This week I've been reading all of this silly hubbub about blogging being dead and people giving it up. I never understood the concept of blogging to begin with, so I don't know what to make of these discussions. What's that, you say? "But, Michael Tully, you're a blogger!" I guess that's true by the looks of my url, but I've always thought about this site differently. From the beginning, my approach has been to pretend that I'm a daily newspaper columnist and that my job is to write about whatever strikes my fancy on that given day. Of course, this allows for a shifting-and-morphing of content, including posting photo-recaps of film festivals I've attended, pointing readers in the direction of films that have truly moved me, humiliating myself by discussing my personal life, and mourning the recent demise of Maryland basketball. But this morning, I had a thought. Perhaps many of you out there are worried that my week-long absence is directly connected to this recent spate of film blogger suicides, and that I too am considering giving up on this site. Well, fear not, devoted readers. Boredom at its Boredest is here to stay!

The reason for my week-long silence is twofold. For one, I've been too busy writing and posting daily reviews over at Hammer to Nail to devote any time to this site. If you've forgotten to bookmark that link and make it a weekdaily destination, you should do so now, as the content is going to keep coming. This week's lineup of titles was particularly strong: Glory at Sea, The Guatemalan Handshake, At Sea, Up the Yangtze, and Battle for Haditha. But don't worry, there's more to come next week and beyond. All of this talk of critics getting fired and sites shutting down has me even more convinced that we need a site like Hammer to Nail to remind us why we're dorkily obsessive about movies in the first place. Especially low-budget ones. Unlike a lot of sites out there, we're committed to employing film lovers who aren't merely film writers but who are filmmakers. This is a unique distinction, and I think it will make our site an inherently more lively and engaging place to visit. I love to read theoretical essays by critics who have never picked up a camera in their life, but we all believe that H2N has a more solid, unique foundation in that all of our contributors put our muscles where our words are.

The second reason for my lack of posting is that I've been holed up in a ridiculous mansion in Kiawah, and it would be silly to describe my life to you at this moment. For example, I'm writing this from the sitting room in the master bedroom, which is a house unto itself, staring out at the ocean, as my dream-come-true of a girlfriend types behind me, waiting for me to post this fuggin' thing so we can continue to watch season two of The Wire. After which point, it's back downstairs to join my two lovely sisters and drink margaritas and watch the sunset from the deck out back. After which point we'll eat and perhaps play Yahtzee! and take elevator rides to the basement for no reason whatsoever. Tomorrow, the beach and tennis and sushi and maybe a late-night dip in the pool. I mean, do you really want to read a daily post like that? I thought not. And so the next week or so might be sparse and silent on this site. To get your Tully fix, I recommend you continue to check up on H2N to see what films we're continuing to champion and celebrate.

Have a happy weekend...