I'm actually serious, unfortunately. I didn't know which section to post this in, so I posted it here, since it tends to be "anything goes".
Anyway, I'm sorry to make such a big deal of my planned temporary absence. I'm not under any delusions that my presence here is necessary, or important in the grand scheme of things, if I'm brutally honest. Not that I've felt unwelcome (quite the opposite really). I just want to be extra sure that I don't come off as a jerk who thinks the world revolves around themselves.
Anyway, the whole reason I'm writing this is that if there is a message or thread or comment or wall post, etc. where you are waiting for a reply, I apologize in advance making you wait longer. I don't know why, but half the time I'm afraid to check stuff like that, which is why I still have things I need to reply to. I'll try my best to catch up on stuff quickly when I get back though.
And don't worry, my absence is actually the result of a good thing; grad school starts soon and I want to minimize my distractions while I prepare for it and until I get used to it. The stakes are kind of high here, for me anyway, since I can't financially afford to do poorly, which is why I'm engaging hyper-serious-responsible-adult-mode.
One last thing before my temporary farewell. I wanted to say thanks to everyone here who has been so friendly and put up with a lot of my quirks. I realize my messages can be long and oddly written, and I really appreciate people not treating me as a special snowflake who is needy for attention, considering I'm probably more open about my experiences, opinions, etc. with being gay and having Aspberger's. Seriously, for the last six years, I've kind of built metaphorical walls to keep myself safe, since every time I ventured out of them to meet someone new, it was too much effort in the best cases, and an experience that reinforced my need to isolate my self in the worst ones. This has been the first time I've actually felt safe lowering my metaphorical walls a bit and looking forward to interacting with other people. I mean, it's not perfect, just like anything else, and I still have a long way to go (hence the responses I still need to give) but it's so nice to find a place where interactions with others leaves me anticipating the seeds of feelings of camradarie (a feeling which I had forgotten how it felt) instead of dread and anxiety.
So yeah, thanks. Again, sorry if this was all a little too serious or over the top or dramatic. I'm still trying to learn to not stand out too much, but I'm so glad that I don't feel like I have to worry about feeling alienated because of that when I socialize here.