I'm taking a little time off. I won't be unplugging completely -- I'll have Net access (dial-up) where I'm staying, so I'm sure I'll still be posting (especially if the weather turns as crummy as it did last year when I took time off in the same location), but it'll be a change from my usual blogging frenzy. I'll be back to my normal life and excessive blogging on October 25.

Meanwhile, I want to thank everyone who's been reading the blog and everyone who's written to me (yes, I read the e-mails, though I know I'm really bad about responding). I find that the hardest e-mails to respond to are the ones that say, "You have a great blog" or "That was a great post" -- but I can't tell you how much I appreciate hearing those things.

On the flip side, feel free to keep sending critiques, but try not to hate me for saying, a couple of posts back, that it might be good for Kerry to apologize to the Cheneys for mentioning Mary in the debate. I'm a great believer in purely strategic apologies -- I say Kerry should go out of his way to try to mend fences, get a little media goodwill for making the effort, beat Cheney and Bush on November 2, then, once he's in office, press the Justice Department to indict Cheney on (at least) racketeering charges.

If you get a chance, check out the free online video and audio clips from Stolen Honor. This is what we're going to be up against in a matter of days. I haven't written about them because I just don't feel I'm the best person to do point-by-point critiques of what's said in the clips. If you have a blog and you feel you've got something to say in response, say it. The movie's going to air. Sinclair won't be stopped. We have to respond to the movie.

On that grumbly note, I'm out of here.