bigAL

Was excited when you got the position, sadder now that you're vacating it. Life stuff comes first, good luck.

Hello, VHL...
 
With the conclusion of the regular season upon us, I think now is the right time to talk about the conclusion of something different. That being...
 
...that this will be my last season as Davos' GM.
 
I was (controversially) originally brought on in January of 2020, meaning that at the end of the playoffs, I will have served the league (somewhat) faithfully for just about exactly 2 years. This will also be my first time not being a GM of some sort since April of 2019, when I became the first GM of the Mississauga Hounds. I know that this will come as a surprise to some of you, but I have given this a great deal of thought on my own time and think it's the best decision to make for myself and for the league. Bear with me, because I'm going to try to address whatever I can about it in this post.
 
FAQ:
 
Why?
This is an interesting question, and it has a few answers.
Davos will be hit hard with retirement, and I don't have the heart to deal with it. We've had some not-fun times with me here, including S70-71 when we set the record for most consecutive seasons in last place (which wasn't really my fault) and S74-79 (I think?) when we underperformed and rebuilt (which kinda was my fault). While we're a playoff team now, I don't have the same enthusiasm for turning things around that I did then. It might be possible to make it work, but I've asked myself whether I see myself working to do that and I really don't. Hopefully we get someone who will! I haven't lived up to the hype. This by itself isn't a reason to step down--the reason is mostly represented in the first point--but I was meant to be the savior of the franchise and things didn't work out that way. I will always think it's more important that everyone had fun, but with one failed attempt to compete gone and another probably gone unless some playoff magic comes out of nowhere, I also think it's unfair to the league that a consistently underperforming team has the same GM for eternity. The league and I are moving in different philosophical directions. This actually isn't about the VHLE. Everyone's also aware of the whole meta thing, and it's more about that. I'm not here to criticize anyone for going along with it, but it's another "do I see myself doing this" situation where the answer is no. I am NOT saying that I want any replacement to try to make Davos a meta team--in fact, I very much do not want that--but I find the idea of running a team less fun when "this is what I want to do" is very different from "this is what I should be doing if I want to win a championship". Like the second point, this is a very minor issue for me in relation to the first, so please don't make me "that guy who left over the meta" or anything. Just something I find worth mentioning. I don't like that I'm saying any of the above, but I've had this on my mind for weeks and I think it's the most fair explanation of my thoughts.
 
Are you going inactive?
No. In fact, I hope I stay as active as always in the future.
 
Do you want to GM again?
I hope I do at some point, and at that point I hope I'm hired! Right now, I just need a break.
 
Are you leaving the BoG?
No, you can't get rid of me that easily. I like arguing too much.
 
 
A few (alright, quite a few) shoutouts to people who have made my time as GM fun:
 
@Berocka: I cannot possibly make a list without putting you on top. I don't like to speak in absolutes, but you are my best friend in this league. Thank you for putting up with all of my bullshit, and thank you for always being there to talk. It's been great working with you almost from Day 1 and I hope we'll do some other cool stuff in the future.
 
@Ahma: It's no secret that you LOVE Davos, and I'm amazed by your ability to stand by this team through thick and thin. Thank you for your loyalty, and also for reminding me to care when I start to lose it.
 
@WranglersSuck, @Banackock, @Darth Kaprizov, @Tyler, @KC15, and @JardyB10: to the rest of the active members of the current roster, hi! I know this comes on short notice, but thank you so much for getting Davos where it is today and making it a wonderful place to be. Best of luck!
 
@Brrbisbrr, @McWolf , @Laine, @FrostBeard, @Grape, @Snussu, @samx, and probably a whole lot of others I'm missing: you were the people who made the past 12 (yes, 12!) seasons fun as players. I hope you're doing well, whatever you're up to.
 
@Doomsday, @Renomitsu, @Esso2264 , @DoktorFunk, @diamond_ace , and especially @GlowyGoat (if you ever see this): you never played for me, but you still showed up to our server because you wanted to. I appreciate this endlessly and consider you my friends.
 
To the @VHL GM crew: some of you have given me advice, some of you have given me some respectful negotiations, some of you I've never really interacted with on a GM level. But none of you have ever made me feel unwelcome, even when I wasn't making the smartest moves, and I think that's great.
 
