ita was the thrumming engine of this board. Her wit and prodding questions and thread-nannying and outrageous links and wide-ranging enthusiasm always kept us moving forward.

I am going to do my best to bring continued life to this place in her honor. Although I know I can never come close to the gifts she brought.

That reminds me of that Moolatté debacle where ita told us about someone speaking to a Dairy Queen exec and facetiously recommending new High Yellow and Octoroonie flavor blizzards.

"Hangover *while* drinking? That's fundamentally unfair. "

"I call my sister Mojo Jojo, and yup, she should be afeared."

It's been quite a while since I've laughed and cried this much. Although I see many of you on facebook, it's not the same as seeing your pixels here. Facebook works better with my schedule and time zone, but the love here is something special, and I would venture to say unique.

I hate living so far from buffistas.

Suzi, yeah. Me too.

Me three. Time zones. Bah.

There aren't enough people who can both imagine how to make the world a better place and then make it happen. ita was one.

😢

I have been reading and holding space in this place way, way later than I should over the last few days. Like right now...at 3am.

Why?

Because the love and reminiscence and homecomings and sharing is so precious. I keep thinking that if I don't read to the very end of the thread and see who pops up next, I'll miss something beautiful, because it is all beautiful.

But something struck me around a hundred posts ago. (and no, I did not skim...I meant it when I said 'precious')

Something that makes it okay for me to loosen my grip just slightly.

It's the truth about where we can find ita, whenever we need her, because she is in every pixel of this vast library of love and snark and support and pain.

Truth that could only come from Dr. Who...

ita has been saved