I'll begin at the end: This is the end, my friends.

And now back to the beginning… It was in the winter of 1998, almost three years ago, that Jennifer Levine, know to SpotFans and Elgonquinians alike as "Jen-Jen" told me about SpotFans. I think the first thing I posted there was an account of my Valentine's Day trip with my new girlfriend to see the director's cut of "Brazil" at the Kennedy Center. I got hooked right away.

I was never really a fan of "The Spot." It's not that I disliked it, it's just that I only checked it out a few times. But I had a connection right away with the folks on the board, and I loved getting into spats about politics, religion, gender equality, and whatever else came our way. I became fast friends with some of the characters on the board, and I even continued conversations through email afterwards.

When Elgonquin started up in the spring of 1998, I wanted to be a part of it right away, so I created Cal. That was one of the best experiences of my life, my first attempt at fiction of any kind. It became an addiction, a twice-a-week chance to vent my anguish, to get someone to do the things I thought of doing, and suffer the consequences as well.

Sixteen months and more than 120 episodes after the first Cal post, I ended the story and revealed myself as the writer. I admit it seriously felt like a friend died then. But all things must end, and I was about to hit the road for the summer.

Since then, I've been posting as me on Fridays, but I admit I haven't been giving it my all. School is incredibly demanding, as you might imagine, and I could run down a list of other excuses, but I won't.

I also haven't been checking in as much as I used to, and I'm not alone. While some folks are clearly still regulars on the Round Table, the interest level in Elgonquin as a community has clearly plummeted from the days of SpotFans, or even a year ago. Most of the familiar names just don't appear much anymore, and the pure volume of posts is a fraction of what it was.

This semester is especially grueling for me. I'm spending at least 60 hours per week on schoolwork, 15 hours per week on HaasWeek, a buncha delightful hours on the new girlfriend (go ahead and make jokes about spending time "on" the girlfriend), and not nearly enough hours on my personal life (friends and family).

Thus, I think the time has come to say goodbye, just as my dear friend, college classmate, and summer '94 roommate Jen-Jen has. Life management is about priorities, and I can't in good faith make my weekly Elgonquin post one of the most important ones these days.

My only regret is that I didn't get to meet any of you folks, except the Memphis ones. I still think a SpotFest 2001 is in order, even if it's just a party at the Renshaw residence. (Hint hint.)

So, that's all for me. I'll still try to check in on the Round Table every now and then. You guys rock.