Dear List, Your List Mum has been very absent and it's time I made it official. I'm not getting on very swimmingly for a variety of reasons, so for a month or so I'm going to step down as gently chiding list mum. It's time for me to try and become a listee or something again, maybe a lurking one for a time. I'm looking for a surrogate mum for the list to carry you all in her womb for a little bit, and give you the occasional tummy tickle, and it may well be Linda Lulou (lulou@missprint.org) who some of you will know and who has graciously offered. This means that if you get a mail to the list or personally from her being gently chiding you should treat this as List Mum's voice, and not see this as an invitation to open the age-old debate about list content on the list - mail her if you want to discuss, opinions appreciated. Be kind to her, she's lovely and can crack a walnut in her thighs, so watch out too. Sorry I have to disappear a little for a while, I hope this will be a matter of gentle personal reconstruction. We'll see. Let's say I'll resume the reins sometime in July for now... I'll still be receiving pictures, Sillustrations (bless them) and other requests for stuff, but you'll have to be very very patient with me. Pictures I will just put up, in job lots, so you won't be getting cheery mails saying "it's done!" just now but it doesn't mean I'm not patting your heads in an affectionate way as I do it. Same for swapped email addresses that want out of the nursery. OK? There's a stack of requests waiting and I shall try and do them soonish. Apologies to those waiting who've mailed. i before e except after c. In the meantime can I leave you with a gentle parting nudge or two myself? As said, stories can be sent to the Sinister Library: http://www.missprint.org/sinister/library - instructions there. That doesn't mean your stories weren't read, and appreciated, but this way they're preserved longer, and people who don't want to read drafts don't get tetchy. But pleeeease don't start a debate about list content on the list! That way lies list stasis, and a lot of short messages none of us can face wading through. (Honey gives Peter and Jules some chocolate) I suspect my mandate for more personal commentary on the list is a little weak just now, as I'm going off to hide under a duvet, but please remember you get the list you make. If you're getting a bit fed up reading the list, then post something you'd like to read from 1400 others rather than following suit. Please think what others would like to read. If in doubt, hold back your mail and polish it up later with something you know someone will like. This list is very special because we have a remarkable history of you all doing just that - for years. I never dreamed this could happen on a wet dreary afternoon when I downloaded the Majordomo software and thought: let's see if anyone new joins. But I can't help feeling just now that the pendulum towards personal diaries and an inclination to fire off quick jokes or one-liners has swung just a bit too far again. This list is one of the biggest active ones I know (bless you!) and will really suffer if we get into a lot of ping-pong short mails. Check the list history in the archives, or see some other lists for cautionary tales. I'm trying to be gentle and it's a very hard balance to strike, and someone always gets a bit sad because they think I'm picking on them. I'm honestly not thinking of any specific post. I don't think anyone's doing anything wrong, and you're all treasures. But please remember to think before you post. Cliff Richard, Dalai Lama, shanti shanti. See you soon, be good. Honey xxx P.S. I'll be listening to Life Without Buildings in the interim. You should too. +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ Brought to you by the Sinister mailing list +---+ To send to the list mail sinister@missprint.org. To unsubscribe send "unsubscribe sinister" or "unsubscribe sinister-digest" to majordomo@missprint.org. WWW: http://www.missprint.org/sinister +-+ "sinsietr is a bit freaky" - stuart david, looper +-+ +-+ "legion of bedroom saddo devotees" "peculiarly deranged fanbase" +-+ +-+ "pasty-faced vegan geeks... and we LOST!" - NME April 2000 +-+ +-+ "frighteningly named Sinister List organisation" - NME May 2000 +-+ +-+ Nee, nee mun pish, chan pai dee kwa +-+ +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+