I seem not to be writing much that's political lately. Perhaps you've noticed.

In part this is because after all sorts of primary intensity we're in a lull before Pennsylvania. And what I need to know from the political universe involves waiting and seeing. I need to know whether Obama has been badly hurt. I need to know whether the Democratic Party has the will and capacity to shove Hillary aside. I need to know how McCain will handle being the actual candidate instead of the insurgent.

It's a lot of breath-holding. Iraq, as well: who will win in Basra? Can Maliki discipline Sadr, or with it be Sadr schooling Maliki? If the answer is "a" then we might really have something. If it's "b" we might as well just pack up and leave because we're wasting our time.

So. Waiting.

But that doesn't explain all of my current lack of interest in writing about politics. Mostly its that I have other things going on. A lot of change here on the home front, hopefully all of it good, but it never is all good, is it? Writing, selling the house, moving to Italy, dealing with wife, kids, etcerera, it's a lot of detail, a lot of "if then. . . ."

So, here are my bad blogger excuses, the things that, right now, rate higher than politics on my priority list:

• Must rewrite book #2.
• Must trade Benz for Toyota RAV4 in order to comply with Italian rules against driving giant barges down tiny cobblestone streets.
  
• Must accept that editor is quitting and may well be replaced by a ferret.
• Must consider the possibility that unknown future editor reads this blog and resents being referred to as a possible ferret.
• Must drive guinea pigs to Charlotte. No. I'm not kidding.
  
• Must finish going through that shit in the attic.
• Must avoid screaming fit where I rage, rage against the shit in the attic that I always said we didn't need. (Goddammit!)
• Must avoid drowning my rage in carbohydrates.
• Must figure out what the hell book #3 is going to be about. Unless my new editor is reading this, in which case I have it all totally planned out. No need to worry.
  
• Must cope with the fact that I have a business idea that people think is crazy. Or possibly creepy. Certainly crass.
  
• Must remain in crouch waiting for the blow of bad reviews. Not that I care. Except when they're good.
  
• Must not publicly vow to destroy all who criticize me.
• Must figure out how to kill the pug without anyone suspecting. (Suggestion: stop writing about it.)
• Must figure out how we get prescriptions, braces for the kids, insurance, wills, voter registration, and eighteen million other soul-killing details, while in Italy.
• Must learn to become fluent in Italian. I've heard it's a good idea to take a mistress who speaks the language. My wife has heard differently.
• Must figure out how moving to Italy is directly related to my work so that I can deduct 100% of everything I spend while I'm there. Nyah hah hah hah! Nyah hah hah hahhhhh!
• Must remember not to mention the above in any forum that might later be discovered by the IRS. Shhhh.
• Must book air travel.
• And car shipping.
• Jesus, the dollar is Monopoly money.
• Must wonder if anyone will buy my house. Can't do much about it, but I'm pretty sure I should spend lots of time obsessing.
• Must crank up a second series or equivalent because what am I supposed to do with the half of the year I'm not writing my current series? Knit? Pay attention to my kids? Puh-leeze.
• Must avoid boring the living shit out of my remaining six blog readers.
  

This entry was posted by Michael Reynolds, on Thursday, March 27, 2008. You can leave your response.