Well, here on the blogs we sign Petitions for a lot of things? I have signed a lot of them this past year. I have Boxer wanting me to sign things about one a month (I always sign my Senator Boxers petitions.) Kerry, it seems like he writes me daily with one (I’ve almost stopped opening his emails, kidding John)..even one of my hero’s John Conyers makes my day when he sends me a petition to sign (instantly..I sign it, I don’t even need to read the ones he sends me, I find the dotted line and proudly sign.) I have signed them in front of Supermarkets, at street fairs. Sometimes even at the park. Well this is my turn to put out a petition. I am very distressed. One of my favorites here at BoomanTrib has announced that she is leaving. I have spent many hours blogging with her. We all know her simply as Catnip. She started me off and introduced me to live blogging events over at Dkos and then here. I can’t even mention how many live committe meetings, Bush Nominees, Major Speechs, anouncements, whatever, Catnip was always there as my/our guide, hostess to her diaries, organizer and Hero.
I didn’t follow Catnip over here, I believe I came a little earlier from a kind invitation from our gracious host Booman, who I believe Rocks along with Susanbohu, who’s diaries I never missed over at Dkos and here. I was forever a silent stalker of her work. This place has always had a warmer feeling. No hit and runs. Fights settled quickly, everything out in the open. Even a Cafe almost open 24hrs a day.
Anyway…. I just wanted to write a Petition and make it be known that I would like Catnip to reconsider. Perhaps take a little time off. Maybe just write diaries and comments without pressure or whatever, from being a front pager or come back in a bit and Front page till her hearts content. We need Catnips voice here at the BoomanTribune. I don’t know how many times over the past year…I have sent a little, simple, plain, J’ Adore comment to Catnip. She has always lifted my spirits, made me think, made me laugh (hard, very, very hard sometimes.) and made me want to come back more often to the Trib just to check in with what was up in Canada or with Catnip. I was so sad when she left Dkos but I was so Happy when I found her here. Diaries, comments, whatever. I clearly don’t want this breakup to happen. No Catnip it’s not about You..It’s about ME…I have never been good with breakups. I have been in the same relationship for over 14 years..sometimes I think just because I don’t like breakups. It is very hard for me to just think that Catnip wont’ exist here anymore. BlogWorld is wierd that way. People can just go away and not really be gone, but really be gone. I just wanted to have this petition out there and in my history diary here at the BooTrib. You can sign it if you like or even make a comment. I know applause is what brought Tinkerbell back, I just thought maybe my petition might bring our Catnip back.
[UPDATE-See Special Comment Below]
Call me crazy, or in need of less blog time, but this has really stayed on my mind all day. I can’t shake it, I have been truly distressed.
One of the things that makes this site so magnetic for me is the fact that in every single comment; diary; rant; picture; snarky joke, it is evident to me that there is a bubbling flow of humanity from the person behind that screen. Perhaps it’s unhealthy for someone to be so obsessed with fostering community, but I would rather spend my energy that way than any other. We are all we have in this world to give each other hope
I am completely heartbroken by the news and will gladly join your appeal in asking catnip, L, to reconsider. Thanks for writing this diary Chamonix and giving me a place to get this off my chest. Peace to you and the rest of the BooTribbers.
Oh, Manny, you are truely a gentle soul.
I do respect Catnip (L) and trust that she is perfectly capable of making decisions for herself. I also can’t resist this last gesture of friendship.
– NagNancy –
Consider this your first signature. I lurked in Catnip’s diaries over at dkos and then over here. She has been a great asset both there and here. Hopefully she will see this post.
is more anonymous than my email address, so why not. It’s for a great cause, after all.
Hey!
I think you wrote me a rubber check last year?
LOL JK
I can respect anytime a person says ‘for personal reasons’.
I’m signing _Xrumi__ here to show my support for the chance of reconsideration.
I haven’t been here long but I can spot quality and compassion with ease. Your voice and reason are needed and I wanted to express that while I had the chance.
Me and my seven sock puppets are signing the Virtual Catnip Petition.
