An explanation, of sorts, for the continued if occasionally interrupted radio silence here. It might be, okay, perhaps not necessary (or expected), but a balm for my conscience, so…
The driving factor has been my father and his summer-long there-and-back-again trips to doctors’ offices and recent admittance to the hospital for a heart procedure that will, hopefully, put an end to all of those outpatient visits (or at least dramatically decrease the need for them). I am not the type who can compartmentalize when a family member’s health is at issue, especially my father, and reading has continued to take a backseat, but this time to stress and worry and pursuits that allow me some respite without requiring quite so much concentration or thought. (And I wasn’t going to bring this up here, but it’s a fact of my life, you know? I thought it might be alright to express it as such.)
Juggling all of the things that real life throws in one’s way is a challenge, for everyone, and I’m not immune to dropping the ball, which I’ve done more times than I can count recently. (Janicu, our joint review is numbered among that count. Thanks for being your wonderful, patient self! [Though totally feel free to throw something at me virtually. I won't duck.]) And I kind of don’t remember where I was going with this (see what I mean?!), which is likely the best cue to stop and move on.
My first vacation/staycation of the year is coming up in a few weeks. Those days will hopefully be full of reading and writing and tumbling and rewatching shows and movies and listening to music and baking and things, but this list has a best laid plans feel to it, so who knows? (It will also involve some puppy-sitting; I could end up chasing around a gorgeous, hyperactive ninja of a Pomeranian for the better part of a week and end up accomplishing nothing aside from delivering the best belly rubs the little one has ever experienced. [I'd count that as a win, btw.])
And I have been doing some fun things that have 1) helped me unwind a bit and, 2) had a hand in keeping me out of the reading/blogging loop. My father kicked me out of his hospital room (okay, he didn’t; visiting hours were over for the day and I had to leave anyway, but he did encourage me to go rather than sit at home fretting over something that was completely out of my control) to swing by Maggie Stiefvater’s local tour stop and listen to her talk about The Raven Boys (she was, as you might imagine, incredibly funny and had the best stories to share), and also to see Matthew Mayfield and Matthew Perryman Jones play at this sort of hole in the wall place not too far away (and they were both awesome, but, people, if you ever get the chance to see Mayfield live, do it. He is phenomenal).
Wow. That got long. To sum up: Sorry. I’ll probably continue to be more MIA than not. Thanks for bearing with me. 
Chelle, I understand completely. With a lot of stress, I use my normal reading time to worry and keep the worrying at bay with less mentally demanding pursuits such as internet surfing or catching up with TV/movies. Reading and blogging fall by the wayside.
Enjoy the puppy, and take your time. Best wishes for your dad to get better soon. *hugs*
Yes! Exactly. And yet…Me being me, I feel guilty for still being somewhat active on the web – mostly on tumblr – but it’s so easy to take a deep breath and relax when you’re looking at pretty things (and when all “blogging” there requires you to do is hit ‘reblog’). Thanks for the kind words!
I’m so sorry to hear about your dad! Hope he gets better soon
Thank you!
I hope your father gets well soon. I know myself how my reading and blogging decreases when I’m stressed out over just the little things, let alone when stressed over a family member’s health. Hope this holiday is just what you need.
My reading time has taken a huge hit this year, but I just can’t seem to force it, so…This holiday might be a chance to try again. Thanks!
I hope all goes well with your father…I understand MIA, family has to come first
Thanks! He’s responding well so that’s something.
I’ll keep your dad in my thoughts. All the best.
Thank you! I appreciate it.
I have had experience visiting people in the hospital and it sucks to be the worried relative, so whenever you are ready, really! Your dad sounds like he’s getting the care he needs, which is good. Hope he doesn’t have to stay in the hospital long and can get back to his life soon.
The main reason he went through with the procedure was because they told him it would make a huge difference (one argument being that he would actually be able to breathe properly again), and he’s improving bit by bit every day. Thank you for being patient. Really. I honestly feel awful about it, though. That’s just how I’m hard-wired. But soon! (I hope.)
Well, sounds like it’s a little pain for a lot of gain. Glad your dad is improving and should be able to breathe better.
NO feeling bad! None of that.
Oh Chelle, I’m sorry to hear about your father! I hope he’s doing better now. I think we all understand that family and real-life comes first but we still feel guilty about not blogging anyway. But you just do what you can; your loyal readers won’t be going anywhere anytime soon
Aah! I hope you get to hang out with that little ninja Pomeranian–it sounds so cute! And LUCKY YOU getting to see Maggie Stiefvater–I love that lady.
I’m glad you won’t be going anywhere (’cause I’d have to track you down on twitter and bother you until you came back otherwise.
) My dad’s doing better, thanks, and the little ninja is all kinds of adorable and irresistible. 
I hope things are going better with your father now and that things are calming down for you.