It's been good to know you

[robastyk]

Hello, All,

 

Last year in another forum I was commenting on my innate ability to transgress rules and norms. I said, “After all, I was ‘raised by wolves’.” The very estimable Heather M. Nash replied, “No you weren’t, Rob. Wolves are social animals.” I had to stand corrected. I am not a social animal. Every once in a while I get it into my head that I might be able to dress myself up like an average human being and mingle with the crowd without stepping on more than my share of toes or devouring some, hopefully guilty, passerby. It never works out and it hasn’t here at FPN.

 

I disagree with certain decisions and definitions adopted by the Administrative Team. It is their right and duty to establish the norms here and my duty to obey them if I wish to participate. However, I won’t and can’t obey rules that I find repugnant unto my core. I want to emphasize that this is my problem and not that of the Administrative Team. If I remain at FPN I will only cause the Administrators continuing distress. Since I actually like them, entirely apart from my disagreements with their policies, I’d rather not do that. Therefore, I’ve decided to withdraw from FPN entirely.

 

Several months ago, I made the decision that no information that I provided should appear in a forum where I do not post. FPN is the first such forum where I have had the option of removing old posts so I’m giving this a try. I’m not sure whether it’s a good idea or a bad one. It’s my policy and I’m letting it play out. I’ll review it again later.

 

I wish you all well. Most of you know where to find me if you want to look me up, but I must tell you that I won’t have any more to say about this departure.

 

Thanks for your time, your interest and your patience.

 

Goodbye,

 

Rob Astyk

[Keith with a capital K]

Rob,

 

Speaking for myself, I actually like you too and have found that we seem to have a great number of things in common.

 

I am saddened that you have decided to leave us and hope that this little note (if you read it) finds you well and in the best of health and spirits.

 

Cheers!

 

Keith

[Guest Denis Richard]

Rob,

 

I would be lying if I said that I am not personally upset that we could not find a common ground wide enough. It saddens me more than you can imagine.

 

Denis.

[antoniosz]

Let's forget it..................

Edited March 10, 2005 by antoniosz

[Maja]

Rats!

 

Rob,

I am so sorry that you are leaving but I understand your reasons; you have to feel free enough to "be you"...and if you feel you cannot, then it is only natural for you to want to leave.

 

Thank you for your posts--both pen-related and off-topic; you are a great source of information and good humour and we'll miss your writing.

 

Take care and hope to see you on another pen-related site or two.

 

Best wishes,

Maja

[Leslie J.]

Good thoughts to you Rob. I'm sorry things didn't work out.

 

Take care.

Leslie

[dava]

Rob

 

Darn, you were fun to play with! I, for one, shall miss your wealth of knowledge, ready opinions and lightning fast wit. I may disagree with you on many issues but in the end would rather fuss with you than someone less enthuastic and bright. You were a challenge to me.

 

Best of luck to you.

 

Dava

[rhr]

Rob,

 

I think it was a terrible act of vandalism to rip all your posts from the Pen History forum, and to leave all the threads in which you participated severed and in tatters. I call your few surviving and slowly vanishing posts here "the fragments of the wit and wisdom of Rob Astyk". I wish you would reconsider and restore all your valued contributions to TFPN, for posterity's sake, but I will defend your right to remove all of them.

 

Sorry to see you go, ninja pen researcher. :ph34r:

 

Sincerely,

 

George.

 

P.S. I wrote this after reading your poem to Abigail.

Edited March 10, 2005 by rhr

[Bryan]

Rob,

 

*Deleted by Author* (We sure are seeing a lot of this...)

 

Bryan

Edited March 12, 2005 by Bryan

[Keith with a capital K]

I agree with George on his thoughts concerning removing the posts.

[wimg]

Hi Rob,

 

Sorry to see you go.

 

I would like to add my sentiments regarding the pulling of your posts to those of George and Keith. I really hope you will reconsider.

 

TIA,

Kind regards,

Wim

[Doulton]

Rob, I don't know if you will read this and you certainly do not know me, but I have always enjoyed reading your posts. Perhaps the one that struck me the most, although it was not pen-related, was the post about the concert you attended.

 

Now that was writing; that was exciting. That was the kind of writing that makes me marvel at "the achieve of, the mastery of" (Hopkins) artists. I was stirred by you and began reading more and more of your posts. Generally I felt inadequate to respond, but I would like to say that in some way not playing well with others is a mark of an unfettered artistic spirit.

 

Bon Voyage; I will miss you.

Natalie

[robastyk]

Hello, All,

 

This is becoming a long goodbye indeed. Thank you for your sentiments. I understand them but they don't change anything.

 

Natalie, your message was very sweet. I read it and tried to send you a private message in response but it bounced. If you'd like to receive it, my e-mail address is robastyk@fastmail.fm.

 

Take care,

 

Rob Astyk

[rhr]

This is becoming a long goodbye indeed. Thank you for your sentiments. I understand them, but they don't change anything.

It's just a shame that all your posts on TFPN are gone. That's all I'm saying, Rob. Allow me to quote you one last time. Here are two ironic lines from your poem to Abigail, "And with you would his reading share, . . . he passes you his book to hold". Well, there's no more reading because there's no more book.

 

So let's all get back to pen research,

 

George.

 

:ph34r: