new thread
I've had a lifelong philosophy that a decade at a hobby is enough. We only have a few decades on this planet, and to live a full life, we have to spend them doing different things.
I first got into the Internet hobby in 1995, and in 1997 I began posting here. By 1999 I was involved in site management. This is typical with the way I have lived my life. I've always been one to go beyond just being a member to getting involved in management with groups I have joined. I can think of about a dozen undertakings of this type throughout my life. Some people as they reach retirement consider doing what I've been doing with groups all along. In my case, I'm harboring a "been there done that" attitude, and I feel it's time to truly retire. It's now time to not work on anything or manage anything. What it is, is time to just kick back and enjoy travel, my community, and my friends.
The Internet is a lot like ham radio and cell phones are a lot like ham radio walkie talkies. I was involved in those hobbies for years. You sit there talking to your equipment while really all alone. I was ahead of the curve on electronically communicating with people not in one's presence, and although doing that is still the rage with a lot of people, those activities have grown old with me, and I just want to spend time in the presence of real people and visiting real places. So it is time I take my leave. I will be leaving the community here on September 15.
I do want to say this is 100% about me and my needs, and 0% about anything anyone else has done. People give various reasons for leaving, and sometimes they involve the behavior of other people. That is not the case here.
It has been a great experience to be in on the ground floor of the first place ever in the history of mankind where longhaired men have gotten together and discovered how much we are alike and how we share a lot with our values and culture. Longhaired men will forever be living richer lives for what has been discovered here. I have also made many friends here, and I hope to see them if our paths cross in "real life", since that is where my life is headed now. DavidN is planning a trip around North America next year, for example, and I look forward to meeting him then. A lot of people pass through San Francisco, and any of you feel free to contact me anytime if you are in the area!
Fear not, I am NOT cutting my hair! Nor am I even trimming it. What I am trimming back is data passing through my Internet connection.
I'll still be on line from time to time to e-mail with friends, to maintain our own web site, and to look for information like news and weather. It is time though for my involvement with social networking sites and with management responsibilities anywhere to end. I've done all that stuff, and hey, I'm retired!
One thing I'll also say is that it's probably for an organization's benefit for no one to be involved in its management for too many years. New blood brings new ideas and the enthusiasm of excited newcomers to the table. So I feel MLHH definitely should not mourn my loss.
I wish you all, and MLHH, the best. Being involved here and meeting so many of you have been one of the major endeavors, accomplishments, and joys in my life.
I'll be around until the 15th, as I mentioned, so feel free to make comments. I'll be here until then to read them.
Bill
It is kind of a surprise that you are leaving the board, after being here for so long. Well, best wishes to you Bill, and do not forget who I am.
Regardless
My MySpace
Many things in life are like college: Great fun, but you hope to graduate someday! I probably got most of what I NEEDED out of the board within the first few years. After that I stayed on to help others and to help MLHH get established so it will be here for the long haul. Though many may miss me, the board no longer NEEDS me. Therefore I feel comfortable in moving on.
Of course I will miss the friends I have made here, and I will try to remember you all. I'm getting older, but I'm not forgetful - YET!
Bill
Hi Bill,
I guess being me being young, I find it hard to appreciate what you are saying, but in a way I can understand why you have made the decision you have. It's been great coming online and reading your posts and replying to them. You're a top chap and I wish you well in everything you do in the future.
Take care friend.
Neil
Thanks, Neil, and it would be cool to have all the decades ahead of me that you have! When you see more of them in the rear view mirror than you see ahead, one thing you do not want to see ahead is stagnation. The passage of time is what makes stagnation possible, so swear to never fall into that trap, be it in your work or other interests, as the decades roll by!
Bill
I am really sad to hear that you are leaving, I will truely miss your insights and humour. Gee, MLHH without Bill. Surely that fact that it's possible is a testiment to the hard work and dedication that you've poured into this "hobby". We are all better off for your efforts.
It has been a pleasure to get to know you through your postings and my best wishes to you and Larry.
Bruce
If MLHH lasts long enough, it will eventually be without all of us, of course. It is now set up as an organization, so it very well might just do that. I will miss participating here with all of you, of course. In anyone's life, certain activities stand out above others, and for my life MLHH will definitely be in the top tier.
Bill
Wow, that's a biggy. Not sure what to say. Your absence will leave an empty space here only in personal terms. You and others have done a fine job in making sure the managerial and technical space can be filled without too many problems.
Yuck.
That doesn't sound like a very good reply at all. Sorry. I tried.
It's been great getting to know you Steve, and don't be a stranger. I'll still be 30 miles up the road.
Bill
I wish you the absolute best, Bill. It was a pleasure knowing you and it's all because of you I found this site. Again, take care, I hope you the best in the future!
Cheers,
Hegg
I wish you the best as well. I'm glad I played a part in your finding this great community!
Bill
Bill,
I am shocked to read this. I hope you still post even though your not going to be running the site anymore.
I doubt the world will end in two decades, as I am not that lucky. LOL :-P
You will be missed, and you better keep in touch with me!
I just hope the board does not die after you leave...
Mike
For awhile at least, I intend to leave all the social networking sites behind. I really do need to turn to a new page in my life. I'm just not going to turn that page while I am still reading the previous one.
Hey, I hope I'm still alive in 20 years, so watch it! [grin]
I plan to keep my e-mail address for at least 20 years, and longer if I live longer than that! So feel free to write.
I can't imagine that. Too many people care about it, and a parade of new ones just keeps on coming. When an organization has people caring about it, some of those people will always step forward to see that it lives.
Bill
Wow, this is a shocker, though I guess it shouldn't be.
