What now for this blog?

So, I've thought long and hard about what to do with this blog. I started it years and years ago, as just a way to ramble on and basically think/rant/philosophise out loud. I never expected much of anyone to read it, and my hit counter stats back that up pretty soundly. However, when Electra became ill, that changed. For the past two years, this blog was completely about Electra and her treatment, my views on it, prognoses and results. For all intents and purposes, this became my Electra & AML blog.

This served a few key purposes. For me, it was a form of catharsis, a way to get some things off my chest, and to help me get my head around what was going on. It brought me a sense of clarity to write about what was happening; putting the events and emotions into words helped me crystallise them. On a more pragmatic level, it was also a way for me to keep people-including friends and family-informed of what was going on so those who were far away could feel connected. It served these functions admirably, I feel, though obviously the time for that is now past. So, now what?

Since Electra's death, I've wondered about what to do with this blog that had started out as an infrequently-updated personal rambling space and had morphed into a singularly-focused site. As I saw it, there were a few main possibilities:

1. Close up the blog entirely. Leave it basically shrink-wrapped as a testament to what had happened and how I felt about what was happening.
2. Close it and delete it. Save backup copies of the writing for my own memories, but take it completely offline.
3. Return to a the pre-AML phase, posting as I felt like it, about whatever piece of whimsy floated into my head.

In the end, I have elected to go with the third option. I am aware that there may be a few more people following along than there were before, which may make me self-moderate a bit more than before, but I enjoy writing in this public forum and I'd like to continue to do so. I could start a new blog, but that seems like overkill to me. So I'm going to start transitioning this back to just being a "Dan's thoughts and ponderings" sort of place.

In parallel to this, I've begun working on a more serious blog, which I'm not yet ready to unveil, but hopefully will do soon. In this latter blog, I intend to write longer-form pieces, with more research and backing, about political, social, economic view and opinions.

This site, however, will stay more personal. I will probably still hit on politics and social issues from time to time, but it will be more of a "pub chat with mates" style than a researched and backed-up article. I will also periodically post things that are short, goofy, fun or whimsical. So if that sounds like something you're interested in, please follow along, via RSS, Facebook or Twitter (I'll try to post to the latter two when I do create a post). Word of warning, I'm highly unlikely to adhere to any form of reliable schedule with my posting here: it is far more likely to be sporadic and infrequent, but I'll do my best!