Yeah, I thought Dave was moving over to neopoleon.com as co-blogger. What happened to that?

anon -

"Yeah, I thought Dave was moving over to neopoleon.com as co-blogger. What happened to that?"

I don't know. To be honest, I got the feeling that he wasn't really interested. Don't know why. I felt like I was bugging him and being really pushy.

It's like I wanted him to write here because of how talented he his - but I wasn't respecting what he *wanted* to do.

So I backed off. If he decides that he wants to write here, then I'll happily bring him on board, but I want it to be a decision that he makes because it really, truly is what he *wants* - and not something he's been pressured into doing.

Well reasoned, respectful, and noble. Thanks for answering.

Tooting your own horn? I expected to read about how you kidnapped that Thai and talked her into marrying you, or how your recent developments on 5on9 have established you a position which puts Balmer at your right-hand, or how you.....mheh, whatever :)

I heard portions of the Blue Laws in DNR's 200th Episode (Nice work, BTW) and thought it was hilarious :) Keep up the "Good"? work...

So....not that you don't have a lot on your plate or anything...but umm (i like saying umm.. ) ...remember when you promised me that when you started doing the readings of your old blog posts that those of us who actually enjoy reading your long ramblings would still get the same old 15 page posts?

I remember that...

George -

I know... but I'm still getting up to speed on the new job.

Also, ever since my grandmother died, for some reason, I haven't been quite as motivated to write.

I'm feeling the desire to post come back, but for a while there, and I know this sounds very poor-me and cliched, nothing seemed to matter.

I suspect things will continue to improve, but right now I'm trying to lose myself in my job. After a year of failed relationships and losing my grandmother, I'm not ready for the kind of deep introspection that big long posts require.

That's the truth, yo...

George -

Just to drive the point home, I just about cried when I wrote this:

"After a year of failed relationships and losing my grandmother, I'm not ready for the kind of deep introspection that big long posts require."

I've been trying very, very, very, very, very hard not to think about this stuff, and even looking in that direction for a comment like the one I just made is enough to cause me to tear up.

There was also one other thing that happened this year that I can't write about.

Things have been much rougher than they seemed from the outside.

Sure, leave it to me to make the tears come. Man, I feel like I jerk.

Just know that I only brought up the promise you made because I miss hearing you talk and your long posts are most like the conversations I've had with you.

Well, if things have been rougher on the inside, then I have to say, you have changed considerable since I met you and started reading your blog. You are holding up tremendously well so congratulations on that.

If you keeping it together means me missing out on some reading, I think I can handle that for now. I mean, how selfish can I be....

Rory,

Sorry to here about the unfortunately events that have been taking place in your life lately, man. I remember when my grandmother died, the world seem to have stopped - Grandma Jo, the world's toughest and sweetest old lady made her exist. Unfortunately, my Aunt (another one of a kind) followed the next year, which was just towards the end of my recovery to my Grandmother's passing.

While in Highschool my younger sister was in an accident involving a drunk-driver. She spent about a week in a coma, including my 18th birthday. I spent that birthday by her bed in the Intensive Care Unit of a Kansas Hospital. My sister and I were very close, and resembled eachother very closely in personalities, so we were like best friends. She died after a week of being in a coma.

Life never seems to give us a break it seems, but there's always something out there that is capable of distracting us from the problems for just a moment or two. Writing seems to be one of those things for you, and it is for me aswell. I hope and pray that you find your peace again, and are able to get a bunch of amazing new things done that make you happy, and change hundreds of untold lives around the world.

You've got a gift man, and thousands of people around the world know it. They know it because your passions and desires have reached out from beyond the scope of your home, and have come in on invitation into our homes, and have changed the way we do things.

You're an inspirational person, and I pray that things will get brighter for you.

Jonathan Sampson

Another brilliant episode of Smartest Man!  When you were doing the latest DNR, did you also get a chance to be a guest on Mondays?  In the last couple of episodes Mark has really been bringing your name up a lot.  It's almost as if he has a man-crush on you or something?

George -

"Sure, leave it to me to make the tears come. Man, I feel like I jerk."

Absolutely no harm done - there's no way you could have known why I haven't been writing as much.

I had already been thinking about her a lot today anyway, and that didn't help. Another old friend of mine (Leo - if you're reading) had just caught up on the blog and wrote to say hi and let me know that he was sorry about my grandmother.

That was the first time I teared up today.

So it wasn't just your comment - I think I've been avoiding thinking about her a bit too much lately and it's starting to catch up with me.

Jonathan -

All I can say is... wow. Thank you.

Every so often, somebody comes along and says just the right thing at the right time.

Mr. Incognito -

I didn't do Mondays when I did the last DNR - I was too busy missing flights and connections and getting stuck in Chicago.

And, yeah - Mark talks about me a lot.

You're right, too.

He wants me.

Liked the new podcast a lot...your brilliance still leaves me in awe.  Brilliance + Creativity = Rory Blyth

Stop tooting your own horn, Rory.

You'll go blind.