I suppose thats one of the problems with being such a steadfast pillar of the community, everyone expects you'll always be there. Kind of a strange mixture of appreciation and taking you for granted :)
I wanted to thank you Bill for keeping this place running for so many years, you have helped create many friendships between us here and that is something to be immensely proud of. I think that goes way beyond helping to dispense hair washing routines :)
Too bad we can't have one humongous virtual retirement party for you!
Thanks for everything and I am glad you are looking forward to a new phase of life.
Take care my friend,
Chris
Yes, you've come and gone with your activity here, so you can appreciate what goes on in one's head.
There's a lot of new growth on this tree, so older growth should not crowd it out!
Indeed, if all we offered was hair washing routines, we would have failed long ago. It is the exploration of just what being a longhair is all about that makes this place priceless. When we meet and befriend others and see what we have in common, that reinforces our own sense of self as longhairs, and that has been one of MLHH's strongest strengths. This is something tough to do "in real life" and this foray onto the Internet has helped many of us. What we learn here we can take with us into real life and make that life all the richer, though!
Yes, it is, and that points out one of the shortcomings of on-line circles of friends. One of the matters driving me is I have less contact with locals here in the community where I live than I used to have, and I want that to change.
As they say, life is change! That which never changes is dead.
Bill
You will be missed. I'll try to stay in touch. I would try to suggest that we chat on ham radio, but that rather defeats your ob ject, I guess.
Boards like this are a huge sink for time, and managing them even more so. I can see where you are coming from.
Don't forget that we're all real people, even if we aren't really present where you are.
Alun
Indeed we all are. As I mentioned in my post just below this one, on line situations provide some opportunities while real life ones provide others. My life has in recent years become too far slanted towards the on line situations (yes, they do take time as you say), and I seek the change to achieve balance.
Write me anytime, Alun. I'll still be checking my e-mail.
Bill
It is not just this board as an entity, but you as a great individual, that has so positively impacted the lives of men with long hair, and men who strive to grow and maintain long hair in today's society. I discovered your "On Being A Longhair," long before I discovered MLHH. I want you to know that it was instrumental in helping me to understand and accept that there is nothing wrong with a man feeling that having long hair is vital to his authentic self-expression; indeed, that there can actually be something very RIGHT about it. For this reason, and for imparting a great deal of other wisdom via MLHH, and for just being one hell of a decent guy, I thank you, Bill.
A vibrant energy is not so much leaving this community on September 15th, as it is being passed along, like a torch, for those of us who remain to keep alight and held high. We'll do you proud.
One Love,
Val
Thanks, Val. It is comforting to know that the torch will be passed onward. What was learned here in the board's earliest years and which ended up in "On Being A Longhair" will remain on my web site. It gets many dozens of readers a day. One nice thing about the Internet is that it has infinite room for stuff, and we can move on to other things and still leave our legacies from prior endeavors behind for others to enjoy.
Bill
All the very best, Bill. I'm not one to 'miss' posters or their posts, but you are one of the three or four where this is not the case. You're certainly a large part of the board's character and charm, something which has kept me here for over 4 years. I hope you achieve fulfilment in all that you do from here on out.
Matt
Thanks, Matt. My hope is that, whatever I stumble upon to be my new passion, I will devote energy and excitement to it like I gave to MLHH in its earlier years. What lies down the pike is now a great unknown, and there is a lot of excitement just in that!
Bill
Thanks Bill for getting this forum going, it has helped me in my Long Hair Journey.
Frank
Glad MLHH has helped you!
Victor started MLHH. I became his assistant two years later. During one period when Victor's work was very demanding, I probably did much of the management of it, but all under his direction. Over time we added moderators to the crew. Then two years ago we realized my enthusiasm and Victor's would not last as long as the users' demand for having the site, so we worked to shift it to being run by a committee drawn from the users. This committee can always refresh itself with new blood, and our hope is that MLHH will be here for those who need it or would enjoy it, for many years to come!
Bill
Thanks for the mention. The site was easy enough to maintain by myself at first. But as popularity increased and we started needing protection from ne'er do wells (mostly unseen these days by most of the readers of the board), I realized I needed help. I think you for the tremendous help you've been over the years. I've been able to gradually fade to the sidelines because of your dedication.
Thanks to our current crew, I'm confident you will be able to as well.
Thanks again.
We are all deeply grateful for your foresight in founding MLHH, of course, and the lives of thousands have been made far richer for its having touched their lives. All the knowledge we have learned here and brought together here will forever be available to make better the lives of longhaired men. The fires we have lit here will be burning to enlighten mankind long after all of us are gone. No one or two men have the energy or the lifespan to provide all a community such as this one will need. The torch must be passed to others, and our great MLHH crew is well-prepared to carry it on!
Bill
Even though I have not been on this board for very long, I will miss you Bill. It is a shame that you have to leave, but that's how life is. I am fortunate to have learned thing from your knowledge and philosophies during the short time I have been on this board.
Take care, long hair forever!
Patrick_R
Thanks, Patrick! I'm glad I've been able to share thoughts with you while our paths have crossed here!
Bill
hey Bill,sad to see you go but I understand that there ismore to life than the internet.
I have not posted much latly but want to say
thanks for the work you have done here and
hope you and your partner have many happy years together.
and please do lurk around now and then.
hugs to you >:D<
Hey Ron,
You've been around the longhair groups infrequently - in a way I wish I could have done that! I have gotten way too involved (well, with the Internet in general) so it's now time to work on those "happy years together" doing cool stuff that is not on line.
Drop me a line from time to time. I'll still be around.
Bill
Bill, Real life is what it is all about! Glad we have been there and hope to be there again!
peace, Kick back and enjoy retirement,
jonalbear.
Indeed, it will be nice to see you guys again sometime! We'll certainly stay in touch. I have met a few guys like you guys on line where our contact has been such that it has crossed over into what one could all call "real life". We've spent a few weeks together, after all!
E-mail or call as it moves ya!
