Patrick and Chris

I'm taking a few days off the grid, for my long-delayed post-election coma. My trusty colleague at the Dish, Patrick Appel, will be filling in. Patrick already contributes so much to the Dish, acting as an extra pair of eyes and ears and often, more sober judgment than I sometimes exhibit (yes, the Dish has often intense internal debate - especially over Down Syndrome babies). He really is a core pillar of this website and as the last year has gone by, I cannot imagine doing it without him. He'll be joined by Chris Bodenner, a Dish alum, and constant emailer of tips and Youtubes and news stories. They're both what is now becoming a slowly growing graduated class of alums of the blog. It's been on of the greatest of many pleasure at the Atlantic: a community of sorts, building this site into the best it can be.

I'll be back by next weekend. I figure a gnome with a Nazi salute is a suitable send-off.