Guilt and Apologies

I used to begin my morning with a leisurely cup of coffee, my warm fuzzy robe and slippers, my kitty in my lap and my personalized Google Reader list of blog posts on my laptop. I'd read every single new post and respond to many of them. Then I'd ponder my own post, write it, finesse it and eventually post it.*

That was then.

This morning Google Reader told me that I had 536 unread blog posts. Granted, well over 150 were from BlogHer, but many of them were my favorite blogs, like Confessions of a Pioneer Woman, Nothing But Bonfires, LifeAfter, Metro Dad, A2EatWrite, All & Sundry, Sandiegomomma, and a whole long list of my favorite Expat blogs.

This simply cannot go on. I am enduring a severe case of blogging withdrawals (reading and writing -- or at least good writing). When I open Google Reader during the day, just for a fix, just to see it on my Mozilla tabs, just to know it's theeeeere, and I see a number in the hundreds, I begin to visibly shake. (Well, my new office is freezing too, so that might have something to do with it.) I vow to catch up on reading soon. Very, very soon.

And this weekend I will keep my promise. If I work constantly, as I'm doing now, from early morning (at home) to all day (in the office), to while I'm swimming and working out (mentally) to in the evening (with India), to all weekend (mentally/in my home office) I will absolutely burn out. I NEED that mental "ahhhhh" that I used to have with my favorite blogs in the morning! This bolting out of bed and running through a mental task list, then running to my computer to implement it can't be sustained forever.

So I'm gonna breathe and relax, starting this weekend (no, not tonight; I met with a client this afternoon and there's much implementation to be done tonight!) and I'm gonna dedicate some time every day to reading your blogs. Because I MISS you! And I'm sorry I've been such a crappy blogging buddy.


*Then I'd panic about being unemployed and spend hours applying for jobs and making calls -- but I've already conveniently forgotten THAT piece of it!