Zoinks!

[mcwee]

Admitttedly, I haven't been spending as much time in the monastary lately as I'd like (I changed jobs, and while the new job is far more spiritually fulfilling, it lacks the old job's dedicated T1. Ah mi.)-- but still, m2k is leaving? This is very upsetting. I always thought of the lil guy as a sort of institution-- like that fake plastic grass stuff in easter baskets. I mean, maybe the stuff doesn't neccessarily serve a can't-do-without-it purpose, and it gets kinda annoying sometimes (like when you have to rip the crap out of a jammed vacuum cleaner,) but easter baskets just aren't the same without it. The Monastary will be legitamtely poorer for the loss of m2k. While he didn't neccessarily contribute to the sum total knowledge of our community, he certainly was a part of its character. At the very least, for those of us with strong programming skills but, um, sub-optimal people skills (famous Perl hackers who write books, I'm looking at you), m2k consistently offered us the opportunity to attempt to achieve the Buddha nature, and choose to help one along rather than lash out with frustration.

And, because I don't want it to sound like m2k was just an object lesson (or, for that matter, an object), I wanna go on record as saying that the kid had a lot of spunk, and I admired his sticktoitiveness. All I did when I was his age was wash dishes for minimum wage and commit the sin of Onan-- in the very least he rose above my poor example.

Godspeed, kid. Don't be a stranger. Please.

(If it's any consolation-- and you sound pretty hurt, so I doubt it is-- I don't think I ever --ed you. You just never really pissed my off that much. I don't think.)

(pardon the spelling and typography. drunk)

The Autonomic Pilot; it's FunkyTown, babe.

[buzzcutbuddha]

I know that a lot of people are annoyed by mt2k and his tone and his actions, and his general demeanor, but...

like I say, there are beginners in Perl, and I hope that we don't drive them away, there are beginners in life ( at 16, mt2k has another 60+ years to go )and while they can be annoying, they need guidance. And unlike Perl, where we can say RTFM, there is no real 'manual' for life. So I try to remain patient and positive with mt2k. Not to say that people have not been patient, but I have not known a teenager that does not test my patience on a regular basis. Hell, I'm amazed I was not strangled when I was a teenager.

I hope you don't leave. When you ask a Perl question, or talk about what you are learning, I am amazed, because at your age, I was spending my time tossing pizza dough in the air and marvelling at the jumbo size Mt Dews at Taco Bell.

Stick with it kid, it will be alright.