Going dark

It is with much disappointment that I announce the following:

For the first time in its history, "Dime Boxes" will be going dark for an extended period of time. This decision was made for a few reasons.

1) Time. Time. Time. Between a new job and a new semester at school, my free time for blogging has been whittled down to a nearly nonexistent minimum. I wouldn't call my posts long, but they're definitely not short, and they do take a fair amount of time to compose. I simply haven't had time to write the type of posts I enjoy writing as of late.

2) Motivation. Over the past month or so, there have been a few instances I've sat at the computer with the intent of writing a post, only to have nothing spew from my brain into my fingertips. I'm a believer that blogging should never be forced, but that's where I've been headed lately. That was a big red flag.

3) Other general goings-on. With extracurriculars and all, school has become a bigger factor in my life now than it ever has been in the past. I really enjoy my coursework, and have found myself becoming more and more engrossed with it as the semesters have rolled on. Coupling that with the stress/joy of my graduation this coming December has made school into a big chunk of my life.

On top of that, the postseason is well upon us, and, in the rare case I do get some free time, I'd much rather watch a baseball game than craft a blog post, if I'm being honest. Scanning and cropping can be quite tedious, as any blogger will tell you.

So, all things considered, I think it's best that I take a step back and shut down the blog for a little while. I may still check in here and there, but I'll be going dark for at least the near future. It may be two weeks, two months, perhaps longer. I just don't know at this point. Only time will tell.

Keep in mind that this does not mean that I'm taking a break from collecting. Quite the contrary, actually. I currently have the contents of two different Just Commons orders sitting on my living room table waiting to be filed, and, as usual, I'm chomping at the bit for Topps Update to hit the shelves. The collecting motivation has been there, the blogging motivation has not.

I will still be reading and commenting on all the other great blogs out there when I can, and I'll do my best to keep my local postal workers busy with a steady stream of outgoing PWEs to my various blogger buddies.

To close, and I really can't say this enough, I thank everyone who has read this blog in the past. I've met a lot of great people who have dramatically reshaped my understanding of this crazy little baseball card world. It's been nothing short of a blast.

Wait, is this sounding too much like a goodbye? Because I promise you, it's not. It's more of a I'll see you when I see you.

So I'll see you when I see you.

(And...Go Cubs!)