When I lived in Washington, D.C., and then in New York, it sometimes seemed as if I had houseguests and visitors constantly. That wasn't the case, of course. In truth, they seemed to arrive and depart, and arrive and depart, in waves. And, of course, I appreciated seeing friends and family, and showing them around town, at least a little.

One advantage of living in Philadelphia is that houseguests and visitors appear far less frequently. I feel badly for Philly in that respect, as there is much to see and do here, and the city isn't anything like the down-on-her-luck little sister of her aforementioned East-Coast neighbors as portrayed by the media and discussed on the tourists' grapevine.

Regardless, fewer visitors meant fewer demands on my schedule, leaving plenty of time for what has been a fairly consistent blogging routine. That will change -- temporarily -- starting this weekend.

The impending arrival of these visitors, only the third group to be entertained here by me, along with preparing for their visit, together with various additional demands -- personal, professional, and political -- necessitate a brief hiatus, lasting at least through the middle of next week.

Please check back then, or, if you care to, in the interim, in the event one or another outrage pulls me back to the keyboard.

See you soon.