Captain's Log, Stardate 73171.6 We have been through a farcical shit storm. The captain was banned. Ship, however, is intact and fully functional. I have considered a permanent departure from this alternative universe, however Starship command recos further study. Under advisement.
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OK originally this was going to be my last post here. All the details outlined below. But yesterday during my ride, I ran into
@stb222. Actually, I saw his son first in the parking lot at Baldpate. He looked oddly familiar as I asked him how far it was on the trail to the top of Baldpate and whether I could make it on a road bike with 25mm tires. Then another group of mountain bikers came off the trail and there is Kev. He was probably thinking this when he saw some creepy old guy talking to his son in the parking lot:
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Anyway, my encounter with Kev renewed my spirit in this place, and so I changed my mind. I still need to severely cut back on my time here so I logged out and deleted bookmarks on most devices except this one computer. To be clear, I do not want my lack of activity here going forward to be misconstrued as some silly fear of being banned or contrition – this old dog doesn’t change – only thing that changes is my posting in smaller doses. And I’m going on my annual incommunicado Canada fishing trip in a few days so this is good timing.
Without further ado, here is my “final” post for your amusement/bemusement/disgruntlement/denouement:
To the incident from last week, like most everything else I post, the gifs were only posted as entertainment, and primarily targeted
@Fire Marshal Max whom publicly stated he was going to “shit all over” a thread (fantasy football) that he had no part in. Seemed fair game to me, plus Max and I had a good-natured, ball-busting repartee going for quite some time. And let’s get serious here – this is a board about grown people riding their bikeys. Some even do fake rides on their bikeys! Anywho, I knew
@Norm never liked me, however, I expected some type of warning before getting summarily banned. None was ever given. Norm states I get “more complaints” than anyone else. Seriously? For just joking around?
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That alone speaks volumes about a small number of the people on this board. It is mind blowing to me they are so offended by joke/pic/gif posts that they take the time to cry to uncle Norm about it. I will reiterate my history here and the fact that I was targeted and personally attacked for years by gtluke, but not one time did I ever complain about it. I just felt sorry for the guy, realizing he had serious mental health issues. I even put him on ignore, but he continued the attacks. Yet Norm did nothing – until finally the poor guy made an offensive comment about someone on the team and was booted off the team. Norm pointed out earlier this year during the
@Johnny Utah incident that gtluke was not banned from this site – the one person who actually violates the rules of civility and personally attacks others gets a free pass? Seriously?? Wow.
A little about my history here – I started posting almost exactly 7 years ago as a newbie to mountain biking. It was definitely helpful for a few years as I learned the ropes and rode more. But that aspect soon runs its course. The primary function transitioned to a source of entertainment. From a “community” POV it was obvious I never fit in, nor did I have any interest in ever doing so. As I am now retired and have moved my official residence from stinkin NJ to Florida, this place became less relevant. Yet I found I was spending more time reading/posting here – not a good use of my time. Since I now focus my volunteering/charitable work efforts in my home state of Florida, this development became troublesome. A lyric from the Muse song “Knights of Cydonia” is relevant here:
“Don't waste your time,
Or time will waste you”
And let’s be realistic, I have less time to waste than most people on this board. Except maybe Max!
Anywho, I began to think about significantly cutting back my presence on this site, but sometimes serendipity intervenes (the ban) and offers the optimal solution – a clean break. Let’s face it, when you are wasting too much time at a place where some people are so offended about your posts they complain about it, it’s time to move on.
With that decided, I mulled over my final departure. Do I just never post again? Is it better to burn out than to fade away? Go out in a blaze of giffing glory? Cyber stalk Max for all eternity? Or post a final blog update? I finally decided on this option, as I felt it necessary for closure and to address some of the comments post-ban.
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Final point on all this:
@Norm I do not irritate my wife (classy move btw even bringing her up, especially with her recent medical history). Unlike the complainers, she is not a humorless snowflake. And to be clear, the vast majority of posters here “get it”, and seem to be great people.
Well that is it – adios muchumpos. There are some people I enjoy riding with – they know who they are. If you are ever in the Venice FL area, let me know and I’ll give you a taste of the local trails. And of course I will continue to ride in stinkin NJ during the summer and between thanksgiving and xmas.
Final Stats:
2019
Distance 5,907.6 mi
Time 377h 58m
Elev Gain 185,423 ft
Rides 192
Strava “all time”
Distance 35,734.9 mi
Rides 1460
Biggest Ride
100.7 mi
Biggest Climb
2,048 ft
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