Bill
As you know our communication goes back many years. You helped me immeasurably through my years of angst and transition. I am deeply saddened by your decision. I would much prefer you just stepping back but not actually and formally declaring your intention to leave for good. I really hope you drop in occasionally as a friend to the many that consider you a friend and a mentor.
Few would deny that you speak to the heart of the longhair like no other. Please don't leave us entirely.
Your friend,
Jason
Hi Jason,
I felt a lot of your earlier anguish. Having a sister in law in the same "truth" helped me feel what you faced. I'm so glad you were able to work it all out. You seem so happy now.
I would like nothing better than to meet you someday. Look me up if you're ever in San Francisco! I'm not leaving the planet, I'm just leaving the Internet. [grin] At least for now. It is something for personal growth at this time that I need to do.
Bill
Bill, you will be greatly missed. We owe a lot of thanks to you for building the MLHH into an institution on the Internet. I think the MLHH can rightly claim to be the oldest, continually operating website dedicated to long hair. Please stop by from time to time.
I wish you the best in your future endeavors!
Ed
Unique communities need unique web spaces, and MLHH has certainly grown to meet that need. We can all be proud of what we have built for ourselves here!
Look me up sometime, and let me know if any of the gang is getting together. It will always be good to see you all.
Bill
Hey Bill.Well even though I had advance notice of your pending departure from MLHH it was still tough for me to read your official goodbye.But like you said thats goodbye more in cyberspace and not in real life.It was a great pleasure to meet you and all the guys this past April and I certainly plan to do it again in the future.When that day comes I'll certainly look you up.The thing about life is that change does occur and we all have to adjust to that change.Imagine if we did the same thing day in and out for the majority of our adult lives.When you look back at what you've done and find it wasn't all that much it gives you a feeling that you missed out in life but then it may be too late.Bravo for you Bill for making that change even though you've poured your heart and soul into the MLHH.You will go down in history as a major cogg in the wheel of this machine.So I will salute you on September 15th and remember what you've meant to me and the others here.Cheers my friend as you move onto the next chapter of your life:)
Mark
It was great meeting you, Mark, this past spring! Do look me up the next time you are out here.
Indeed, my move at this time is all about my having more variety in my life, which at my age seems way too short on the "remaining" end. My move is not at all about any unhappiness here. Hey, I just want more excitement in my life, and after a decade, anything, no matter how much you care about it, is going to be exciting anymore. MLHH has always been a labor of love, but at some point (most people call it "retirement"!) one realizes labor is not a motivating live goal anymore. Goofing off is! And in so doing, I may just fall into new labors which give me great energy, but only time will tell.
Bill
WOW....
I knew this was coming, and that you would someday make this decision, because you have told me so in private on more than one occasion; but, to actually read this post in black & white is... well, let's just say that its impact on my emotions is more than I expected!
If there is anyone to thank HUGELY for the success of MLHH, it is unquestionably *you*, Bill!!!!!!! I am also extremely grateful to Victor, for starting MLHH in the first place; but, without all your work behind-the-scenes tech knowledge, and all of the countless volunteer hours that you've put into making MLHH tick like a fine-tuned gold Swiss watch, I doubt that any of us would be here today communicating with each other.
I fully understand and support your decision 100%. But, I am one of the truly lucky ones: I live just a little over one mile away from you!! The pleasure of talking to you & Larry in-person is mine for just whenever I feel like asking! And being over at your house on the many fun occasions I've been priviledged to enjoy, and you helping me with my website and taking all those goofy hair pics of me, etc., are some of the greatest memories of entering into my longhaired geezerhood that I can think of! Sharing a loud laugh with you & Larry is as real as it gets, --- and I can attest to what a joy it is to be around you, "live & in-person", experiencing first-hand your fantastic wit, deep insight, and great wisdom. Please please PLEASE don't leave MLHH entirely...
I get to be in your presence whenever I feel like touching-base with you, --- and probably take that fact too much for granted. Scott (Absalom), RickG, SteveNoVa, and other San Francisco Bay Area locals I'm sure could say the same; but, your contributions on this board, even if only "occasionally", are like gems of light for me to read. So, I can only imagine what it must feel like to those here who've never had the priviledge yet of meeting you in-person.
OK, I'll get off my drama soapbox, --- too many Tango lessons, I guess (lol)!!
I hope you at least do some occasional lurking after the 15th. Lurking is FUN, --- nobody knows you're still hanging around, and then, BAM!!, you swoop down and do a surprise post or two when nobody's expecting it!
Last but not least, I want to say what a wonderful priviledge it was moderating with you during my time of annoying everyone as a more frequent poster on MLHH (lol), --- it was a lot more work than I ever expected; but, I can also say that I had a BLAST!!!!
Thanks for being all that you are, and for giving us all your beautiful contributions, --- especially your wonderfully-written, "On Being A Longhair!"
And now, I think I'll just go to bed and have a good cry....
Long Lox 4ever,
Ken
Cry not, Ken, for I will still be around! Times I've spent with you and others here in town have been so enjoyable that I realize I need more of that. By getting my butt off the chair in front of the computer I hope to get some!
By the time one gets to our age, one hopes to have left a legacy. To discard and disown one's legacy is to proclaim your life as worthless. My has been spread around in different places and I'm glad for having left it all. My web writings will remain on line as I move on. All those who I've met and we've enriched each other's lives will live on with that enrichment as I move on. I can name at least a dozen activities that, so far in my life, I feel I've made a real difference to others, as you have with your dance community as one example with yourself, and the opportunity to do that sort of thing is a real blessing.
See you soon!
Bill
Bill,
I'm really going to miss you man. This site and you have kept me going with my hair. I wish you the best wherever you go, and whatever you do. :).
Best wishes,
Josh
Thanks, Josh. I wish you the best as well in all in your life, including hair growth!
