I'm back and with a whole new look!

Christmas lights reflected in brushed metal finish.

OK. I admit it. I've been distracted lately. Work and stress at home and the need to create without boundaries or obligations of photographing and posting ... I know, it's selfish, but it happens.

Have I ever mentioned how much I hate photo editing? I do. I hate it. I enjoy photographing everything -- literally everything. You'd be shocked to see some of the weird stuff I photograph. I just hate resizing, cropping and all of that crap. Procrastinating about a particular post is usually me avoiding messing around with photos.

Still, until I received notes from a couple of blog friends I hadn't realized just how long it had been since I'd checked in with everyone. After all, if I fail to write something snarky several times a week, people have no way to know I'm still alive.

Now, I didn't take the time to check before I started writing this post, but it seems to me that I end up in this situation, writing a post just like this one, every two or three months.

Pretty glow of handmade candle.

The reasons are pretty much those noted in the first paragraph: Blogging and life are time consuming. So we sometimes lose track of one thing to concentrate on something else.

Never think that this means I don't love all of you, because I really do: I'm so, so grateful for the bloggers who've inspired and commiserated and become friends.

But I think you can pretty much count on me doing this to you every few months. Even my before-blogging friends are used to me sometimes disappearing. I simply can't do it all and hang out e-chatting while still finding time to wander around inside of my own brain. How the hell do all of you find the time?

Yeah, here's my point: I'm back again with a new look, apologies for my self-centered behavior, a warning that I'll probably do it again, and a request that you forgive me ... again.

Creepy bug drinking from water puddle on kitchen counter.

So, how do you like my new look (let me know by voting in the poll)? I found the background at The Graphics Fairy, and even switched out the Blogger template! Yay! Changes!

I bet a lot of you aren't as glad to see me return, as you are to see that I've ditched the Hello Kitty pink background!

... and then I went and ruined those good vibes with the creepy ass bug photo, huh?