Adieu, adieu, to you and you and you

Regular readers of this site may have noticed that my posting has gotten inconsistent recently and... oh, you know what's coming next: I'm going to stop posting. I'm not pulling the plug (yet) but spinachdip will go on hiatus and I have no idea if/when/how it will return.

The short version:

The simple explanation is that I no longer enjoy the process and I'm not happy with what I'm posting. Also, my personal and professional lives are a bit of a mess right now and getting my shit together is going to take priority. Until I can devote more energy to idle musings and random linking, I am (more or less) finished posting here for the foreseeable future.

The long version:

Shit, I say this tongue placed squarely outside the cheek, I exhibit every fucking sign of Blog Depression. I have vowed not to turn this blog into a confessional and I intend to keep my word for the most part. Self indulgence and self pity aren't particularly attractive unless you have a book deal, so I'll try to keep this as cold and impersonal as possible.

Right now, I have bigger things to deal with and this silly little outpost on the internet feels incredibly inconsequential. I don't want to keep making lame excuses for diminished output or quality and I had doubts about the direction of this site in the past, doubts that have only grown since. In any case, I'm taking this shit way too seriously, worrying about linkage and site traffic, writing longwinded farewells, etc. It's time to take a step back.

This isn't to say that I'm doing this without any hesitation or that I came to the decision completely sober. And it worries me a bit that I'm going against the advice of people who are much, much smarter than I. More than anything else, I will miss the exchanges I've had with readers via comments and email. I hate that I will lose that connection with people I've never met in person yet apparently share common interests, and the geeky camaraderie with other bloggers.

But I need to make some lifestyle changes, and while this site wasn't exactly the source of all my ills, it is still part of my routine and the routine hasn't been helping. Throwing the baby out with the bathwater? Perhaps, but you gotta throw out a few babies if you want a clean bathtub.

As for the immediate future, I will not be falling off the face of this earth or the internets completely. I will be working on the launch of [decentcontent], where I will serve as Editor-At-Large. I have no idea what my responsibilities are exactly, to be honest; I assume I'll be doing a little editing, a little writing and a little chomping on fat cigars. The two developments - the hiatus and the new site - are unrelated but the timing couldn't be better, as the solo blogging thing felt a little too masturbatory and I've been meaning to join an orgy of talented writers.

Anyway, there is plenty of good readin' to be done on the internet, which is why I have that massive link list to the right. And you can always reach me directly by AIM at toyodanyc or by email at spinachdipblog-at-gmail-dot-com). I can't promise to respond every time, but I can promise that I'll try, or at least make a token effort. I will occasionally post pics from my Flickr account here and announcements may pop up from time to time, so if you like, you can subscribe via the Atom feed.

As always, I've written too much. Thanks for reading and I appreciate all your support, on- and offline.

PS: To celebrate the launch of [decentcontent], we invite you all to attend blogmukkah 05.
What: The bi-denominational celebration of drinking and blogging
When: Saturday, December 17
Where: In NYC, venue TBD but most likely below 8th St, east of Bowery

So save the date, hope to see all your pretty faces there vodka tonics willing.