So, first off, let's answer the really important question, the one that I've been getting posts to the blog about and emails.
Yes, the dump is still on fire. Not seriously on fire like it was the first few days, but yes, there is definitely still smoke coming up from there.
Seriously, I've gotten more questions about that than if I was all right or if the blog was going to be permanently shut down or anything like that. I'd be hurt, but when you have the friends I've had for the past 20 years, you develop a certain thickness of skin, a certain "Oh for fuck's sake, just suck it up already" that gets you through such things.
So why the absence? At first it was a few days of "I have nothing to write about." And then there were a couple of things I could write about, but when I sat in front of the computer, I wasn't feeling particularly inspired or motivated. And for most of the last week I was in Ottawa on a combination of meetings and a chance to try and do some Christmas shopping. I also got the chance to see an old friend and, at least for one afternoon, helped to keep her sane. Until her husband comes home. Then she's his problem.
That's the reason for the absence - Lack of inspiration followed by being pretty busy. I was also curious. Blogging had become a bit of a chore in recent months. One of those things where "Oh God, I guess I should blog now." I mentioned this to Cathy today and she reminded me that I said the blog was meant as a writing exercise. That there was supposed to be an element of discipline involved, where I would try and write every day, even on the days when I didn't want to. Especially on the days I didn't want to.
However, I think I was having too many of those days with not enough reward. I was curious to see how many days it would take until I got the itch to write again. As it turns out, quite a few days. Longer than I would have thought. I haven't checked Statcounter to see if anyone is actually still coming here. And I can only imagine what this break has done to my share price on Empire Avenue.
But I do feel a bit better after the break. Hell, I blog even when I've done on vacation. So let's consider that a bit of a blogging vacation and see if it's done anything to fire me up for the blog again. A lot did happen over the past 12 days or so. We had a small dog emergency, an anniversary of sorts, travels, visits with old friends, the frustrations of Christmas shopping and so on and so forth.
Oh, and curling. Oh yes, it's that time of the year again.
So tomorrow, back to your regular scheduled blog. Oh, and Lorie, I'll change the Flag on top of the blog this week, I promise.
Last Five
1. New favourite (live) - Allison Krauss and Union Station*
2. Boxing champ - Kaiser Chiefs
3. Boulevard of broken dreams - Green Day
4. Don't fail me now - Ryan Adams and the Cardinals
5. Summer well - Interpol
3 comments:
You absence was noticed, but as a blogger myself who frequently gets busy or in my case runs out of new photos and gets busy simultaneously, the odd blank patch is understandable. Its good to here that the absence wasn't serious in nature - like the dump fire overtaking your residence and forcing you to evacuate. Good to have you back.
It's hard to write when your only motivation is 'for it's own sake'.
That seems a bit like cooking gourmet meals, and then feeding them to the dog.
Perhaps you should see yourself as a Pepys, a diarist who encapsulates the events of the day, whether momentous or trivial, so that future readers will know what daily life in the North was like hundreds of years from now?
I have had quite the dry spell as well. I am slowly trying to get back at it, but life is getting in the way.
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