Goodbye to the People at Patterico
[Guest post by Aaron Worthing. Follow me at Twitter @AaronWorthing.]
Well, it was over a year ago that Patrick asked me one day if I was interested in guest blogging. As memory serves, he asked me to take over for about two weeks while he was on vacation, although he didn’t disclose that to the rest of the world for fairly obvious reasons.
Well, two weeks began in October of 2010 and went to, well… today. But it was never an imposition, because frankly I was having a blast. I think it is safe to say that most people start blogs like this because they have something to say and want people to hear them, and Patrick loaned me his megaphone.
Of course I wanted it to go on forever, but I knew it could not. The other metaphor that came to mind is that it was like Patrick had a really cool sports car and he loaned me the keys (and I did my best not to make it crash and burn). I loved borrowing it, and I will definitely miss it, but I always knew the entire time that this day was coming. And so it has.
Which doesn’t mean I plan to quit blogging, just that I will be going back to my old and neglected blog (which I will probably rename in order to be more family-friendly). And I will continue to announce every post by twitter, so if you follow me you will know when I have fresh posts. And maybe if I am fortunate I will be blogging more at Big Government and/or Big Journalism. One can hope.
Still it was an honor and a privilege to blog here and to enjoy some of the best commenters on the web. And most of all I am thankful to Patrick for the time I did have here.
[Posted and authored by Aaron Worthing.]
UPDATE BY PATTERICO: Back in October of last year, I announced that Aaron Worthing would be filling in for the next two weeks. That turned into the rest of the year. And then kept going. Aaron has been helping out here now for over a year.
But everything must come to an end, and the time has come to part ways. I want to thank Aaron for his blogging here over the past thirteen-plus months. His energy and enthusiasm have filled a lot of empty spaces here, and made my life easier. (Perhaps too easy . . . as the ready availability of another blogger made it possible for me to look at my own blog and think to myself: no need to blog today. It’s covered.)
Aaron will continue to blog at his own blog, and his newly minted fans should make that blog a regular visit. I expect I will continue to link his blog, and that he will continue to comment here.
Thanks again to Aaron.
UPDATE x2 BY PATTERICO: Aaron comes clean about his pseudonym. Looks like any thugs who want to come after Aaron for his association with me will have a little extra work to do. And that makes me smile.
Aaron, your posts were interesting, insightful, often humorous, and consistently thought-provoking. I follow you on twitter and look forward to reading your re-invigorated blog. Cheers and best of luck to you.
MikeinHawaii (017a94) — 12/6/2011 @ 6:55 amArron, Thank you, I’ll visit your blog and Best Regards.
ropelight (4732cf) — 12/6/2011 @ 7:05 amYour blog uses different software. I like the software at Patterico and Volokh. It is very easy to use.
At your blog, you have to be a “member” There are no instructions.
I have an idea.
Since your blog has been pretty inactive, maybe you could switch over to the software used at Patterico or at Volokh?
I know of several blogs that switched software (usually, in my opinion, for something not so good, but one type software was discontinued)
They kept the old blog as archives.
You can double post for a while, although that would separate the comments. I think if it takes only a week or two to get the Patterico or Volokh software, you can also very easily copy the last old blog posts and comments to the new one.
This is the best time to switch software.
Sammy Finkelman (424c7b) — 12/6/2011 @ 7:06 amFarewell, Aaron. I hope you stick around in the ocmments. 🙂
aphrael (5d993c) — 12/6/2011 @ 7:20 amI decided to scrap my “Thanks to Aaron” post and append it to the end of this one instead, so there would not be two posts with the same topic.
Patterico (f724ca) — 12/6/2011 @ 7:24 amPat and Aaron
I just ant to thank you both for a service ha goes beyond just blogging and commentating on the events of today.
Aaron, I hope as others said that you stick around in the comments….
I’ll be even lucid
EricPWJohnson (8a4ca7) — 12/6/2011 @ 7:30 amAs you all can tell my keyboard is wearing out.
that and I can’t spell or write
EricPWJohnson (8a4ca7) — 12/6/2011 @ 7:31 amSammy, you can comment at blogger blogs if you have a google account. Click ‘sign in’ at the upper right.
Dustin (cb3719) — 12/6/2011 @ 7:46 amFirst, to everyone, thank you for the kind words. i will miss being here, but i hope i still get to hear from all of you.
Second, specifically to Sammy, basically if you get a gmail account you can comment.
But i look into loosening it up even more. i want intelligent and honest commenters, even if i don’t agree with the commenters. You fit that description, frankly, and i hope you consider that to be praise. On the other hand, there are a lot of creeps patrick has to deal with and i have to deal with, and i don’t want them polluting it. So let me look into that tonight.