Bill
Man, and here I was thinking I had seen some shocking things today. I am deeply saddened and at the same time happy with your decision. Bitter sweet feeling, for lack of better words. I am saddened by the fact that you will no longer be with us here at the MLHH but happy that you are going to start your next journey, Enjoying the fine things in life once again. We only have one shot at this life that we were given so we must enjoy it to the fullest while we have the chance.
You are the heart and soul of the MLHH. Words cannot express how grateful I am for all that you've done for us. It was an honor serving with you by my side. I wish you and Larry nothing but the best and may you both enjoy the journey together forever.
Thank you Bill,
Chris H
Chris,
I know you had to bow out of participation here for awhile, so you know some of the feelings I now have. You understand all these issues at a much earlier age than I ever did!
The "new journey" will be lonely sometimes. It will be exciting sometimes. But mostly it will just be an unknown. I realized there were a number of times in my life where new adventures just did not present themselves until I had cleared the slate of old ones. After ten years of involvement here, I came to realize the slate needed to be cleared.
I actually considered this about two years ago, and then I became sick unexpectedly and that ran until recently. I found myself in no condition to undertake any substantial adventures outside the front door, and having MLHH and other Internet activities were a godsend because they kept my mind off of my illness. One never knows what the future will bring when it comes to one's health, but now I have the energy again to get out and do some new things, so I am hot to go for it!
It is therefore now the time.
Bill
Bill, It's good that you are moving on. Of course you will be missed here on the MLHH but it is good for you that you have the ability to let go. Many are unable to do that with things in life. Workplaces (that don't have mandatory retirement) often have a few people with nothing else to do in life, or no ability to imagine doing anything else, who hang on. What will they say at the end--"Gee I wish I had spent more time at the office?"
I learned belatedly something about life I wish I had known when I was in my 20s, that life consists of a series of windows of opportunity that open and close. Seize the moment! If you want to do something and you can do it now, don't wait! Many (including myself) often think "If I were twenty years younger and had it to do over again I'd do....." Instead, think of yourself in 20 years and what you would like to have done and do it while you can (travel is one thing that comes to mind in my case).
Anyway, it sounds as if you have your act together with this--congratulations, and good luck.
Hi Rob,
As a guy near my age and with similar life experiences, I see you understand. Travel will indeed be in our plans, as well as just doing more around here. We used to do far more with locals and have more local friends, before we got involved with the Internet. We also used to travel more. It is time we make a move back in that direction.
I'll still be on line occasionally to e-mail with friends, so we will most certainly have to stay in touch. You travel a lot and I hope to be as well, so we will surely see each other again before too long!
Bill
"On Being a Longhair" was the first thing I read online when I was contemplating growing my hair again. I very much appreciate the time and care you took with that as well as running this site for so long.
Thanks and good luck in all your endeavors.
Chris
Thanks, Chris. I plan to keep "On Being a Longhair" on line for sure. I'm certainly not out to burn any bridges here; I'm intending to build new ones!
Wish me well!
Bill
Bill,
It has been great having you with us!
Thanks for all that you have done for the MLHH!
I will look forward to someday getting to meet you in person if I make it out to the SF area. While you're out there enjoying life feel free to drop by Dallas/Fort Worth area in Texas. There are a few of us here that would love to meet you!
- Oren
Yes, I've always hoped we'd meet someday. So you're back in Dallas now! We can look each other up if we're in the other's area. My e-mail address will always be the same, and I've had the same phone number for over 25 years - it's in the book - so I am not hard to find. Look me up if you're in town, even if the visit is spur of the moment!
I hope your beard is flourishing nicely now. Mine's now past my nips with one strand within 3 inches of my navel. It's probably approaching terminal, but time will tell.
This thing of pushing away from the computer to meet social needs has been bubbling under the surface for some time. That is why I've never joined any of the beard groups that you and some others have mentioned from time to time. My beard is now long enough that I get plenty of great reactions from people I run into in person; I don't need to get on a computer for that!
Hope to see you someday!
Bill
Bill,
Before I ever made the decision to grow my hair out, I read your "On being a Longhair" and it helps me make the dive. I owe a part of my decision to you, and I am grateful to you for your guidance.
I myself have been absent from the board for a while, and randomly, for no reason at all decided to pop on for the first time in months to see what's new. I'm happy I caught you before you left!
Anyways, wanted to thank you for your guidance in the beginning phases of the process, both directly and indirectly.
Enjoy the next phase of your life.
As always, may God bless you.
~Rome
I'm glad my writings were there for you. I don't intend to take them off, so they'll still be there to help others.
Yeah, nice to hear from you! In making yourself scarce for a bit, you likely appreciate what is now going through my head. Life is too short to let one thing dominate it for too long. On the other hand, if one doesn't stick to some activities for a reasonable amount of time, he'll be unlikely to ever leave his mark in a way to leave a legacy of having helped others. I feel I've struck a good balance with that, and I'm happy with what I've accomplished in my life. I now look forward to my next adventure!
Thanks, Rome, and I wish you the same. Rock on!
Bill
Hey Bill, you are going to be missed. Even though you are stepping down as crew chief, I hope you will drop by and post occasionally. Thank you for all you have done to make MLHH a success.
Scott
Hey, I'll see you around, so don't get too mushy over this! [wink]
During my tenure with management, it's been great having you around to keep track of MLHH's money. That has been one thing, thanks to your being there, that the rest of us have not had to concern ourselves with at all!
With our best weather on the horizon, we'll have to get some hiking time in. See you soon!
Bill
Sometimes I hate saying goodbye but I know you'll be back and stay in touch with most of us. It was fun chatting with you and the others in the chat room during my summer break when I had tons of free time... too much actually lol!
Like many others Im sure, your guide to being a longhair was a huge inspiration for growing my hair out, and I havent looked back at having short hair since.
