A WELCOME SABBATICAL
The blog will go dark for 4 days as I take some time off to decompress and recover my wits.
Now some of you would say I had little or no wit to begin with. I beg to differ. You must differentiate between some of my recent scribblings which, an objective observer might indeed say, were “witless” and the meandering thoughts that course through my head which pass for “wit.”
The former is a result of not having had a true day off in a very, very long time. As many of you know, I am Associate Editor at The American Thinker (where I post 5 or 6 blog posts everyday) as well as being employed as Chicago Editor of Pajamas Media. Both of those jobs are in addition to posting a daily essay on this site. The election and its aftermath gave me a case of burnout that I can only now address by taking some time off at Thanksgiving.
When doing something you love becomes a chore, you know it’s time to step back and recharge the batteries. Writing has not been any fun at all for most of this month and since I believe the last time I took a day off was probably the last time Sue and I went to Reno which was just about 2 years ago, I think I’ve earned a little R & R this weekend.
As far as the latter, I will spend most of this weekend catching up on some reading and trying to stay away from the internet except to find out what’s happening in the world. A little football, some movies (I might watch the LOTR trilogy - all special editions), and a lot of napping.
And of course, eating. I have been given permission to go off my diet (I’ve lost 48 pounds since September) and will glory in the feasting. I am too old to carouse and go out wenching but Sue has volunteered to make my stay at home more than worthwhile.
I’ll be back at it come Monday.
Happy holidays.
I tend not to comment here unless I’ve got something to gripe about, so I’ll take the time to say this is, frankly, one of my favorite blogs on the net. As a Conservative who’s been disenchanted with the Republican Party for some time, it’s good to know there are other people who can criticize the Bush Administration without veering off into cuckoo land in the process. The historical perspective shown here is generally superb.
Comment by MlR — 11/27/2008 @ 12:42 pm
Rick,
Enjoy your time off. You’ve earned it. Have a nice rest.
Comment by B.Poster — 11/27/2008 @ 12:59 pm
This is one of the few conservative sites I’ll visit. Most of them just completely disgust me. I don’t agree with many of the things said here (I’m not a liberal, but I do lean a little left), but at least you try to be civil about it, and put a little thought into what you write. Beats Malkin by a long shot.
So good work. You even made it onto my blogroll.
Comment by Russell Miller — 11/27/2008 @ 1:15 pm
This is wisdom.
A writer needs to know when he’s run out of steam. Some quiet time, some exposure to relatives, the self-loathing that accompanies the temporary joy of going off-diet (I speak from experience) and the agony of watching Obama actually become president 2 months before his inauguration will stoke your boiler.
In no time at all you’ll be back to your wrongheaded ways.
Comment by michael reynolds — 11/27/2008 @ 1:50 pm
“E pur si muove!” G
just kidding,
but seriously, me thinks you will need this respite with the way the world is going (turning) right now. come january a “brave new world.”
cheers and jeers!!
Comment by jambrowski — 11/27/2008 @ 3:09 pm
48 pounds baby! Congratulations…..and get an extra slice of pie.
Comment by Bel Air — 11/27/2008 @ 9:25 pm
I am too old to carouse and go out wenching
Have you looked into Second Life?
Comment by John Howard — 11/28/2008 @ 1:33 pm
Congratulations on the weight loss- that’s a lot of weight. Just out of curiosity, did you use a diet program (Atkins, South Beach, etc.), or simply eat less?
Slim fast.
ed.
Comment by lionheart — 12/1/2008 @ 9:55 am
48 pounds lost since September without exercise. Might you consider moving around a bit more? Slim fast is not a balanced diet, nor should exercise be neglected.
Get some fresh air, and fresh food.
We actually might miss you otherwise.
Comment by bobwire — 12/2/2008 @ 11:34 pm