As for which software, bluntly, Patrick’s software costs money. i think Volokh’s does to. But my site is blissfully free of charge. which is good because it also makes absolutely no money, either. never has.
The downside, however, is… well… what Althouse went through a few months back. But then just the other day i asked her about when and if she planned to move her site as she said at the time and i don’t think i am revealing any confidence to say that she said that they more or less made it up to her so she was staying.
And bluntly, I have pissed off alot of people who showed some technical savvy and i was once under a hacker threat (long story) and somehow that site withstood it. I don’t know if it was because i called the issue to their attention, or they are just so good the hackers didn’t have a chance, but i know facebook couldn’t withstand a similar assault. So there you go.
Aaron Worthing (e7d72e) — 12/6/2011 @ 8:10 amI’m sorry to see Aaron go, but will happily follow his blog. I think that we all forget that commenting is a privilege, not a right, and that this is essential Patrick Frey’s cybernetic living room. It may not be the Algonquin Table here, but there are some very insightful people posting here…and Aaron is among the best.
I want to go on record that Aaron is truly a fine fellow. When I had a genuine blog-related problem that could have sloshed unpleasantly over into real life, Aaron stood up for me (as did Patterico, Stashiu3, DRJ, and JD). He is one of a kind (as are the people on that list), and a quality human being.
My only question is: will Kman ever post again here, if Aaron isn’t writing essays? And Aaron? Watch out for lovestruck stalkers.
Simon Jester (4c7374) — 12/6/2011 @ 8:11 amAaron–please don’t say “goodbye” as your headline says. Please continue to offer your own comments on threads that interest you– as you always did before your time as a guest blogger.
In case you’re interested, your history-geek anniversary trip post with pictures from August stands out as one of my favorites.
elissa (2b76d3) — 12/6/2011 @ 8:13 amThanks a lot Aaron, I’ve always enjoyed your posts. Your “voice” comes through loud and clear, and it’s a pleasure.
Pious Agnostic (7c3d5b) — 12/6/2011 @ 8:15 amelissa
fair point, its not really goodbye, so much as a change of roles back to annoying commenter and pimping my own blog in the comments.
Aaron Worthing (e7d72e) — 12/6/2011 @ 8:17 amAaron, remember what Starsky and Hutch’s great character “Huggy Bear” used to say when someone called him a pimp.
Simon Jester (4c7374) — 12/6/2011 @ 8:21 amI don’t have a Google account, and will have to think about having another account (too many assorted accounts to keep track of already). But I will visit and continue to enjoy your writing when you choose to share it. 😀
Sue (40062f) — 12/6/2011 @ 8:34 amSorry to see Aaron go, but I’ll be glad to see more of Pat. This way, we get both.
K (f07e38) — 12/6/2011 @ 8:42 am_____________________________________
have filled a lot of empty spaces here
If you remain too busy to blog as much as DRJ once did here, and now Aaron, that pretty much leaves only Karl to pick up the slack. So fewer entries per week and therefore a quieter, less timely blog?
As for which software, bluntly, Patrick’s software costs money.
As for the person who designed this forum’s message board interface, he (or she) must be the type who can read a hundred (or a thousand) sentences strung together without a paragraph break and won’t find his eyes glazing over. I’ve yet to see any other forum on the Internet set up in a way in which there are no graphics used as dividers or breaks between postings.
I like reading the messages here, but I find myself often surfing over many of them because the interface to me is too much like looking at huge blocks of sentences without any para breaks. But I guess YMMV.
Your “voice” comes through loud and clear, and it’s a pleasure.
Allow me to second that! The time that Aaron put into many of his blog entries and their thoroughness deserve thumbs up.
Mark (411533) — 12/6/2011 @ 8:43 amYour posts were always insightful, thought provoking and intellectually honest. As a side note, can we vote kman off the island?
Joe (6f5cc6) — 12/6/2011 @ 8:46 amGone but definitely not forgotten. Come back often.
daleyrocks (bf33e9) — 12/6/2011 @ 8:57 amAaron,
Your commentary has forced me to rethink many of my long-held views – more so than any other blogger I read. I guess flip-flopping is really a good thing. Thanks you for that and for all the pleasant moments spent reading and thinking about your posts. I’ll bookmark your site right now.
Yours truly,
ThOR
ThOR (94646f) — 12/6/2011 @ 8:58 amyou did very very good and really put your heart into this
happyfeet (3c92a1) — 12/6/2011 @ 9:00 amUh, so why is he leaving?
