A Small Victory

Good plan! (I'd shut off comments to this post too, were I you...)

Wow! We'll miss you.

Like we haven't heard that one before....

But, if you are serious I for one will be sad to see you go :(

Good Luck!

While I'm sorry to see you stop blogging, enjoy your break. I fervently hope you do return in October/November as I've enjoyed your blogging immensely. Happy Birthday to you!

Wait--what???

I understand, I guess...but crap, man, this is one of my favorite websites.

gritting teeth
Well, good luck then. I second Matt's sentiments. And I also request that "forever" be taken off the list of options, if at all possible.

sorry to see you go. I thought you were getting some place interesting yesterday in your "zoning out" post.

Wish you well.

If this is it, thanks for the blogging memories. Job well done.

Best wishes.

Good luck!Your writing has been a daily treat for me,now I will go back and read as many of your archived stories as I can.All the best to you and your family.

no-no... it's 'so long and thanks for all the shoes'

shoes!

http://www.nofxofficialwebsite.com/albums/albums.html

Fergodsake, where will I get my regular Zomb(ie) fix?

You should have had a pledge drive before you leave ala Sullivan...

I'll miss ya.

Rest and come back, soon, k?

Have fun playing your C64!

A whole month w/o blogging?

Meh.

My bookie sez "the over/under on new ASV postings is 10 days, wager accordingly".

Wait... so long and thanks for all the fish?

Is the planet going to be destroyed to make way for a hyperspace bypass?

Goes with saying (especially because so many already have)... you'll be missed!

mark beat me to the punch.

Doh! I been blindsided. I guess I shouldn't be but I'm dense like that.

I'll just sit back and hope it's a hiatus and not a retirement.

Er, goes "without"... I'm an idiot.

Time will tell, the clock is running.

I've always (at least for the last 3 or 4 years) thought of your blog as an online free novel - because you're so very articulate, and you write so well. You're a staple of the blogosphere. I never knew how you could maintain all the energy it takes to keep things rolling forward. Have a great well-deserved break. And, as you can see, everyone hopes it is just a break :)

While I'm going to seriously jones from ASV withdrawals, I know how hard this decision must've been. Enjoy the mental break, the sudden overabundance of time and energy to spend on whatever catches your fancy, the release from the constant pressure to perform and entertain, and the psychic freedom of no longer having to brace yourself for the daily onslaught of moonbats.

Damn. Now that I think about it, a hiatus sounds good to me, too!

What? What will I read? What will happen to DJ and Nat?

I will miss you terribly and eagerly wait for you to return...have a good break and I hope you decide to return!

Happy Birthday, and don't forget your towel!

At least it's not a hammock!

See you around

Michele

Take whatever time you need, work on your house, thoroughly enjoy your kids and spouse, don't feel under any writing deadline .... if it's no longer fun, but work, don't do it.

Selfishly, I hope it's only a long vacation. This is the place I visit first in the morning and I love it because I'm never sure what you'll have to say, but I know I'm going to enjoy reading it.

Be safe, be happy. Know if you and yours visit the So. Cal area you'll always have a home to hang your hat in. The welcome mat is out!

Shalom.

Zoloft and Al: Hope you don't put on money on your bets.

Oh, and kiss my ass.

Toodles.

michele:

Happy birthday. Just so you know: whether or not you blog, whatever you decide to do - the world is a better place for me knowing that you're in it. Truly. Your posts have, at times, been like little candles in the darkness for me.

Not to be too dramatic or anything.

I mean it.

Happy birthday. And best wishes.

Michele- :(

Sorry you're not updating this place for a while. Hope you enjoy the time off.

M., I would never put my money where my mouth is -- you never know where that mouth has been.

I'll tell you what. If you make it until October 1, I'll donate $30 to the charity of your choice (even one of those nasty ol' right wing ones). It's a bet I wouldn't mind losing, I enjoy reading your site.

