More changes, hopefully for the better, and at least all for the right reasons

…and with summer again comes change; changes in life, location, and the blog – a site I originally created largely to preserve transient memories and to share with family, but obviously something that has grown substantially since – to the tune of somewhere around 100,000 web-hits per month…a number that still seems crazy to me, but thanks to all who enjoy reading and more so to those who e-mail or comment (even though I often fail to approve comments respond in a timely manner.)

So, what changes you may ask?  Well, to those who know me outside this blog, clearly you are aware of the issues surrounding my current location and the reasons I am Leaving (for) Las Vegas come November.  While I enjoy this blog and the travel from which it derives I also love the people I care for a great deal – this move is one based on my ethics, my morals, what is right for those patients (and people in general) and hopefully what is right for me as well.

How does this affect the blog?  Obviously moving is time consuming, so there is that (so is opting out of a contract, licensure in a new state, credentialing, etc FYI) but the change is also based on a conversation I had with the owner of a tiny diner back in June in which he made the point that his goals as an owner are no different than those of a Michelin 3* restaurant – that being to make his guests happy while doing the job he loves and believes in (and hopefully making enough to pay the bills in the process.)  Obviously there was much more to the conversation than this and I’m not remotely trying to pretend that the average greasy spoon is Alinea, but without a doubt the conversation got me thinking – the eventual decision being a more concise and egalitarian approach; all the pictures and descriptions as always but just one paragraph per bakery/diner/coffee shop/restaurant/etc with the rare exception, if necessary.

A radical departure, no doubt, from my substantial verbiage of the past I feel that not only is the above a better way to expedite my reviews (at the time of this writing six trips and over 100 meals/snacks/stops behind) but also a better way to stimulate conversation to those who want to know more…or to save time for those who just come to look at the pictures.  As always, I’m happy to respond to e-mails or comments – and I’ll try to do so much more expediently in the future.