ODB (dcf97e) — 12/6/2011 @ 9:00 am.
.
.
“Parting ways” sounds like a gay couple’s spat over “unaccounted-for-time” at the Fire Island Pride Parade.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
🙁 Who will I go to for snarky one-liners?
Dohbiden (ef98f0) — 12/6/2011 @ 9:01 amSure, you just come here and tell us how much you love us, and then you walk away –
I feel so used!
Seriously, it’s been good to have you here Aaron and to discuss the issues you find interesting.
AD-RtR/OS! (76ba29) — 12/6/2011 @ 9:06 am(BTW, could you take a few trolls with you?)
Islamic suicide bombers are an attack on Islam…………………..Taliban regrets innocent afghanistan were killed because they weren’t infidels……………Islam supports suicide bombers.
Dohbiden (ef98f0) — 12/6/2011 @ 9:07 amI think you need to do a little bit more than just sign into Google/blogger.
Sammy Finkelman (424c7b) — 12/6/2011 @ 9:11 amAmen Sammy.
Dohbiden (ef98f0) — 12/6/2011 @ 9:12 amRepublican payroll tax cuts=bad
Democrap payroll tax cuts=good
Dohbiden (ef98f0) — 12/6/2011 @ 9:16 amAs you all can tell my keyboard is wearing out.
that and I can’t spell or write
Comment by EricPWJohnson — 12/6/2011 @ 7:31 am
— Surely Aaron is touched that you saved the most honest post you EVER will write for his goodbye thread.
Icy (cc3015) — 12/6/2011 @ 9:19 amAs a side note, can we vote kman off the island?
Comment by Joe — 12/6/2011 @ 8:46 am
— Not uncoincidentally, Kman will now drift away . . . an artist lost without his muse.
Icy (cc3015) — 12/6/2011 @ 9:22 amI’ll be even lucid
Comment by EricPWJohnson — 12/6/2011 @ 7:30 am
— Ah Martha, our little boy is growing up. See, he’s even found the perfect Internet signature for himself!
Icy (cc3015) — 12/6/2011 @ 9:26 amKudos to Aaron. Your posts have always been thought-provoking, wide-ranging, and fun to read. Patterico and his readers have been lucky to have your posts this past year.
DRJ (a83b8b) — 12/6/2011 @ 9:44 amAaron – you are a good man with an incisive intellect. You are able to see an issue from many sides or directions, which is a pretty unique ability in my experience. Your blog will be among my daily visits… Best regards!
Colonel Haiku (b19539) — 12/6/2011 @ 9:54 amxoxoxo, Aaron.
MayBee (081489) — 12/6/2011 @ 10:12 amThanks Aaron, good luck on your blog. Looks like I will add another one to read daily, in addition to the 15 I already read…
Teetop (1a6106) — 12/6/2011 @ 10:23 amhttp://darthno.ytmnd.com/
(Sorry, that’s my initial reaction.)
L.N. Smithee (c235d8) — 12/6/2011 @ 11:50 amComment by DRJ — 12/6/2011 @ 9:44 am
With AW’s departure, there will be a content void crying to be filled by wisdom from the Wilds of West Tejas.
AD-RtR/OS! (76ba29) — 12/6/2011 @ 12:07 pmThanks for all your fine work Aaron!
Craig Mc (660ad1) — 12/6/2011 @ 12:13 pmGOOD RIDDANCE!!!!!! ah, just kidding.
And Patrick, with Aaron leaving, you need to pick up the slack, and big time. Us users
steve (369bc6) — 12/6/2011 @ 12:36 pmexpectdemand a certain volume of postings every day (from you or your fill-ins) and we don’t take well to you leaving day old postings at the top of the page.So, why are you leaving? Did Patrick ask you to stop or something? That’s what it seems to me from reading between the lines.
I think you did pretty well, but I liked DRJ better anyway. Bring her back. She was better.
Enquiring Mind (8c1fe2) — 12/6/2011 @ 12:45 pmAaron, I’m grateful to Patterico for introducing you to us, and to you for all the fine blogging you’ve done here. Although you have a distinctive voice, you aspired to and matched the standards for intelligent and civil discourse set by your sponsor — which is what started most of us reading here daily anyway. I congratulate you on your performance, which I think even exceeds the “guest host” standards set by Bob Newheart, Joey Bishop, David Brenner, and David Letterman back in the old days of “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.”
Beldar (65378a) — 12/6/2011 @ 1:07 pm🙁 Please post sniff sniff why?
