Rance is thinking of hanging up his mouse and pulling the “Dread Pirate Roberts” maneuver.
A world without the one true Rance is like a world without… little tiny green letters and amusing barbed wit. Um.
I’ve been having even more fun reading the whacked out “Gus Overshaw” that he recommended, but Rance’s blog would be sorely missed. Several of us suggested solutions to make it easier for him to continue in some way; I hope he’s just messing with us and making “biddity-biddity” noises with our heads.
I’ve been trying to make sense of some of the issues that came up in the last couple months over at Rance’s and have decided that
- It’s never a good idea to put your real email address out there and
- Trolls happen
- Spoofing happens
And now, we wait. Though strangely, a comment I posted at Rance’s place was approved within 10 minutes. That kind of diligence is unusual and makes me think there might be something up for real.
I just saw this entry. “What fresh hell is this?” is exactly how I started my comment to Rance.
Apparently it’s how Dorothy Parker used to answer her phone, but I picked it up from reading 1) the mystery novels of Ngaio Marsh; her ‘tec says it occasionally and 2)Malcolm McDowell says it just before a particularly horrific death in the original LEXX miniseries (an episode called Gigashadow 4.0, I think).
It seemed appropriate to both of us – TMWBAST, eh?
I love Dorothy Parker, and keep “Resume'” memorized for all occasions.
Compliments on your ideas submitted to R on how he may continue his blog. Eavesdropping on your post to Bard above: TMWBAST? Is this definable such that a smallish bird could comprehend? I just hope the meaning does not strike me immediately after I hit the [Post] button…
Hi, waxwing!!! Nice of you to drop by. Pull up a perch and stay a while.
Thank you re: suggestions/bugs in R’s ear. I hope he decides to keep writing something, somewhere. I think it’s good for him, makes him happy, and of course it’s fun to read.
That’s “two minds with but a single thought.” I’m not sure if it’s an Internet-wide acronym, but it’s an old joke from my college days so I took a chance.
By the way, I’ve been meaning to ask you – how do you avoid getting repetitive stress injuries in your neck vertebrae? 😉
P.S. the comments feature has been wacky for some time – my sister Timmy had some problems the other day. If you get an error message on posting, let me know.
Ginny,
Regarding the repetitive stress injury query: I have a small friend who assists me with the keyboard. Do you know of archy? Here is a link from Amazon.com that describes one of his works:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0385094787/qid=1090078433/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_1/104-2512417-8627103
A larger friend, Quoth the Raven, will also sometimes give aid (he’s slow but can hit the Caps key and a letter at the same time, unlike the rest of us). archy is a wonderful friend, and I am on a quest to find one of his books.
The “Two Minds” explanation would have eluded me for decades. I am familiar with GMTA “Great Minds Think Alike”, however, from chat room days. Which makes me wonder, again, if anyone is ever going to set up a chat room for Rance’s readers to visit in real time.
I don’t think Rance is ready to throw in the towel. Change the game, yes. Play with the minds of his audience, definitely. I suspect he wasn’t expecting to develop a relationship with people outside of his circles and I think he has genuinely enjoyed the banter he has with the regular posters. I suppose that could have been construed as wishful thinking as I am one of them. Waxwing, Bard, Ginny and myself have not heard the last of Rance…
If I am wrong, I must say that I am pleased to make your e-quaintance.
Ken
Waxwing, I loved the archy and Mehitabel books – also loved the poetry of ee cummings – as a kid. Thanks for reminding me of them.
I spent several years of my life hosting fan chats on AOL, so the kind of byplay and light fantasy that goes on at Rance’s seems like a natural for a chat. The problem is getting everyone together, since there’s so many ways of chatting. That was why I suggested something as simple as a mailing list. In fact, my DH (dear hubby) could set one up in about 5 minutes flat, but I’m waiting to see what Rance will do or say about the idea.
Ken, you’re totally right. Rance started out playing a joke on Hollywood, but the joke’s on him: he actually enjoys reading the submissions (well, probably not all of them) and has established online chumships with some of us. He doesn’t necessarily want to lost those connections, but he does want to let go of the boring, onerous moderating crap. Can’t blame him. Also, he’s discovered that blogs sometimes go off in unexpected directions – that’s online life.
I freely admit that I feel a thrill when a brand new post goes up, and it’s flattering to be acknowledged by name. However, I really read his blog because it’s fun, and to see what everyone else will say. There’s something about a good online community – they’re rare and should be encouraged. And good writers like Rance – ditto.
I have a “Complete Works” of ee cummings. For years it was the only place I could find “the boys i mean are not refined”. It could be the theme poem for “Lord of the Flies” methinks, and it’s one of my favorites.
I must echo Ken’s expression: I am also pleased to make the e-quaintance of some of Rance’s commenters.
Off Tripod, it’s possible to keep a thread going. At a blog I follow, one comment from mid-April now has about 4,800 comments. The original topic is long gone but the thread continues. Maybe that could be an option also. I like your blog design, btw. Clean and attractive but easily navigatable.