Returning from a hiatus

So what do I write about when it’s been over three months since my last entry? When I intentionally haven’t opened up my feed reader in over two months. When casual readers start to notice a lack of updates, and add comments or send emails asking, “is everything is OK?” When Aussies are still asking if I need more Tim Tams?

Well, I can start by ensuring anyone still reading that everything is indeed OK, and has mostly been so over the past 3.something months. Possibly a little hectic, and at times, stressful. But overall, good things have been (and are) happening.

First, to answer a recurring question, or maybe an assumption some of you made about the excuse for my absence in writing here: No, there is no book being written. Sorry. Maybe at some point. But nothing in print is coming from me in the immediate future. Other things, projects, and people have been occupying my time.

I spent much of last fall occupied with one project, of which we (client’s team and I) completed the bulk of design work in November. I may never be able to fully address nor write about what that project was/is, or who it was for, even though many of you may end up using the product or at least trying it sometime this year. However, there were some new techniques devised specifically for this project, and insights gained about managing complex style sheets in team environments, which I’ll be sharing in generic forms during upcoming speaking engagements.

Possibly the single biggest change in my life which may have partially attributed to the hiatus from this blog is my engagement to the love of my life. We were dating for just over one year when I proposed to her in San Diego last November. The excitement and busyness of planning for a summer wedding began soon after (if not before in her mind!) I rarely write about topics of personal nature here. But this one is so big, and so life-changing, it at least deserves mention for those of you who know me.

Soon after that, the holidays hit full force. Parties to attend. Long-lost friends to see. Then, unluckily for me, a week before Christmas, I re-injured my back, this time at SFO as I was about to get on a flight to Ohio to spend Christmas with family. Reason for injury was stupid: I was pulling my overly-burdened gift-laden suitcase up some stairs instead of taking the ramp. Must have twisted the wrong way as I was pulling. Mom ended up flying to San Francisco instead, and helped my fiancée nurse me back to good health. Fortunately for all of us, the recovery was much speedier this time.

Anyway, no excuses for not writing. I don’t regret the break. Nor did I ever feel pressure or worry about the lack of updates when friends and family members kept warning me about losing readership. It’s been a good break. One that was certainly needed. And good things happened in the interim.

Lots of ideas for topics I’d like to write about fill my head and the text files on my desktop. Even if I’m the only one who ends up reading these words, so be it. It’s kind of nice to take a long enough break that I feel like I’m starting over.