The End: I Have Decided to Close My Blog

I’ve had a good run, but it’s time for me to close this blog after a little over seven years and three months. It’s time.

Please know that it has been an honour, a joy, and a privilege to write about a subject that I loved: virtual worlds, social VR, and the metaverse, plus virtual and augmented reality in general. This blog has opened many doors for me, and I am truly grateful for the experiences I have had.

Thank you for your comments, suggestions, encouragement, and feedback throughout the years. I have made many friends and acquaintances in many virtual worlds, and I hope that our paths cross again soon, either via the metaverse or in real life.

I will be offline for a while, but I hope to be back soon. I doubt it will be a blog, though. Perhaps something different; I don’t know what yet.

Be well. Keep each other warm in a cold world. I love you all.

EDITORIAL: Exhausted, Overwhelmed, and Worn Out

I am beyond tired; I am EXHAUSTED. Emotionally, mentally, and physically exhausted.

Everybody from my psychiatrist to my coworkers is telling me the same thing: there’s a LOT going on in my life at the moment, and I am feeling absolutely overwhelmed and worn out. In fact, I have been feeling so run down that I went to see my family doctor this week, who discovered that my blood pressure is too low, and who promptly sent me to the phlebotomist for a full round of blood work.

I’ve been off work sick for three days, sleeping all night and taking extensive naps in the afternoons, and I’m still feeling exhausted and worn out. Today is the first day of the Remembrance Day long weekend, and I’ve spent a significant chunk of the day in bed.

I also find myself deliberately pulling up my drawbridges and isolating myself, as a way to avoid feeling further overwhelmed. I have largely stayed off all social media and most news media until after the U.S. election circus was over. Now that we know we’re facing another four years of Trump, the news is making me pull back from my social circles at home and work, and want to pull the bedcovers over my head and stay there. Is it depression? Possibly, but I’ve also been assiduous in taking my antidepressants and following through with my talk therapy.

I’m doing my best to stay afloat, but lately even the minor setbacks are sending me into major tailspins. I am utterly exhausted and overwhelmed and worn out, and that means I’m going to have to pay attention to my body and my mind, and make some choices to give myself grace, space, and some peace.

One of those steps is (once again) taking a break from blogging. You might have noticed that my pace of blogging has slowed significantly these past six months, anyway. So, I am taking the rest of this year off completely from blogging, and I will see how I feel in the new year.

Thank you for your patience and understanding. I’m going to be fine, but I do need to safeguard my emotional, mental, and physical health, and I intend to do just that. See you on the rebound!

I am EXHAUSTED, folks.