I know how you feel.
Enjoy.

You'll be missed. The Pink Floyd entry is great! Brings back the memories!

Ditto Red. Just knowing there's another mom on the east coast doing her best brings comfort.

Take back a bit! and have a good birthday!

Oh, and THANKS!

Hey, happy birthday! I will totally miss your blogging, but believe me when I say I understand. I hope you come back, but if you don't - happy trails. All the best to you and your family. You will be missed.

Have fun, enjoy the time off.

Oh, and happy birthday!

Nice present. You deserve a break.

Welcome to club 101010.

Enjoy, and best to you and yours.
Hope you return. You will be very missed.

Enjoy the break; you deserve it. We'll be here when you're ready to come back. In the meantime, we will taunt the Yankees without remorse.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Just when things are really getting interesting!

Happy Birthday from another Leo.

And just when 20% of GOP delegates are going to be minorities, too.

See LaShawn Barber's place.

Wouldn't it be loverly if they introduced a lot of these people and they said, "I'm so -and - so, and I own my own business...

One at a time....

Happiest of birthdays to you. If anyone deserves a break, it's you.

Happy Birthday!

I will certainly miss your writing...it truly is one that consistently entertains and educates. I hope you'll be back but I know it doesn't matter what I want or think...

Enjoy your time away from the blog and if you do come back, I hope you'll feel refreshed, recharged and ready to go for another couple of years. (Cause, I'm a greedy reader.)

If you do not come back, thanks for all you did here at ASV. You will be missed.

I hope you have a wonderful birthday, michele.

Do what ya gotta do - but don't do anything irreversible, okay? We'll miss you while you're gone.

Hey, I just turned the Big Five-Oh last week. Damned near quit my job in celebration. Pesky children.

Good luck, kid. We'll be here when you get back.

Happy birthday, Michele, and all the best no matter what you ultimately decide to do.

Happy Birthday, Michele! Good luck with everything, will definitely miss all the fun here at ASV for a while..... [gulp!]

Waaauuuhhhhhgg!

Happy Birthday!

I WANT MY ASV!

Seriously, I wish you the best with your time off, and if this is a chapter in your life thats closing then I hope you find the balance you are seeking. Good luck with the new house, and all the myriad of things that are your life that don't involve blogging. Thank you for two years of entertainment and thoughtfulness.

Fair Winds and Following Seas,

PS. It wasn't fish....it was DOLPHIN MEAT!!! BWAHAHAHA!!!

Michele,

I really hate to see you go! I know you probably think I'm just some crazy moonbat, but really, you do have a great voice and I enjoy your writings.

I'll be reading your new blog though, no doubt. Keep up the good work and I hope that you'll come back in Oct. But if not, I can understand why. Sometimes blogging gets to be a chore.

God bless,
Ratan

Oh no.

One of my favorite places to go is not going to be there. Rats.

Happy Birthday, and I do hope you'll be back. You will be missed.

damn it Michelle!
Happy Birthday and all (I really do mean that BTW), A whole month? Maybe forever? You can't physically stop what you were emotional meant to do...observe and write! It is who are. Logicaly denie it if you must, but one day you will realize (hopefully soon) we all have a special gift to offer this world, whether we like it or not, and yours is story telling. Stop "blogging" if you must, but never give up on telling a good story in the way we ALL (left and right)have grown to love and respect. Take time and write a good novel. I'll be the first in line to buy.

42

mike lawson

Michele, you're a special person and a unique talent. I keep coming back here, even when the political nastiness gets really bad, because you're so damn good. Do whatever you need to do to make yourself happy - you won't hear any complaints from me.

OK, so I'm absent-minded: Happy B'day!
Go have fun...

Dammit, Michele. Does this mean I have to take Bill back?

Well, happy birthday, and happy break month.

If you feel the need to guest-post anywhere, you damned well better do it at my place.

but but but you just can't. It is unamerican. We won't let you. Because I said so. um, is any of this working? didn't think so.

