I thought of papi.mati too because his departure came shortly after the creation of ac-cheetah and I wonder if that contributed to his decision.

Thank you for your kind words @o1eh - I must admit that I've thought the same about a few users who have left that I've missed. In my absence, I thought about a lot of you which is why I couldn't stay away. I entirely agree with @weisser-rabe that Steemit has redefined the concept of friendship somewhat.