Craven de Kere wrote:Ok, ate quickly and am back briefly (have to do the dishes or the cook will kick my ass).
I also want to mention that I've learned a lot from people when they aren't even talking to me. People like Thomas are responsible for much of my understanding of economics from researching things he brought up in his debates with joefromchicago.
People like ehBeth, Jespah, dlowan and especially sozobe have taught me so much about EQ that it made me feel downright retarded at times. I'm sure Eva has no idea but she taught me to respect religion in ways I didn't before without ever saying a word to me about it. I'm about to marry a Christian and that might never have been possible given my previous notions.
I'm trying to get at a theme more so than name-dropping because I can never get around to everyone and the theme is that our discussions are public, and often help people who are reading it without participating.
Sometimes I learn things by things completely unsaid, and sometimes I learn things years later based on what someone said way back then. SealPoet taught me a particularly personal lesson that only sunk in about 2 years after he said something offhand to me that I'll never forget.
I can't name how many people here have made me laugh harder than I've ever laughed before. Most recently it was gus on a thread about oral sex. He said something that may well have been the funniest moment of my life, once again it was on a thread I only read and wasn't involved in.
I really mean it in that I've learned much more from people here (another few examples would be fbaezer and nimh in politics, who I've learned more from than anything other political source) than I can possibly name.
And there are people I'll never ever forget who I've learned things from that I can't even put a finger on myself. Letty was such an inspiration to me and a big reason this site even exists (some may remember that she was named queen of the Raven's Realm).
Hell, I've even learned a lot from some people who probably want to kick me in the nuts right now. I reread a spat I had with Sugar years later that made me so ashamed of myself that I haven't been able to use the site the same since (and want nothing to do with the online moniker "Craven de Kere" as a result of this and other similar interactions).
I can't even come close to doing justice in thanking all who've taught me things here, and there are many more who have taught me things I don't even know I know because of them.
It's a really special community, and that's why what started as a hobby is something I want to do the rest of my life. It's more special to me than I or anyone else can even imagine and is a big part of my life and who I am in every way.
georgeob1 just reminded me of a hard lesson I learned in a thread I started about him (sorry george) that I cringe at to this day. I can't possibly remember it all...
Even the most irritating trolls have taught me something and that can't be better expressed than a saying I first heard from roger many years ago "even a stopped clock is right twice a day".
Anywho, this is inordinately touchy feely (I can just imagine Slappy Doo Hoo, whom I've learned a lot about cars from, telling me to have my vagina washed) and my life is now in danger for not dong the chore I promised to do but I really want to emphasize that the community here has made a tremendous difference in my life, and that it has inspired me to try to all I can to make it better and keep it going at least as long as I do (which won't be long if I don't get the hell out of here RIGHT NOW).
Lol! It is so nice to see you properly trained!!!!
Craven, you do understand that this is mutual, don't you?
Bruises, bumps, scrapes, cuts and other nameless wounds notwithstanding, I suspect that, like me, most of those who have known you over the years feel that they have gained enormously in many ways from the experience.
But.....I am SO glad you are finally cleaning that vagina...........
It brings out the feminine side. :wink: 