Anyways I wish you the best and hope you enjoy the future!
School and vacation cycles provide a great backdrop to forcing variety into one's life. Once you graduate, life can become years flowing into decades with little change if you don't watch out! The answer is to force yourself to "graduate" from the old stuff once in a while. It's a lot like moving on to a new school. You can view me soon as an alum who still stays in contact with his old classmates, but school is not his life now. So, yeah, I'll still be around, but mostly off in new exciting-for-me places!
Yeah, some things ARE for life, and long hair is one of them for many of us here. I can think of other things that are for life, too. Like being a guy for instance. [grin] Stuff really in your soul as your identity you stick with. Also, if you find a great spouse, you definitely hang on to that! Everything else is game for having a limited tenure.
Hey, that is in my plans!
Bill
I know that people like yourself who end up in these sorts of leader/management/responsibility positions like what you've been doing always seem to get twice as many headaches to deal as as most folks know, so let me say "thank you!" for all your work. This site is a nice place to come to, and you should take a bow!
-sectari
Thank you, Sectari! It's been a pleasure to have contributed to an activity that has meant so much to me and to others. The joys MLHH have brought to others have so overwhelmed the headaches that I've always taken them in stride and seen them as just bumps on the road, and every worthwhile journey is going to encounter bumps!
Bill
Bill;
Some folks get a better ride on this planet than others and it has nothing to do with status, possessions, power or wealth. It has to do with attitude. With your philosophies, I know you are having a great ride. I really like the following quote:
"...Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body. But rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in hand, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming “WOO-HOO what a ride!...”
May you and Larry have great adventures...
We will get a visit in someday…..Keep Well and Keep in Touch
Walter
Yes, we'll have to meet each other for sure!
Your mention of a "journey to the grave" brings to mind one evening several years ago when I was on the BART train in Berkeley, headed for San Francisco. At that time all San Francisco trains ended beyond San Francisco at Colma, a small town where all the graveyards (and not much else) are. I was talking to a guy who had sat down next to me on the train when the doors opened at a station and the driver announced, "This is a Colma bound train." I said to the guy next to me, "LIFE is a Colma bound train." Everyone in that end of the car heard me, and they all cracked up!
Indeed, life is about the journey. We all know what is on the destination sign.
Bill
Hi Bill,
Thanks for all the work on the site you did.
I will miss you on the board, your posts were always very insightfull.
But I understand your choise, enjoy your time from now on without the board.
Vincent
Thanks, Vincent. Hey, for me it's on to new adventures! Also, old timers like me need to step aside at some point to give newcomers like you a crack at it. Newcomers get the experience and the excitement of something that is new for them, and the community benefits from that energy and their new ideas. I know I leave with MLHH in very good hands, and you all will have great fun with it!
Bill
Ah Bill,
I wish you a good journey. You are leaving a wonderful legacy behind. What a warm and nurturing community you have created here. I'm glad we had a chance to meet in 'real life.' You are a gracious, thoughtful, charming man. I have not participated too much on the board nor have I stayed in touch with you. I regret that, but life happens and life's challenges have forced my focus elsewhere.
My hair continues to grow after 14+ months. I alternate between hating it and loving my lengthening locks. If it weren't for you and the wonderful support of this board, I'd be wearing a crewcut again and missing the fulfillment of watching and feeling my hair grow.
My very best wishes to you and Larry as you move on. Please check in once in a while and let us know how you are doing.
Hugs,
Don
It was great getting to meet you. If you see me around town, say 'hi'! I may not recognize you with all your new growth!
Bill
Good morning, Bill,
It is really hard to believe that you are leaving the hyperboard, and I could never have imagined a hyperboard with you at the "helm" to guide us along the path to one of the best communities on the internet. Of course, I fully understand your reasons for a change, and the desire to move on. I would have replied to your post yesterday, but I am on the road right now, and am in Pittsburgh, a little ways from home.
I really wanted to thank you for all you have done over the years, and also, for your support for me as well, whether it is the encouragement you gave me in growing my first ever beard, or many other things. I wish you all the very best as you set out on this new path in your life.
Take care,
David
Hi again, Bill,
As always seem to be the case, I made yet another typo, and the line in the first sentence,
"I could never have imagined a hyperboard with you at the "helm" to guide us along the path to one of the best communities on the internet."
should have read,
"I could never have imagined a hyperboard without you at the "helm" to guide us along the path to one of the best communities on the internet."
Hi David,
Your beard is really looking great with the way your hair has become. I'm glad I could imagine you with it and foresee how it would give you the awesome look you now have!
Thanks for all the work you've done behind the scenes to keep MLHH running smoothly. The sun rises first in North America in the Maritimes, and you've often been there to get everything dispatched that piled up overnight long before the rest of us have our feet hit the floor.
I look forward to meeting you when you swing by the West Coast next year!
Bill
Well, Bill, I completely the understand the need to find new horizons, but I'll still be sorry to see you go. Your viewpoint has always been interesting and thoughtful, and as a moderator you were often a welcome voice of reason to calm troubles.
I hope wherever you decide to put your impressive energies and talents works out well for you. Have a great time and a great life, and maybe drop in and let us know how you're doing from time to time. And if you ever make it out the East Coast, drop me a line and maybe we can say hello.
Jim
Remembering that the Internet is not equipment but people helps a lot, along with keeping in mind that the survival and flourishing of the community must be paramount. The biggest part of assuring that is treating everyone fairly, equally, and consistently. I brought about 25 years of involvement with the management of ham radio clubs and a college broadcast station to the table, and that experience surely helped. We now have a great crew that embraces those principles, so MLHH should continue to be a great and fun place to be.
Ditto if you're out here. A lot of people pass through San Francisco, so I have met quite a few of the MLHH crowd over the years. Overall I must say we really have a great bunch of people here!
