Saturday, January 09, 2010

The Kitchen Is Now Closed

I don't suppose this will come as much of a surprise to anyone, if anyone notices at all, but it is with a twinge of regret that I announce that this will be the final post on this blog. It's been a good run, it's been over 5 years since I started it, but it's time to lay Memento Moron to rest. the reasons are several:

It's been a long, very long time since I was prolific, and even longer since my posts were anyhting more than a feeble "Hey, I'm still here". In preparing for this post, I went back and re-read some of mt earliest posts. Damn, I was good. I was passionate, and it was reflected both in the thoughts expressed on this blog, and in the care I took in crafting the words used to express those thoughts. Lately, though, my writing has been hasty and rudimentary.I've lost the style, I've lost then content.

In part, this stems from a sense of exhaustion -- physical, mental, and emotional. I'm spent, I'm worn, I'm beaten down. I started the blog during the 2004 presidential campaign, and while I did blog a lot on my personal life, I was also doing a lot of political blogging. The campaign and its oucome were very important to me, and that outcome seemed, at the time, to still be in question. Pair that with a sense that by blogging and challenging my readers to consider some issues, I could actually make a difference, and it made for a very heady cocktail. I was intoxicated and hooked. But since then, I've lost that sense of... well, of importance. Don't get me wrong -- the things on which I blogged are important, my opinion is still as important as anyone elses, but how influential my words might be here, well, that's where things have lost their sparkle.

The other big reason is that I'm just too busy these days. That change started back in 2006 when I got laid off from my tech support job and accepted to culinary school. I was no longer spending 8 hours or more a day at my computer, much of it with plenty of time to blog between calls. You can see the steady decline of the quantity AND quality of my posts from that time forward, with only a few brief spikes along the way.

And now, my life is WAY too busy AND exhausting. I have two jobs now. One is M-F from 7:30 AM to 1:00 PM. The other is MWThF, 5:30 PM-close (usually 8:00 or 9:00), Sat 11:45-2:30 & 5:30-Close (usually 9:00), and Sun 11:45-2:30 & 5:00 to close (7:00). My last full day off was New Years Day, and I don't know when the next will be -- maybe Sun the 24th, for The Lad's birthday party (He's turning 5, can you believe it?).

The last straw was the notice from Haloscan that they would no longer be free. That completely cut off my comments. I could switch to either Blogger's internal comments, or find another service, but both would require money, time, and effort, three things at a premium for me right now.

So instead, I'm shuttng her down. I'll leave the blog here for as long as Blogger allows, just in case someone wants to read something. But IF and WHEN I start blogging again, it will be with a fresh start.

I'd like to thank all of my loyal readers, you were few but you were faithful. I want to thank the Bloggers who inspired me along the way -- Blogfather Rusty at The Jawa Report, who got me started in this. Ditto to Blogmother Da Goddess. Yips and Noto Benes and such to The Llama Butchers, Maximum Leader at Naked Villainy, OregonGuy, and two bloggers I've met personally and consider friends - Bob at Eugene Rant, anf Ken, the Fifth String on the Banjo of Life.

Thanks, everyone, it's been a good run, and you've all helped make it all the better. If you want to keep in touch, write me -- my email address is brianbinor (at symbol) gmail dotcom.

And don't forget to stay humble -- remember the reason for this blog's title in the first place.