For Sale: Ramshackle Website

After 12 years it's time for me to go.  Not that I really want to, but because I have to.  I need to sell Crazymeds for as much as I can as soon as I can.  Why?

 

It's not making enough money.  It can't support itself and it can't support me.  

 

Mainly because my health has gone seriously down the toilet.  It's getting to the point where it is no longer safe for me to drive.  Cooking is difficult, as is walking in a straight line.  Worst of all is how long it takes to type anything or the like because of frequently needing to redo it.  So I need to move back to an urban area and get crazier.  Yay.  As long as I can be delivered to and from doctors, and get everything else I need delivered to me, at least I won't be a danger to others.

*self-flagellating me* : This all has to do with my joining up this month, doesn't it? I have personally ram-shackled up your site.

 

* manic me * I have all sorts of ideas about how to make money, like substituting Victorian euphisms for [Gonna wash yo mouf out wid SOAP, chile ] on some of your merchandise, to target that part of the market  of early Baby Boomer vintage?

 

*sensible me* Do you see how much I need this site?

 

You are absolutely right to focus on getting your health back first. Looks like you've got a plan in place for moving forward.  Sure hope we'll continue seeing you around here, even if someone else needs to be at the helm, for a little while at least.

Edited by Craniella, 07 February 2015 - 07:34 AM.

I'm sorry to hear this, Jerod. I hope your health returns quickly, and that you are feeling better just as soon as possible.

Carry on, old boy!

Mike

Edited by delorean, 07 January 2015 - 02:34 PM.

I'm sorry to hear this as well but health comes first.

Hopefully whoever buys it will want to continue what was started

Sent from my Galaxy S5 using Tapatalk

I hope you feel better soon!

 

I've really appreciated this website. I believe I visited CrazyMeds for at least 2-3 years. Thank you for all that you've done!

I hope this isn't goodbye, old friend.

This place diverts my attention from other things that are presently driving me insane.

Found out today my wife needs a fifth surgery. I'm hoping my insurance has no lifetime catastrophic limit.

In the meantime I'm trying to learn how to take care of myself and work (which is getting very hard to do).

 

Peace.

Is this the kind of thing where if we each finally got off our asses and became Enablers and donated some spare currency, you'd be able to have someone else take the reins for awhile and have it support itself? While you focus on your health? Or is it too late for those kind of measures now?

This news sucks. I wish you the best. I'm grateful for what you've created here.

You should set up a private, invite-only subreddit if the forums are going dark. "Jerod's Ark" or something. It's pretty easy to manage. I could get it started and return ownership to you or current CMT mods if it becomes a popular migration plan. Does this sound like a plan for the bad days to come to other crazymedians?

 

Moving back to an urban area is probably the soundest idea, re: healthcare. Didn't you use to live in San Francisco? Don't you ever miss the sea? I can't see myself moving out of this city. 

What I have doesn't get better.  I'm extremely lucky it hasn't gotten much worse for so long.  Although a big part of that delay meant giving up gabapentin, the one thing besides mania and alcohol that really worked for dealing with agoraphobia/social anxiety/avoidance.

 

 

 

Moving back to an urban area is probably the soundest idea, re: healthcare. Didn't you use to live in San Francisco? Don't you ever miss the sea? I can't see myself moving out of this city. 

 

I lived in SFO longer than anywhere else in my life.  I have a true phobia, in the sense of it being a completely irrational fear, about living near the ocean now.  

 

One thing I require is being as far north as possible, as adding 10 degrees to my ambient latitude has evened out my seasonally-triggered mood swings.  Returning to an urban area is going to bring back or exacerbate all sorts of shit, so I want to hold onto as much of the sanity I gained by leaving California as I can.  Seattle is two degrees further north of Minneapolis (downtown Seattle is close to being exactly due west of where I am now) and Portland, and that makes a difference.  I still need to figure it all out. I can't stand Spokane, so the Spokane-Coeur d'Alene metroplex is way down the list.  I'd move to fucking Alaska if they had the medical infrastructure and services I need.

