Taking a Break

So, I need to take some time off.

My chondritis has taken a serious turn for the worse, and it's gone into my hands and feet for the first time. Last night, my right hand ached so much I could barely grip a fork to eat dinner. (Insert all the fat jokes here!) Typing has become excruciating. (Whooooooooops I type for a living!)

In an act of very subtle encouragement, lol, Iain took off work starting tomorrow through next week. So I'm going to take it off with him, and try to relax, and just get my body out of routine and into different positions, interspersed with lots of rest, which helps.

While I'm away, there will be daily Open Threads, but otherwise no content (unless there's a huge news story that I return to cover), so I can really be away and not be advising if/when a thread gets troublesome.

(It's not that the other contributors/mods can't handle it; it's just that I'm ultimately accountable for everything that happens, so I need to be involved. And they need breaks, too!)

I'm sorry for the interruption. It's not easy for me to make the decision to take time off, but it's something I really need to do.

I'll be here through the rest of today, and then will be off until Monday, May 7.

[Note: While well-wishing is appreciated, please do not feel obliged. This isn't intended to be a solicitation for sympathy, but an informational post for the community.]