Wednesday, April 01, 2009

An Announcement from the ADB

I don't really know what to say to you all, but I'll try to be brief as there's been too many of these things recently, OK?

First, the bad news:

Mrs. Angry Drunk Bureaucrat and I have been feeling the pinch from the economic crisis recently. She got laid off from her job awhile back, so we've been surviving on a paltry Bureaucrat's salary for some time. We also have two kids coming up on college age that, because of, what I can only assume to be a lead paint incident back when they were young, will probably not qualify for any scholarships, but even then only be able to get into Arizona State. So, we've been watching every penny and saving where we can, whether that means washing and reusing trash bags or me switching to Miller Lite and Nikolai Vodka. I've even taken extra menial work, first at National City, then at Circuit City, now at a GM dealership (we'll see how long that one lasts).

Last night, however, we had the conversation. After doing the calculations, I realized that this site is sapping away precious resources that could otherwise keep my family fed and a roof over their heads. The high subscription fees for Blogger are just too much, and we both agreed that, for the sake of the family, I must give up this site.

It makes me sad, as I've devoted a whole lot of effort to this (more than some may expect) and it's really been a labor of love. I will miss it tremendously.

This was not a decision that I was comfortable with, though, and I regret that it had to come out today of all days where it looks like a silly April Fools day joke.

Now, the good news:

This doesn't mean that I'm going to stop writing or even stop blogging. See, the way that I figure it, I can keep doing this thing for only pennies a day if I switch to an all hard copy format.

I've already talked to a few volunteers who are willing to take copies of my posts and mail them out to 10 other people, who will then send them out to 10 other people, and so on. I figure I can maintain my current readership levels as long as everyone passes these posts on.

I've even figured out a way to embed short 5 second video clips using a stack of paper, a pair of scissors, and a staple. Links, however, won't be that effective, although I will have footnotes, end notes, and culled text from other sources. So really, the whole change will be minor for you the reader.

Wouldn't it be nice to have a nice, tangible form of news that you can read at your leisure, that doesn't require electricity or a computer to access? I think it would be and I hope that my loyal readers do too.

So, goodbye to all my fans and I'll see you in my new papers.

-Frank M. "O" Arouet
The Angry Drunk Bureaucrat

10 comments:

n'at said...

Wait! What!? You were named after Voltaire?

Mark Rauterkus said...

Do you have my mailing address?

Tip: You might try getting copies of the postings on paper and putting them on the roof of your car before driving around town.

Lady Elaine said...

Can mine be made into a swan?

Crusader AXE said...

While I'm hoping this is a joke, fair wind and a following sea...which is an odd comment from an old soldier talking to a civilian hanging out in landlocked west-central PA.

And another one bites the dust...

Crusader AXE said...

However, I'm finding this interesting...http://www.blogger.com/features.

The costs of free blogging are greater than by print? Of course, I guess you'll be using your office's stuff, so you'll move from free except for time which you probably bill to a city project to fully government subsidized.

Definitely change we can believe in.

Rich Lord said...

If you really stop blogging, I'll be totally bummed. But who can question your move into the sky's-the-limit, emerging, red-hot print journalism industry?

MH said...

Goodbye and good luck on the kids admissions process.

Ms. Monongahela, Ms. Chief Editor said...

So you're quitting blogging, too?

Unknown said...

M'sieur! S'il te plati! Ecrive ou metaphysicotheologicocosmolonigology! Demain!

Ms. Monongahela, Ms. Chief Editor said...

You French are all alike.