The weekend was a blur of cold medicine and work. Despite the stuffy head and medicine fogged brain, I was able to get quite a bit done.

Work is again spiraling out of control. It always does before calendar. I�m facing another three weeks of 12 hour days and no weekends. But, there�s nothing to be done for it. I�ll deal. But be prepared for some work-related rants. I�ll deal with it, but I don�t have to be happy about it.

Tonight I�m not working late, however, because I told my �mentee,� Angela, that I�d go see her induction ceremony for the National Junior Honors Society. I was touched that she�d ask me. And see? I�ve only been her mentor for a few months, and already she�s in the National Juniors Honors Society. Damn. I must be good.

The interview last week went well. Very well. The job is exactly what I want. I sent my writing sample yesterday, along with some additional references. The next step would be an interview with Mr. Head Honcho.

Now it�s just wait and see. I hate waiting and seeing. I�m not very good at it. I�m rather impatient, if truth be told.

I think they should just call me already and tell me I have the job. I�m perfect for it. And Mr. Head Honcho is sure to love me. So let�s just dispense with all these useless formalities and hire me. Now.

Bleh. Must wait and see. Double bleh.

* * *

Apparently, the disturbing irony of the administration�s �just trust us� argument before the Supreme Court just hours before the Abu Ghraib scandal broke hasn�t escaped everyone�s notice. It sure didn�t escape mine. You can read my diatribe here.

* * *

It does not surprise me at all that the roots of the Abu Ghraib prison scandal may lead back to Rumsfeld and his approval of a secret intelligence program operating outside of the usual chain of command. I�m all for punishing the idiots that we see smiling in those pictures, but if responsibility for the prisoner abuses leads to the top I sure as hell want to know that. Somehow, I don�t see Cambone, or Rumsfeld, or Bush, growing some cojones any time soon and actually stepping up to the plate and taking some personal responsibility.

And apparently barbarism goes hand in hand with idiocy. Because in addition to documenting their torture of prisoners with color photographs, they also directed their abusive techniques toward news reporters. No, that wasn�t going to hit the wires. Asscracks.

* * *

Yesterday marked a great day for civil liberties and the fundamental notion of equal protection. On the 50th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, the ground-breaking case for desegregation, same sex couples were finally able to wed in Massachusetts.

Undoubtedly, the work of Brown is not complete. I have no illusion that we are a color-blind society. But I certainly think that we have made great strides toward that goal. And Brown is largely responsible for that. It marked the beginning. And 50 years later, it�s no small thing to be able to say that, although more needs to be done, progress has been made.

Similarly, the same-sex marriages finally given legal recognition in Massachusetts mark a beginning. Bush�s renewed call for a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage clearly underscores the fact that the debate will continue for some time. So, although a victory for gay rights and equal protection, today�s marriages are a starting point for continued discussion, debate, and political activity. But, like the Brown decision 50 years ago, it�s no small thing to be able to say that, although more needs to be done, the topic has finally been thrown to the forefront of public discourse and that progress has been made.

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GRACIAS go out to measi, rs536-2000, and argolam for adding me to their favorites list. An additional GRACIAS goes out to argolam for teaching me a couple of cool curses in Hebrew. I will definitely be practicing those. You never know when you�ll have to tell someone �screw you� in Hebrew. I�m sure it�s a handy thing to be able to do.

Listening To: NPR News
Reading: boring legal crap
Feeling: bleh