Note: This website is no longer being updated with new posts.
 Malcolm & Jillian are now writing new material here. Please join us, and thank you for reading!

Dropped Out.

May 4th, 2009 • Related • Filed Under
feature photo

Jillian: How will it end, I wonder? In order to address this unanswerable question with poetry and symmetry, I look back to the beginning. Rereading the early entries, from the planning stages to our first enthralled weeks in Mexico, through all the trials up to this present moment; as I listen to the waves, I am writing the final post, for now. That’s right: Dropped In is officially going on hiatus.

Malcolm: All I am listening to is the air conditioner, which, believe me, is awesome. Jillian can wax poetic all she wants; the truth is, writing for Dropped In just doesn’t make a lot of sense, anymore. Things have changed, and this portion of the story has, we think, come to a close, for now.

J: Malcolm and I have agreed that the story arc is ended, the narrative of an engaged couple in their late twenties taking a leap in faith and life has been told. We are married and that adventure will continue for (I hope) one thousand years. We are living in Mexico in a fairly contented situation; the horror stories of our present are mundane and much less humorous.

M: DroppedIn was always about the planning, and the newness. We were just two people making a leap, and recording how that felt. Looking back on the archives, it is amazing to see just how wide open our eyes were, and how excited we were to change our lives. Now that we have settled into our lives here, the writing we continue to do (and want to do) just seems inappropriate for this site.

J: There are surprises, complications, moments of awkwardness, sadness and hilarity, but unless we elect to adopt a smart mouth six year old to keep us on our toes or incongruously enter a water skiing competition I am afraid, friends, that the show may be over.

M: Jillian is right. Only a last-season surprise cast addition would recreate that sense of the new, as, for us, life in Mexico has normalized. We will never become experts at living here, and don’t want to present ourselves that way. We’ve Dropped In, and now it’s time for new projects.

J: It has been a blast to keep this public journal, photo album and record of some of the best events of our lives. We learned more about ourselves and the experience by shaping it into this website and interacting with you, our audience. What began as a place for comedy and complaints evolved into a portal into our world so friends and family could see us and say hello, and went on to become a source of information, a place to cry out, a way to check in and be kept in check, our window to the world that is not a panopticon or a scrapbook, but a thing greater than the sum of its parts. I just wanted to say thanks to all of you for listening, it has been one good journey.

M: Keeping this site going for the last three years has been incredibly rewarding, and we do appreciate everyone’s continued participation and feedback. So, what’s next? A few things:

1. Many of the more nuts-and-bolts articles will be edited, polished, and brought over to Yolisto, where both Jillian and I will continue contributing the occasional article about living in the Yucatan. We will also be continuing contributors to The Truth About Mexico, a country-wide, collaborative magazine authored by some of the brightest authors in Mexico.

2. We will leave this site archived and up, because we do think there is some good information in its pages, and just in case something radical happens that would be inappropriate to discuss elsewhere, though right now, we can’t imagine what that would be. For a quick guide, and to try and shape this project into a story, here are our favorite posts from the life of this blog:

3. Finally, we have launched a completely new site, called “dinnercraft.” The bulk of our new writing will appear there. Check it out, and be sure to read the “about” page for a quick overview. This blog will have multiple authors and contributors, and should be a lot of fun.

M: Thank you again for listening to us for the last three years. I’m sure we’ll talk again, soon.

J: And…we’re out.

Popularity: 67% [?]

[Slashdot] [Digg] [Reddit] [del.icio.us] [Facebook] [Technorati] [Google] [StumbleUpon]

Did You Like this Post? Here Are Some Similar Entries From the Archives:

  • Reason #2,142 the Internet is Stupid: The Perceived Value of Domain Names by Malcolm (3 comments)

    I still can't quite understand why there is still such a thing as a "domain aftermarket," because in case no one noticed, domain names don't really have any value. With the exception of a good one-wor ...
  • Renovating Our Beach House, Volume 5 by Malcolm (15 comments)

    Our never-ending quest for a life more awesome recently completed its most important chapter: the renovation of the living room. This was an important step, for one reason only: We will finally be DRY ...
  • … And We’re Back (But Not For Long) by Jillian (6 comments)

      As it turns out, as we have proven, you can abandon your pressboard life, board a plane to a place you've never been and carve out an existence - and a pretty sweet one at that - in an uncanny valle ...
  • Renovating Our Beach House, Volume 7 by Malcolm (2 comments)

    If you have been following along, you know it has been a long road to take our squat, one-level "beach box," a structure whose only intended purpose was to have a shady place for a wealthy Meridano to ...
  • Reviewed: Hotel Ibis in Merida by Malcolm (2 comments)

    Having stayed in our share of small Mexican hotels that are trying to copy the larger chains, usually with limited success, we had been regarding the newly-opened Ibis Hotel with a bit of a raised eye ...

