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jueves, 17 de diciembre de 2015

Blog, Interrupted

Dear Readers,

Having had a heart attack this past weekend, I've decided to take some time off from the blog until life returns to "normal."  In the meantime, I wanted to wish you all a happy holiday season and a Happy 2016 in advance.  Hope to be back in touch before too long.

Cheers!

Richard
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Estimados lectores:

Después de haber tenido un ataque cardíaco este fin de semana, he decidido tomar un descanso del blog hasta que la vida vuelve a la normalidad.  Mientras tanto, yo quería desearles felices fiestas y un feliz año nuevo por adelantado.  Espero que sigamos en contacto.

¡Saludos!

Richard

58 comentarios:

  1. Respuestas
    1. Thanks, Scott, feeling much better this weekend. However, "oof," indeed!

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  2. Good heavens, Richard - I'm glad you're here and able to write, and with the same wry, imitably recognizable voice. If ever there was a good excuse for taking a break! Please take care of yourself and let us all know how you're doing from time to time. And at least for the time being, listen to your doctors and maybe go a bit more lightly on the Literature of Doom. Wishing you well - really well.

    ResponderBorrar
    Respuestas
    1. Thanks so much, Scott. Although I readily admit that the prospect of Doom got a little too personal/less conceptual last weekend, I have to confess that Marlon James' A Brief History of Seven Killings, pure Jamaican-American doom as it were, has been quite the tonic the past few days. In any event, I'll try to keep the Doom-related news purely literary in the days and weeks ahead. Thanks for the good advice!

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  3. Yes, wishing you a good rest and better health. Healing books, or a healing absence of books, whatever works.

    ResponderBorrar
    Respuestas
    1. Thanks a bunch, Tom. Healing books seem to be the ticket although the form those books are assuming (Marlon James, Mouloud Feraoun) are only healing from an an artistic/vitality rather than an "uplifting" standpoint. Whatever, works for me and thanks again for the well wishes.

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  4. Well, I would have thought you could come up with a more salubrious excuse to take a break! Then again, considering your reading tastes, perhaps you did, after all... I am dismayed but also delighted you are well enough to post. I will be thinking of you and wishing you all the best!

    ResponderBorrar
    Respuestas
    1. Salubrious? Tell me about it, Jill! Seriously, thanks so much for the visit and the kind words. I think I was actually fortunate to have had the issue addressed so early relatively speaking, though, so hopefully I will be able to return to posting about the usual "depressing" literature before too long. That's probably a better way to dismay you, no? 😀 Cheers!

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  5. Gosh, Richard. I'm so sorry to hear this. Wishing you all the very best for a speedy recovery. Do take care of yourself and rest easy. Jacqui x

    ResponderBorrar
    Respuestas
    1. Thanks, Jacqui! I'm feeling better every day and have all the time in the world for reading now so things could be a lot worse. I do appreciate your visit and the sentiments, though. Take care.

      Borrar
  6. Hope your recovery goes well. Agree with Seraillon, it must have been all those doom-laden foreign books you've been reading; try a diet of bland US/UK fiction for a bit.

    ResponderBorrar
    Respuestas
    1. Thanks, Obooki, that means a lot to me. For better or worse, though, all the US/UK fiction I've been reading this month (Marlon James, Dickens, Robert Louis Stevenson) has been far from bland. Maybe I'm not trying hard enough, I don't know. Cheers!

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  7. Sorry to hear that - here's hoping you're feeling better soon...

    ResponderBorrar
    Respuestas
    1. Thanks, Tony. Actually feeling better as we speak. Cheers!

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  8. So sorry to hear this.

    I hope that you recover quickly.

    Take care and have a Happy Holiday season.

    ResponderBorrar
    Respuestas
    1. Thanks, Brian. Doing lots of reading and resting, neither of which is all that bad as you probably know. :). Hope you have a happy holiday season yourself!

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  9. Do rest, Richard. And be well. We insist. Wishing you all the best this holiday season.

    ResponderBorrar
    Respuestas
    1. If you insist, Rise, I suppose I have no choice in the matter. Thanks so much for the visit, though, and wish you and your newly expanded family the best this holiday season as well. Cheers!

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  10. Richard, no! Crikey - take the very, very best care of yourself, my friend. And don't lift a finger until you are well on the road to recovery. Well, I am behind on everything here and still need to read the very intriguing-looking article on The Meursault Investigation you tweeted the link to. We'll meet up in the New Year to chat that over, yes? Have a peaceful, restful festive season in the meantime, and get well soon! xx

    ResponderBorrar
    Respuestas
    1. Thanks so much, Victoria--I appreciate the kind words and the advice! I feel very much on the mend these days, by the way, so I look forward to catching up with you in the new year ahead. In the meantime, hope you have a great "festive season" of your own and take care of yourself as well. Cheers!

