And here I thought it was hard breaking the blogging habit. It was hard breaking the blogging habit. But you know what's been even harder? Getting back to it. It's like the longer I stayed away, the easier it was.

Especially when... um... well, when...

Okay, I have a confession to make. I actually ended my fast-from-unnecessary-internet-usage just over two weeks ago. Okay, almost two-and-a-half weeks ago. And even though I have continued during that time to neglect my blog, I have been consistently...

um...

well, I've been... on facebook.

I know, I know. *hanging head in shame* My faithful bloggy friends sit and patiently wait, and I am off running around with... you know, the "other" thing.

Yeah, you can say it. Philanderer.

I really did take a break from internet-- blogging, facebook, everything. I really did need to. And I really intended to blog again as soon as I broke my fast. I didn't think I could really stay away that long. I've never been able to before.

But the habit had been broken, and when I went to pick it up again, I was momentarily distracted. (It was a really long moment.) Because... well... it was so easy to just pop back into facebook. And I figured I'd pop back into blogging the next day or so, but I didn't.

Because facebook is so easy and brainless, whereas blogging is a lot like work.

You know, like, thoughts pop into my head-- little witty one-liners... okay, yeah, you know me better than that... little witty 12-liners is more like it. Anyway, little thoughts pop into my head, and previously I'd think, "Huh. I should blog that." And then I'd go, "Nah, too short for a blog post, never mind." And then I'd simply set the thought aside (yeah, as if) or my brain would start elaborating on it to turn it into a blog post, and I'd start writing and rewriting it in my head, and by the time I actually had time to sit down and get it into written words, I'd either (a) have forgotten it, (b) be too tired to write it, or (c) be up until 1:30 am getting it onto my blog.

Still. Get thoughts onto my blog I did, at least a couple-three times a week, usually. Because I needed that writing fix.

That was then. This is now. Now what happens is, little thoughts pop into my head. I go log into facebook, bang them out as a "status update", read new updates from friends, log out, and go back to whatever I was doing. Or I hold the thought until I get computer time, I actually remember it because my brain hasn't bloggicized it to death, and when I get a little free time, I log in and post it.

Three minutes, and I get my writing fix. Quick, easy, and virtually brainless.

And then if it's night and I'm tired, I bomb around facebook reading friends' pages and then play Bejeweled Blitz a time or three or twenty-nine and get to bed at 1:30 am anyway.

Sad, I know. Faithless, I know. And my foray into the world of facebook was bad, bad timing. Because if I hadn't had facebook there waiting for me when I ended my break, I most certainly would not have been able to stay away from blogland for this long.

So there you have it. I will await my court-martial.

But I have missed blogging. Really, I have. I am not in love with my mistress facebook. I have very mixed feelings about her it, in fact. It's fun and easy, and it's been a nice way to keep in touch with friends & relatives. I've even been "facebooking" with a long-lost, never-really-knew cousin, which has been really cool. But in many ways, facebook does not hold a candle to blogging. It's kind of... shallow might be a good way of putting it. There's a genuineness and a comeraderie among bloggers that really isn't there so much on facebook, at least not that I have seen. Although facebook is supposed to be all about "connecting", blogging actually seems to be better for building relationships. Maybe it's because bloggers write, and in doing so we share ourselves with each other.

One thing I do know-- when I posted here that I was taking a blogging break because of "family issues", I got bazillion genuine, caring comments. I am still getting them to this day. When I posted something similar on facebook, among people I actually know or am related to "in real life", I got zilch. Not that I was fishing for comments, but it was kind of hard not to notice the discrepancy. I actually ended up removing that post from my facebook page, because the lack of any response to it made me feel stupid about it. Apparently one doesn't say words like "family issues" on facebook.

Or whatev.

And so that naturally brings up the question that you all are wondering about: Are the family issues resolved?

Nope.

But as Jesus once said, "Family issues you will always have with you, but bloggy friends you will not always have." Or something like that.

Okay, that isn't what He said, and I shouldn't misquote Jesus. Perhaps if I were more reverent, I wouldn't have family issues. On the other hand, if I didn't have family issues, perhaps I would be more reverent, so round and round it goes. I'm in a mood that way. A couple of weeks ago I was feeling really rebellious and listened to Chicago's Greatest Hits on the way to church instead of praise & worship music. See?-- irreverent. But let's not go there.

Anyway. This has been a long rambling post about nothing in particular, which seems to me like a great way to get back into the blogging habit. Really, it was the only way I could do it. Every time I started trying to come up with a post, I'd give up and get lazy and go get on... oh, never mind.

So I'm back, I think, although I'll let you know right now that I am probably going to be really sporadic this month. I have two --yes, TWO-- kids graduating and all the accompanying hoopla, and there is stuff to be done, and more stuff to be done, and stuff that should have been done already but isn't. Not to mention homeschooling. And family stuff. So we shall see.

But I'm going to start catching up on reading my favorite blogs, and I'm sure that will help get me back into the bloggy swing of things even if I don't have much time to write. So yes, I will be here.

I am still rambling. that's because I have yet to come up with a good ending for this post. Must I? I think I'll just, you know, end it.

Like that.

It's good to be back.