Sorry for basically no updates over the weekend, but, er, stuff went on.  I’ll try to get this past week’s podcast up either tonight or tomorrow.  I also hope to start catching up on episode reviews again tonight

Now, as for what I’ll do with this site in the future.  Starting in January, I’ll be doing some coursework for a masters degree that will take up a good amount of time – in fact I’m basically required to do 10 hours of “honest” work a week for the next 3 semesters.  That means, obviously, that I won’t have as much time to do things on this blog.  That doesn’t mean I’m ditching the blog, but I’m looking to see what my readers think are areas that they think I could cut time on.  I already have some ideas, but just wanted to see what you think:

Item 1: The podcast

The podcast is kind of my baby.  In only a few weeks, I’ll hit the milestone episode 50 mark, then soon after hit episode 52, marking the end of the 2nd season.  The podcast does take up a considerable about of time, and would make up most if not all of the 10 hours a week by itself.  However, I’m still not sure whether to get rid of it or not.  I’d hate to let something that is going on strong (at least in the number of episodes) just end, and going on a 15 month break is a little more than a “hiatus” (if it were just one semester, I think it would be a no brainer – I’d put it on hold for a semster and pick it back up.  3 semesters is different, however).

Another possibility is cutting out or trimming down sections of the podcast.  If I do this, I’d think the obvious first-thing-to-go would be the “what I watched and read.”  Firstly, because I think it’s the weakest part of my podcast anyway, and secondly – it takes a good 2 to 3 hours of time at least – enough to read a manga and watch DVD(s) – to come up with a n at-most 3 minute segment of the show.  Also, I basically feel like I have to read and watching something every week week so I have something to put there, and axing that segment would not make me feel so obligated.

I guess I’m still open as to what to do with the news and new releases, though if I keep the podcast, I’d rather keep those in some form.  I could always filter the news down even more than I do, I suppose.  The review is really the only sacred cow as far as the podcast goes.

Item 2: Episode Reviews

I’ll pretty much certainly cut down the number of episode reviews I do – it’ll just be a matter of how and by how much.  Assuming CLANNAD and Shana II are both full season series, I probably won’t pick up a series in the winter at this rate, and I may pick up one or two in the spring.  Given how I write reviews, It actually takes me something like 3 hours to do each one (watch raw – 25 min, take screen shots from raw – 45 to 60 minutes, watch fansub – 25 min, write review from fansub – 45 to 60 minutes, do captions and edit images – 35 – 50 minutes).  Now, I can shave off an hour each, if not more, by doing two things (and that’s not even counting saving the entire 3 hours by choosing not to do more series):

1) axing the image captions.  I like doing them, and I think they’re funny, but amazingly it takes me something like a half hour to go through and add them in.

2) Take out or dramatically shorten the episode recap, and pretty much just include a “what I think” section.  The main reason why it takes me 45 to 60 minutes to write the review is because I’m basically writing it as I’m watching the episode a 2nd time through.  If I didn’t do that, that basically saves having to watch it twice before doing the review.  That could also save time because, one of the reason I watch the raw twice is – first to watch it to get a feel for it, and then to go through and take screenshots so that when the fansub comes out, the images will be ready, since it takes me so long to actually write the review.  If all I have to do is watch the raw once, after watching the fansub, snap the pictures, resize them, upload them, write a paragraph or two, then go, that would greatly save how much time it takes me to do this.

However, if the long episode writeup is what people like about my episode reviews, then I’ll be less inclined to cut them out and find another way to make up time.

3) Misc. other posts

The episode review posts – however infrequently I’ve been writing them recently – are here to stay, given that they are basically what this blog got started around anyway.  The only other real regular type of post that I can think of that I do is the Tuesday anime dvd and manga release post.  However, I’d like the fate of this post, and the fate of that section of the podcast (if I keep the podcast) the same if I can, as it ultimately doesn’t really save me time to cut one but keep the other, since I have to look up all the information either way.

In any case, that’s what I’m looking at.  Nothing should be effected right away, since this all would start after the new year, so series like ef, Blue Drop, and Shion no Ou which are half-season series, should be finished or all but finished by then, though if people think my episode writeups could do with some trimming, I might start with that sooner rather than later.

In any case, as the people who actually like and visit my blog, what would you like to see as having a high priority of being kept, and what things would you not necessarily shed a tear about if they were gone.