@Commissioner: I haven't talked to you about this, so I'd like to apologize again for the zero-notice thing. But here's the announcement. Thanks for keeping things running for all of us! If you'd like to talk to me about the next GM, feel free to do so; if you'd rather make the decision on your own, I respect that as well.
 
To anyone else I missed, and to many others I'd like to tag here but won't because the reasons don't really connect to my time as a GM: thank you for being you.
 
 
This isn't an easy post to make, but I've been hesitating to make it for a while now and it's time to push the button.
 
But before I do...
 
DAVID

and
and
 
Seriously, I might as well just copy and paste what Beav and Quik said in theirs. For real, I pulled the classic blue move of “go away for a few weeks and lose the drive to come back.” Someone else on the brink of retirement gave me the lightbulb moment when they said they “were actively avoiding logging in” and I was like, “igen, that’s me, that's a red flag.” I mentioned a bit about December’s hectic ‘goodbye tour’, but that started as a weekend away. And turned into a week. And then another end. And here we are at the end of another week, still barely active. Time to make it official, I can't do the job to the standards that this league deserves anymore.
 
Oh well, it happens. I wrote a eulogy, an explanation, a reflection to go along with this, but this isn't the place to do that. Check that heartfelt look back here.
 
So long, and thanks for all the fish.
 
✌️ & ❤️

and
and
 
Seriously, I might as well just copy and paste what Beav and Quik said in theirs. For real, I pulled the classic blue move of “go away for a few weeks and lose the drive to come back.” Someone else on the brink of retirement gave me the lightbulb moment when they said they “were actively avoiding logging in” and I was like, “igen, that’s me, that's a red flag.” I mentioned a bit about December’s hectic ‘goodbye tour’, but that started as a weekend away. And turned into a week. And then another end. And here we are at the end of another week, still barely active. Time to make it official, I can't do the job to the standards that this league deserves anymore.
 
Oh well, it happens. I wrote a eulogy, an explanation, a reflection to go along with this, but this isn't the place to do that. Check that heartfelt look back here.
 
So long, and thanks for all the fish.
 
✌️ & ❤️

and
and
 
Seriously, I might as well just copy and paste what Beav and Quik said in theirs. For real, I pulled the classic blue move of “go away for a few weeks and lose the drive to come back.” Someone else on the brink of retirement gave me the lightbulb moment when they said they “were actively avoiding logging in” and I was like, “igen, that’s me, that's a red flag.” I mentioned a bit about December’s hectic ‘goodbye tour’, but that started as a weekend away. And turned into a week. And then another end. And here we are at the end of another week, still barely active. Time to make it official, I can't do the job to the standards that this league deserves anymore.
 
Oh well, it happens. I wrote a eulogy, an explanation, a reflection to go along with this, but this isn't the place to do that. Check that heartfelt look back here.
 
So long, and thanks for all the fish.
 
✌️ & ❤️

and
and
 
Seriously, I might as well just copy and paste what Beav and Quik said in theirs. For real, I pulled the classic blue move of “go away for a few weeks and lose the drive to come back.” Someone else on the brink of retirement gave me the lightbulb moment when they said they “were actively avoiding logging in” and I was like, “igen, that’s me, that's a red flag.” I mentioned a bit about December’s hectic ‘goodbye tour’, but that started as a weekend away. And turned into a week. And then another end. And here we are at the end of another week, still barely active. Time to make it official, I can't do the job to the standards that this league deserves anymore.
 
The VHL was the right place, the right people, and the right project for me at the right time of my life. I’m so proud of almost two years I’ve been a part of this community. From my humble beginning as an AGM, to my work on the WJC, to bringing a voice of reason to the BoG, and then finally becoming the tyrannical overlord for the last six months, it’s been a ride. More important than job titles and responsibilities, though, are the friends made along the way. I’ve been so fortunate to spend time with so many different groups. I broke in with the League folks early days; the 9-5 crew last year was a bumpin’ gang of people who were definitely supposed to be working remotely but were on discord all day; my S72-74 Miami LR, because you always remember your first; the Jackbox party team were the best because that was a game my crap technology could actually handle (unlike Golf With Friends which I swear melted my laptop); the Chess Club, which was so much fun; the podcasting friends, both those that I actually met and podcasted with face-to-face and the people who feel like friends because I hear you talking to me regularly. Everyone here is a “best people around” even if you aren’t old, or a boy, or in the club.
 
