I have returned!

My self-imposed exile from (most of) the Internet is over.

I've learned some valuable lessons, and made what are hopefully going to be some life-changing decisions. But more on those later.

For now: I'm only actively reading my friends page from today. Anything posted before midnight last night - I'm not gonna see it unless you point me there. So: if there are any posts from the last week that you think I need (or will want) to see, or that you want me to see, comment here.

What I've learned

The Internet makes me less productive. No, I know, this should be a no-brainer, but I was seriously spending way too much time on the WWW, chat rooms, etc. So I'm going to be cutting back, quite a bit. Don't be surprised, in fact, if you don't see me online at all outside of the evenings.

I do, actually, like my job, although it can occasionally be profoundly irritating. (Sorry, cmerun12.)

I want to go back to school. That post last week wasn't an isolated incident; I've been having nostalgia pangs all month. So this week I did something about it.

I am going back to school. My goal is getting reinstated at Earlham, and I think I can do that; I've contacted the woman in charge of reinstatement and now have to wait for her to get back from vacation. If I can't get reinstated, I have five months to figure out where else I want to go and apply as a transfer student. No more of this nickel-and-dime bull; I'm going back as a full-time student, I'm going to work my ass off, and I'm going to stay until I've earned a degree. By hook or by crook, I will be a student again in the fall of 2005.

And... that's pretty much it for the big stuff.

...just not your banner ad space.

( Wide image behind cut )