Vox Phileosophos

I’ve been blogging now pretty reliably for some time, averaging five-plus days a week for five-plus years. I’ve enjoyed sounding off about whatever catches my eye, and interacting with readers has been even more rewarding; e.g., I know I’ve helped more than a few people through various computer issues.

But the most rewarding thing, to be selfish about it, is how it has helped me grow as a writer. It takes discipline to write every day, albeit not the Kate-Beckinsale-in-tight-leather of my dreams variety, and one’s skills improve with each post. I’ve come a long way since I started, and I’m pleased with my progress.

This surely isn’t goodbye, insofar as I can’t imagine I’ll ever stop writing, but it is a thank-you post to all who have commented and contributed over the years. Friends like Jackal, Faust, Rantage, and the irrepressible Ymar deserve special mention; my time gaming with you guys provides some of my fonder memories.

But to cut right to the heart of it, I’m taking a break. I don’t know how long it’s going to last, but I need to simplify my life. I can’t cope anymore with all the things I’m supposed to be doing, so I’m letting go of the blog for a while. Catch up with you later.

Yesterday my son fell near a swimming pool into which he had been diving and gouged his chin rather badly on the rocky tile around it. It ripped away a significant strip of skin and tissue underneath. He clearly wasn’t pleased, but he didn’t cry at all until we’d been fussing at it for a while (it didn’t want to stop bleeding), and even then it was a single, quick, daddy-I-want-to-go-home burst of tears.

There are so many ways that fall could have gone worse, given the edges on those rocks that line the pool; I’m grateful it wasn’t more serious. And I can’t believe how well he handled himself. I can’t imagine keeping it together like that when I was his age (almost six). As a parent I’m probably biased, but it sure seems to me that my son is one tough kid.