Auto Response: Critic X, Insert Y

I haven't been in the mood to post, lately, but I'm seasoned enough at this blogging thing not to sweat it too much.  You've all seen the, "Sorry I've been away," blog posts - heck, I've written more than a few over the years - but it occurred to me this morning...

...I ain't all that sorry!  Hugs and gropings all around, though.

It's not that I don't love this medium; I do.  But sometimes real life takes a toll on hobby time.  When my hobby time gets thin, I can either cut writing or cut painting or cut playing.  With blogging, I can cut  one of the latter two - painting or playing - and still have something to write about.

But not both.  When I have to choose one outlet, the last I'll give up is playing.  

Interestingly, as I wrote that I realized I almost typed 'painting.'  I had to reconsider.  While I spend vastly more time painting than either of the other two Activities of Daily Hobbying, or ADH's, playing is the most important.  It's where I socialize with my friends and hang out at a place that's neither work nor home.  There's something about the store that relaxes me.

And my job is very, very stressful!  I'm sure you all feel that way, but Brent's job has got to be up there.  Still, the acute unit of a psyche ward has taught him a thing or two about dealing with Un-Fans and other critics, so there you go.

Jawaballs!  Where was I?  Never mind.  

Lately I've just worried about getting in the weekly Bell of Lost Souls articles.  My last one was interesting, but there was a comment by a reader that I responded to.  At first, I thought he was a bit Trollish, but then he used the word 'cogent' so he automatically doesn't qualify.  Trolls, oh Faithful Reader, are concerned with many things, but brevity and concise thought aren't among their qualities.  

Nor mine, really.  Here was my response, but it could be the auto response for any article.

So don't read them.
I'm not being hateful; I couldn't be more serious. I get that some people don't like my style - that's okay. But I write about a wide range of hobby related topics and, like it or not, the numbers don't lie. And frankly, I draw numbers.
I love comments, and they can really drive a thread count if there is good debate. But the real figure we all look at is page views and time spent per page. Meaning the number of people who read an article versus the number of people who comment is staggering.
On Bell, we write with an eye to both audiences, but there are well known blogs that have removed comments completely, for a variety of good reasons I won't go into here. Blood of Kittens comes to mind.
Which isn't to say I haven't written crap articles! After 129 on Bell alone, it happens. You go through slumps, or get scattered approaching a deadline - that kind of thing. This article, however, isn't one of those. It's fine. The point isn't even cleverly concealed! Still, I get if you don't like it, that's okay. Regardless, I appreciate comments, I always read them, and they do influence what and how I write!

What's really left to say?