Well have a happy birthday and don't worry about the thousands of people going through withdrawl because they have no ASV. I am sure that clinics will open up and we can get methadone or something to help with the shakes. Does guilt work? Can't blame me for trying.

Enjoy yourself and don't stay up too late with the C64. Happy Birthday. thanks

NOooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

....oh well. Have a great Brithday!

Hoping you get some great DVD's for your birthday. I hope to see ya back sooner or later, but that's up to you.

I'll still have to look you up when I visit NYC though.

you do have your towel, don't you?

Enjoy your time in the hammock. Or in the basement sucking on batteries. Or ghoulishly sucking on brains using a Krazy Straw. Or violently retching after the Tilt-a-Wheel. Or sunbathing topless in Jamaica just so your children won't talk to you for a week so you can read a damn book without some offspring asking for five bucks all the freaking time. Or whatever it is you do on your breaks.

Have fun.

P.S. Has anyone told Allah? I hate it when he gets all mopey, so I ain't gonna do it.

awww....

But you were just starting to get popular!

Have a great birthday, Michele. Eat, drink and be very merry.

Michele
Happy birthday from one of your southern hemisphere readers - going to miss this blog, I come here every day

Enjoy the break, whatever you choose to do !!

Best wishes to you on your journey. I will unquestionably think of you, and your all fans here, as I sit checking signatures on election day. I hope you and they all make it under the curtains to push the buttons.

Well, you do deserve it. Great big hole in my blog list, but it was fun (and facinating) while it lasted. I'll be reading over at that rabbit-blog thing now I guess. Happy Birthday and Best Wishes!

You will be missed, but I hope you enjoy what turns out to be a break. If this is farewell, this reader thinks you're going out at the top of your game.

Happy birthday. We'll all miss your posts.

Happy birthday. We'll all miss your posts.

Happy Birthday! I hope you do come back. If not, you'll be missed. Take care.

New starts in smaller parts are a very good thing! All the best, babe! I promise to get you your birthday present faster than we've sent your housewarming gift... ;-p

Good luck-I've enjoyed your writings.

Take care, and enjoy the vacation. You know what they say, when it becomes something you need a vacation from, then it's work, not fun. Well, that's what I say. Sure, work can be fun, but there's still that feeling of "ohgodanotherdayatthegrindstone" that kind of qualifies the fun. But then -- there is the paycheck.

I'm assuming Tequila will somehow be involved in this birthday. Enjoy your favorite brand, and have a swell time relaxing on your break.

I trust your judgement as to your own blood pressure. Or, at least, so says this so-called "blogger" who has posted absolutely nothin' since May Day, basically because he was tired of the negativity. In summary, I wish you well. Happy birthday. I hope you play lots of fun video games and maybe visit a concert (maybe the Cure? they're still rockin').

Happy Birthday Young Lady.

Hope you enjoy not really doing anything as much as I have the past month or so...(well, of course, there is that whole real world thing, but, ya know)

Eep!

Another URL for the elephant graveyard.

The day Michele quit posting crushed...CRUSHED me. WTF what am I supposed to do now? Rather than checking for the mid morning post, the after work post, the post in the evening (plus those random ones that happens cause something is happening at that moment) - I guess I need to go back to internet porn, which is no where as amusing as what you write (well, ok, sometimes - er nevermind). I mean, what am I going to do other than check your site 30 times a day now that I am out of work (Get a job comes to mind for some reason)?

The time you take off better well be spent writing the book. Take care, be yourself - it's what you do best and is best expressed in your writings - only because we all (speaking for all the other people that come here and read) don't live on your block and hang out with you so this is like losing a close friend. Take Care.

Say it ain't so...

there are so few conservative and rational voices out there!

One less for me to read now.

i'll miss you michele.

