Fenneck

Teenly

I noticed from her contribs page that Teenly seems to know you quite well. I apologize for being nosey, but do you know how she's doing? Nelson Nanataktuk (talk) 18:24, 26 March 2009 (UTC)

Do not apologize for caring about her. I have no real information about how she's doing. She thought she would be home in a week, but that's long past. I have heard rumours that she may be moved to a bigger hospital. I have not been able to visit her because I am not related to her. That does not sound good. Fenneck 19:32, 26 March 2009 (UTC)

Fenneck, I just heard. I am so sorry. Nelson Nanataktuk (talk) 15:48, 7 April 2009 (UTC)

I put her user page back the way she had it before, with the Milne verse. I replaced the userpage template with a link to her Talk Page because her signature only links to her User Page. I wonder whether I should have changed it from the way she had it. I'll change it back if you think I should. Nelson Nanataktuk (talk) 21:23, 7 April 2009 (UTC)

Thanks, Nelson, it looks good and I think Teenly would have loved it. I imagine she had the userpage template there to force the top part of the page to full width. I like the way you used invisible letters to format the page, just like Teenly did. Maybe she would have come up with the same idea herself. Fenneck 17:47, 8 April 2009 (UTC)

Oh, no. I'm sorry. She was a precocious young lady, and I was very, very impressed with the work she did. I'm glad I was able to make her happy, if even for a moment; I don't know if it means much, but she made me happy with her article on Jan Blockx, of all things. I don't know why, but he's always intrigued me since I was a kid, and it was heartening to see that someone else was as interested in him.

Selig sind die Toten,

die in dem Herren sterben,

von nun an.

Ja der Geist spricht,

daß sie ruhen von ihrer Arbeit;

denn ihre Werke folgen ihnen nach.

Will you take a little Brahms, in her honor? Please blank if you feel it's inappropriate, but it's a passage that has frequently moved me. --User:AlbertHerring ^{Io son l'orecchio e tu la bocca: parla!} 21:31, 10 April 2009 (UTC)

No, it is not inappropriate. We all wish on a star in our own way, and hope that it makes a difference somehow. I was going to copy it to her talk page, but something similar over your signature would be more meaningful, if it isn't asking too much. Fenneck 23:32, 10 April 2009 (UTC)

It isn't, not at all. I went with the last few lines of the Resurrection Symphony, another work which has deep meaning to me. --User:AlbertHerring ^{Io son l'orecchio e tu la bocca: parla!} 23:50, 10 April 2009 (UTC)

Thank you so much. I see from your talk page that you are very busy, so I appreciate you taking the time for a child you never knew. Recently she asked me if there was a Fantasy on "La Giaconda" she could play. Looking at your signature, I suspect she was planning to thank you for your kind words in the best way she knew. Please accept the thought as her gift to you. Fenneck 00:54, 11 April 2009 (UTC)

I'm never too busy to recognize and honor the contributions of another, especially one who did such fine work in such a short time here. Thank you kindly for the gift; I consider the thought behind it a great honor, and am touched. --User:AlbertHerring ^{Io son l'orecchio e tu la bocca: parla!} 00:59, 11 April 2009 (UTC)

(<-) Thank you for informing me about Teenly's death. Just to let you know: Teenly also edited on Simple English Wikipedia; Her page there has been fully protected, and her talk page resembles the one here. --Eptalon (talk) 14:41, 11 April 2009 (UTC)

Fenneck, I apologise for being unable to respond earlier, due to my irregular attendance here—not to mention the need to regain some semblance of composure after I read your message.

I am deeply moved and profoundly saddened by the news of dear Teenly. Our paths crossed all too briefly, and yet she still managed to make a positive and lasting impression on those of us with whom she came into contact. In spite of the anonymity of our pseudonymous personæ here, her warm personality, sunny disposition, and acute intelligence shone through—as did her sensitivity, empathy, and consideration for others.

One might have guessed at Teenly's youthfulness, if only for the sense of fun, enthusiasm and innocence that she conveyed. Nonetheless, the facts about her physical age are quite astonishing. The maturity, wisdom and consummate skills displayed by this truly remarkable young lady extended way, way beyond her tender years.

