I like to blog because I like to write. If I were able to blog and make a living, in all likelihood I would choose to blog, because I love to write. Alas, that is not how it works, at least right now. The point being, I blog because I write. I do not blog to become rich or famous. (I would post a video to YouTube, maybe with me getting my ass kicked after provoking the cops, if I wanted fifteen minutes of your time.) I blog because I have ideas and opinions, and I think they are worth publishing, whatever that worth amounts to be.

A few months ago I mentioned that transitioning this blog into a feature-oriented blog was on the horizon. As of right now it seems the horizon is upon us. What does this mean? It means that my most and least favorite routine post -- In the News -- may go the wayside.

In the News posts are my most favorite posts because they are simple (very little forethought is necessary), quick (I've gotten it down to 15 minutes on average), as well as topical. I don't always look forward to expressing a four-paragraph-long opinion on every little tidbit of news. These posts have allowed me to pick-and-choose out of the hundreds and follow-up with a line or two, a joke, or something with a little more depth, depending on the circumstance. Everything is open. Also, it has become routine, like waking up and feeding the dog; it's become second nature.

In the News posts are also my least favorite because I want to write so much more, but I do not have the time. When I post a link to a story about social security or the war in Iraq, and all I leave the reader with is a short rather-pedestrian quip, like "oh really," it makes me sick. I want to dedicate a whole post to the issue. I want to dedicate a week to the issue. I want to reference graphs and charts, and include photos and videos. I want to have guests come on the podcast. But I cannot.

There are times I do find the time to post a more thought-out opinion on a news item (or I at least make an attempt to). Sometimes a post starts in an In the News and ends up all its own. Sometimes I hold a segment destined for In the News to use it as a stand-alone post. Sometimes I never get around to publishing that post. And sometimes the follow-up posts are shaky, but I've found I'd rather post than not.

That being said, I want to post more. I do not feel that posting In the News is a burden, I just feel that I've established a routine, and that routine is no longer possible. I want to post more of my opinions. A couple weeks ago, a friend of mine on my softball team told me that my blog lacked opinion. I was at first taken aback, but then realized what he meant when he said that he could interpret opinion from the "tone" of the blog (you know, the liberal douchebag tone), but that explicit opinions were hard to find. He was right. And since then, I have been posting more opinion, especially in the In the News. I want to do more of that.

I am not going to compete with The Huffington Post, so why try. I cannot compare with the journalistic integrity of Talking Points Memo. Jake Tapper, Ana Marie Cox, the major newspapers, I cannot compete with the quantity or the wide range of topics. But I can express my opinion -- artfully and thoroughly -- to my heart's desire.

What the hell are you getting at? Readers, dear readers. The everyday posts may stop, either over time, or suddenly. They may return, they may not. In fact, they may never leave. I have no idea. (And I will tell you all why in a little bit.)

The beat goes on.

End-note: I want to spend the time I do have to get more involved with side projects, like the podcast and maybe video. I want to do more, but I may need to do less. It is frustrating. I'm not going away. I'm trying to get better.

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