FUN WHILE IT LASTED - UPDATED 4-2-05

About six weeks ago, Frank J. decided to make IMAO a group humor blog, and he asked me to be a member of the editorial staff.

I was honored. I was flattered. I was scared shitless.

I knew I could write IMAO-worthy, over-the-top humor pieces. I *have* the talent. The only question was - could I do it 4-5 times a week?

Maybe.

I was already doing 2 straight-up humor pieces a week in the form of Alliance Precision Guided Humor and Filthy Lie Assignments. But the rest... did I *really* have the self-discipline to create my own funny on a near-daily basis? And could I do it without completely neglecting Bad Example, Alliance HQ, and - most importantly - my relationship with Beloved Wife TNT of Smiling Dynamite?

Over the last 6 weeks, the answer appears to be "yes and no". I *do* have the ability to crank out regular funny bits, and I still fulfill my Alliance obligations, and I still manage to pay enough attention to TNT to keep her reasonably happy, but posting at Bad Example has taken a serious hit. By the time I finish blogging for everyone else, I don't have the energy left to do much at my own site.

This disturbs me.

I really enjoy what I've been able to do at Bad Example - the linky-love to my blogfamily, the thoughtful pieces of near-philosophy, the teasing posts, the straight-up humor bits... but there just hasn't been time to do all I want lately.

I'm still not sure what to do about it.

Currently I'm contemplating trying to farm out some of my Alliance duties. That would help.

I *don't* want to drop IMAO. Mostly because I have a bigger audience there. It's like having the chance to do stand-up at the Hollywood Bowl. It's a rush, and I love it. And after initially receiving a somewhat icy reception, I've managed to make peace with my critics, and I *do* get a fair amount of love and encouragement in the comments these days.

At least when my entries deserve it, which - I'll be honest - they don't always. Comedy's not easy. Some days I'm in the zone, some days... not so much.

But mostly I think I do it for the challenge. When I first started blogging, I had not even the vaguest hope of being able to write "the good stuff". Now... it's a daily test to see what I'm REALLY made of.

It's invigorating. It makes me feel alive.

So now that I've gotten the notice from Frank saying that IMAO is shutting down, I think I'm going to try to keep the funny going over here at Bad Example.

I must admit I was rather stunned to receive an e-mail from Frank saying that he had sold his domain name and shut down his blog...

Ok, I was a little pissed off, too.

Ok, MORE than a little.

But in the end, I remind myself of why I agreed to join IMAO in the first place. Yes, part of it was taking my shot at blogger fame, but another part - and I believe the GREATER part - was that I *like* Frank J., and I wanted to be able to help him reach his dream of getting his books published. He's done more for me since I started blogging than I have time to put into words. He's given me a lot of support & respect over the months, and I wanted to return the favor to the best of my ability.

So now he's made his choice to give up blogging for a cash settlement.

I understand.

He's got a fiancee now, and SarahK deserves to be the main focus of his life. If he can make more money by selling his domain than he can by using it. I'm not going to hold it against him.

Believe me, I understand the importance of giving a good woman the love she deserves.

So I'll wish Frank the best of luck in his non-blogging pursuits, and if he needs my help for a future project, I have his back. No questions asked.

Meanwhile, I guess it means more funny for the blogfamily, and more quality time for the woman who is my world.

I'll make the most of what I've got, and I think that - in the end - I'm still coming out ahead.

Thanks for the memories, Frank.

UPDATE: Wow. Didn't take them long to move in...

UPDATE 4-2-05: Well, they moved out again. My thoughts about are in this post.

As for everything I said above the "Frank sold out" section of the post, that's all true, and that still all applies. Fortunately, blogson GEBIV of There's One Only has agreed to help do some Alliance stuff, so I may be able to post more stuff here after all.