Yet Another Sign of the Impending Apocalypse

Blogger's spell checker recognizes neither "blog" nor "blogger."

Blogger Makes Lame Excuses

For the first time in more than a year, I got sick--really sick. I was in bed for about four days, and spent another three days recovering. During that time, my wife did a great job playing nurse. Whenever I am not well, she always takes excellent care of me.

Soon after, I went off to a major work-related conference I attend each year. It is always held at the same university about two hours away, and it lasts for four days. The purpose is primarily to conduct corporation business, but there are some networking and training opportunities, too. Plus, the food is excellent.

And those are the reasons, my friends, why I haven't posted in a long while. I know it has been disruptive for all of you, and you may have seen the front page articles in the New York Times ("Popular Blogger Out of Commission") or the Washington Post ("Blog Readers Lose Inspiration"), or in some other paper. At any rate, I am back, and have lots of blog ideas up my sleeve.

I particularly want to write more about that midlife crisis on the horizon, and in particular my thoughts and frustrations related to my career. A post or two on that subject will come your way later this week. Also, there is an all-important garden update. (Good things are happening, though I didn't have much chance to get my hands dirty while I was ill and out of town.) Plus, I have a few things to say about baseball. Stay tuned.

Yes, for those of you in the blogosphere, your Compass Star has returned!

The Adolescent Mind in the Married Man's Body

In an earlier blog entry, I described an affair I had during my first marriage. Some people might see that as the onset of the much-feared Midlife Crisis, but I don't. In fact, I think my affair was really a part of my delayed adolescence.

Let me explain.

When I was growing up--even well into college--I was painfully shy. I had a few good friends, but never really fit into a group. I tried to mask my shyness and get the attention I craved by being silly and a smart ass. (I still do, that, come to think of it.) What that meant is that I never dated. My first serious relationship was with my first wife. Then we married.

Due to that, I was even more immature and naive about relationships than I am now. I think that if I had direct experience in breaking hearts and having my own heart broken in the relatively less serious world of teen relationships, I might have not run roughshod through the china shop of my ex-wife's and son's lives. That affair was in part a way for me to experiment in the world of relationships and love. I didn't think of it that way at the time, but I wonder if perhaps it isn't true.

The experiences I had in hurting others through my first marriage have caused me to be a better husband who is much more careful with his wife's heart. It is unfortunate that I learned those lessons in my 20s rather than in high school.