My humble best wishes to Catnip that she rest and return to us as soon as she finds it in her heart to do so. I was too intimidated to post on your diaries at DailyKos – except the silly late night ones! Here you have helped give me a voice – one of several strong women role models. Peace be with you always.
Avatar Signature: SallyCat aka MtnCerridwen
I forgot to sign my own petition…
C H A M O N I X
please recommend.
Consider this my signature as well.
I’ll sign too although I’ve been asking her to stay all day without any luck… maybe this will work.
I’m in!
Though I would prefer that she changed her mind because she wanted to, not just because of us.
SOJ is a prime example of how hard it can be to just walk away from the keyboard. We can always hope!
Sign me in too!
She sounded rather firm, but here’s one more who hopes she’ll at least do the occasional diary entry.
Add me to the list of signatories.
…I haven’t been able to read her stuff as much as I would like lately, but always have found it insightful when I do have the chance.
I’m tempted to sign because I will really miss catnip’s writing, humor, and dedication.
But, but, but — it’s catnip’s decision, it’s her life and her needs and her desires that matter, not mine or anybody else’s. If she comes back, it ought to be because she wants to, not because we’ve made her feel bad about her decision.
So if you read this, catnip, here’s an observation from someone raised by a quintessential Jewish mother — guilt trips are often a sign of love and concern but they’re still a trip that someone else is setting for you and no one should take the trip unless it’s a journey they wanted to go on in the first place.
People come and people go in online communities, and it has to be their decision whether to go or to stay. We’ve just got to trust each other that each of us knows when it’s time for us to go.
I love catnip’s writing, and have greatly enjoyed her presence here, even the discussions of cheesecake, and I will eagerly bookmark any new blog she gets involved in, or welcome her back here.
But I also want to respect her choice. Everyone needs a break now and then, and sometimes things need to change, and it’s not for me to decide when those times are for anyone else. So I don’t feel quite right putting too much pressure on her — she knows she’ll be missed here, but it’s still her decision to make, and I’m sure she’s making it with all the same judgment and wisdom she’s shown in her diaries.
I have to agree with AndiF. I’m very sad catnip left, but the circumstances make me feel that I would not be respecting her wishes by trying to persuade her to return, and I’m a bit uncomfortable with the idea of a public petition.
So please consider this simply my heartfelt signature of friendship.
Agree. I posted to her diary at Dkos that catnip is wise and circumspect and keeps her own counsel.
I respect her decisions. Then, at Kos and now as well.
And will look for her to re appear elsewhere…
We are all chameleons… 😉
And we can grow a new tail… 😉
little love. Please see catnips response to our love below. I am still taking signatures. Thanks.
on other people’s parts.
So perhaps people who really want her back should be suggesting that — to the people who have that ability.
(For Catnip to feel comfortable returning, that is.)
In any situation where there’s an incrowd, and someone joins it, and the formerly “added-on” person leaves, it’s because the original group didn’t want to include some changes the “new” person wanted.
Now — maybe the incrowd was right. Or maybe they just didn’t want to share the power, or maybe they just didn’t want to change so fast, or other possibilities. But — for a return to be brokered, there’s usually compromise needed on both sides.
S’il te plaît…
Signé : Melanchthon
It’s been bothering me too, and I hope we’ll see Catnip again…even if it’s at her own blog!
Peace, love, and cheesecake for all…
CG
Ed J.
Sorry but, can’t you all leave Catnip alone, please.
Her parting message said “au revoir”, so it isn’t that she don’t expect or want to see us again.
Did I miss an introduction…who is Steven D?
A fair question.
Yesterday, I was piping in that we all should know why Catnip was leaving. After I wrote that I thought it over for quite some time. Why did I feel I needed to know? For me, I realised I was just being a busy body. I am NOT saying that any of you are busy bodies so lets get the right up front. I did realise though that all people have circumstances. If I decide to quit my job, get a divorce, move to the ends of the earth that is my choice. Sometimes, the circumstances may be so painful or maybe hurtful to others one has to keep that to themselves.
I love Catnip’s writing and passion and humor. I also love her as a person and will honor her decision to move to a different place. Maybe, just maybe she has kept her reasons to herself for the good of the community. If that is the case, That is selfless and very admirable. Namaste Catnip!
