Today is BFSkinner's birthday.
This is his Daily Kos birthday card.
Sick and alone in Chicago, our old friend needs to hear from us.
I'm going to ask for something I've never requested before: please rec this up so folks coming by later will see it. Drag out your pootie pics, your Dr. Who memorabilia, your favorite memory of BFSkinner, and/or a nice song, and let's make some noise! I'll start us off.
Happy Birthday, J!
A little Pootie told me you don't have any plans today, so how about spending some time here with your friends and admirers? I'm proud to place myself in both of those categories. You were not my first friend when I came here - you made me work for that, didn't you? - but you were the first person I wanted to be friends with. We met in the pootie diaries. You posted the funniest captioned photos, and your user name intrigued me. (I have a BS in psychology, did I ever tell you that?) I immediately subscribed to your diaries and discovered your weekend tests and music video fests and the great way you had with commenters. I pursued you, I finally won your trust, and we became friends.
You started telling me about your medical problems, your diagnosis of lupus. What a horrible disease that is! You began having trouble doing some things, and forgetting to do other things. I'll never forget the day last November when you went in for a brain biopsy. That's a delicate procedure under any circumstances, but teh evil lupus made it downright dangerous for you. When your sweet friend Susan let me know you'd made it out okay, I threw up a diary to tell everyone the good news. You wouldn't know about this, but my November 18th diary entitled Nurse Kelley Sez: BFSkinner update immediately hit the rec list and stayed there for hours. Kossacks rushed in to find out how you were, to share their fears for you, and to hold each other up.
We love you, my friend.
As fall deepened into winter and it became clear that there won't be a treatment for your cognitive problems, you did the bravest thing I've ever seen: you told us about it. Ever the scientist and teacher, you made the courageous decision to put that Ph.D. to work in a new way. An incredibly personal way. The BFSkinner way.
Today, on your birthday, it's our turn to let you know what a mensch we think you are.
I love you ~ always and forever ♥
Kelley