From Fab

First things first, the page will continue. I will not, however.

I want to be clear how much I have enjoyed this enterprise since June of 2010 - when I started College Misery - and the years before that when I was a lover/lurker on RYS. But I feel different personally and professionally than I once did, and it's not a space for me anymore.

Please know how I've valued everyone and everything related to this page.

A former mod is taking over and has asked to only be identified by the genderless (and badass) RGM moniker, and to that person I express my public gratitude.

I say without fear how much I have loved my time here, and please don't muddy things up with the complaint that we had a couple of hiatuses and that there have a handful of different mods. I can tell you we all have done the best we could do while balancing our families and careers along with this space. I've come back a couple of times to keep the page alive when it looked like it might die, but the entire account - for the first time - have been delivered to the new mod and my time is done.

XOXO
Fab

[+]

The new RGM writes:

I love Fab, but in my discussions with him and Cal this past week I understand why he wants to step away from the page, a page that simply would not have existed or thrived or lasted as it has without his leadership. The page has settled into a low-key groove that is still valuable for a lot of folks. According to Cal we probably get about 1000 unique visitors each day, which is small potatoes compared to past iterations, but which remains a healthy group of like minded community members. And when Fab started talking to other mod, I volunteered to take over the page.

I'm going to stay in the background and let the page be what it's going to be. Nothing lasts forever, of course, and the RYS/CM 11 years lifespan is pretty amazing. So if you want the space to stay open, be a part of things by commenting and posting. The same options for posting are in place. The golden thingie in the sidebar allows you to post something right to the page (no real names, no messages to mods, etc.), and it'll go live once I check it and standardize fonts and graphics, and the RGM icon further down in the sidebar sends an email direct to me, and I can help you from there, from getting a post up, or just answering questions.

I second the notion above in Fab's note about the perception from some readers that this seemingly fluid movement of mods adds up to a sort of flakiness or casualness. It is so not that. As someone who's been inside the "compound," the health of this place has been such a big part of Fab's life. Even when he wasn't in charge he has been the force for good behind it all. He is simply a good man, caring, considerate, and someone anyone would be lucky to have as a real world colleague. (He's like the opposite of Cal, say, even including the whole ability to eat gluten thing!)

Let the misery live, I say. Lights are on. Page is wide open.

The RGM


PS: Fab has asked for comments to be turned off. He knows how you feel. And he hates when we get dinged for navel gazing...LOL.