Rolfyboy.
Plus the cowpokes down in the bunkhouse want to know why Miss Catnip is leaving them?
The decision must be yours. You will be missed if you go and welcomed back if you return. When Ghostdancers Way had to leave for a while, I wrote this message. I think it applies here as well. To paraphrase and significantly condense the Tao:
Live Beauty.
Go in beauty or stay in beauty as your needs dictate. If you must leave, know that I hope it is only for a time and that you will return in beauty. With each choice you make, even when all ways seem dark, know that in the night too there is beauty.
Live Beauty.
Breathe. Think. Live. Always in beauty.
That’s as close as I can get to signing the petition.
Me, too.
susanw
I’m happy to sign the petition as a way of saying I really value catnip’s contributions to this site and I’m grateful to her for them, but I want her to do what she wants to do.
What Kansas said.
poco
I agree heartily. We all have our reasons for where we go and what we do.
Comeback Catnip! Okay, I know that is completely selfish of me. But … Comeback Catnip!
Fran Martone aka Kahli
Thank you so much for asking. The growth turned out to be benign. Papilloma virus. I guess she must have had an even more interesting life at the Greyhound track than I knew!
What a relief that it wasn’t cancer.
Got my signature, too.
(I can’t see Catnip responding much to arm-twisting. So if this helps her change her mind, it will be her decision.)
Damn you, Chamonix! And all of the rest of you too.
I’ll just write this straight from the heart – sans editing – so If I ramble, please forgive me.
Sometimes, life pushes me along faster than I can keep up and that’s where I’ve been the last year. You all gave me tremendous support that I’ll be forever grateful for as I dealt with my painful health issues. The moment I was feeling better, I was asked to become a front pager. I was shocked, humbled and honoured. You all need to know that the front pagers here do tremendous work behind the scenes to present what they do. They all work very, very hard. I didn’t realize how intense it all was until I agreed to join them. They all deserve your respect and admiration.
Without getting into what finally prompted my decision to leave, I will tell you this in general terms: I was not satisfied with my contributions and had strayed away from my personal spiritual beliefs (Buddhism) in my life as I was trying to cope with the changes involved with being a front pager and the increasingly crazy living situation I was in. On all fronts, I was not being true to myself.
Now, having said that, after reading through all of the comments in my farewell diary, the many e-mails I received in the past 24 hours from my friends here and the outpouring in this diary while choking back tears and feeling heartbreak, I need to re-examine my decision.
Was I wrong? Was I too rash in my decision? Can I change so I can still feel comfortable here? Was my personal stress clouding my judgment? Do I need to take some deep breaths and rethink this? Can I relinquish my selfishness enough to support my fellow front pagers as they are all also going through times of intense need? (They are – please love them a lot – they need you).
I’m not too full of myself to admit I’ve made a mistake and to come back with my tail between my legs asking for forgiveness for my lack of humility and compassion.
Please give me a bit more time to think about this and to talk to the front pagers.
Those who know me know that I aspire to humility in life and that I am often surprised when people give me as much support as you all have. I’m not special. I’m just me. And, when people express how they feel about me, I sometimes find it hard to accept because I don’t see myself as being all that important in the scheme of things. I’m overwhelmed by all of your comments.
All of the tears I’ve held back are now starting to flow, so I need to go away now and think about this. It’s takes a lot to make me cry – you bastards you! I’ll be back when I’ve gathered my thoughts.
Catnip, you are an amazing person who is so full of love and compassion that you never, ever, lost your Buddisim… it just got buried beneath everything else that was going on in your life.
Take some time. Perhaps just lurk and eat cheesecake for a while and post when you can (FP or not). Enjoy our company as we enjoy yours. Live, love and snark.
Whatever you decide to do, know that you are always, always welcome in our lives.
Well I for one do hope that you can reconcile everything and then come back and participate in what ever way you feel comfortable.
You are one of the best writers on this site and I will sorely miss reading your words if you don’t return.
My invitation to post material on Buddism or anything else on Village Blue still stands….
