I never thought the day would come, but I've had loyal readers e-mailing me and asking if I've been out to sea or something, what with no posts in about three weeks. Scarce occurrence, to be sure. If I didn't know better, I'd swear I'd gone out and found a life when the truth is far more depressing. I sat in front of this damned computer at 7:00, and it's already pushing 8 p.m. Just realized some of my doc. application materials were either MIA or never A in the first place (I know, I know, the acronym humor only goes so far), so I'm trying to cobble all that together right now. If I weren't such a cheap bastard, I would have paid for my new printer toner a year ago, printed out all the on-line stuff, signed it, sealed it, and would be ready to drop it in the mail on my way east tomorrow.

But I am a cheap bastard. So some of this will probably be done on the school's dime.

Went on a reading spree last night and finished Treasure Island. It's all I can do these days to stay awake past eight o'clock. I'm turning into an old fart. I was planning with a colleague today, and she remarked that Sydney Carton of Tale of Two Cities was the first romantic hero. "Not Jarvis Lorry?" I asked in mock surprise (you know, playing my straightfaced dumbass routine--it never fails to drive them crazy).

"Hell no," she responded smartly. "That's who you're going to turn into when you're middleaged. That's who you are now."

For those of you unfamiliar with the novel (you sad sacks of illiterate shit, you), this might help out:

"Pooh!" rejoined Miss Pross; "you were a bachelor in your cradle."

"Well!" observed Mr. Lorry, beamingly adjusting his little wig, "that seems probable, too."

"And you were cut out for a bachelor," pursued Miss Pross, "before you were put in your cradle."

It is a rare joy when a brief acquaintance makes such a shrewd observation. (Not that I wear wigs or anything.)

See? See? Now it's past eight, all because I had to go look that damned quote up. I can't wait until I have time to kill once again.