Reminds me of the time when some jerks stole the website over some issue.

I think you were ill at the time and let something lapse accidentally.

One member found it back up for sale and bought it back. Can't remember the name.

That was back in the .com days, wasn't it? 

I remember you were very ill at the time and Dymphna and I helped out.

 

It's all about age though. When you hit 50 something happens to you. You finally realize you can't do the things you did when you were younger. But you've had really bad bouts with your illness for quite some time. Hope it takes a turn for the better.

 

Oh yeah, I lived in the National Forest for a couple dozen years. When gas got to $2.00 a gallon I moved back to the city. Also much closer to decent health care (specialized) for me and the Mrs.

Edited by jook, 07 January 2015 - 07:14 PM.

Reminds me of the time when some jerks stole the website over some issue.

I think you were ill at the time and let something lapse accidentally.

One member found it back up for sale and bought it back. Can't remember the name.

That was back in the .com days, wasn't it? 

I remember you were very ill at the time and Dymphna and I helped out.

 

It's all about age though. When you hit 50 something happens to you. You finally realize you can't do the things you did when you were younger. But you've had really bad bouts with your illness for quite some time. Hope it takes a turn for the better.

 

That all happened around when, amongst other things, I got the PME type 1 diagnosis.  Since the P stands for Progressive, time is not my friend.  The progression is pretty damn erratic, though, so I don't know how long I have to be able to drive and such.  I'd fail a roadside DUI test most nights, as I often weave around a lot when I walk, and my seizure activity has always been much higher at night.

Double damn--so sorry to hear this!!  But of course you need to take care of yourself first.

 

Realizing that you have a lot of other things to deal with now, how do serious contenders get info about what it would take to buy & run CrazyMeds?  I noticed in one of the recent posts, that our MI club had a high percentage of computer/IT types responding (whether or not currently employed).  Hopefully someone here can take over.

 

You've put a hell of a lot of work into this site & so many folks have benefited.  I'm really regretting have sat on my depressed-butt for so long just lurking. 

You should set up a private, invite-only subreddit if the forums are going dark. "Jerod's Ark" or something. It's pretty easy to manage. I could get it started and return ownership to you or current CMT mods if it becomes a popular migration plan. Does this sound like a plan for the bad days to come to other crazymedians?

 

Moving back to an urban area is probably the soundest idea, re: healthcare. Didn't you use to live in San Francisco? Don't you ever miss the sea? I can't see myself moving out of this city. 

I like this idea if everything goes to shit.  Or some other forum that CM didn't have to pay to host.  Any ideas of where to store the wiki?  That thing is an incredible piece of work and really helped me when I was looking into starting meds.  I found it way before I found the forums.

Jerod, I'm so grateful for what you've accomplished so far. I've benefited from the crazy meds site, my daughter has benefited; this site has housed a plethora of information for each one of us who come here to learn. It's an understatement to say that most people here have hard wit and raw understanding. It's like being in the trenches with other soldiers who are fighting the same kinds of battles. I'm devastated to hear that you're hanging it up. But I'm particularly saddened by the news that your struggle has reached the point where the choices come down to the decision to let it go.

I found your PO box address in Saint Regis listed here on the site...I would like to send you a personal check. If enough of us do the same, is there a chance you could move in closer to medical care ( Seattle area is pretty far north) and still manage to maintain this great work? We've needed you, and you've come through. It looks as though for awhile now you've needed us, (Sorry I missed that thread...) and it's time we returned the deed. Say the word. If not too late, I've pen in hand and checkbook at the ready.
And, really....I'm really grateful. Roseburg

Ditto to the above!

Jerod: to the point - is the forum going dark? Do we have a timeline?

 

I might want to follow through with this idea of trying to salvage the group of regular posters and move it to a private/secret subreddit.

