Mariecel's silence, explained.

Of the blogs that I follow, many have had recent posts either of an apologetic nature, or simply to ascertain that the blog is not completely abandoned. This is one of those posts.

I was going to name this post “I’m back” but decided against it because, in truth, I never really left. I have not gone on vacation, or have had a prolonged absence from home that would have made it impossible for me to sit in front of the computer and type. So what has come between my blog and me?

As I already mentioned here, I have been reading books again. A lot. Which is, in itself, not helpful because a) the only time I have to read is after I put the kids to bed, b) I usually have a very hard time putting a book down until I have finished the chapter/book, and c) I have become a very slow reader. For the past couple of months I have been living off an average of 3-4 hours sleep each night.

To fight off the yawns, I spend as much of my time with the kids as I can outdoors. Nothing wakes you up more than a nice breath of cold, fresh air, which leads me to one of the reasons I love the city of Berlin so much: There is always something to do here, with or without kids. The city enjoys not only an abundance of beautiful parks and forests but also of museums, theatres, and other culturally stimulating venues for when it becomes too unpleasant to stay outdoors. But I digress. My love of Berlin warrants a post of its own.

What keeps me from posting is not a lack of something to say but a frustration with, and sadness because of, the likes of Jonathan Krohn, the Vatican, and the current recession, to name a select few. By the time I finish reading the news I am so worked up that any post I start to compose in my head just ends up an almost incoherent rant of all the things going wrong in the world today, which results in a frustration at my frustration at whatever set me off that day and, ultimately, the discarding of my post. Wow – it is frustrating even just reading that sentence!

Luckily the plethora of updates on the horrid shooting in Winnenden was interrupted by a short report on CNN about the “feud” between Jon Stewart and Jim Cramer/NBC. I am grateful to have seen this report, as it granted me access to a good dose of humour to counter the sadness I feel for those affected by the shooting. People such as Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert have a wonderful way of bringing controversial points of view to light, and encouraging the discussion thereof. In case you have not seen it, here is the segment that ignited the quarrel (Stewart's latest clip is embedded in the article linked to above):

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

CNBC Gives Financial Advice

All in all I wish to let you, my reader, know that I have learnt my lesson – namely, to search out humour when my mind is abuzz with frustration – and that I am still here. I hope to see you here again soon =)