So, I’m sitting here watching the snow pile up outside.

It’s been snowing like mad for two days straight now. Two feet worth. For now, I can’t help but think it’s the coolest thing. When it’s still snowing six months from now, I’m sure I’ll feel otherwise. But, for the time being, let it snow!

When I was younger, I used to always go outside and watch as thunderstorms rolled in. And the more I watched, the more curious I got about what I was watching. So, I started reading. And I started learning. And the more I read and the more I learned, the more curious I got. Some twenty years later, and I know more about the weather than most people should ever really need to know. And when a big storm like the one I’m watching outside at this very moment approaches, I start digging into the computer models and the upper air data and whatever else I can get my hands on and pretend I’m the meteorologist I always wanted to be instead of the everything else I actually became.

As much as I love doing all that, there’s always a little voice in the back of my head, saying, “This is a waste of time. Stop being such a nerd. Go do something useful.” I’m always reluctant to discuss the weather with people, since I don’t want to be “that guy”, rambling on about computer models and upper air data and whatever else I got my hands on when they’re more interested in what the pretty blonde on TV said or just looking to kill time before the next conference call. I’ve gotten awfully good at pretending not to be passionate about anything, that’s for sure.

I don’t love doing that, though. Not at all.

I’ve been blogging now in some capacity since the beginning of time, and I’ve never really come out and said it, so here goes: I don’t find blogging all that interesting a hobby. So, why is it I wasted so many years blogging about Japanese cartoons? Well, you might be surprised to learn that I do find Japanese cartoons an interesting hobby. Don’t tell anyone, though. It’s a secret.

And I suppose that’s why I had such a good run here. I’m ashamed to admit I knew that a long time ago, but I’m a stubborn idiot, so…

… looks like the snow stopped.

Anyway, how ’bout that Endless Eight?

You might have noticed some performance issues around here this past week. Unfortunately, I never managed to isolate the problem.

This morning, I got tired of scratching my head and settled on the scorched earth option. I backed up the database, wiped the directory, did a new Wordpress install, imported all of my existing content into a new database (on a new server), and started rebuilding the site. I’m still in the process of putting everything back together again, so if something looks funky or doesn’t work correctly, bear with me.

Thankfully, the site no longer takes a half minute to load.

In my kitchen at home, I have a calendar featuring the work of Utagawa Hiroshige. The print for the month of April was particularly soothing; given how frenetic a month it turned out to be, I found the juxtaposition amusing. What would the next month bring? Depends on how you look at it, I guess.

Believe it or not, I’ve been writing blog posts these past few weeks. Every single one remains unfinished, however. I haven’t been feeling particularly inspired, to say the least, and even when inspiration does hit, I’ve been having a difficult time putting my thoughts into words. Typically, I don’t ask too much of my brain when I write; as long as I have my thoughts in order, the writing process is a sort of involuntary reflex. When the reflex is functioning, good stuff happens. When it’s not, I’m paralyzed. I could never hack it as a professional writer, that’s for sure.

This morning, I had an idea for a blog post. First good one in awhile, really. After fifteen minutes of writing, the box score was six sentences, eight trips to the thesaurus, and a hundred paces around the room. I promptly hit the close button and went outside to water my garden.

So, I think it’s about time I take a long break. I don’t intend to make a big deal out of it, but I also don’t want to waste a bunch of time dicking around, pretending that the inspiration and energy to write is going to hit me when I wake up tomorrow morning. Because, that’s what I’ve been doing. And I also don’t want you, my readers, thinking, “What happened? Did he get eaten by sharks?” Better to just make everything clear.

Anyway, I’ll still be around. And if I feel like writing something, I will. Perhaps I’ll start a new blog somewhere and post pictures of my cat.

I guess I’ll have to get a cat.

In the past two years, I’ve made 278 posts. You’ve made 3,942 comments.

That’s a lot of blackmail material.