A space where something is wanting; a break.

Did you know (I didn't) that the word "hiatus" and the word "yawn" have the same Latin root? "Hiatus" was apparently adopted more or less wholesale, while "yawn" went through the Old English (ginian) wringer to become, well, "yawn", from the word hiare.

The things you learn when you blog. It's amazing.

The above is a nice way of saying that Head Nurse will be on hiatus (a pause, a space, an anatomical feature [see also: foramen]) until after the holidays. I will be back, a la the Terminator; I just have a lot to do in the next three weeks or so. The last thing I want is for the fine quality you've come to expect from HN to suffer under the pressures of work and life.

This is not to imply that you won't get the random picture of Max or the cats covered in Christmas lights; just don't expect anything substantive (Peanut Gallery: "We don't!") until the second or third week of January. At that time, I'll be back with exciting tales of sleeping during the day and working at night. Expect me to sparkle.

Happy holidays, everybody, whether you celebrate with candles, trees, or dried fruit. Be well, be grateful, and be lucky in the new year.