All of that is true, of course, and one reason I don't write as often on Contra as I used to is that I am writing other (sometimes slow and difficult) things. But the point I want to make is that all of those things are also necessary. Writing requires thinking--and sometimes, as with the sorts of things I write, higher math. Talking about writing can sometimes help you get to the heart of difficult problems. Describing a problem to someone else, even if there isn't any "someone else" listening at the time, often flushes a solution out of the bushes and into the open, for refinement if not immediate implementation.

It would have been difficult to write as much as I did in high school and college if I didn't have loyal friends who read my nonsense, challenged me, told me what parts were good, and when it was all over, demanded that I do more. Writing is a balance between solitary vice and social virtue. Striking that balance is the great challenge of being an effective writer.

Finally, thanks for keeping me on as a friend. I will do my best to keep you on the path without getting in the way.