But I would need your "ok" for starting "Jerod's ark" on reddit; I'm not doing it otherwise. It would be better if Dymphna or Blue Heron or martasi2 did it, of course. Jerod's mods are such an integra part of the Jerodocracy.

Also: Exchange rates are really unfavorable towards increasing my current contribution to keeping the entire site up, but I can join a small group (or even do it myself) that keeps stewardship over your domain names so they don't go to bad guys. 

Jerod - I would really hate to see this site disappear.  It has been a pillar of strength for me over the years.  I would like to see you take care of your health first though.  If the site can survive in some form it would be great.

Add me to the list of those who will do what he can to help. 

Jerod, I respect your decision to step down from Crazy Meds, and wish you all the best.

I will miss you so.

I'm really sad to hear this, but I wish you well Jerod.

 

Realizing that you have a lot of other things to deal with now, how do serious contenders get info about what it would take to buy & run CrazyMeds? 

 

In the past they've approached me.  I'll be contacting two, maybe three of the ones who have made serious offers before.

I found your PO box address in Saint Regis listed here on the site...I would like to send you a personal check. If enough of us do the same, is there a chance you could move in closer to medical care ( Seattle area is pretty far north) and still manage to maintain this great work? 

 

It's doubtful.  I need enough cash to buy a place, as I don't have enough income to rent an apartment.  As well as needing the personal security to maintain what sanity I have.  The fear of being homeless for the third time - fourth if you count the period of couch-surfing and other short-term accommodations - would make me way more fucked up than I need to be.  I'll be dealing with enough paranoia and the like just by being around so many people and that incessant 60hz hum. 

 

My plan is simple:

Sell site.  Buy house somewhere I can tolerate.  Move there.  Sell the glorified Unabomber shack to "We Buy Houses!" vultures for half of what I paid for it (if I'm lucky).  Live off of that while I figure out either how to earn a living or make nice with Social Security and get back on SSDI.  

 

There's all sorts of speech-to-text options for writing.  I'm not looking forward to a new set of frustrations because I still type faster than I talk.  Eventually I won't.

Jerod: to the point - is the forum going dark?

Buyers are more interested in the forum than the wiki, so that's unlikely.
 

Do we have a timeline?

No. I have no idea how long this will take.
 

I might want to follow through with this idea of trying to salvage the group of regular posters and move it to a private/secret subreddit.

But I would need your "ok" for starting "Jerod's ark" on reddit; I'm not doing it otherwise. It would be better if Dymphna or Blue Heron or martasi2 did it, of course. Jerod's mods are such an integra part of the Jerodocracy.

I can do even better than that. I can download the entire forum to a flash drive and/or DVD. I do that periodically anyway.  Then someone with the technical chops could convert it to vbulletin or something similar and run it on another domain.  IPB is required because of the volume of traffic.  Free software could handle the same thing with a lot less traffic.  But that's an insurance policy sort of thing.

Jerod,   Just curious - and maybe too personal, but what happened to your SSDI?  Did they think you were making too much off of the site or what?  It really seems unfair.

Edited by Retriever, 08 January 2015 - 06:46 PM.

Did they think you were making too much off of the site or what?

Yes.
 

It really seems unfair.

Not really. I do owe them money, because I suck at paperwork.  And couldn't get an answer from them when I tried to tell them to stop sending it to me when I was obvious that I didn't need it.  They say I owe them $57K.  I say it's more like $25K and sent them all sorts of documentation to that effect three times.  I had close to $14K to pay them immediately, but I've since had to live off of that.

Are you at all interested in handing the med wiki info (and the right to edit it, while properly crediting you, of course) to someone else?

Jerod,

 

Glad to hear you've got some serious interest.  I would echo sentiments above regarding the value of your wiki--to which the forum is packed w/ cross-links.

 

Let the interested parties know that, please (i.e. tell 'em we said so!).  And consider parting it out if necessary.

 

All the best to you--