Sayonara

Well, the time has come. I'm retiring from writing this blog.

It's a question of time. I don't have any. I work at a university, and in the start of fall term is hectic. Everyone wants to schedule their events from September to December. Courses are starting up. Important people are visiting.

And at the same time, I'm the father of two kids who are starting their own school years. There are the usual tensions with new teachers and fellow students, there's the endless making of school lunches, the PTA and Dad's Club meetings. Something I've realized: the power you have as a parent of a public-school kid depends on how much time you're putting into raising money for the school. If I find any free time, I need to be ready to put it into my kids and their school.

The lack of good subject matter is another issue. To write a blog you have to find a niche. My niche has been eczema research. It turns out that when you have a narrow niche it's often hard to find anything worth writing about. There appears to be a lot of research coming out, but in reality it is very rare to see anything that you could genuinely get excited about. Most research is published "salami-style," where the scientists report some tiny new finding that adds ever so slightly to the enormous pile of existing work. The ratio of valuable information to filler is very small. Sorting through the internet's fire hose takes time I don't have.

True, the academic term will eventually end, but I won't be returning. I don't want to blog in fits and starts.

You might, however see me writing occasionally on the National Eczema Association website.

I have enjoyed blogging. I've met some great people online and in person. I've learned loads about the medical condition I and my family live with. Not much has improved, but I feel like I now understand better what makes my skin the way it is.

For several months, I have been waiting for a cool new project to come out, one that I've been involved with in a small way. When it does appear, I'll add a post about it so it gets some publicity from being on top. You will like this new thing, I think.

Thanks for reading. Good luck keeping your skin healthy.