So a lawyer in New York has this thing she does:

For the past few years I’ve made a habit of stopping in my tracks every few months, glancing around the general topography of my life and taking stock.

Which isn't bad advice. And this weekend, I've made an attempt at that, looking mostly at three things:

1. The dozens of half-written blog posts sitting on my hard drive, ranging from three pages on the Alito nomination to "Happy Birthday, Bill Shatner."
2. The blog itself, which hasn't been updated in a very, very long time.
3. A half-finished screenplay and a half-finished one-act play that are two of the best things I've ever written and that I can see the endings to in my head, which is a rare thing.

I started this blog to talk about politics: I thought that because I knew more about politics than anyone I talked with, I had something valuable to say. However, I have since learned that just because you understand politics doesn't mean you have anything constructive to say. And, more importantly, a blog is a terrible place to talk about politics. Blogs encourage insta-nalasys and and discourage considered thought. They require a terrible devotion and constant attention. If you want to know about politics, read The New Republic, Columbia Journalism Review, and the occasional issue of Mother Jones and National Review.

Blogs are a good way to let people keep up with you. I know of a few people who would have disappeared from my life for good if they didn't have blogs where the occasionally post. (Mostly just you, Andrew, but only mostly.) I'll certainly let you all know if I bump into Madeline Albright at the bagel place or if I find a job that isn't boring as all hell. But if this place is pretty damn empty for the next few months, just assume that I had to chose between half-finished blog posts and half-finished plays—and that's one of those choices with a clear right and wrong answer, you know.