# I'm back, and apparently I missed a lot **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 16, 2009, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-back-and-apparently-i-missed-a-lot/513982 "2009-10-16T02:44:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mindfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindfield/32/19759_2.png) [@Mindfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mindfield)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2009, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-back-and-apparently-i-missed-a-lot/513982/1 "2009-10-16T02:44:58Z")
Sometimes you get involved in stuff and it starts taking over. Before you know it, it’s consuming all of your free time. That’s the way it was with me this year. I got so involved in running a review blog – writing for it, improving it, expanding it – that it eventually expanded to consume all of my free time. And still I managed to squeeze even more extra stuff in; writing music for a few iPhone apps, helping another developer set up their own site, and some other miscellaneous things. It seems like I just kept making more work for myself because I didn’t know how to avoid it. But I recently came to a crossroads wherein, more than anything, there was one thing I wanted to do, which was to write iPhone games, and I couldn’t do that with my other obligations. So I dropped the blog and focused on the thing I wanted to do most. Thankfully it’s been like a huge weight I’ve sloughed off. But what it’s slowly allowing me to do is get back to some kind of routine and return to some familiar ground and basically start to restructure myself a little bit so that I’m not such a workaholic and I make time for stuff I’ve been meaning to make time for but … never had the time for. So … I’m back. Maybe not monitoring the boards hours at a time like I used to, but I’m back in a more regular capacity like I said I’d be before but never followed through on. And apparently I’ve missed some big news, like several well-known and respected Dopers passing on, for which I offer my deepest condolences. I read the individual threads and I just couldn’t believe my eyes. The Dope, and the world, is a little poorer for their departure. Hopefully I won’t miss any other big events now – and nobody better go dying on me while I’m back or I’ll kill 'em. Anyway. Just wanted to poke my head in and say “Hi!” ---
**Author:** ![Taters](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/taters/32/2845_2.png) [@Taters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taters)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2009, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-back-and-apparently-i-missed-a-lot/513982/2 "2009-10-16T02:57:46Z")
Good to see you back! ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2009, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-back-and-apparently-i-missed-a-lot/513982/3 "2009-10-16T03:02:03Z")
I tend not to notice that posters are MIA until well after the fact, but I do notice your name when it pops up. Welcome back. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2009, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-back-and-apparently-i-missed-a-lot/513982/4 "2009-10-16T03:09:02Z")
Were you gone? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Mindfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindfield/32/19759_2.png) [@Mindfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mindfield)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2009, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-back-and-apparently-i-missed-a-lot/513982/5 "2009-10-16T18:38:28Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Were you gone? > > 🙂 Just popped out for a month or eight… Glad to be back in the land of intelligent life though. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2009, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-back-and-apparently-i-missed-a-lot/513982/6 "2009-10-16T18:46:38Z")
Welcome back, Mindy! ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2009, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-back-and-apparently-i-missed-a-lot/513982/7 "2009-10-16T19:20:26Z")
Hiya, **Mork**! ---
**Author:** ![Taters](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/taters/32/2845_2.png) [@Taters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taters)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2009, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-back-and-apparently-i-missed-a-lot/513982/8 "2009-10-17T15:53:43Z")
Stop on by the MMP sometime. We’ve missed you. ---
**Author:** ![Mindfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindfield/32/19759_2.png) [@Mindfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mindfield)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2009, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-back-and-apparently-i-missed-a-lot/513982/9 "2009-10-17T15:57:26Z")
> [@Taters](#): > > Stop on by the MMP sometime. We’ve missed you. I will be, not to worry. I’ve just been trying to shake this cold before I rejoin the mumpers. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Taters](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/taters/32/2845_2.png) [@Taters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taters)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2009, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-back-and-apparently-i-missed-a-lot/513982/10 "2009-10-17T16:38:19Z")
Ah hell, **Mork;** we’ve got plenty of disinfectant. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2009, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-back-and-apparently-i-missed-a-lot/513982/11 "2009-10-17T16:41:15Z")
> [@Mindfield](#): > > I will be, not to worry. I’ve just been trying to shake this cold before I rejoin the mumpers. 🙂 As long as it’s not a computer virus… yuk, yuk. ---
**Author:** ![gardentraveler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gardentraveler/32/3576_2.png) [@gardentraveler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gardentraveler)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2009, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-back-and-apparently-i-missed-a-lot/513982/12 "2009-10-17T17:26:58Z")
Welcome back, **Mork**! Nice to see you again. ::sprays Lysol in MMP living room:: See? We’re all ready for you to stop by! ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2009, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-back-and-apparently-i-missed-a-lot/513982/13 "2009-10-17T20:09:14Z")
::: waving ::: They promoted me, you might notice. Things obviously have gone downhill since your departure. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2009, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-back-and-apparently-i-missed-a-lot/513982/14 "2009-10-17T20:12:05Z")
And you are… ? Oh well. Welcome back, stranger!