I've been delaying posting anything in this thread until I could come up with words adequate to express how I much I appreciate Fly's posts, the Herculean effort involved in maintaining a forum like this, her seemingly limiteless intelligence and patience, and the respect for others points of views that has set the tone for all discussions.
But after several days, I've decided that I'm not going to come up with the magic words. Or maybe I'm just too lazy in light of the fact that (as is usually the case in most every thread) what I would have said has already been said so well by so many others.
I will just say, simply and quietly, that this forum has added to my appreciation of "The Sopranos" more than any other reading I've done, which includes virtually all of the published books on the series and most of what I can find on the internet. The level of discussion on most every other forum I've read is so depressingly base that I sometimes start to doubt my own belief in the depth and complexity of the show!
On the rare occasions when there has been an internet-style flare up here, Fly (or the other wonderful moderators) has always stepped in and prevented flame wars from taking hold. For someone as thoughtful as Fly certainly is, this can't be an easy job; it becomes exponentially easier to doubt yourself the smarter you are. . .
I join the chorus in the (perhaps wishful) hope that the Chase Lounge will survive the end of the series.
Thank you, Fly. If you ever are in doubt as to whether you've productively spent the short time we're granted on this planet (to paraphrase Melfi), at least remember that you've made my life better in a tangible, meaningful way. And it's clear from all the other thank yous you've already received that many others share the sentiment. I only regret that I came to the party so late in the game, not having discovered this forum until the 6th season.