response 9 of 92:

Oct 1 14:18 UTC 2006

Gosh, mcnally. I am sure sad to see this turn of events. I have always
thought that you have some of the best judgement of anyone around here
so naturally I will respect your judgement about this. But I sure will
miss your contributions to grex and hope that you will choose to come
back to staff some time in the future. Even if you dont, I hope you
continue to  comment on things because it is nice to have a voice of
reason in the mix.

 

response 11 of 92:

Oct 1 16:59 UTC 2006

I'm surprised, Mike.  Yes, I'd care to know why.  You've got the kind of 
technical expertise that Grex needs, you've been making valuable 
contributions, and you're a team player but not afraid to speak your mind. 
You're not a behind-the-scenes manipulator, prima donna or drama queen, 
and you don't have a high-maintenance ego.  In short, from my perspective 
you've got the desirable qualities and lack the undesirable ones.  I'm 
sorry to see you go and hope you reconsider.

response 13 of 92:

Oct 1 19:00 UTC 2006

Thanks for your help, Mike.  Looking forward to your item.

response 15 of 92:

Oct 1 21:55 UTC 2006

I agree with Sindi, I always stop and read Mcnally's postings unlike
some others, I always find them well thought out and pretty much right.
I also wish you would reconsider Mike.

response 17 of 92:

Oct 2 04:54 UTC 2006

 indeed it is a great loss for grex to lose mcnally :(

response 19 of 92:

Oct 2 06:36 UTC 2006

It is no wonder with the culture and 'leadership' within it.

response 21 of 92:

Oct 9 08:36 UTC 2006

So..

Back in #4 I promised to try to explain my decision to resign from
staff.  It's been hard deciding how much information I wanted to share
about my reasons because they're intimately tied to things going on in
my personal life, but although I may skimp on the details I'll try to
hit the highlights.

Several of the responses commenting on my decision to leave have
made positive references to my judgment.  I'm pleased to hear that
people have thought highly of me in that area but it touches on my
biggest reason for resigning from staff.  At the current time,
due to a combination of factors chiefly involving an ongoing conflict
at work and recent unhappy news about a close family member's health,
I have found myself dealing with an increasingly unmanagable stress
load.  I have always believed that the best course of system
administration for a system like Grex requires patience, restraint,
and detachment, but those are three qualities that I've been running
short on lately.

I said in #4 that the recent incident helped contribute to my
decision -- it did so by reminding me of the divisive and disruptive
effect a hastily-chosen staff decision can have on the membership
of the system.  To put it bluntly, at the current time I wouldn't
say my judgment is in tip-top shape and I don't like the thought of
being provoked into overreacting or making a rash decision, so I'm
removing the risk of my doing so by removing myself from staff.

I do have some thoughts on how we might go about trying to reform
the system administration culture we have to attract more volunteers,
but I'll have to share those later..  

response 23 of 92:

Oct 9 14:32 UTC 2006

Thanks for the explanation, Mike. I hope that things in your personal 
life start looking up for you. 

I am particularly looking forward to hearing your ideas on how to 
attract more volunteers. I have been thinking about that a lot lately 
but have been drawing something of a blank. 

response 25 of 92:

Oct 9 16:12 UTC 2006

re #21
Thanks for sharing, Mike.  I knew you'd have the best reason for resigning.
Let me know if there's anything I can do to help.  Work and family problems
at the same time can be an enormous strain.  Be sure to treat yourself well
physically and emotionally...get some alone time and stress relief through
an activity you enjoy when you can.  It is very important.  Sleep and eat
well, too.
Best wishes.

response 27 of 92:

Oct 9 17:16 UTC 2006

Sorry to hear it, Mike; I hope things get better for you soon.

response 29 of 92:

Oct 9 22:32 UTC 2006

Mike - I hope things take a turn for the better.  When you're up for it,
we'd like to have you back on the Grex staff.

response 31 of 92:

Oct 10 02:27 UTC 2006

How many staff members are left now?

response 33 of 92:

Oct 10 03:57 UTC 2006

According to /etc/group:
bhoward,gelinas,glenda,i,janc,kip,mdw,remmers,srw,steve

Of those, bhoward is inactive these days; kip is inactive; mdw is inactive.
So that leaves gelinas, glenda, i, janc, remmers, srw, and steve.