Nooooooooooooooooo

Michele, your blog is one of only two that I bookmarked; I visit it that often. Enjoy your time off, happy birthday (What is this? Thirty five?), and know that there are many of us fervently hoping that you return soon, rested and refreshed.

Vaya con Dios.

It seems like blogging becomes less fun the more like work it is.. I'll miss your perspective (and oddly the family updates) but real life is really important too. Enjoy the C64 and play some M.U.L.E. for me.. :)

I'll still be subbed via RSS if/when you come back!

=darwin

Happy Birthday!
Have great vacation!
We will be here to read whatever you want to post in the future.
Miss you already!
:{

Happy Birthday. Happy Thanksgiving if it goes that long. Merry Christmas if you really get to enjoying it. I say a good band and margaritas in the sand cures anything short of cancer.

And Meryl, as busy as I am these days (you see how long it took me to see this?) I might be taking a forced vacation from being a troll.

Oh...and if you're gonna make us suffer without your truly excellent writing, you could at least bring back the little dead girl.

(ducks and runs for cover)

Aw, well miss you. But taking a break is a good thing if you need one. I do hope you return that is for sure. Have a good one whatever!

Boy, talk about good news/bad news.

First and most important, happy birthday. I've got a year or two on you, and how you can keep this thing up with everything pulling at you - and a real job! - is mind-boggling. I can see how this can take it's toll on one's mental health - just dealing with the tinfoil crowd would make me want to take an open-ended break, too.

I'll sorely miss one of my three 'start the day' bookmarks each morning. ASV is right there with Gnat's Daddy and the Blogfather. But it's for your own good, then that's what's best.

I'll say 'au revoir', because I join a lot of others who hope we'll see you again.

WG from LI

Happy Birthday, kid... and enjoy your well-deserved break.

Michele, I'll miss the hell outta ya!

And a very HAPPY BIRFDAY to you!!!!!!!

August is the month that all the great people were born...you, me....

:D

enjoy the break, and come into manhattan after the convention and we'll get some other 40-ish folks together and have a few drinks!

Happy Birthday.
Enjoy your rest, you have earned it in spades.

Oh michele, who are you kidding? You're quitting this blog and starting another. It's like switching from heroin to methadone. At any rate, I enjoy your site and opinions, so I'll be around.

Oh, and blogroll me!! shameless plug.

Michele,
Hope that you have a lovely birthday, and have the time to relax and reflect on life! I'll truly miss my daily visit to ASM. Looking forward to the day I can walk into my local Books-A-Million and pick up a copy of your newest book and brag that "I knew her when she blogged!" Best of luck to you and your family in the future - Much love at ya!

Khan!!!

First, have a great birthday.

Second, I hope this is just a break for purely selfish reasons. Your site is one of the few that I check more than once a day. Your insight, writing, ranting and humor have been a big plus to all of us that stop by here. If this is really and truly the end, though, then I have to say this: thanks for everything, and good luck.

I hate to see you go. Happy Birthday to you. Mine was on Aug. 20th.
I hope you miss, blogging so much that you come back....

Happy Birthday and good luck...I hate to see you go. I enjoyed your site.

Bye Michelle.

I am going to miss you.

me think its for real this time.

me think its for real this time.

me think its for real this time.

Damn.

I'm going to miss you in that I-don't-really-know-you-'cause-we-don't-actually-hang-together-but-it-feels-like-I-know-you-through-your-writing kind of way. Sigh I guess what I'm trying to say is that ASV is like blog-crack for some of us and the worst kind of crack whore is the blog-crack whore, all we care about is our fix. Take care, be well, enjoy life.

First of all, Happy Birthday.

Second of all, who are you kidding? You're having a low self-esteem day and thinking "How can I get out of this funk? I know! Post that I'm shutting things down! That will get everyone to write me saying how much they like me!!!" No? Oh well, so much for undergraduate psychology degrees.

Enjoy yourself and know that you've certainly brightened my day on more than several occasions.

