[plamzi]

For the 4 years in which I have been active on TMC, he's been absent 98% of the time. He's had plenty of time to delegate limited powers to other moderators and devs, which would be an ideal test for a future admin, yet he did not. I find it best to base my suppositions on what people do, rather than what they say.

I agree with you. There is nothing to suggest that he was consciously looking for an excuse to quit. The operative word being "consciously". If he was aware of it, he would have already taken steps, such as for example delegating powers.

Maybe this marks the beginning of the transition process for him, and if it does, he himself has said it will be a long one. I can only hope he has the good sense to see it through, as it will be a pity to see the site festering, or worse, going down.