Teenly impressed me from the outset, after which I often thought of her. From time to time, I'd check on how she was getting along—though covertly, out of respect for her clear desire to explore and progress independently. She very quickly mastered so many aspects of exemplary editing, working quietly and effectively to improve articles (both here and at Simple English Wikipedia), as well as engaging effortlessly, articulately, and constructively with other editors. Even her customised signature design, Teenly (of which she was justifiably proud), demonstrated an innate gift for creative flair and aesthetic subtlety. And yet, in spite of her obvious talents, Teenly remained modest, humble and respectful towards others. All this, particularly in the light of her supremely courageous battle against the odds, characterises a most impressive, inspiring, and special individual.

I've taken the liberty of adding a few short, personal (and unashamedly childlike) verses to Teenly's talk page. Please don't hesitate to remove them if you think they are in any way inappropriate; I won't be the least bit offended.

I feel honoured and privileged to have known Teenly, however fleetingly. Small wonder that you, knowing her so much better as her friend and mentor, should be so proud of her. From the way she referred to you, as well as from her manifest love of music, Teenly clearly held you in high regard, too—both off-wiki and here. In spite of my own feelings of distress right now, I can only imagine the personal grief that you and others close to her must be enduring. My heart goes out to you.

Thank you for taking the trouble to put us in the picture, especially at this tragic and most difficult time. We shall certainly miss Teenly around here. And I doubt she will ever be forgotten by those who have come to know and admire her.

Error -128 (talk) 15:05, 13 April 2009 (UTC)

Fenneck, I am truly honoured that Teenly found her interactions with me to be "happy". Thank you for letting me know. (talk→ Bwilkins / BMW ←track) 11:37, 15 April 2009 (UTC)

Thank you again, Fenneck, for giving me yet further insight into Teenly's extraordinary character. She was, as you say, naturally empathetic and able to easily detect any pathos in the written word. My slightly tongue-in-cheek remark, "Excellent; my eagerly-awaited welcome greeting!", was prompted by the very first personal message I received on Wikipedia, which turned out to be a "warning" from a somewhat troublesome anon, whose edits (often subtle, harder-to-spot acts of vandalism) I had been reverting for a while. Teenly, recognising this as "no fair", remedied the situation without further ado. Since this was (as you also note) quite early on in her 'registered' editing, I was lucky enough to receive the sweetest, most spontaneous welcome one could ever hope for:

"I don't know how to give you one of those big ones like I got but WELCOME TO WIKIPEDIA! (cheer cheer). I hope you like it here."

That really did make my day. Ironically, the situation inadvertently created by the aforementioned anon, who was solely bent on making mischief, had ultimately produced a far more positive result. So LET'S HEAR IT FOR THE ANON! (cheer cheer).

It was when I invited her to ask for help, if she should ever need any, that Teenly confirmed herself as a true autodidact. She really understood the value of grappling head-on with unfamiliar concepts and of figuring things out for herself—or, as she described it:

"... snooping around to find out what other people do ..."

Nowhere is this more apparent than in Nelson Nanataktuk's telling analysis of her highly impressive efforts to disentangle a sorting algorithm over at Simple English Wikipedia. (I urge anyone passing through here to read and explore the links from Nelson's entry on Teenly's talk page.) Little wonder that Eptalon was moved to award Teenly a Barnstar of Excellence, for spotting an error dating back to 2005. While undoubtedly delighted by the award, she downplayed it with characteristic modesty—suggesting to you:

"Maybe nobody but me read the article since 2005 because it was not hard to find."

As you also know, of course, Teenly was never too proud to seek guidance, mentoring or confirmation from those she trusted, but almost invariably after she had already tackled a particular challenge independently.

While I had sensed an affinity with Teenly from the start, even after just one exchange of messages, I was unaware that she continued to take an interest in my progress and well-being. Considering her own tribulations at the time, I find this level of altruism both exceptional and heart-warming, and I'm truly grateful to you for the revelation. I'm also delighted that you think she might have appreciated my dilettantish attempts at poetry. As you may have noticed, the juxtaposition of the first couple of verses was intended to contrast "size" from two different perspectives: the perceived minuteness of a distant celestial body, compared to its relative magnitude at closer quarters. This seemed (to me) roughly analogous with how we might evaluate people according to their proximity: the unfamiliar by their superficial physical characteristics, and the more familiar by their deeper cerebral, psychological, and intuitive qualities. So in getting to know someone like Teenly, one would move quickly from observing the frailty of her small stature—to realising the powerful significance of her warm humanity and bright intellect.