Dohbiden (ef98f0) — 12/6/2011 @ 1:17 pmNicely said, Beldar.
Dustin (cb3719) — 12/6/2011 @ 1:19 pm🙁 Please don’t do this to me.
😉 Ok enough with the theatrics.
Dohbiden (ef98f0) — 12/6/2011 @ 1:37 pmWell I for one really liked your posts Aaron. Patterico almost never seems to post much anymore, so I wish you would reconsider and stay.
randomlurker (ea061f) — 12/6/2011 @ 1:38 pm😉 If you post here your not really a randomlurker.
Dohbiden (ef98f0) — 12/6/2011 @ 1:40 pmBest of luck, to you, Aaron. You will be missed, but will hopefully find the time now and then to pop back.
ras (be1e0d) — 12/6/2011 @ 1:41 pmI am going to stalk you no matter where you go. If you think that you can keep me off of your blog, you’ve got another think coming. I will get you no matter what. You are always wrong, and I have to point it out to you every single time that you post your drivel.
KMAN (ee1de0) — 12/6/2011 @ 1:58 pm😆 HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Just had to sockpuppet your gay stalker boy one last time Aaron.
peedoffamerican (ee1de0) — 12/6/2011 @ 2:00 pmEnquiring,
I will talk more about this tonight (if all goes well), but not likely on this blog. but this is what i think. And, Patrick, feel free to correct me (like you need my encouragement).
I think 90% of this is just him wanting to express himself again. I think most of the time blogs like this are started as a mode of personal expression. But for a year now we have been mostly deprived of his voice. Seriously, look back. The last substantive post from Patrick was on 11/29, about a week ago. Everything else is me and Karl (who does great work, too), and one from Patrick asking for us to use Amazon for their holiday shopping.
And I think this line is revealing of his thinking:
So this is a way of forcing himself to blog again, because somewhere he has in his heart the feeling he has something to say and he wants everyone to hear it. Or maybe i am just projecting how i feel about blogging onto him, but I don’t think so. I think we truly are in agreement on this point.
And in fact i think in many ways we are very much alike in the way we think. We might disagree on global warming (last i heard he figured the tie goes to the scientists, while i think the tie goes against government action) and there are a few other things we are not in 100% agreement about. But we are both nerdy lawyers with a conservative streak (me being slightly more conservative, I think) and we thus not only agree on most–but not all–issues, but having the similar backgrounds we think in a way that is basically alike. I mean bluntly Karl by comparison is really different from both of us in how he sees things, as is Jack who pops up now and then. I don’t mean that they disagree with us a lot, but that they fundamentally approach the same questions in a different way.
And i think that makes things even worse for Patrick to have me around because i am likely to blog about the exact same things he likes and “occupy the same space” if you will. Like a few weeks back the Cali S.C. handed down a ruling on standing in the Proposition 8 case. I knew he would be interested, so I gave patrick a chance to say something on it. I said in the email something like, “I am 90% sure we would say just about the same thing about it, but its your blog and your state, so I want to give you the chance to speak up.” I never heard back from him, but if i was in his shoes there would be an obvious temptation to say, “let Aaron do it, he’ll say pretty much what I would say and then I can concentrate on other things.” And Patrick wants to deny himself that kind of temptation.
Or at least that’s how i read it. I could be wrong.
And maybe the right way to think of it is that you aren’t losing me (not if you go to my site, as well as this one), so much as getting Patrick back. Which is a good thing because truthfully I missed his voice in the blogging world too.
Aaron Worthing (e7d72e) — 12/6/2011 @ 2:09 pmHEY AARON,
Tried to leave a comment at your post using my Google account, but it says only members of this blog allowed to post comments.
peedoffamerican (ee1de0) — 12/6/2011 @ 2:09 pmpeed
thanks for the heads up. i will see what the story is.
Aaron Worthing (e7d72e) — 12/6/2011 @ 2:10 pmOkay, I have used my dang iphone to try to fix it. Let me know if it worked. for now i will leave it open completely, and then we will see what happens.
Aaron Worthing (e7d72e) — 12/6/2011 @ 2:15 pmI was letting you know that I was adding your blog to my favorites, and that I would stop by on an almost daily basis. Basically, commenting only when someone hasn’t already expressed my thoughts more eloquently than I. Just like I do here most times, unless it’s to bash a troll.
peedoffamerican (ee1de0) — 12/6/2011 @ 2:16 pmThe fix worked. Thanks.
peedoffamerican (ee1de0) — 12/6/2011 @ 2:18 pmI had no idea that Aaron’s days here were numbered. Thank you you for your excellent work here, Aaron. Your posts are a big reason that I frequent this site. I will visit you at your home blog.
felipe (2ec14c) — 12/6/2011 @ 2:21 pmClimate science isn’t “a tie,” but if there were one it would indeed go against government intervention.