There Are 16 Responses So Far. »

  1. Comment by Paul on 4 May 2009:

    Your reasons for moving on make perfect sense, and your timing is impeccable, but I will still miss the time I spent checking the blog to see what was on your minds.

    Good luck with the new site.

    Paul

  2. Comment by Susan on 4 May 2009:

    I’ve been reading Dropped In for a while, and I have to say that it will be missed. Between the witticisms and whacked out products (baby foot, cone pizza, and electric flyswatters), it’s been fun reading a fresh perspective on the ins and outs of life in Mexico. I never cared for Cousin Oliver, Scrappy-Do or the Great Gazoo, so I respect your decision to Drop Out now. Thanks for sharing. Now, it’s only fitting that my first comment will also be my last.

  3. Comment by Brenda on 5 May 2009:

    Its been a slice, thanks for sharing. I will miss reading your posts, but life moves on!!

    Thanks again

    Brenda
    Canada

  4. Comment by Nick L. on 5 May 2009:

    It’s been real….catch ya on Dinnercraft!

  5. Comment by hammockmanpaul on 5 May 2009:

    Thanks for three great years and intimate looks into your lives. I fully understand ´the book is done´ although I suspect the real reason is you were too embarrassed to share your most recent air conditioning bill with us.

  6. Comment by Nancy on 5 May 2009:

    I’m glad your posts will live on, I will have to go back and do some review of Dropped In for myself.

    I always looked forward to what you both had to say, sometimes you made me sigh, sometimes made me think, sometimes shake my head, and sometimes laugh. I’ll miss you.

    I hope that you show the Mexican flavor of your lives with future posts on Dinnercraft.

    All the best to both of you.

  7. Comment by Malcolm on 5 May 2009:

    Thanks for the kind words, everybody. Putting this blog to bed has been a lot more emotional than we would have expected. We still have plenty to say, and will continue a lot of the more popular series, including Lunes Sabroso, and the house renovations, over on Yolisto. And of course, we have miles of content to fill up Dinnercraft, our new project. We hope you’ll all continue following along with us there.

  8. Comment by Malcolm on 5 May 2009:

    Oh, and and and…new stuff appearing here at some point in the future isn’t out of the question…it just won’t be anytime soon.

  9. Comment by mom on 6 May 2009:

    This is making me cry! You are both so wonderful, thank God you’re just down the street…

  10. Comment by Larry Baker on 7 May 2009:

    You are an inspiration to me. The newness will continue on my blog until, like you, I can think of no other reason to continue.

  11. Comment by Bruce on 13 May 2009:

    Thanks guys, it’s been great!! I’ll check out the new project and best of luck with it.

  12. Comment by Michele in Playa on 15 May 2009:

    Well, “Dropped In” will cerainly be missed but I’ll be checking out your next project with great interest. Best of luck to you both!!

  13. Comment by Adam Lein on 18 May 2009:

    ADOPT A SIX YEAR OLD!! :)

  14. Comment by Sarah on 19 May 2009:

    but.. .but… what about lunes sabroso?????????

  15. Comment by Loui, Michael, and Deinah on 28 May 2009:

    Malcolm and Jillian,
    Thank you for three great years of Dropped In. You provided inspiration, motivation, imagination, and though-provocation to the journey that we, too, chose to take 3 years ago. Even though we are presently only winter drop-ins to our house in Progreso, and ran into you two only on occasion, you hold a fond place in our hearts. Your site made us laugh with you junk-food reviews, and nod our heads with similar trial and tribulation experiences. We wish you the best of everything in your future, and we’ll be checking in on your new projects!
    :-) Loui

  16. Comment by Kris on 31 May 2009:

    Amazing I found you just as you were leaving. ;) Thanks for the wonderful blog. Very, very inspiring…especially for someone who has that dream of moving to Mexico.

Post a Response

Want your picture to appear with your comment? Go get your free Gravatar now!