Guaranteed in Seven Weeks or Your Bunny Back…

We interrupt this obligatory “guilty feet” shot for Emmi’s Quote of the Day:

“Thus began a break of undetermined length and meaning.”

That, dear friends, is taken from a work titled So You Wanna Be a Rock & Roll Star: How I Machine-Gunned a Roomful of Record Executives and Other True Tales from a Drummer’s Life. It was authored by none other than Jake Slichter, drummer for the alt-rock band Semisonic – best known for their 1998 breakthrough hit “Closing Time.”

You (hypothetically): “But what does all this music blather have to do with your disappearing for seven weeks, you silly rabbit?”

Well, I really do think my situation is pretty thoroughly summed up in Mr. Slichter’s excerpt there. At first, with Kath starting back to school and facing more medical complications shortly afterward, a break almost seemed mandatory. I think what really happened is that I let my obligations as a muse fall slightly out of hand, and then (and that’s a big “then”), the pressure from several of those obligations started to mix with good ol’-fashioned procrastination. And of course, we all know where that road leads.

Well, maybe not unanimously, but as long as it’s in the ballpark of “neglecting to update your blog for seven weeks and worrying your followers half to proverbial stuffie death,” I think we’re good.

There really isn’t that much to tell. Kath had an excellent first week of school, and at the time, she continued to feel pleasantly confident in herself and what she could accomplish. Because several new students joined this year, she even ended up making a few friends and actually felt at ease talking to them. But from the second week on, things became a little more complicated. In addition to having the abdominal problems, she had a considerable seizure-like incident while in a Target  and was diagnosed as epileptic. As I’ve said in previous posts, I don’t mean to gross anyone out in talking about these things. It’s just the truth, and however unfortunate and yucky it may be at the moment, we have to stay focused and think positively to get through it.

But despite all this, I think I’ve been able to hold up fairly well and maintain sanity even away from the blog. In the past weeks, I’ve felt well enough to go to hospitals, Kath’s robotics team meetings, the square downtown, and a college arts festival. I’ve even been able to make a few friends myself – like Guthrie here, whom I helped serve coffee and doughnuts at the Crestwood hospital lobby one day while waiting for Kath to be taken back.

I really have missed you guys so much, and I’m truly sorry I’ve fallen back on my efforts to post regularly. Fortunately, I’ve got a big adventure in store for today, and after a few more catch-up posts for chronology’s sake, I’ll be sure to fiddle – I mean, fill – you in as to all the details! Okay, I spilled – I’m going to the Tennessee Valley Old Time Fiddlers’ Convention, an Athens tradition for 44 years (and, according to Kath, a Parsnip one for as long as she can remember)!

See you soon, all!