I may not be posting, but I’m still subscribed. Ergo, you’re not the dimmest on the lists either.

Ask Will what his secret is. He’s never let the ribbing get to him, or at least never let it show, so maybe he knows something you should.

My family does this sort of thing all the time. To outsiders (eg, my wife) it’s quite daunting, even unpleasant at times, but it works because it’s not one-sided; everybody’s playing by the same rules. I think that’s true of the lists too, though it doesn’t feel like that to you at the moment. I won’t pretend to know why, but stepping back from posting doesn’t mean you have to step back from reading. What’s wrong with a passive fix?

By the way, does “by all means, Paul, fuck with the hard drive” irritate you in the same way?

Rationally, I know that I give as well as receive on that end of things. That’s one reason why I need to figure out why this one was so upsetting.

but stepping back from posting doesn’t mean you have to step back from reading.

I tried that for a few hours, but the tempation to respond was too great, and since at the time I was extremely upset, the responses wouldn’t have been good ones. Today I’ve tried reading a few threads using the list archives, because that will keep me from responding.

By the way, does “by all means, Paul, fuck with the hard drive” irritate you in the same way?

No, it doesn’t. I’m not entirely sure why, except maybe I think that the problems with the hard drives weren’t a result of my intelligence or lack thereof.