BWE
Posts: 1902 Joined: Jan. 2006
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Did he leave because I was an ass to him about PZ?
If so,
I am sorry louis. You are one of my favorite internet acquaintances and a highly original thinker which makes your absence doubly painful to me. First, because I did not take care to be respectful of your position and potentially soured you on something which has the occasional chance of assembling ideas in a unique enough way to produce profound insight and the frequent chance of assembling ideas in such a way as to provide entertainment and comic relief. My own obliviousness and impulsiveness prods me to random behavior which I seldom even note except in hindsight such as this. Oops doesn't really take the place of a sincere apology so I offer one here.
I have often wished for a world where I wouldn't be taken seriously but the reality is that if I did offend you, all I can do is say that I would not have done so intentionally and accept that the outcome is my responsibility. If there is some way to set the record back I will do my best with full attention and respect.
Second, in those occasional chance arrangements of previously unconnected or fuzzy ideas which inspire new connections and original thought, you have played a major role in facilitating some of the most creative and profound (to me anyway) insights which have ever come to me. I actually owe you a debt of gratitude for your willingness to provide your thoughts on this forum though I hoped I could thank you over a pint or 30 in london some summer soon rather than while I apologize for being an ass.
I am trying to figure out when I can go to the UK in the next two years for several reasons, one of those is to buy you a beer. Though, to be honest, I might not have decided to figure out the trip just to buy you a beer. But once I had an excuse to go, it was already on the hopeful itinerary.
Anyway, I didn't see your flounce but I hope you added a flourish or two. Flounces, after all, are one of the ways we leave our marks on the world and the people in it.
I will go and look for it. If it had nothing to do with my crusade against PZ, and the accompanying oblivious impulsiveness which characterizes so much of my internet behavior of late, then I still owe you an apology because iirc, I told you I would get back to you with a reasoned response and never did.
That may be a good thing in the overall state of affairs actually. I have tried to summarize my point many times since then and I think I have managed to successfully communicate the explanation to somewhere in the range of zero people who weren't already inclined to understand.
At any rate, If it wasn't me, then I hope whatever it was is something small enough that the balance tips to entice you back.
If none of that works, I've talked to Rich and he said sheep are easy to procure down in his neck of the woods. He could assemble a photo montage or something maybe?
:) Or he could just send you one of his collections of older montages.
Also, if you didn't have a youngin, I would call you a baby or something. But, having three myself, though they're done being youngins, I am well aware of the unique weight it adds to the calculus of effort-reward. No time and no tolerance for stupidity are like little baby albatrosses that hang off a parent's neck for 15-18 years.
Hope to see you in London someday.
-------------- Who said that ev'ry wish would be heard and answered
When wished on the morning star
Somebody thought of that, and someone believed it
Look what it's done so far
The Daily Wingnut
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