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  11. Richard, estoy muy impactado con la noticia. Desde la distancia te mando un fuerte abrazo lleno de buena onda.
    Te deseo lo mejor para estas fiestas y que el año próximo nos encuentre repletos, atiborrados y exultantes de lecturas copadas-
    Un amigo bloguero que te aprecia mucho.
    Saludos y cuidate mucho.
    Estamos en contacto

    ResponderBorrar
    Respuestas
    1. Hola Mario y muchísimas gracias por tus palabras tan amables. Resulta que me siento mejor cada día, y ahora tengo un buen pretexto para leer y hacer la fiaca todo el día, je je je. De todos modos, gracias por tu mensaje y espero que vos tengas un excelente fin de año con tu familia. Un abrazo.

      Borrar
  12. Can you tell us which book caused it so that we can all avoid it unless feeling particularly self-destructive! But seriously, look after yourself and don't overdo the Christmas spirits.

    ResponderBorrar
    Respuestas
    1. I haven't read a shitty book since November, Séamus, so as much as I'd like to blame it on one book or another to be helpful, all I can say is take your meds, eat right, and make sure you get medical attention early if you think you have heartburn which won't go away. That being said, thanks very much for the visit and wishing you and yours a smashing end to 2015 and beginning to 2016. Cheers!

      Borrar
  13. Best wishes. I hope you have a restful but not too tedious period of recovery.

    ResponderBorrar
    Respuestas
    1. Sorry to have to make your acquaintance under these circumstances, Gwilym, but I appreciate your visit and the well wishes. Thanks a lot! Very nice blog you have by the way (esp. the mix of film and lit). I look forward to exploring it more in depth sometime soon. Cheers!

      Borrar
    2. Thanks. Actually, I think I may have commented a few times here before under my old web name of Captain Ned. Anyway, have a good Christmas and take care.

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    3. Ah, Captain Ned! Yes, I remember bonding with you over Antal Szerb about this time last year. Hope you have some great New Year plans and thanks again for the visits. Cheers!

      Borrar
  14. Just saw this: yikes! What everybody else said about taking care of yourself, and ¡Que te mejores!

    ResponderBorrar
    Respuestas
    1. Muchas gracias, Steve. Although I'm feeling quite a bit better already, I'm guessing my days of eating Buenos Aires-sized portions of beef and empanadas will have to be limited from here on out. In any event, thanks so much for the kind words and the visit. ¡Saludos!

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  15. Whoa. I feel like a slacker in comparison.

    Take it easy and get better!

    ResponderBorrar
    Respuestas
    1. Thanks a bunch, Dwight, both for this and the e-mail you sent separately. I'm starting to get stir crazy from my prescribed rest, so things seem to be looking up at the moment. In any event, I appreciate your kindness. Cheers!

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  16. Richard, I'm so sorry to hear about this. Take care, best wishes for a speedy recovery, and I hope you have a good holidays.

    ResponderBorrar
    Respuestas
    1. Thanks so much, Amanda. It was very nice to hear from you, and I appreciate the best wishes. Hope you have a great holiday season as well!

      Borrar
  17. Oh, my God, man. Nothing like something like this to put things into perspective. Be well.

    I'm also reading Seven Killings, by the way. Not sure what I think about it yet.

    ResponderBorrar
    Respuestas
    1. I think you and I are only a year or two apart age-wise, James, so I was unduly surprised by my (relatively early) bad news. However, I'm feeling OK at the moment and I very much appreciate your comment here.

      I'll look forward to seeing what you think of James' A Brief History of Seven Killings. I'm enjoying the hell out of it for the most part, but a couple of the characters' voices don't seem nearly as convincing as the rest a third of the way in. Hope that trend doesn't continue since there's so much about the book (verve, energy) that's appealing to me. Cheers!

      Borrar
  18. Take care of yourself, Richard. Rest, read, repeat.

    ResponderBorrar
    Respuestas
    1. Thanks a ton, Isabella--so nice to hear from you, and your prescription sounds like just what I need. Hope you have a great end of the year reading- and otherwise!

      Borrar
  19. So sorry to hear that. I hope you get better soon.

    ResponderBorrar
    Respuestas
    1. Thanks so much, Cleanthess! I hope to get back to writing again in a couple of weeks, but right now I'm just reading a lot (no complaints there). In the meantime, I appreciate the visit. Cheers!

