"Something's missing."

"But something is found."

When I opened this blog --

-- wait, before we go any further, may I just tell you that I feel UNFATHOMABLY OLD when I refer to "blogs"? Sometimes I can't believe that the word "blog" is considered real and acceptable. I still feel awkward using it, though not as awkward as I would feel if I had to include the apostrophe: 'blog. How long did that go on for? How long did people call them "weblogs"? Blah. I once had a bare bones Diaryland page! Look how far we've come.

But anyway, when I opened this blog back in October, I did so with the sincere intention that I would post an entry EVERY DAY, even if said entry was simply a photo. I was so determined to post every day that I actually cheated once, resetting my profile time zone to Central from Eastern so I could gain an hour on a night when I didn't manage to post my entry before midnight. (Why I didn't just post a stub to mark the date until I was ready to republish a proper entry, I'll never know. It is nice to have that extra hour though, if only when blogging.)

I suppose I thought it would take a major catastrophe to keep me from posting a blog entry each day. I guess I never figured I'd be in a place where computers freeze while opening web browsers, never to load again, no matter how many times the unit reboots. For some of you, this would count as the aforementioned "major catastrophe." For me, it was just my dad's house, and it was kinda nice to have a few days off. Ah, December 29 through 31! we hardly knew ye.

I may find myself without internet access again, or face-to-face with a clock that reads "12:59" and the realization that I forgot to post a blog entry for the day -- and this, I imagine, is when I will reset my profile time zone to Pacific -- but until then, I will do my best. It really is nice to be back home with high-speed internet service and Google searches at my fingertips, so I can quickly find the answers to such burning questions as "Is Anderson Cooper really an heir to the Vanderbilt fortune?"

I must note, however, that it feels a little odd to return to a Canadian city in January and not see snow. As much as I like a mild, sunny day for which boots and gloves are not required, there's something comforting about those chilly white blankets. It's surreal and slightly disconcerting to think that fall has led directly to spring. Maybe I lost more than three days in December.

TRACK LISTING: Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, "Slowpoke"