Michele:

Happy Birthday, from a fellow 42-year-old. It ain't so bad, especially when you're surrounded by people who love you...which you are, and that includes us loyal fans of ASV.

You have been an almost daily stop for me for the past two years, when I first started reading weblogs. We come from almost diametrically different backgrounds, with completely different life experiences and interests, and yet I feel like, given the opportunity, we'd get along swimmingly over a beer and pizza. Your take on family life has had me chuckling under my breath here at work, many times, thinking "Yes, I know what that's like!"

I'm still trying to get my head around your almost pathological obsession with the Yankees -- such zeal should be directed at a more worthy team, like my beloved Atlanta Braves, for instance -- but we all have our little idiosyncracies.

Okay, I'm kidding about the Braves. What I really want to say, Michele, is: I'm gonna miss you. I really am. I hope you do come back in October, but if you don't I surely will understand. I've thought many times about starting my own weblog, but in the end it comes down to the fact that I probably wouldn't have the time to attend to it properly. You, on the other hand, have done it superbly.

God bless you and your family in your future endeavors.

Curt in Atlanta

Happy Birthday!!!

...just convert to hexidecimal, that makes you 2A, er, 29!

I am another reader selfishly hoping this is just a break. Where else will I find life lessons such as not peeing in the Millenium Falcon and not decorating a house to excess for Christmas (because it would be really surprising to find Santa got genital warts)???

Michele, I just want to say "thanks" for everything you've written, for the times you've made me think, for saying what I wanted to badly to say but didn't have the platform. I hope you come back ... but if you don't, know that you've made a difference!

Michele,

I'm pretty heavily disappointed that you're shutting down ASV. I always liked reading the things you wrote, even if I didn't completely understand them (let's just say we have different tastes in music and movies). I hope that you have a happy birthday, and that your break provides lots of well-earned rest. I hope that the ponchos I've been seeing at Old Navy sell poorly, so the clothing designers get the message. I also hope that you decide to resume blogging after a while.

After reading your thoughts and musings for well over a year, I can say with certainty that you're someone I would have liked to have gotten to know in person. Good luck, and God bless!

Happy birthday, girl. And happy anniversary. xo.

Happy Birthday!
Come back soon. As many others have said: you'll be missed :(

Well, best of luck and all. Will keep a look out for what is new.

Hey, how come Al and Zoloft get to kiss your ass?

Enjoy your time off. I've enjoyed your blog.

You won the lotto, didn't you?

I think she did, Andrea.

I posted here once or twice, a long time ago.

What's the real reason for quitting, Michele?

Be true.

Andrea and Chris: If I won the lottery, I wouldn't have even stopped in to say good-bye.

Chuck, none of your business.

One-L Michele:

You will be missed! Take care and happy belated birthday.

Best wishes,
MM

I haven't been blog-surfing much lately for whatever reason (have I ever mentioned I have issues?) I just started checking out a few blogs a week or so ago and of course your's was one. I've always really liked your blog and I'll definately miss it!

Better to quit at the top of your game, y'know?

Bye-bye, Mrs American Pie!

Blogger burnout is hitting me too, but my blog is timed to explode on November 3.

Great you'll have time to buy me drinks next week!

I don't know what to say, so I'll just say happy birthday and leave it at that. I'd hate to have to add you to my "MIA" blogroll.

Grrrrrrrrrrrrr...you say you're leaving -- but maybe you'll come back. I hope. You really are one of the true blogging "greats," Michele - it would really be a shame if you decide not to return to us.

But we (most of us) do understand, kinda.

Happy Birthday and keep on keepin' on. :)

Jeepers, I go and have a new baby and come and find this!

Happy birthday and thanks for the fish. And memories. But mostly the fish.

well happy birthday!

Happy Birthday.

I must admit, though, that it kind of takes the air out of my own excitement to be finally back in the blogging life again, to find out that yet another one of the best of the o