... and so it goes.

So, no sooner do I stage my blogging comeback than I quickly fall off the face of the blogosphere again.

Heh. Heh heh.

Not long after my last post, I learned I was pregnant with our third. And not long after that, came the very strong and persistent feeling that I needed to sleep all day, only to be interrupted by those sudden and even more pressing urges to vomit. And then we had family from out of town visit, and then, and then, and then ...

I might have been more motivated to write again were it not for the pesky, prickly, and unwavering feeling that the internet is not a very safe place to be these days. Peruse the comboxes on any article or blog post that dares pose an opinion of any sort, and you know what I mean. Internet trolls are alive and well and multiplying ugly little troll babies who can't play nice.

And it's not just the trolls I worry about. I've even found myself refraining from online interactions with people I know if I suspect a difference of opinion will arise. I've participated in very few discussions of any sort online (but have observed a lot more), and I can't think of many times where I came away feeling like, Wow, that was really productive and I think we all have a deeper understanding and appreciation of where the people who think and believe differently than me are coming from. Usually, the tone is something more akin to, Those people are ignorant jerks and my goodness, I feel so, so righteous in my rightness! I don't doubt there are places where the dialogue is something more like the former description, but I'm guessing that's the exception.

(This is why in my online life, I tend to stick to cute kiddo pictures and funny, pithy family updates.)

I'm not interested in mud-slinging, in using internet to yell at people or be yelled at. I hate the presumptions that occur, the far-fetched inferences, the detailed and ultimately certain reading in between some very broadly spaced-out lines that occurs between total strangers. People can be crammed into some very tight and ill-fitting boxes. I find the whole thing stressful, distracting, and distasteful. It's bad manners on crack.

I used to love -- as in really, really love -- this whole blogging thing. I was reconnecting with old friends and making some great connections with new people I never would have met otherwise. Now I find I can't approach it (or almost any social media interaction) without at least a tinge of anxiety because of what I've observed and admittedly, my own fair share of bad experiences.

I'm not likely to get into current events or politics or any big hot-button issues. Just not my cup of tea, really. It's just me and my life and some thoughts, and I don't pretend to think that it's going to be for everyone. I don't care about stats or traffic or being a famous blogger. I just want to write and connect with a few folks and for everyone who chooses to be here to know it's really okay if we can't be eye-to-eye on everything. We can still be friends. Promise.