Blogworld Tragedy
God... It can't be true.
I know I am not the only one who has struggled to wrap their brain around this. It is amazing that the "good ol days" of Blogworld were only two years ago and change. Rob has had his struggles of late, I know, but I knew he'd come back to us. After all, for many of us, he is our Blogfaddah. And even during the rough patches, I have observed and concluded that he is just too stubborn to die.
So I stared at Sam's words today, and waited for them to go away. To change. To not be true.
In the beginning, I could not have blogged without him. His was the only blog I knew. In fact, when a google search landed me on his site in the summer of 2003, I sent him an email demanding to know the meaning of this mystery word I kept seeing: blog. What the hell? I wondered what kind of X-rated company paid him for such editorials, because surely, he was not doing all of this writing for free!
He was. And now, I am. Along with many of my blog-sisters and brothers and friends.
Within my first year, I had met such cherished friends as Sammy Baby, Velociman, Zonker, Cat and even a few yankees. And I had already met the tried and trues - Kelley, Eric, Dax, Donnie, Denny, Adam, Rick and Georgia - these guys I met early on, pre-Key, back in 2003 when Rob called the first Jawja blogger gathering. And since that first year, I have met dozens more, watched birthings of some of my favorite blogs, and strengthened many, many friendships...friends I love, friends who will get me through a week like this one. (And hopefully, my shoulder is worth something to them as well.)
I am grateful to Rob. Before I even had a blogworld identity, he told me to write. He made us a family.
He rated our progress, adopted our identities, told us how we should smell, and highlighted our follies.
He played at my site, mocked my misery, and constantly picked fights.
Oh, we fought. And consequently, I jumped on and off of his blogroll. But he had trouble staying mad at me. I knew it, and abused the privilege. He knew it, and abused it far worse. Naughty little fireball. And I described him as such in this post, the very one from which he extracted the sidebar quote. (What sidebar quote, you say? You will have to strain your brain. He took it down during War of the Blogs, Part deux, I believe. Oh, but he loved a battle...)
The lusty links? Heh. Too many to bother with. I begged the man to give my brain a little recognition. "If you're gonna link me," I'd say, "Link me on content!" I would demand this regularly. He'd laugh, call me darlin', and link me however he damn-well pleased.
So, while this post may have seemed small to the rest of blogworld, it was a humungo milestone for us. And it meant a lot to me.
Many of us saddened as we knew our friend, and for many of us, blogfather, was deteriorating. But we couldn't accept it. Not fully. "Rob will be Rob," we would say...but he will be here was the sentiment. In Blogworld always. And he will.
But we struggle now. Because those of us who cared deeply for the stubborn old fart, well, we will be lost for a while.
You said something I've felt all day today. I didn't know if anyone else was feeling it until you voiced it just now but all day I've been peeking in to the various blogs hoping, praying, wishing someone would pipe up and say "HA! Surprise! GOTCHA! It was all a big joke."
Sadly, horribly, regretfully that hasn't happened.
I'm only a reader but have been reading GutRumbles for 3 maybe 4 years now. So sad to know there will be no more vitriol, no more opinionated rants and no more thoroughly entertaining crap blog contests.
He will be sooooo missed by sooooo many people. I can't begin to imagine what his family is feeling tonite. All I know is if I feel this sad about someone I never met, then the people who actually knew the guy must be profoundly sad.
I think he's hiding in Costa Rica. At least that's what I'm telling myself. LOL
Sorry, probably a bad joke.
It's just so unreal! I actually cried when I read Sam's post. Some may think he was only a bitter old man, but those who ever met him knew that he really was a nice guy under all that hard shell.
I know 'bout how you feel Key. Try to keep your spirits up. That's what I'm tryin' to do. You knew him much better then I, but I was glad to have met the man once...
I thought about you, Key, when I read the news. I knew you guys had a "special" relationship and I knew there were the little battles between the two of you but underneath it all, I knew you cared about him.
Although, I can't count myself as his friend, he made everyone who read his blog feel like a friend because he wrote so honestly about his childhood, his marriages and divorces, his parents, his children, etc..We saw him angry, desperate, confused and occasionally we saw him happy.
I, and everyone else, felt like we KNEW him, so we'll all feel the loss but not like those of you who truly knew him and cared for him.
You've been in my thoughts since I heard. I know the two of you had 'issues'...oh how he HATED it when you were right or said something he couldn't argue with LOL. Still, he adored you through it all. Take care, Key.
Rob's death only makes more real the fact that the fun, carefree days of blogging are gone, the days before weblogs were mentioned on TV and the newspapers, the days before politics took over a lot of blogs that were fun to read before the partisan demons gained possession.
My sadness is for his son. I was fortunate and didn't lose my Daduntil I was 41, sadly Rob's son will grow up without ever really knowing his father.
..you and I recently talked about bloggers being "family"... it seems Rob's passing has solidified the bonds between his friends, blog buddies, and total strangers who visit Gut Rumbles.
The overwhelming response to the news of Rob's untimely death and the comments I've read about him are a tribute few people experience in life.
You have captured the essence of the man I have been unable to gather in words. Thank you. I know you know how I feel. Hugs hun.
Thus Spake Zarakeystra. And Jack! Nice to hear from Jack.
Well said, Key. Whoever said you had no voice was, well, Rob. You moved me to tears.
Wonderfully written Key. You have put into words what I have only been able to form in my mind. Thank you for sharing.
That was exactly it. And what Vicki said is true too. It's amazing how many friends have come together because of the A-man, and moreso in the last few days.
I'll be seeing uou in an hour or two but I waited to read you last because I knew you would make me the saddest and gladest. All the memories.
HammerHead
