OK, where was I?
I’m not going to lie: I have thoroughly enjoyed not blogging for the past six weeks.
You can take my stated reason for the hiatus at face value. I needed to concentrate on other things, and that effort paid off. It’s too soon to share the details, but I’ll offer a hint: It appears that you’ll find me elsewhere on the Web for a while. If things unfold as I expect they will, I’ll post a link here at WAW and beg you to follow it.
But the unintended result of this blog break was to cause me to take a cold-eyed measure of the depth of my commitment to WAW. What I realized is (a) I like doing this (with “this” defined as exercising my writing muscles and staying engaged with the news); and (b) I don’t like the pressure that comes with posting something new every weekday. So my plan is to set a less arduous schedule for myself. I’ll post when I feel like it — a couple of times a week, probably. Maybe three. Maybe only once, or maybe not at all if the beach beckons and the rum hits high tide.
Besides, there’s one unassailable bit of evidence that dialing back the work is a good thing. Want to guess which post in WAW’s two-year history attracted the most number of comments? Yep — the one from six weeks ago that said I was going away for a while. As is the case with any commodity, scarcity creates value. Or at least interest.
June 9th, 2009 at 9:54 am
Yes, first in line. At the outset, welcome back. Second, if you need help with the blog duties, there’s a former First Lady who’s jsut become available with time on her hands to help out. Her husband might be available, too, since he’s sort of retired (some say he retired eight years ago) and I suspect his current employer law firm may want to show him the door now that he’s become, a-hem, a bit of a liability.
Intrigued by your hints…maybe you’re going to Slate.com athough that crowd is too left for your fellow Georgian sensibilities (or hardheadedness).
We await your plans.
June 9th, 2009 at 9:55 am
Welcome back. You were missed. I don’t think you missed much news-wise, although that Easley thing may have made a blip or two.
Glad there was success in other endeavours.
June 9th, 2009 at 10:42 am
Ohhhhhh, I’m so excited! Post that new link and I promise I’ll follow.
June 9th, 2009 at 12:38 pm
Nobody titillates like you, G-man. Can’t wait for the big reveal.
June 9th, 2009 at 12:45 pm
Okay well welcome back. I have to say that this is a pretty lame revival appearance. Good grief, these past several weeks have seen an impressive run on administrative positions at a state university, right wingers calling (and then recalling) a supreme court nominee all sorts of inflammatory stuff, a former vice president with a serious case of diarrhea of the vocal chords, a president buying a car company, Joe the plumber in Raleigh — pretty much something for everyone. In fact, I’m sure you could probably find a you tube video of someone playing the bulldog fight song on a jaw harp. And all you came back to say is that you might say something later if you feel like it? Lay some pontification on us brother!
June 10th, 2009 at 9:47 am
Welcome back! Now my mornings are complete again…even if you don’t write every day, I’ll have the excitement of hoping “Today’s the day!” when I check your site!
June 10th, 2009 at 2:53 pm
Welcome back, GD. On your own terms, of course!
Writing is so much better when you do it because you _want_ to, and not because you are obliged to. I applaud your ability to go fishin’ when you want, scribe some WAW when you want, or do that other secret (shh!) thing you’ve been doing. (Hey, does it get hot inside that Mary Easley mask and body suit?)
In the mean time, we’ve been watching another Jim Black-esque house of cards crumble in the tap dancing good-ol’-boy aftermath of NC State EasleyGate. Neilsen’s ratings took him down, Campbell is Mm! Mm! Gone!, and Oblinger’s ability to recollect past events has evaporated… along with his employment status.
The last time so many state-employed public figures fell on their swords, they did so in order to conceal a much greater corruption. Easley’s kettle of fish is precariously balanced, and unless he can keep every indebted stooge in his pyramid of power from flinching… the Guv’s mansion is gonna smell like bouillabaise, baby!
Welcome back to your blog mosh pit, Dan. We kept it moist and somewhat entertaining in your absence, but it wasn’t quite the same. Now! There are pots to bang, kettles to stir, rabbles to rouse, outhouses to overturn, a house full of legislators to hector (but I repeat myself)…
Hut! Hut! Everyone look busy! Dan’s turning the lights back on! John, put the monkey back in the cage. Rick, put the lids back on the Mason jars. MIT, unplug the blender and watch out for the empty bottles… oh, and any volunteers to put Lipzee’s clothes back on? Yeah, I was afraid of that, too…
Back to you, Dan!
June 10th, 2009 at 2:54 pm
Good to have Dan back, but I have to disagree with a couple of things.
On a blog it usually doesn’t help engender a following to post just once and a while.
The “demand” really comes out to one or two comments a day during the “hiatus”.
Fifty-one comments divided by 42 days, roughly, which is six weeks.
Heck, back in December there used to be 40+ comments in one day when there were a few real heavy-duty participants.
People do what they like. It’s Dan’s show, but anyone who wants to go national on a more well-known blog can’t be a slacker.
I know some want to think that’s endearing but real successful blogs deal every day with controversial subject matter.
This is giving the old stereotypes of Southerners being slow and lazy too much credence.
Sometimes you just have to **** or get off the pot.
Just sayin’.
June 13th, 2009 at 12:30 pm
I knew you couldn’t stay away (unlike my ex-wives). Looking forward to your new venture!!
June 23rd, 2009 at 10:38 am
Yes, but is this really fair to the rest of us? I for one feel as though I am being short-changed by your lackadaisical attitude. I haven’t felt this way since the government decided to keep my money when it cut off my welfare check. I for one still subscribe to the N&O and thus have been educated to the fact that I have a need and you need to fill it. It’s the change we all voted for after all.