I dunno what my legacy will be here, but I’m intensely proud of the work we’ve all accomplished in the last six months. The moderation team did an unbelievable job of codifying our rights and responsibilities as members, and I’m happy to be a part of that. The VHLE was implemented while I was blue, so that may or may not be on the ‘positive’ side of the ledger for you. I’ve always been a community organizer, a volunteer manager, a policy and good governance of large social groups wonk, and so I got a lot out of being a commissioner. It was fun for me in the same way writing academic essays is fun for me (seriously, I got to help write a few uni papers for a friend this month and it made me long so much for uni). I needed a new project that kept me in the community organizing world since I left my old one behind in Canada. Blue was a job that kept me sharp professionally, engaged and entertained personally, and allowed me to give back to a community that gave me so much during the pandemic.
 
On top of all that, I’ve got a new appreciation for the work of the commissioners. They tell you that your job description is to do, quote, “everything”, and it’s accurate. The blues are the HR department, managing all our staff; they’re our spreadsheet hockey organizers, responsible for creating and enforcing rules, training new GMs, settling disputes between our squabbling children; we’re community organizers who work hard to make sure there’s a wealth of positive experiences and activities to keep people entertained and engaged; and, commissioners are just generally firefighters, dealing with the unexpected problems that come up when dealing with 200+ incredibly diverse humans all existing in the same space. I was even the lucky blue that didn’t have to sim, so add that daily responsibility on top of all the above, and you’ve got the day-to-day VHL life of Bek and Josh. Holy shit they do a lot. Make sure to hug a blue and call your parents today.
 
Life changes, and we’re allowed to (and it’s important for us to) change and grow along with it. I’m old now, I can look back and see a number of distinct chapters in my life. Each has a starting and an ending, and each leads - not always immediately - to a new chapter. That could be a new job, a new city, moving away to uni, starting or ending a relationship, or joining or leaving an online community. That’s okay! I’m working through now how to thread those chapters together, how to make an active choice of what and who to bring from a closed chapter to a new one. My VHL chapter taught me a lot of things. It reignited my passion for writing which - ugh, I hate the idea of this but love the practicality - I’m trying to monetize on UpWork. I got to dust off my photoshop skills after 10+ years of stagnating on a back shelf of my brain, and PS is one of those things you can’t really do unless you have a project like creating VHL graphics. As my relationship was deteriorating, the league gave me a place to safely retreat to so I didn’t feel so sad and alone. I got to podcast! I always wanted to do that, but never had a purpose or a thought so interesting that the world needed to hear it. I learned and practiced what diversity looks and sounds like in the 2020s, which was extra important as I lived first in the aggressively heteronormative small town in northern Ontario and then in the aggressively heteronormative country of Hungary. The VHL kept me hip to what the kids are rappin’ to these days, yo. I know that when a student tells me they love to play League, I should ask what their “main” is (and they get so damn excited that I can speak their lingo). These are all skills and experiences that I now have, that are now a part of me, that will come with me on the rest of this crazy journey through life. 
 
I’m forever thankful that this chapter of my life happened, that so many of your names appear in my daily journals, and that we could all be there for each other during these “unprecedented times”. 
 
So, that’s it for me. My day to day life in Europe just doesn’t have the required space and energy to adequately do the blue job anymore. It’s not fair to you to have 50% of a commissioner, and it’s not fair to me to carry the guilty burden of not meeting the responsibilities I signed up. I’ve said in a few places, I took this job literally the morning of my last full day in Canada before I had my coffee and immediately when it was offered. With more time to think it through, I probably wouldn’t (shouldn’t?) have done it knowing all the change that was coming in my life. The time zone meant that I wasn’t active at the same time as most of my friends, which takes out a lot of the fun from the league. Since covid doesn’t exist in Hungary (lmao fuck), I wasn’t spending time sitting at a computer long enough to participate in actual discord conversations anymore or to deal with things in a timely manner. 
 
And, I’m not gone. I’ll still be on the forums. I’ll be on discord probably as much as I have been the last two months (ie: not enough). If we hang out and chat, it’ll be as friends catching up on life and not likely sim hockey fans debating the merits of drafting first overall Vasile Lamb or Tavish MacGroot (don’t blow up this chance, go for the demoman).
 