It's interesting, though no surprise, to learn that Teenly wrote poetry. I do hope that, as the wounds become more bearable with the passing of time (and I'm mindful that the most severe can still leave painful scars), you'll be able to enjoy the magic of her words once more. How rare it is for one so young to appreciate the sombre tones of a work like A. E. Housman's "A Shropshire Lad", much less to choose it as a favourite. That speaks volumes for Teenly's sensitivity and circumstances. Her favourite poem, "Loveliest of Trees", evidently moves beyond carpe diem by redoubling efforts and opportunities to "seize the day"; how quintessentially Teenly. And while on the subject of verse, I noticed that—for her user page—Teenly had chosen a few amusing lines from "Busy", from A. A. Milne's "Now We Are Six". One can't help wondering if this might suggest, at least in part, an oblique reference to her own age...

I suppose one shouldn't be surprised that, in her musical tastes too, Teenly was able to fathom the depths of pieces like "Funérailles", from Liszt's "Harmonies Poétiques et Religieuses", in which the early sections sound particularly dark. It may have been sheer coincidence, but Teenly's reference to the elegy in her last message to "Fenneck" seemed remarkably prescient. You know, I wasn't fooled for a moment when she told me:

"If I do [make a recording] you will be able to hear me play. I think that is the only way I can tell you whether I am really a musician or just somebody that thumps on a piano!"

From just the way she spoke of music, Teenly came across as a passionate and devoted artist—rendering any such 'proof of the pudding' quite unnecessary. All the same, purely as an enthusiast, I would dearly have loved to hear her play.

One further thought. What Teenly brought to Wikipedia was so much more than her lively character, her playful sense of humour, her formidable array of talents, her extensive musical knowledge, her keen mind, her awe-inspiring fortitude, and her natural ability to just get on with folks. The phrase "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts" could hardly be more apt than in Teenly's case. Whenever I learn something new about this beautiful, exceptional child, I'm just blown away—all over again. And since the usual way here to express appreciation for outstanding contribution is with a barnstar, I feel strongly that we should be awarding one to Teenly. So on behalf of us all, I've added the most appropriate barnstar I could find to her talk page (alongside my previous entry). I think perhaps Teenly would have liked it, and hope you'll agree.

Please don't feel in any way obliged to respond to my ramblings. I can't even begin to imagine the painful shadow of silence that has descended on you all, but imagine you'll need every ounce of strength to deal with it, in whichever way works best for each of you. As you journey through this dark, hushed valley, I wish you well in your quest to prevail over profound anguish and feelings of loss—until you are again able to rejoice in the times and the treasures that Teenly shared with you.

My thoughts remain with you. Sincerely, Error -128 (talk) 21:31, 18 April 2009 (UTC)

I was distraught to hear of Teenly's death. Then again, it's a crying shame to lose any valuable Wikipedian, especially this way! My condolences are with you and Teenly's family, Fenneck. --Dylan620 _{Efforts · Toolbox} 00:21, 20 April 2009 (UTC)

You're right, of course, Fenneck; Teenly would have seen nothing remarkable about simply doing what came naturally. But in a world where the value of such things is defined by their rarity, I hope she would understand and forgive our desire to voice some appreciation. As far as I can see, she sought no recognition, no praise, nor reward of any kind. Her greatest gift, inspiration, and driving force was undoubtedly her love: love of music, love of poetry, and love of art; love of exploration, love of discovery, and love of knowledge; love of those close to her, love of humanity, and love of life. And in sowing the seeds of all that love, by sharing it with others, the harvest she reaped in return was a further abundance of love. There can surely be no finer, worthier, or more distinguished legacy. (Glad you liked the barnstar.) —Error -128 (talk) 18:28, 27 April 2009 (UTC)

teenly

I was pointed to Teenly's userpage as part of writing the year in review story. If you can supply information about her, you might want to add her to this page. best, -- phoebe / (talk to me) 20:17, 12 January 2010 (UTC)