No, I'm not announcing my retirement...again.

I've had some kind words written to me, expressing appreciation for the things I write. I wanted to reply and say how pleased I am to be of service. I could probably count the number of readers who know me personally and well on the fingers of one hand, but one of the values I live by is service to others. I find meaning in my life through the things I can do for others, particular those things I seem to have talent for.

While I was on hiatus, I still had occasion to speak to some people about politics rather spontaneously. Rather than get angry, they thanked me for my insights and almost invariably told me that I 'should write a blog'.

The irony was not lost on me.

The time away did give me a new perspective and I will be implementing some changes on the site in the next few months (as time permits...).

I've always been impressed with the dynamism of American communities, particularly in comparison with other countries I've lived in. There is a sense of empowerment here that is unique and vital. Well, the past year has seen that dynamism in action, and it is awe-inspiring.

Since I sold the UNCoRRELATED domain, anatreptic.com has been rebuilding, and now seems as good a time as any to reconstitute it as an on-line community rather than strictly a blog. I've been writing the code from the ground up for a few weeks now, and should have a beta site up and running in a few more weeks. I won't say much more than that at the moment, because some elements of the site will be new, nontraditional and hopefully very cool.

Final thing: I hope you all enjoy Dave and Mark as much as I do. Every post by either of them is like Christmas morning for me. It is the value of their insights as much as anything that made me realize that the site needs to stop leaving so much human capital on the table. I'm sure plenty of you have really valuable things to say and experiences to share and I want to provide a place for you to express it and have others hear it.

Once again, thanks again for the kind remarks and truly astonishing loyalty.