So, it’s been a ride. Keep on keepin’ on. Bring joy to someone’s life. Remember to think of things you’re thankful for. Hug your loved ones. Be kind to yourself and treat yourself the way you would your best friend. In the immortal words of bigAL: “don’t be a dick.”
 
✌️ & ❤️
 

Proof that people only read the headlines haha

What a Christmas season. I'm always amazed by the generosity of our community. Nicely done to everyone who donated, and thanks for the participation and attention from those that were unable to. The results from the charity drive are amazing.
 
The last loose end to tie up is the 12 Days of Christmas Raffle. Every day, you dutifully logged in, said hello, and got entered into the grand raffle.
 
As explained in the rules, we've got a lot of winners:
I used Google's Random Number Generator to pull a number of Josh's crazy spreadsheet that organized all the entries. You can view the streams here, here, and here if you don't believe me, but don't waste 15 mins of your life watching and listening to me fumbling around a spreadsheet.
 
So, here are the winners!
 
Tier 1:
You win:
 
Tier 2:
You win:
 
Tier 3:
You win:
 
Tier 4: THE GRAND CHAMPION
You win:
 
Thanks to everyone who participated. The 12 Days raffle is always my favourite because it's an "activity" check of sorts. We had 186 unique users participate in this bonanza. That's fantastic, what a big number. I'm proud of you, proud of us, and happy for all the winners.
 
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Good Riddance 2021, let's all have a great 2022 ✌️ 

and
and
 
Seriously, I might as well just copy and paste what Beav and Quik said in theirs. For real, I pulled the classic blue move of “go away for a few weeks and lose the drive to come back.” Someone else on the brink of retirement gave me the lightbulb moment when they said they “were actively avoiding logging in” and I was like, “igen, that’s me, that's a red flag.” I mentioned a bit about December’s hectic ‘goodbye tour’, but that started as a weekend away. And turned into a week. And then another end. And here we are at the end of another week, still barely active. Time to make it official, I can't do the job to the standards that this league deserves anymore.
 
Oh well, it happens. I wrote a eulogy, an explanation, a reflection to go along with this, but this isn't the place to do that. Check that heartfelt look back here.
 
So long, and thanks for all the fish.
 
✌️ & ❤️

Jerry Seinfield stands on stage there is a Brick Backdrop as he says "What is the deal with all these Multis? It seems like you have made like 5 new friends then it all turns out to be some nerd dedicated to a fake hockey League"
 
(Enter laugh track here)
 
But seriously where did all these people come from and why did it take so long to bring them all to Justice.
 
I was most shocked with the Horcrux one, She/He/Them/Whatever you call a fake person started so much drama around the VHL. I wonder if it was that person seeing how much they could do.
 
Anyway I hope everyone here had an extremely merry christmas. 
 
Now to annouce the winners of the VHL Podcast Tournament.
 
 
Best Listener
First of all congratulations to @Shindigs for the best listener award  they listened to all 8 podcasts
 
Funniest Podcast
3rd = @jRuutu
2nd = @thadthrasher
1st = @JardyB10
 
Best Presented
3rd = @jRuutu
2nd = @JardyB10
1st = @thadthrasher
 
Most Informative Podcast
3rd = @Minion
2nd = @Berocka
1st = @JardyB10
 
BEST PODCAST
3rd = @Berocka
2nd = @thadthrasher
1st = @JardyB10
 
Thank you all who participated please see below all contestants
 
@Berocka
@JardyB10
@jRuutu
@Ledge & @nurx
@Minion
@N0HBDY (Please get rid of the zero in your name, please and thanks)
@Tate
@thadthrasher

...is something I've been guilty of myself. I think all of us who try to get involved in serious discussion have been as well.
 
See what I did there? I did the thing I don't like people doing. 
 
Said thing is this: I see one or a few isolated incidents of something happening and state that it's something that everyone is doing, because doing so helps me push my point and having others believe that everyone is doing that thing will create a (fake) unified mindset against that thing that I might get some positive recognition for. In a way, me writing this article is an example of that, because it depends on the assumption that it happens enough that it's worth talking about.
 
