Best of luck on the work, Dan. We'll miss you in the meantime!

I really, really hope this choice of SLOD means the new manuscript is parenting advice. My kid is almost two and I need that book in my hot little hands ASAP.

Happy book-finishing. I hope it is about It Gets Better-ness with maybe a chapter on supersizing one's biceps.

What a dilemma. I don't get my regular daily Dan fix, but on the other hand, BOOK! Slog when you can Dan. We miss you. You could let Terry fill in for a week. Then he can tell some tales on you for a change. Heh.

You got a whole book out of Brian Brownshirt? I was looking forward to an internet info dump on him but I'll take what I can get.

I never bother with relative's children. They can all be freaks for all I care. If they turn up at my door when they're eighteen and ask for my advice, they'd get it. But their parents can fuck them up on their own. Good luck with the book.

Damn, I knew you'd someday outgrow SLLOTD. Hope you do come back in October.

Bring back Taormino!

Two words: guest columnists. Balko is writing a book too, for example, but theagitator.com is still rolling along. Hell, if Andrew Sullivan can do it so can you.

New book? WHOOP! Also, Kudos to you for not trying to do everything.

I second the request for your biceps secrets.

The brother could hardly object if the letter writer insists that the thirteen-year-old learn to express himself politely, no matter what his values might be. If he's a real conservative, then he values courtesy too. "Don't use 'gay' to mean 'bad'" and "Don't say such judgmental things about other people unless you've got a good reason" isn't converting a boy to liberal values; it's teaching him how to speak well.

Planning on rerunning the podcast, too?

Ms F - I might admire the attempt, but I don't think you're going to win the Real Conservative battle there. Crafty of you to sneak in advice that the LW improve the enemy arguments the nephew will probably still be spouting in five, ten, fifteen years or beyond.

I'm going to miss you too Dan, but good luck with the book. I look forward to it.
I second SeattleKim's idea though. Get Terry to fill in once or twice. That could be great.

Dan, you need an under-blogger like Sullivan has; to hold the fort on vacations and other mental-health-positive activities like writing a book when you have to be away. At the very least, you ought to pop in with a reminder to we who check on you daily that you're busy doing [enter activity here] and expect to return [enter approximate date here] just so we'll know you and Terry are not splitting the sheets or something.

That is all.

Hell, see if Sullivan will take it on while you're away. I'd totally read his take on those who write to Savage Love.

I am not convinced that "my fans respect me and look forward to my work" and "I've got something else to do so be satisfied with reruns for a month and half" are reconcilable or sensible.

Look, Canadians over the age of two hundred (ie Morningside listeners) might have put up with Peter Gzowski's lengthy disappearances but I'm not sure that the rather more impatient denizens of the net will be as forgiving. It also begs the question of whether they should. It's wonderful that this is becoming Dan Savage Inc, but part of success is not ignoring a core and loyal part of your business.

@18: Huh? Are saying Gzowski's not coming back?

saxfanatic@19: His hiatuses were so long I can understand your confusion.

But did you not notice when Geriatric Talk Radio (nobody under fifty allowed) suddenly turned into the Michael Enright Jazz Hour???

And did you not notice when suddenly *that* phase was over all of a sudden CBC admitted that there might be people of the age of 49 or under in Canada?? And they might be allowed to have issues and opinions worthy of public discussion and consideration? That was my tipoff that Gzowski wasn't coming back, sort of like peasants in Versailles was the tipoff to even someone as thick as Louis XVI that the ancien regime was gone forever.

@18 I don't know about you, but Mr. Savage doesn't make any money off of me directly, so I wouldn't say I'm a core part of his business. The only thing I do to generate revenue for the stranger is read these columns and cover up the ads. Yes, it's annoying to feel ignored, but Mr. Savage was at least polite about it. Mr. Savage's column gives me free entertainment. No, being free doesn't mean we don't have a right to complain if we're wronged, but I'm not feeling wronged.

When a webcomic that I used to read did something that I felt was insulting, I stopped reading it. That's the only real "so there!" that we can give him.

@14 Do all liberals run around saying "Religious folks are all idiots!" or "Being Christian is just wrong" like this boy has been taught to say? Of course a few of them do--the jerks. The ones who aren't jerks, who wait for their views to come up in conversation and then listen to the response are the ones who learn. The same is true of conservatives. Uncle P isn't going to get away with teaching the nephew liberal views. What Uncle P's brother MIGHT approve of is teaching the kid to be polite, which will lay the foundation for understanding people who don't agree with him. Even if the nephew grows up to be a conservative pundit, at least he won't grow up to be a one-sided and thoughtless one.

@18 "part of success is not ignoring a core and loyal part of your business."

Adorable that you think Slog posters hold the key to Dan's success in life.

It'd be nice if we could replace the pejorative use of "pussy" with something else. There's nothing weak about pussy. Pussy is awesome (even if you're gay, because you probably wouldn't be here without it).

(er, a gay male, that is)

@22: It's adorable that you think that his loyal readers are so unimportant that a two-month walkaway is a good way to treat them.

*eyebrow* Well, Dan's clearly not just disappearing for 2 months. He posted something today about some Duchess & her views on not-divorcing. He's focusing on a manuscript. He'd be foolish to ignore the bump in profile that the MTV show has given him. Now would be a fine time for a book.

I'll still be reading in 2 months. Hell, sometimes I look forward to your guys' comments just as much as the column. ;)

What meanies on SLOG, criticizing Dan for taking 6 weeks off to finish a book.

Have any of you actually finished a book? It is really, really hard work, even with a much longer hiatus.

6 weeks is a fucking amazingly short hiatus for even the smallest stage of a book, whether it's wrapping up research, drafts, revisions, or final page proofs.

I love reading Savage Love and even if it is a re-read it holds up well. Thanks for everything Dan!!!
lovelovelove