So Long, Farewell
by Turtle Jones

As of Monday, TheFinn will no longer be a part of Faster Than The World. He is leaving us due to time constraints and work, life, etc. We wish him luck and we'd like to leave him with a few thoughts about his presence here at FTTW.

“A journey is best measured in friends rather than miles”

Tim Cahill

Sometimes it is really hard to think of things that way. We all want to get somewhere in this big thing we call life. We all have goals. Somethings we start for fun and some things we start for a purpose and sometimes it is both. Those are the best journeys. When you get to meet and talk with people who become your friends along the way, the trip becomes so much sweeter. Time passes as these friends become your allies in getting to the end of the road. What seemed like a job becomes a pleasure and the end of the walk stops meaning so much to you.

And with that intro, I want to say goodbye to one of the first Editors of FTTW.

Someone who came along at the beginning when the idea of FTTW was just a thought bouncing around in our heads. His presence in the comments of the early versions of FTTW, believe it or not, helped created the idea of having a site where a gathering of writers, musicians and other people who just wanted to have fun could all join together to bitch, whine, moan, kick, scream and shout.

Goodbye The Finn.

people_waving.gif

We had a hell of a run with you at our side.

What a lot of people don't know is that without Finn making his comments in the first days of FTTW, we wouldn't have even bothered continuing on with our ideas. What he said actually made us think that there were other people out there who could write and could have fun while expressing themselves to the world. People who were out who really didn't give a fuck about what anyone thought of what they were saying. As long as they could hear the words, their job was done.

It didn't hurt that he was funny as well.

So a plan was made between Michele and myself to gather as many good writers we could find and see what happened. Thus the early version of FTTW was born. Clunky and slow, it made its debut with just a few writers with one idea. To just have fun. As the site grew, we quickly became aware that we couldn't do it alone anymore. Editing was killing us and taking away most of our time. Someone else was needed and Finn was the obvious choice. He paid his dues and came on as the first editor of FTTW.

A lot of you don't know the amount of work that goes into getting this thing off the ground every day.

He does.

So to all of you writers on FTTW, I hope you will take a second to thank him for what he has done because believe it or not, he might have been your editor and you just didn't know it. So when you see a pic in your post that just fits your words so perfectly, who knows, it could have been him who put it in there.

And from Michele and myself....

Thank you Lee.

When I say we couldn't have done it without you, I'm serious.

Thanks, mate.

Good luck in whatever you pursue and remember that the door to FTTW is always open to you.

We had a hell of a run there. - Turtle


What Turtle said and more. He expressed everything already, but I just want to add that through this site, I found a damn good friend. Even as he leaves us to concentrate on life and love and a little kid, I know that I gained a friend I'll keep forever. I want to particularly thank him for hanging out with me while Turtle drove across the country and keeping me from having a nervous breakdown. And also for picking up our slack when Turtle was in the hospital, and when either of us were sick or tired or just trying to get out of the house to spend time together. Finn was always more than willing to take on our FTTW duties for the evening when we needed it.

I'll miss his editing skills and the work he did around here, but mostly I'll miss having him around to bounce ideas off of. He was an integral part of not just the site, but in making the site what it is today. Good luck with life, guy. You're welcome back whenever you find some free time again. - Michele

Comments

Thanks Finn! You will be missed. Hopefully we will still have you hanging around here and there.

(Also, hope the Eagles do well next season!)

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Hey Finn - while I'm relatively new to FTTW, I am in awe of what all of you do daily to get our stuff out there - thank you for your time and your talent. Best of luck to you. Enjoy your little one! Bright Blessings!

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I'm new around here too, but I'm sure I've benefitted from your presence. You'll be missed, real life should always come first, of course. Good luck with everything, and please drop in when you can.

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Finn, I'm gonna miss you, man. I'm going to miss the comment banter and your gritty, real-life stories.

Thanks for helping to make this place what it is. Hope to still see you around the comments now and then.

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dude. finn. i don't know what to say. i remember when i was a little jealous that m&t brought you on as an editor. now? not so much -- now that i understand the freaking work that goes into it!

(you'd better be at the wedding)

god bless you and your beautiful family.

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Kali, we're gonna have an east coast get together way before the wedding. Probably late this spring/early summer.

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Yeah man, thanks for doing as much as you did. No more Livin' In The City..... that's a hard void to fill.

Cheers mate

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"The Special was simple. A shot of Beam and a can of PBR. $2.50. Just right for a bad mood and a lean wallet. The kid had both, in spades."

Yeah

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NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Dammit life! Why must you get in the way of all the good folks?!?

Good luck Finn. It's been a pleasure working with you.

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Hope everything works out where you have some time to breathe again.

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Finn. Finn, finn, finn, finn.

I'll miss you man. Your support and excellent writing will be missed. Thank you for everything.

Deb

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Take care, Finn. Enjoy that thing called life.

We'll miss you.

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KHAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNN!!!

I'll miss you Finn. Thanks for helping get my editor feet wet. It was fun sharing editor's picks posts with you.

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Hey Finn, thanks for helping me look so good ;P

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Even though I'm new, your work will be missed. Best of luck to you!

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Even though I'm new, your work will be missed. Best of luck to you!

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It's sad when reality intrudes on a good thing. Good luck!

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next time i'm up in Frankford, i'm gonna work my way south and keeping asking people, "where's the Finn at."

take care

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I'm new at the game here, but all the best, man.

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Damn, kids... You made an old mick well up a little.

I've had a blast with you guys. Some of the best times I've had in recent memory have been reading your stuff every night before I go to bed. You're a damn talented group and with skills like yours, you should all be proud of what you've done. You're the best crew I've had in years, and I mean that. Now give yourself a round of applause...

And on a slightly more personal note, Turtle and Michele, you guys rock.

You gave a grumpy old bastard a place to vent and tell stories for the kids and for that I'll always be grateful. You challenged me, entertained me, perplexed me and more often than not, you thought the exact same thing I thought. You've built a solid community here, one that's full of talented writers and musicians and artists.

I'm proud of the work we've done here. We've built something out of an ideal and the way things are going, that something is going to be big. You guys kick ass, daily, and we all know how hard that can be. I'm gonna miss our late night brainstorming sessions and the group emails that always take on a life of their own. But I will be here and there, lurking in the comments and you all know how to get a hold of me if'n you want...

And if you find yourself in South Philly, stop by and we'll have a beer together.

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Damn, Finn. I'll miss you. It's been fun and thanks for all the work you've put in.

If I'm ever in South Philly, I'll definitely take you up on that beer. And a shot or two of Tully, to boot.

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Hey!! Thanks for all your hard work - I have heard that you guys work your butts off for this place and it is sooooo appreciated! You will be missed!

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Finn, another newbie here to say thanks and good luck to you. You'll be missed.

LM

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Bye Finn. :-(

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