The Teeming Brain: A Hiatus

If you’re a regular reader, then you will have noticed that it has been over two weeks since the last post was published here. This is due to the fact that, as I have explained to several friends and colleagues recently, I’m presently in the midst of what amounts to a veritable apocalypse  of busyness.

I’m editing Mummies around the World: An Encyclopedia of Mummies in History, Religion, and Popular Culture for ABC-CLIO, with a due date right on the horizon and many related tasks still left to accomplish.

Immediately after that, work will begin (or rather, it has begun already) on another encyclopedia that I’m editing for the same publisher: Ghosts, Spirits, and Psychics: The Paranormal from Alchemy to Zombies.

The fourth annual Dark Mirror horror film festival will be held this Friday, and I’m still working to have everything lined up and ready for it, including the talks I’m scheduled to give before the screening of John Carpenter’s The Thing and the double-feature screening of 1931’s Frankenstein and 1935’s Bride of Frankenstein.

For the past few months I have been living in temporary housing while my wife and I renovate a house. We’re almost finished with that, and our moving date approaches, and this will entail much extreme busyness for many weeks to come.

Presently I’m faced with an official publisher invitation to create and submit a proposal for a nonfiction book that I would truly love to write, and that would be of direct interest to readers of The Teeming Brain. This will require much time, focus, and careful focusing and budgeting of my personal energy.

On top of all this, since June I have been obliged to commute over 90 miles to work every day during rush hour, for a round-trip total of more than 180. This has added a weekly span of time in the car that’s equivalent to a part-time job.

In short, there’s barely enough of me to go around, and something has to give. The Teeming Brain is officially on break. Look for posts to resume somewhere after the New Year, with maybe a short entry from me appearing here and there between now and then (or maybe not). I do believe, however, that several posts from the other Teem members may show up during the interim.

Thank you, all, for your continued interest and support. Have a great few months. I’ll  see you anon.