I need to regain my center- taking a step back from posting, but will be lurking and commenting, and hopefully meeting up with ya'll at Gino's etc.

(This is the relevant- to you- part of my "I'm taking a sabbatical" post on my multiply blog.)

Tess and I have been talking a lot about how I seem always to be simultaneously stressed and frazzled, and exhausted, so we've decided I need to take a step back, some deep breaths, focus on my studies, etc. I posted a slightly longer version of this on my multiply blog, but since A) It affects you, and B) It references you, I wanted to post it here.

From that post...

In the mean time, I will continue to be on the web (in very measured doses) in two places:

1) As questions come in, or videos get done, or rugs get finished, I'll post them at toothbrushrugs.blogspot.com - I've had questions asked and tutorials suggested that I've not tended to. As I've said before, if I'm to be known for anything when I die, I hope its primarily (and in order)

• my love for my wife,
• my love of my parents, friends, and family,
• and my rug craft.

My mother and I call this craft our "therapy" and it is. Additionally, thanks to the Chicago Tribune letter, my youtube videos, and the interest of some of you dear folk... this is approaching the critical mass such that I could probably put all of my "discretionary time" into it... and when I emerge from my cocoon, it may well be the case that I decide to so do.

2) I will continue to participate in- though not post to- the blog Pabulum Ad Nauseam- a predominantly local Chicago blog whose main participants are near or actual neighbors of mine. (If you visit... be aware, its a pretty wild and woolly place!) They keep inviting me to gatherings, but since they're such vampires they're usually starting when I'm going to bed, and they're going home about the time I wake up. Just the act of being invited, even if I can't accept, means more to me than I can say. As my late father wisely said, "Everyone wants to be needed and needs to be wanted" and since I've so lacked any sense of that locally, I'm going to make sure to keep contact with those fine fellows who have so gone out of their way to reach out to me, accept me, and embrace me. I will also not be posting anything new there until my energy levels have improved and I've caught up with my class and family obligations, but I will be commenting. So if you miss my smart-assed or overly erudite commentary, you'll find a bit of it mixed in to the comments there.

Less is more... my previous post (which I've now deleted after saving the dear comments left there) went on too long, so I'll try to be succinct:

• When my energy levels are low, I always pull back from blogging.
• This has nothing to do with any comments people have left or not left, its part of my self care regimen, that's all.
• There are some good things going on in our life (refund and rent check on the way, for example) and some bad things, but there's so much going on, I need a simpler more focused life for a while.

Buried at PhotoCasket.com