I will be taking the rest of 2008 off from blogging. I need to take some time to decide if I'm really still interested in doing it or not. I think I am, but then I look at the dearth of things I've posted lately and wonder if, perhaps, I'm losing interest in it. Contained within that decision is also the question of whether I want to continue blogging simply for my own enjoyment. Do I want to continue writing just to hear the sound of my own voice, so to speak. I'm certainly not getting any feedback any more (not calling anyone out, here; just stating facts) and so it seems that, should I continue, it will not be for the purpose of entertaining or informing but simply as an outlet for me to unload and organize my thoughts.

Before I go I am going to update my Photos widget in case anyone is still checking in here and would like to see the recent pictures of the kids. And now all that remains is to wish everyone very happy holidays and a happy 2009.

I was unpacking some boxes in the dining room last night and came across some photo albums, which I started looking at. In one I came across this picture of Cosmo, taken in December, 2000:

Thirty seconds after I saw this picture I happened to look to my left and this is the scene I beheld, eight years later:

That's the same cat, same tree, same tree skirt. The only thing that's changed is the house and the ornaments. Creatures of habit, indeed.

Because I simply cannot take the aggravation any more, I have now set up an authentication service for my comments to prevent spammers from befouling my bandwidth. To leave a comment you'll have to register with TypeKey. They're a reputable company (the same company who produces the publishing platform I use on this blog) and they will not sell your email address or anything sleazy like that. Also, you may encounter other blogs that use TypeKey to authenticate their comments and, in that case, you will be able to sign in and comment there, too.

It's an inconvenience, I know, but I absolutely WILL NOT any longer allow these bottom-feeding scumbags to post advertisements and pornography links on the bandwidth that I'M paying for. My only other alternative is simply not taking comments at all, as I've been doing the past few weeks. Apparently that wouldn't be so terrible since I've gotten all of nine comments in the past two months, but my conscience won't let me disallow all comments, "just in case."

Sorry for the inconvenience.

Reopening comments....not that I've exactly been inundated with them lately. ;)