a return is imminent

now that the summer is closing, i can return my attention to this space. funny how summer is the most hectic time for grad students, what with trying to make sure the rent is paid while your fellowship is on hiatus.

in any case, thanks to ian over at Different Kitchen for the shout - i always enjoy reading your stuff, man.

i'll close with just a couple of things that have been on my mind recently:

Black Student gets stomped out by White football players This story's a little old, but better late than never, seeing how little press it got on campus here. The funny thing is that they don't mention how badly the young brother got hurt - he got a couple of ribs cracked, lost a tooth, etc.

i'm catching up on my movies from the last twelve months - thanks, Family Video. Saw The Return of the King last night and could not disengage my critical faculties. Is this one of the greatest paeans to homoerotic male relationships in recent memory or what? i mean, i thought Sam was going to *expletive deleted* Frodo in a couple of scenes. This movie was SO focused on the covert love relationships between the men that it even reduced the women to non-entities. Arwen (Liv Tyler) had to give up her immortality to be with the man she loves? what kind of BS is that?

Apple has diluted my enthusiasm this summer. i've had to send my iBook in TWICE to replace the logic board (numbers 2 and 3 for those at home) and now it's acting up again. Customer Relations has promised me that if it dies again, i get a new iBook - but the catch is that it has to die first. So the fact that it's acting out doesn't count...pray for failure, y'all *laughing*

last - i'd like to put into print how much i love my firstborn child. Ryan has really been patient with his father as we negotiate his time with me. He sits up in the coffee shop with me as i return emails and write documentation, playing his GBA SP or reading books from the used bookstore down the street. he is such a great child - doesn't act out and is often funny and insightful. love you, baby boy!