I am sad to read that Gary Turner is giving up blogging.
Gary's blog was amongst one of the very first that I discovered and he was one of the first bloggers to leave comments on Chocolate and Vodka. I always looked forward to reading Gary's posts, many of which made me think 'Oh damn, I wish I'd thought of that!'. Indeed, it was Gary who suggested to me that I join the #joiito IRC channel, a place which has become not only an integral part of my daily life, but also introduced me to a whole heap of lovely people.
I do, though, understand Gary's reasons for quitting. Sometimes something you've been doing for ages and which you used to enjoy becomes something that you're just not into anymore. There's not necessarily a cogent reason for it, it just feels like an old pair of shoes that are a bit worn through and so no longer fit properly. There's nothing to be done with them but throw them out.
It can be difficult to quit something like a blog because you have an audience and there's often a feeling of responsibility to that audience to provide interesting stuff for them to read. Add to that the fact that some members of the audience will attempt to encourage you to continue, not necessarily because it's the right thing for you to do, but because they want to continue to be entertained.
Although it's easy to feel an obligation to one's audience, no such obligation actually exists. Bloggers should blog because they want to, not because they feel they are expected to. Thus I support Gary wholeheartedly in his decision to leave the blogosphere. It will, after all, still be here if he ever fancies popping his head round the door again in the future (although I hasten to add that I put no pressure on him to say he will return, or even that he should consider it).
Good luck with your future endeavours, Gary. Think of closing the blog not as an end, but as a beginning, a chance to do all the things you didn't do because you spent so much time blogging.
So long, and thanks for all the fish, mate. See you in #joiito.
An end. Or a beginning?
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My pleasure in making your aquaintance. Think of me as a transient force, a wind (parp) that blew along one day, and was gone the next, leaving a gentle blanket of blossoms.
Ahem.
Not that transient I hope. Remember, I can find out where you live without any problem at all. So no hightailing it into the far distance to leave only settling dust in your wake, else I'll set Fflwff on you.
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