A Hiatus
The dictionary definition of a hiatus is: “a break or interruption in the continuity of a work, series, action, etc.” And, if you’ve been waiting for the next post here at Bite Sized English, well, you know that a ‘hiatus’ is the vocabulary word of the day.
I’m taking a break.
There was the baby, who is more than a little bit of work. In fact, I worked so hard between keeping house—that’s a phrase that means, basically, keeping the apartment running with clearing and cooking and such—and my actual teaching job that I got sick. Twice. I had a fever at the end of last week, and a pretty serious upset stomach at the end of this week.
But I’m not stopping. It’s important to say that: I’m not stopping.
The fact of the matter is this: running this blog has been great for me. I’ve learned a lot, I’ve met some great people, and I like to think that I’ve helped some of them learn English. And that’s what it’s about. So be sure about this: I’ll be back in a few weeks. (I’m thinking three or four, right now.)
But Bite Sized English will look a little different when I come back. How, exactly, it will be different I don’t know. But, I have a lot of time to think while I’m keeping house and rocking baby Leon to sleep, and I’d like to use that time to think of ways to improve the site.
So, if you have any suggestions, please let me know. Is there something I could do better? Is there something I’m not doing enough of? Is there something I do too much of? What parts of the site do you like most? Which do you always skip? Let me know!
August 27th, 2009 at 10:09
Dear Toby,
I can imagine that your incredible workload and great work on this blog will need to take a backseat for a while. Get completely well soon, so that you can really enjoy this time.
Congratulations on your baby
Even if you slow down, and really, you must, please don’t stop. Your audio is your USP. I also love your wide range of topics. If you wanted to change anything to reduce the load, if I were you I’d shorten and perhaps even reduce the number of pdfs.
BTW, you’re going to be one of the bloggers for learners of English in my article on online learning sites in Spotlight, due out in November.
All the best to you, your wife/partner and baby Leon
Anne
August 28th, 2009 at 05:50
Thank you, thank you!!
First, I’ll say I really don’t plan on stopping. I’ve been enjoying the extra free time, of course, but as I walk back and forth with a crying Leon, I think a lot about how things will change when I come back. I’ve given myself until mid-September to get back into the swing of things.
I’d love to know what you mean by my audio is my USP? And when you say shorten or reduce the PDFs, do you mean the actual blog entries that go with the audio? Or the eWorksheets?
And, of course, when your article comes out in Spotlight, let me know!
-Toby
September 20th, 2009 at 08:40
Just shorter handouts, I think two pages would be ideal. Could you possibly resend your email address?