance with expressing an opinion even when ignorant. :rolleyes: No wonder it’s taking so long.
Ya’ll do realize this ain’t the only place she hangs out, right?
And Liz-my-love, considering the, um, rather public and flamboyant ways you have left this board, isn’t that the pot calling the kettle black? Or is it better to adopt a take-no-prisoners attitude than to quietly slip out the back door? Since banning was, apparently, the public face of asking for one’s posting privilages revoked, and since Una, like I, seems to be a person whose willpower is such that revocation is the only way to keep us from posting, she took the only option she saw. Sheesh, but said with friendship.
I am glad that sabbaticals are now an option. If I keep posting from work I’m going to get fired!
Good Luck, Una. Hope your life gets back in order soon.
Best wishes,
Jim
Sorry to hear life has been tough for you, Una Doubly sorry to hear the SDMB can’t help you. Glad to hear you have all the support you need. Take care.
Good luck, Una. I’m sorry you had to justify your sabbatical, but glad to hear that everything is groovy between you and the SDMB staff. I hope everything works out.
Una, I’m so sorry to hear that there’s been unpleasantness - and I must say that at least for me, the tenor of the administration’s responses has made it pretty clear that it only had a tangential relationship to the Board. I hope everything manages to resolve itself well for you. I know we haven’t directly interacted before, but I think your posts are some of the best here. I will miss your expertise and insight.
Now, for everyone else - please, just take Una’s words at face value. It’s clearly an awkward situation, and there’s no need for any of us to make it worse by seeking out “drama” when there isn’t very much to begin with.
I’ve no clue what’s gone on, but I wish you the very best, Anthracite. Come back sooner rather than later, 'kay?
Una, I am very glad to hear that we may have you back again soon. I’m sorry to hear that you are having some problems; I hope they work out quickly. For a reason I can’t really put my finger on, your potential departure saddened me, moreso than any other departure. I’ve lurked a bit over at the UnaBoard, but I haven’t got up the courage to register yet. As dpr said, we’ll be waiting patiently, sort of.
And what would you need courage for? Just do it, for cryin’ out loud!
Thank you, Una, for taking time to post the explanation. The moderators were dutifully protecting your privacy and the result had us left clueless. Me anyway. Best of luck and sorry for prying into your personal affairs.
Apologies, incidentally, to the moderators for anything I said that approached accusations of tyrranical banning practices or bureaucratic ineptitudes. In my heart of hearts I knew you could not have really banned her, and I hope I didn’t compromise your attempts to make life safer for Anthracite.