Bill
This does come as a bit of a shock, I must say. However, all good things come to an end, as the saying goes. I do hope that you will pop in now and then, Bill. Your presence and work here has always been appreciated very much, and it will be quite different (and a bit sadder) without you on the board.
Take care and enjoy whatever new adventures you embark upon. You will be missed! =)
-James
Hey, you've taken your leave for a bit, so you know what the thoughts going through one's head can be! It's been great having you around when you've been among us. As for "popping in now and then" I feel I really need to make a clean break for awhile. This will be best for my own mental attitude adjustment, and it will be best for the crew to have fully replaced me with others carrying out my responsibilities. They need to know that I am truly gone and react to that reality. I've been shedding hats for quite a while in the back room, but that is always tough when the hat's old wearer is still nearby.
Bill
Hola Bill,
I've already expressed my appreciation and gratitude in another venue, but once again, I would like to retiterate how much I and all of us value the work you have done on the board, the wisdom you have left us with over the years, and the veracity and feracity with which you have supported the long hair cause. I will really miss your posts and input, but life's there for the living and to be lived, and you have the right attitude to get out in it and go do.
Big Hug,
Matt B.
It's been great having your level head, your intelligence, your work experience, and your educational background all at our disposal in the management endeavors at MLHH. It has been a pleasure working in a group of which you have been a part!
As for "the long hair cause", each of us on this planet finds certain causes to be worth fighting for. That has been one of mine. Also worth fighting for is having a fun and varied life, and I am now once again on that quest!
Bill
We all have paths yet unexplored and, as you mention, only a limited time to do so.
Thanks for keeping it interesting.
I do understand the need to change things up and once again move forward.
Thanks for the efforts you have put in here. It is appreciated.
George
Thanks, too, George, for your being here. Longhairs come in all stripes and with a variety of viewpoints, and you've always provided balance to a scene that can sometimes get a bit too one-sided just because a majority feels a certain way. We must always be open as longhairs to the concept that a longhair owns himself, and every longhair should be respected and appreciated for the person he has chosen to become!
Bill
Hi Bill
I doubt so many here realize what you have really done for this great board, its health and well-being, and yet at the same time seemed to have kept such a modest and low profile to the guys that post here. (The sign of an exceptional human being for sure.) Your efforts through the years behind the scenes to make sure all ticked perfectly for this great MLHH are so vast that I dare say could never be measured. To say that you will be greatly missed is an understatement, and yet at the same time how can we be anything but happy for you that your pathway will now lead you in other well deserved directions in the years ahead and that you will be enjoying yet another period of discoveries and unique interests. You are leaving behind a legacy that is enormous. You have given of your time with such generousity as to be simply off the charts.
May the years ahead be ones of great health and happiness for you as you embark on yet another chapter of your life. And may you always know that you have done so much and more for the longhaired community to have earned the love and respect of us all. In your case no amount of thank-yous could ever be enough to truly convey the appreciation to which you deserve.
Because of you, we have all been blessed beyond measure.
My best to you always,
Justin~
It is going to be by all means, hard too see you leave this board, Bill...
You play such a great part in the MLHH, for you are such a great influence on all of us, I too had read your "Being a longhair" as I began my journey, and it within itself was a great influence.
But I completely understand moving on with life and retiring, and I wish you the very best for the years to come. Hopefully sometime I can make it to a bay area meet (since im only 2 hrs away)
Best of luck to you man :)
Peace
Ddude
By all means make it to one of the local meetups! If I learn of one, I am likely to be there, too, and we can meet each other then.
Bill
Hi Bill. Your roll in making mlhh a viable community cannot be underestimated. For this, we thank you. Please keep in touch and know we are all your friends. Keep it growin' and flowin'.
TLH
Definitely going to keep the mane. A change in that regard is not in the cards!
I will always treasure the many friends I have made here while embarking on my long hair adventure.
Bill
Good luck! And let us know what your next hobby turns out to be.
When I find that out, I'll just have to do that!
Bill
Hi Bill,
I just read you post today and of course in one way it's rather sad that you won't be around much now. But we know there is more to life than the internet and other wonderful things to keep is busy in that big wide world out there. I know that both of you have plenty of other activities and hobbies to enjoy life day by day.
I just wanted to thank you for the wonderful work and major contribution you have over all these years and making the MLHH the wonderful place it is today. Like alot of people I remember reading the article you did on "Being a Longhair" and certainly an inspiration to alot of people that have posted on the board over the years.
All my best to both of you of course don't be a stranger my friend.
Cheers,
John.B
My best to you, John, and do look me up if you get back out this way. It was a great pleasure to have met you when you were here several years ago.
Hi Bill !
Good bye and good luck ! What else ? At least you don't totally leave us as the lines of code remains, hahaha.
I wish your new "era" being as good as your "MLHH era".
Vivien
Yeah, writing the code here was one solo activity that few really know about.
I first became involved with MLHH management when a very abusive troll was wreaking havoc on the board and he taunted Victor with the comment that "I can post anything I want, and you can't stop me." I wrote Victor and said, "Want to prove him wrong?" The original software had no screening function, and within a week I had it written.
As the years went by, I wrote code for the users' directory and avatars, the e-mailing-other-users system, the archives, the uploading photos function, and the chat room. I also found ways to make all the board pages load twice as fast for the users. All the back end functions the moderators use, such as the system that tallies votes, I also wrote.
And now, the maintenance of all of that will fall to you. [grin] I'm confident that you will do a great job at the helm of the tech crew, and we are all blessed to have your stepping up to the plate to take on that mostly-invisible but very important task!