Beldar (65378a) — 12/6/2011 @ 2:47 pm😯 is it true that Kman keeps pictures of Aaron in his shrine in his mom’s basement?
Dohbiden (ef98f0) — 12/6/2011 @ 2:55 pmCuomo raising taxes on his loyal voters?
😆 😆 😆
Dohbiden (ef98f0) — 12/6/2011 @ 3:02 pmAaron — well done. I’ll look forward to your comments here, and your posts there. Thank you for challenging my thinking.
htom (412a17) — 12/6/2011 @ 3:05 pmBeldar
i am TRYING to be magnanimous here. 🙂
Aaron Worthing (73a7ea) — 12/6/2011 @ 4:06 pmAaron, your tenure here has been most enjoyable and enlightening. If you continue to post at the BIGs, I insist you make an appearance on the Stage Right Show. Intestinal fortitude be damned.
sybilll (4a716a) — 12/6/2011 @ 6:13 pmGod bless you Aaron.
Dohbiden (ef98f0) — 12/6/2011 @ 6:18 pmBest wishes Aaron. Now what am I going to do with all of the sockpuppets in the trunk?
Cheshirecat ^..^(____)~~~ (a1fcca) — 12/6/2011 @ 7:23 pmUPDATE x2 BY PATTERICO: Aaron comes clean about his pseudonym. Looks like any thugs who want to come after Aaron for his association with me will have a little extra work to do. And that makes me smile.
Patterico (f724ca) — 12/6/2011 @ 7:49 pmSend them here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNgqDs23rI0
peedoffamerican (ee1de0) — 12/6/2011 @ 7:53 pmThank you Aaron for your work, and thank you for your post at the link…
MD in Philly (41d33b) — 12/6/2011 @ 8:05 pmWow, has it only been a year? Time flies when you’re having fun on Sockpuppet Fridays…!
Aaron, you did a great job and thanks for all the fine guestblogging here. Thoughtful, reasoned, good humored commentary fits in quite well here (and though we’ll miss your posts am glad to hear we’ll be hearing more from Patterico too). Am glad to hear you’re going to stick around in the comments.
no one you know (3e92e3) — 12/6/2011 @ 8:10 pmAaron, your insightful and challenging posts will be missed. I am glad to hear that you will continue writing and informing. Thank you for all the stimulating conversation.
Dana (4eca6e) — 12/6/2011 @ 8:28 pmI enjoyed the hell out of Sockpuppet Friday’s.
Oops.
the ghost of Wesley Willis (e55ba0) — 12/6/2011 @ 10:35 pmSockpuppet Friday’s are gone? AwwwHELLno!
Will Smith (325a59) — 12/7/2011 @ 5:33 amI can’t speak for Patrick, but I will note for the record that he was the one who started Sockpuppet Friday in the first place and when I couldn’t do it on a given day, Karl did, so my educated guess is that it will continue. My only innovation was adding a Friday Frivolity to each sockpuppet post.
But that is just an educated guess.
Someone asked at my site whether i planned to do a sockpuppet friday there. Honestly, I am waiting to see if a strong commenter community builds up, because if it is just like 1 comment per post if we are lucky it doesn’t seem like it has much point. I am however more inclined to continue friday frivolities, by themselves, regardless.
Aaron Worthing (e7d72e) — 12/7/2011 @ 6:03 amWe demand Sock Puppet Fridays.
"Aaron Worthing" (41d33b) — 12/7/2011 @ 6:28 amSo long and thanks for all the fisk.
Kman (5576bf) — 12/7/2011 @ 6:35 amSo long and thanks for all the
fiskfist.FIFY
General Malaise (b19539) — 12/7/2011 @ 6:41 amGeneral
no, Kman has got it right. He has given me lots of good material to fisk.
Aaron Worthing (e7d72e) — 12/7/2011 @ 9:39 amThanks Aaron, it has been a pleasure.
Amphipolis (e01538) — 12/7/2011 @ 2:52 pmAwwwwwwwwwwwwww whaaaaaaa public schools can’t use taxpayers money to scream racism against america.
Dohbiden (ef98f0) — 12/7/2011 @ 3:13 pmAhhhhhhhhh yes plastic bags will be banned.
Real pathetic big government encroachment.
Dohbiden (ef98f0) — 12/7/2011 @ 3:15 pm