Full Service Hiatus

Just because I've been on hiatus somewhat, now looking back, doesn't mean I've neglected the blog entirely. All of the newsletter stuff and the real life visits -- all that's gone by the board. I just haven't done any of it, and I've felt better for it.

It's very refreshing to take what I used to feel was a responsibility -- sending out the newsletter, etc. -- and just drop kick it through the goal posts of life. I gave a stern boot's full shank to it and sent it packing, in a manner of speaking, to wander shank's mare quite on its own. Then the real life visits -- meeting with the readers/subscribers ... that was pure drudgery from the start, and it makes me yawn just to think of it. Like baby birds with their mouths open: Gimme, gimme, gimme!

I hesitate to mention again the worst of the bad lot -- Garrett Al -- because of something I read the other day. I was reading a thing about literature, about the good guy and the bad guy. In this case of course I'm the good guy and Garrett Al's the bad guy. But this literature expert -- probably a professor with a corduroy jacket and padded elbows and beady little glasses -- said the bad guy is just a projection of the good guy. They're basically, thematically the same guy. In fact the bad guy might have the upper hand because people like to hear about him more, and anyway, he exists as the good guy with his bad tendencies expressed openly.

The way I take a literature point like that is that this guy is saying Garrett Al and I are one and the same. Which has to be a crock because we exist quite independently of the page. But as far as the public knows, the professor would argue, based on the narrative of this blog, we're both at odds and mutually dependent, with him being thematically the same as me. I wouldn't say such theories are over my head. I've read, maybe not extensively but I've read. I don't always agree with everyone's assessment of literature, though, to tell you the truth. Like Shakespeare. I don't know why everyone's so gung ho about him. He only wrote one book, after all. But take someone like R.L. Stine, who wrote maybe 400.

We're not the same. Never have been. Never will be.

Anyway, in spite of my hiatus being a full bore reality, I've stopped in and kept things going at least at the daily maintenance level. So I appreciate knowing that about myself, and want to wish myself a happy rest of my hiatus, and many more.