As a newcomer with fresh enthusiasm and fresh ideas, I'm sure MLHH can do nothing but benefit from having you bring your interests in its ongoing improvement to the table. As I look back over the last ten years to the beginning of that time, I can remember an MLHH with far fewer features, and the Internet is always evolving and new activities and user interests come into being. Will the site in time get a new look with new features we don't even know of now? Will users someday be able to upload videos or some other form of content? None of this is known now; we've generally added features when we have seen the users have a strong interest in them, and no one knows what the future will bring.
So not only will I have a "new era" as you mentioned, but MLHH can look forward to having one too!
Have fun with the technical side of MLHH! It's been a blast the last ten years doing that, and you'll surely enjoy it just as much as I have!
Bill
You'll be missed, Bill, but I'm happy you're sticking with what you know is right for you. Good luck in life and with all your new decade-long hobbies.
Mouse
It's been nice seeing your input here in recent years. Thanks for your support of the MLHH crowd!
Bill
It's been fun reading your posts Bill, and I gather you've had fun on MLHH too. Just wanted to chime in and say good luck with your future plans, and I hope you'll keep us updated on anything interesting, at least once in a while :)
Regards,
derf
Thanks, Derf. Hey, I hope my life in coming years will be interesting, but it may be boring [grin] and even that uncertainty can make the future interesting. Are you thoroughly confused now, because I am! [wink]
Great to see your thoughtful contributions over the most recent years.
Bill
Hi Bill, what can I add that hasn't already been said? What you have done for MLHH is so huge it's difficult to put into words. Its been an honour to work alongside you.
Bill always had the 'defining' answer when we couldn't agree, Bill always knew had to diffuse a fiery situation, Bill always had a great technical reply to any 'interweb' query, Bill always cast a fair but firm judgement on difficult issues.
Its because of this that I have developed the greatest respect for you. I have learnt so much from you, and I am truly honoured to be able to be an active part of this amazing place that you helped to create, and hopefully we the team and its wonderful members can grow and nurture MLHH for many years into the future.
I hope that we can meet someday, it's on my 'to do' list!!
My best to you
Hugs, Dave
Yeah, I would like to meet you sometime too, you slightly nutty guy with the really nutty hair! [grin]
We've managed to get MLHH set up as an organization with a culture that fosters its continuation as it now is, as our hope has been that it will outlive the interest of any one or a few people. As is the case with me now, people come and go. Organizations, on the other hand, have the potential to become immortal!
I'm in San Francisco with no intent of leaving, so look me up if your travels ever bring you out this way.
Bill
I can certainly relate to what you say as I've had activities
over the years that finally I had to say "ok enough" Like
everyone has said there's much more to life and you have to go
out and find it, it won't come and find you.
Your contribution to MLHH over the years can't be described in
one post but lets just say they are huge. You absence will be
very noticeable and certainly your humour will be missed as well
as your insight.
One thing you brought the board among many was consistency and
that is something I and the crew hope to maintain so we can all
enjoy MLHH for years to come. I wish you and Larry good health
and good times. Enjoy your new adventures and savor every moment
as they don't come again.
I would end by saying good bye but as your not flying off in a
space ship never to return, I'll say until we meet again and
that could be next year as Ray is talking about doing San
Francisco again. And of course we'll meet up and have a laugh
after all, "I know where you live"
So see ya around Bill
And Thanks
Kevin
Yes, it was great getting to meet you guys when you were out here, and it's great that you have now taken on our presidency here at MLHH. I'm glad you will be coming out here again so soon!
And indeed, you know where we live. We are easy to find. Just put "bill and larry" into Google, and what happens is scary.
Well, I prefer to see it that Google has good taste!
Bill
Greetings Bill. kudos to you for your decision to "retire" and for your monumental contribution to this community. My best wishes to you and your partner.
Sincerely,
Max
Thanks, Max! We'll have to meet sometime since we're not that far apart.
Bill
As others have said, your contributions to this website cannot be understated. I wish you luck in your travels, and I hope you see the most interesting things this world has to offer.
Tracy
Thanks, Tracy. The future is looking, well, UNKNOWN! That in itself is interesting to an extent that I haven't felt in a long time!
Bill
I wish you nothing but the best! Thanks for all your efforts and contributions over the years with MLHH, face blindness, and God knows what else! :-) Please feel to 'lurk' here on MLHH anytime. Give me a shout every now and then and we'll go hiking somewhere!
--Rick
We've got to do that Big Basin thing sometime. Maybe when we've had more rain so the waterfalls will be gushing like crazy!
Bill
Wow Bill, I haven't really heard a plan like that outside of a movie scr ipt. We'll miss hearing from you but I'm betting that you'll find computers are harder to put away than ham radios and such (they are just so darn useful)...so, we'll see you later [wink].
Hair Religion
Damn. It's already been done. I was going to sell the idea and retire on the money! [grin]
Ham radio was actually a multifaceted hobby that kept my interest by my wandering from one facet of it to another over a period of thirty years. We did the walkie talkie thing and I had already burned out on it before cell phones came along. There was a time I set out to make contact with someone in every state. Clubs I belonged to provided communication for Walk-a-thons and the like, and they set up stations over weekends to practice emergency communications. Then my last big activity was setting up networks of computers in the area here that became part of a system that ultimately became what we now call "e-mail". We ran what was essentially San Francisco's first ISP from a computer that ran in the room where I now sit. When I moved into the Internet hobby, I saw it at first as just one more facet of ham radio. Most of the people I knew back then on the Internet were hams. I built my first computer in 1977 from parts. If you did not know how to solder, you would not have had a computer at home back then, and the local computer club was all hams. Then I got to write software for my computer in machine code, because there was none. Every computer back then was essentially unique, so using someone else's was a problem. Oh, and if anyone wonders which came first, software or hardware, along the line of the common chicken versus the egg query, I can assure you that hardware came first.