Let me give you an example: I'm sure most who are active enough to care about this article caught wind of a certain argument surrounding multis and the punishments given for them. Particularly, some level of exception was taken to that, in the way that a member believed that punishments should have been more severe, and perhaps that argument could have been constructed in a more civil manner. Though it was certainly true that the community talked about the multi punishments, and opinions varied, this was the only time that I thought a response was unreasonable (whether or not I agreed with any others). Following this, I saw multiple instances where one person or another claimed that the community, in general, wanted super harsh punishment and was being mean/aggressive/confrontational/whatever about it. And I asked, twice, because I was legitimately curious--was there any time outside of this one incident when this happened? And I received no response both times. Which leads me to believe that, in certain cases (not all, because that would be me generalizing myself), an isolated incident led to the community as a whole being judged unfairly to push the opinion that the punishments were fair (which I agree with!) or too strict. 
 
This is a dangerous way of doing things because it's just plain misleading--posts or comments of this variety received agreement, even though (per my own perception) they weren't based on the best logic. Other examples I can think of (some of which I've done and some of which I agree with) include:
 
Arguing that recreates should go straight to the VHLE because all instances of a recreate being in the VHLM are bad; Believing the VHLE shouldn't exist because you don't like it; Agreeing with everything or nothing the mod team does because of your opinions of what the mod team has done in the past, regardless of anything in the present; Attempting to categorically place all GMs/BoG/new members/recreates/commissioners/mods in one category and stating that all think and act the same way, because a few happen to and speaking out against the entire group, all the time, is more attention-getting than speaking out against a few things; Holding any opinion at all because someone else says so, without being familiar with or able to make any legitimate supporting arguments  
And no, I'm not trying to say that everyone does this, all the time--again, that would be on the list if I did. It's just that I've noticed this happening before, and discussion surrounding recent events provides a convenient example. I have generalized the mod team, I have made statements about the VHLE dependent upon my own perceptions of how new members and recreates think and act, and at times (though I'd like to clarify, not many times) I have supported or gone against policies behind the scenes because I was too lazy to actually think about them. 
 
So please, as a general reminder to everyone including myself, before you make a statement, consider whether what you are saying is an accurate, well-informed representation of the truth. Being controversial is great, and I'm certainly no stranger to it! It's just that a few people doing things you don't like doesn't mean everyone is doing those things.

Was the punishment by any chance connected to mysterious disappearances of blues?🤔
 
As someone who really likes AJ I hope he bounces back from this sooner rather than later. He's been great to me as a new member and the LV LR experience has been one of the biggest bright spots of my time in the league so far.

As you are all aware, @ajwllmsn was caught updating for other members, and for the league side of things, he has received his punishment already. What remained to be seen was how this would be handled from the perspective of the VHLM, as he was the GM of the Las Vegas Aces. He had been suspended from the role until the final ruling was in place. @McWolf  and I were largely torn on this - on one hand, this was absolutely a large enough infraction to be considered fire worthy, but outside of this particular incident, AJ was a bright spot among the new members of the league. Basically he did many things right, but one thing very wrong, and so it fell to us to implement a punishment befitting the crime. 
 
After talking with all the directly affected parties per our final decision: AJ is fired from the role of GM of Vegas. However, he is certainly among the pool of applicants for future openings, and should he learn from this, it'll likely just be a bump in the road for him in the long term. We've seen firsthand how little a punishment can affect a good member in the long run *cough @Beketov cough* and so we suspect this will not hinder him going forward. In fact, he's landed somewhat on his feet already...
 
As it's close to playoffs, which is always an awkward time for a new GM to start in a role, and the current AGM of Vegas is a veteran member who is familiar with Vegas' setup at the moment and the inner workings of the VHLM: @MubbleFubbles will be taking over the role. (Don't worry those of you who might be looking for a job with apps, there will be one coming up soon, unrelated to this post). This leaves the AGM position open, which will go to AJ. Reminder that AGM is not a job, does not inherently come with job pay, and is in no way a guarantee to future promotions or the like, but this does put AJ among promising candidates heading forward. Obviously when a whole body of work is taken into account for future hires, this incident will be a negative for him and he's not likely to be the absolute first candidate on the page for the immediate next job, but he is definitely still on the list. Who knows, it may even be a future iteration of Vegas in particular, given the M's historical turnover rate.