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  20. Dear, dear Richard, so glad to know that you could even post after such an occurrence! And to comment on my health issue of late was so kind. I'm sorry you've suffered, but I'm so happy you're recovering. Many blessings and much restoration in your new year! xoxoxo

    ResponderBorrar
    Respuestas
    1. Thanks a lot for your kind words, Bellezza. Although I have a couple of doctor's appointments coming up, I'm feeling pretty well these days and somewhat eager to return to writing as of now. In any event, hope you yourself are still on the mend and look forward to rejoining you and others for 2016 book talk before too long. All best!

      Borrar
  21. !!!

    ¡Qué susto! ¡Espero que ya estés mejor, Richard! Te mando un abrazo y fuerzas desde Argentina. Ojalá en 2016 ya te veamos repuesto y escribiendo por aquí. ¡Salud!

    M.C.

    ResponderBorrar
    Respuestas
    1. ¡Hola Martín! y muchas gracias por tu mensaje. Fue un susto de verdad, pero me parece que estoy mejorando cada día. De todos modos, te agradezco tus palabras tan amables y espero que vos tengas un muy feliz fin del año y feliz 2016 también. Un abrazo.

      Borrar
  22. My best wishes, Richard, for a speedy recovery. I hope you have had a restful Christmas, and I look forward to reading more posts when you are sufficiently recovered. All the best!

    ResponderBorrar
    Respuestas
    1. Thanks so much, Himadri, so very nice to hear from you. Christmas was indeed restful (as will be New Year's I suspect since I think it's too early for me to indulge in any liquid fun!), and I look forward to doing some writing again before too long. Until then, thanks again for the kind words and I trust you and your family will have a very happy 2016 ahead of you. Cheers!

      Borrar
  23. I can't believe I didn't see this.
    Oh Richard . . . I'm so sorry this happened and so happy you are well.
    Take care, take it slow. Big hug!

    ResponderBorrar
    Respuestas
    1. Thanks so much for your kind words and the "big hug," Caroline. Much appreciated! I have my first big follow-up appointment tomorrow, so hopefully the cardiologist will have some good news for me. In the meantime, thanks again for the visit and Bonne Année à toi!

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  24. Mis mejores deseos. Espero que te recuperes plenamente, y que la vida sea larga y feliz. Y si para eso tienes que tomarte un respiro, o la vida con más calma, por favor, hazlo. Mi cariño más intenso y mis mejores deseos.

    ResponderBorrar
    Respuestas
    1. ¡Hola Lluís! y muchísimas gracias por tu comentario tan amable. Me parece que estoy mejorando, y ojalá pueda visitar a los blogs de mis amigos blogueros dentro de poco. Para ahora, gracias de nuevo por tu visita y espero que tú tengas un feliz 2016. Un abrazo.

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  25. so sorry to hear that. Take care of yourself and looking forward to seeing you back here. Emma at Words And Peace

    ResponderBorrar
    Respuestas
    1. Thanks so much, Emma. With any luck, I'll be back blogging soon since I'm not likely to overextend myself that way physicality, ha ha. Happy New Year to you in the meantime, though, and thanks again for the visit. Cheers!

      Borrar
  26. OMG! I've only just read this! I'm so very sorry, and I hope that you are doing well now and managed to enjoy the holidays.

    ResponderBorrar
    Respuestas
    1. Helen, belated thanks for your kind words! I'm feeling much better these days but still taking it easy on doctor's orders (or in my case, doctors' orders). Cheers!

      Borrar
  27. hope all is well sorry I not seen this before

    ResponderBorrar
    Respuestas
    1. No worries, Stu, but thanks for the kind thoughts. I'm feeling a lot better these days (knock on wood).

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  28. Éste su Herr Von le muestra sus más sinceras disculpas por no haberle deseado con más celeridad una mejora en su estado de salud pero es que, como suele suceder... la aristocracia ha perdido el tiempo mientras tanto en otras banalidades... en fín, mein lieber, cuídese usted y celebre la vida con sus inconvenientes para que los demás tengamos el placer de continuar disfrutándolo.

    ResponderBorrar
    Respuestas
    1. Mi estimado Conde:

      Muchísimas gracias por su amabilidad aristocrática y teutónica. Los médicos me dicen que mi estado salud ha mejorado mucho, pero era un gran placer recibir un comentario suyo tan amable después de tanto tiempo. Por supuesto, espero que su Herr mismo esté bien y que Ud. vaya pensarlo en regresar a su propio blog en algún día (yo lo echo de menos). Mientras tanto, gracias por la visita y favor de saludar a todos los empleados del Schloss.

      Un servidor de Vd.

      Richard

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