Ham radio though was the technical hobby of the 20th Century, and now it is the 21st. The Internet has replaced ham radio, and the Internet is moving in many different directions just as ham radio once did. However, none of them seem to interest me now. I'm truly ready for something new!
One thing I do know, though, is that I will keep growing my hair! I'm really enjoying having the long beard now, too.
Bill
I'm new here, but I'll second this. You've more than earned all the accolades, I can tell.
Hmmm... That wouldn't be The WELL, would it?
No, although I have a neighbor who still gets his e-mail from it. As I recall the Well started as a dialup bulletin board. There were several here, starting about 1980, while the Well came on line in 1985. At first you could only leave messages for people who used your own bulletin board. Tying them together presented the problem of who would pay for the long distance phone charges. Our bulletin board was part of the packet radio system built by ham radio operators. It used radio which enabled connections to distant systems for free.
There were also coming into existence by the mid-1980s the large national dialup systems such as Compuserve, AOL, Genie, etc. Some university and military systems also existed by then. In the early 1990s all these networks began to get tied together, and that eventually became "the Internet".
The culture of the various networks varied a lot from one to the other. The ham radio, university, and government systems were more technical and more serious, while those of the AOL genre were more like CB radio. To this day you see cultural differences between sites like MLHH, which had a geek origin, and sites like MySpace, which have more of a CB-radio flavor.
Bill
Bill,
What a shock! I'm glad to have gotten to know you on this board and wish you nothing but the absolute best in this world! If I ever make it out that way I would love to look you up because I think you're a fascinating individual. You've always been very kind here and a voice of reason as well. Your happiness is the most important, but I'm sure we're all gonna miss you. You've also been an inspiration to a lot of us for many reasons. It has been a pleasure and a HUGE loss for us, but at least we know you'll still be around from time to time. Thanks for all the work you did for MLHH. It's been a very important, helpful, and reliable source for all longhairs...and you were very instrumental in bringing to another level. Please don't be a stranger.
Best of luck and thank you!
Brett
Growing My Hair Out...Again! Progress Pics
Brett,
Do look me up if you get the chance. I'm not burning any bridges here, I'm just choosing to not cross them every day. [grin] I'll be off hiking down different highways.
By hanging out here, we've not only made a difference for ourselves, but also for longhaired men everywhere. In the history of mankind this is the first place just for us. We've learned to support one another while also learning how much in common we share. My work at MLHH will be on my short list of most meaningful accomplishments when all is said and done.
MLHH is meeting a great need for a great group of guys, and it's been a pleasure getting to know you in this venue! I wish you the best!
Bill
I am not known here as I have never posted before but I have lurked and taken advantage of all the information I could get from you guys. I have been growing my hair for 20 months and this is the first time I have let it grow this long. In previous attempts it always just seemed to remain curly and grow out. So when I actually started getting results I found I had no idea how to care for my hair, not even the basics.
I was so happy to find this board. And Bill your document has been invaluable me. I have read it over and over and learned so much. Thanks to all of you and especially you Bill for taking the time to be so much help to me, even though you did not know it.
I have done the Ham Radio thing too, and IRC, and several others hobbies like that and I totally relate to where you are coming from. I know you will be sorely missed and I regret I did not have a chance to get to know you, but I wish you all the happiness you deserve as you make this change in your life.
Best wishes and thanks again for providing so much help to a neophyte longhair that def needed to know which way to go.
I posted a pic but I am afraid is is not very good. Trying to lake pics of yourself showing the back and sides is a lot harder than I realized.
Most people who read something don't write the author, so my not knowing the full extent of the usefulness of my writings is to be expected. [grin] I am always delighted to hear from someone who found them helpful, of course, and I'm glad you did, and let me know!
Yeah, you know how in a certain way all those activities can fail to be fulfilling. I just have to, for now, go off in a very new direction. Flirting with the idea has not had the desired result, so to pull it off I have to quit cold turkey, and I have set September 15 as the date I will leave.
You bet! Hey, we all find our ways to "make a difference", and this has been one of my quests along that line. I very much lacked information that when I was younger I very much needed, and a desire to not see others reliving that unpleasant situation is what was my motivation. I knew from first hand experience that the work done here would make a difference for a lot of people, and my doing it has been very rewarding.
This work will now be carried on by others, and I leave assured that it will continue to be. We now have a great community here!
Bill
Hal, what's your callsign?
Alun, N3KIP (also G8VUK)
I was KD4NGZ (expired). I had been inactive for awhile and then moved and missed submitting my ten year renewal, because my brain is damaged (only reason I can think of).
I was a Tech+ and really enjoyed it. Passed General written, but kept failing the 13wpm code test by 1 question. I moved to a place that made it impossible to erect antennas, and 2 meter via repeater was not very satisfying to me. It was a little early for packet which might have kept my interest.
And then when I made the bonehead mistake of not renewing, that was the end of me. I know lots of changes have been made since my demise. I still own a 2 meter handheld and a 10 meter rig, but use neither.
You've been a great leader and inspiration. I admire your bravery in bringing to the public knowledge your condition of 'face blindness': a condition I've never heard of before 'meeting' you. It has been great getting to know you (or, at least, the online version of you -- one' can't truly appreciate another online; I've never heard your laugh, for one).
I wish you all the best is your future hobbies, Bill.
Thanks for all you've given me.
Shawn (Mr.Crow)
Hey, that's one more of my not-for-profit undertakings! [grin] I was involved with that a few years before I got involved with MLHH, and I dropped out of the groups concerning it when the tenth anniversary for it rolled around a few years ago. I still hear from people due to my writings of course, and I will also hear from time to time from people about my long hair writings, too, since I have no plan to remove either. The longhair material gets slightly more hits, but I hear a bit more from the face blindness material as it turns out. And the two face blindness groups I was involved with founding are still flourishing, but without me.
Nice to have met you, Shawn. Keep growing that curly hair!
Bill