*No, we do not expect everyone will be pleased with this ruling, but there was a wide range of opinions and that would be impossible. Instead we focused primarily on what McWolf and I in particular thought, obviously with some input from blues/mods/etc as pertained to the larger league ruling, and we were both somewhat in the middle. This seemed fair - he loses the job, a player of his earn rate loses the immediate job TPE going forward and will have to do a little more each week until earning his way back into a spot, but he's not blackballed or anything of that nature. If he's learned, it's ultimately not much in the long run, but it's hefty enough in the short run.

orange. the answer is orange

and
and
 
Seriously, I might as well just copy and paste what Beav and Quik said in theirs. For real, I pulled the classic blue move of “go away for a few weeks and lose the drive to come back.” Someone else on the brink of retirement gave me the lightbulb moment when they said they “were actively avoiding logging in” and I was like, “igen, that’s me, that's a red flag.” I mentioned a bit about December’s hectic ‘goodbye tour’, but that started as a weekend away. And turned into a week. And then another end. And here we are at the end of another week, still barely active. Time to make it official, I can't do the job to the standards that this league deserves anymore.
 
The VHL was the right place, the right people, and the right project for me at the right time of my life. I’m so proud of almost two years I’ve been a part of this community. From my humble beginning as an AGM, to my work on the WJC, to bringing a voice of reason to the BoG, and then finally becoming the tyrannical overlord for the last six months, it’s been a ride. More important than job titles and responsibilities, though, are the friends made along the way. I’ve been so fortunate to spend time with so many different groups. I broke in with the League folks early days; the 9-5 crew last year was a bumpin’ gang of people who were definitely supposed to be working remotely but were on discord all day; my S72-74 Miami LR, because you always remember your first; the Jackbox party team were the best because that was a game my crap technology could actually handle (unlike Golf With Friends which I swear melted my laptop); the Chess Club, which was so much fun; the podcasting friends, both those that I actually met and podcasted with face-to-face and the people who feel like friends because I hear you talking to me regularly. Everyone here is a “best people around” even if you aren’t old, or a boy, or in the club.
 
I dunno what my legacy will be here, but I’m intensely proud of the work we’ve all accomplished in the last six months. The moderation team did an unbelievable job of codifying our rights and responsibilities as members, and I’m happy to be a part of that. The VHLE was implemented while I was blue, so that may or may not be on the ‘positive’ side of the ledger for you. I’ve always been a community organizer, a volunteer manager, a policy and good governance of large social groups wonk, and so I got a lot out of being a commissioner. It was fun for me in the same way writing academic essays is fun for me (seriously, I got to help write a few uni papers for a friend this month and it made me long so much for uni). I needed a new project that kept me in the community organizing world since I left my old one behind in Canada. Blue was a job that kept me sharp professionally, engaged and entertained personally, and allowed me to give back to a community that gave me so much during the pandemic.
 
On top of all that, I’ve got a new appreciation for the work of the commissioners. They tell you that your job description is to do, quote, “everything”, and it’s accurate. The blues are the HR department, managing all our staff; they’re our spreadsheet hockey organizers, responsible for creating and enforcing rules, training new GMs, settling disputes between our squabbling children; we’re community organizers who work hard to make sure there’s a wealth of positive experiences and activities to keep people entertained and engaged; and, commissioners are just generally firefighters, dealing with the unexpected problems that come up when dealing with 200+ incredibly diverse humans all existing in the same space. I was even the lucky blue that didn’t have to sim, so add that daily responsibility on top of all the above, and you’ve got the day-to-day VHL life of Bek and Josh. Holy shit they do a lot. Make sure to hug a blue and call your parents today.
 
Life changes, and we’re allowed to (and it’s important for us to) change and grow along with it. I’m old now, I can look back and see a number of distinct chapters in my life. Each has a starting and an ending, and each leads - not always immediately - to a new chapter. That could be a new job, a new city, moving away to uni, starting or ending a relationship, or joining or leaving an online community. That’s okay! I’m working through now how to thread those chapters together, how to make an active choice of what and who to bring from a closed chapter to a new one. My VHL chapter taught me a lot of things. It reignited my passion for writing which - ugh, I hate the idea of this but love the practicality - I’m trying to monetize on UpWork. I got to dust off my photoshop skills after 10+ years of stagnating on a back shelf of my brain, and PS is one of those things you can’t really do unless you have a project like creating VHL graphics. As my relationship was deteriorating, the league gave me a place to safely retreat to so I didn’t feel so sad and alone. I got to podcast! I always wanted to do that, but never had a purpose or a thought so interesting that the world needed to hear it. I learned and practiced what diversity looks and sounds like in the 2020s, which was extra important as I lived first in the aggressively heteronormative small town in northern Ontario and then in the aggressively heteronormative country of Hungary. The VHL kept me hip to what the kids are rappin’ to these days, yo. I know that when a student tells me they love to play League, I should ask what their “main” is (and they get so damn excited that I can speak their lingo). These are all skills and experiences that I now have, that are now a part of me, that will come with me on the rest of this crazy journey through life. 
 