Just take it easy and let it flow….easy for me to say… lol…as I can’t always do it either, and I have been in the writing pit for weeks now and can barely string a sentence together…
Is it the cheesecake, maybe you’ve had too much…
<<<<<<Big hugs Catnip….>>>>>>
I just had an idea, maybe you could do something like “Catnip’s corner” where you present your take on things.
We just don’t want to you to leave and never be heard from again. Take your time and do what’s right. I’m glad you felt like checking in here to let us know. If you do eventually feel like returning, no apologies are necessary at all. We’d just be happy to have you again.
Would you mind if I updated my petition? I don’t even know how to but I would love to let the folks here at the BooTrib know that you have commented. Your talent, spirit, energy and wisdom are loved. Your comment has made me very happy.
It’s takes a lot to make me cry – you bastards you!
you forgot “cheesecake-eating” 🙂
If anyone, either here or elsewhere asks you to do anything you don’t feel right about, I will be the first to commend you on being true to yourself.
However, if it is a question of which places you will grace with your opinions, your writing, I will be the first to say it does not matter one bit whether those opinions are shared by management, here or elsewhere.
You just post it wherever you want to post it, according to your personal preference, whimsy, or ornery gene, if applicable.
And again, wherever you post it, let me know where it is because I would like to read it 😀
Do what you need to do.
None of us have the right to demand you compromise and stress yourself for us (and I’m sure no-one wants or means to do that).
We can wait.
and thank you
maybe being a front-pager was a bit more than you can chew at this particular point at time. I’m sure if you want to take a step back and continue to enliven the diary column, Boo and Susan would understand. I’d just hate to see past, present and future BooTribbers deprived of your voice.
And about your personal spiritual beliefs: maybe to help you clarify them, you could share some of them with us? You know, in many parts of the blogosphere there have been arguments about religion co-existing with politics; most of those arguments have been about Christianity, but I know that there are many more paths than the path of the Christ. There’s a real need for the world to see that religion does not equal Christanity, just as it needs to be shown than Christian does not equal Republican. Perhaps an occasional weekend diary would help inform those of us who wish to learn more?
Maybe you just need to step back and take a break; take time to smell the evergreens (wrong season for roses, especially in your environs) and recharge the batteries. I did that for several months after the 2004 elections, and it helped me regain focus as to what changes I wanted to see in the world.
Please don’t let your voice be silenced forever; maybe just a temporary quiet time, like going to a Trappist retreat… 🙂
Hip Hip Horray for Catnip! :>)
Thanks for reconsidering leaving. I didn’t sign the petition before because I respect your decision, even if I don’t like it.
But, thank you for sharing with us. I, among many, would love to see you back, but only when you are ready and can make it work for you.
Hugs.
This was a big-hearted response on your part, catnip. Thank you for trusting us with this. I look forward to learning what your next steps are going to be, whatever they may be. And btw, I’d love to have some discussions about those “growth” moments when our highest goals for ourselves seem to conflict with our political lives or even just with our blog lives. I run into that conundrum a lot and I have some things to say about it, dammit! 🙂
The four truths persist, no matter what we do, and we each muddle through in our own way. You’ll find your best path because that’s the path you will take. Peace be with you, Catnip.
Forgive me, I’ve been busy unpacking etc.
Catnip, if you leaving because someone was mean to you, as a compatriot, I am compelled to stand by you. If it is because you have become overwhelmed, I understand.
best regards,
I’ve made my final decision after talking with the other front pagers: I am definitely leaving. There are differences that just can’t be worked out. I will not say more than that because I don’t want to disrupt the site. I tried my best. I’m sorry.
I’ll let you know where I’ve set up my new home.
I really appreciate it. Please let us know where you do land. I will be there waiting for your diaries and the live blogging. I so respect you giving it one last shot.
but but but…sigh
: (
Catnip, please go in peace, knowing that your voice on this site was useful, appreciated, sought out by many of us, HEARD. Yours was an exceptional contribution to Booman Tribune and you will be sorely missed.
The site won’t be the same without you, but both you and we will hopefully grow and prosper.
Peace and until we meet again,
chinook