I’m forever thankful that this chapter of my life happened, that so many of your names appear in my daily journals, and that we could all be there for each other during these “unprecedented times”. 
 
So, that’s it for me. My day to day life in Europe just doesn’t have the required space and energy to adequately do the blue job anymore. It’s not fair to you to have 50% of a commissioner, and it’s not fair to me to carry the guilty burden of not meeting the responsibilities I signed up. I’ve said in a few places, I took this job literally the morning of my last full day in Canada before I had my coffee and immediately when it was offered. With more time to think it through, I probably wouldn’t (shouldn’t?) have done it knowing all the change that was coming in my life. The time zone meant that I wasn’t active at the same time as most of my friends, which takes out a lot of the fun from the league. Since covid doesn’t exist in Hungary (lmao fuck), I wasn’t spending time sitting at a computer long enough to participate in actual discord conversations anymore or to deal with things in a timely manner. 
 
And, I’m not gone. I’ll still be on the forums. I’ll be on discord probably as much as I have been the last two months (ie: not enough). If we hang out and chat, it’ll be as friends catching up on life and not likely sim hockey fans debating the merits of drafting first overall Vasile Lamb or Tavish MacGroot (don’t blow up this chance, go for the demoman).
 
So, it’s been a ride. Keep on keepin’ on. Bring joy to someone’s life. Remember to think of things you’re thankful for. Hug your loved ones. Be kind to yourself and treat yourself the way you would your best friend. In the immortal words of bigAL: “don’t be a dick.”
 
✌️ & ❤️
 

and
and
 
Seriously, I might as well just copy and paste what Beav and Quik said in theirs. For real, I pulled the classic blue move of “go away for a few weeks and lose the drive to come back.” Someone else on the brink of retirement gave me the lightbulb moment when they said they “were actively avoiding logging in” and I was like, “igen, that’s me, that's a red flag.” I mentioned a bit about December’s hectic ‘goodbye tour’, but that started as a weekend away. And turned into a week. And then another end. And here we are at the end of another week, still barely active. Time to make it official, I can't do the job to the standards that this league deserves anymore.
 
Oh well, it happens. I wrote a eulogy, an explanation, a reflection to go along with this, but this isn't the place to do that. Check that heartfelt look back here.
 
So long, and thanks for all the fish.
 
✌️ & ❤️

One time I asked Bek when sims were going to be and he showed up at my house and ripped out my toenails.

Case #732698
https://vhlforum.com
12/30/2021
 
Public Enemy: @Beketov (AKA: Papa Emeritus)

 
Main Victims:
@Beaviss

 
@Quik

 
@bigAL

 
Expected next victim:
 
@Josh

 
Mission briefing:
We need to protect Josh at all cost!
 

 
Please signup in this thread for the official protection of Josh team.
 

Happens to the best of us!
 
But hope you are able to stick around in the VHL in some capacity. 

I gotta say in the short time that I have been here, it's been clear that you do so much for this community and people here look up to and respect you tremendously for your contributions. We are lucky to have had someone as passionate as you for the time that we did have you! Thank you so much @bigAL !

Man really lasted less than me in the E. Welcome to the superior club of exes Al.

I blame the meta.

Cheers to a great commissioner over a great growth period in the VHL. Hope you stick around in some capacity that makes this as fun for you as it was during Groovy's prime

Thanks for everything AL! Now we chant #MoonForCommish

So sad that it has come to this. We try to warn you all....
 
Great book - but also, I totally understand the resignation without any context or explanation needed. It's a super time-consuming, often thankless job. Your tenure was short but sweet. Thank you for stepping up into the role for the time that you did. As an oldtimer who's stepped back, I really do appreciate it