25 February 2004 - 6:38 p.m.

All Things Considered featured an interesting commentary on Ash Wednesday this afternoon, by Lauren Winner, noting the difference between a quiet "lifestyle evangelism" and the more uncomfortable direct testimony of ashes on one's forehead, cataloging the responses she received as a teacher at Columbia (one student asking where to go to church, one student instantly branding her as a mindless Christian, and a third bursting into tears and telling her about her parents' divorce).

Bill Sinkford (president of the Unitarian Universalist Association) and John Scalzi decry Bush's support of an anti-gay marriage constitutional amendment (not a surprise in either case, but still cheering-up to read).

A couple of weeks ago, a music director told me that, when a local church blacked out the word "Episcopal" on their sign (in objection to the consecration of Bishop Robinson), he'd entertained the notion of applying rainbow stickers across the black band - and then found out the next day that someone had beaten him to it. I wish that had made it into the papers.

Yesterday's dinner date got postponed, so I ended up putting in some hours at the accounting computer, and then reviewing 22 internship applications over Acorn leftovers. And then researching markets/preparing submissions - I'm thinking of making it a Tuesday trend. (I.e. if I designate a single night each week for it, perhaps that will quell the sense that I'm spending both too much and too little time in that corner of Maison Mechaieh.) (Too much in that it siphons time and energy away from more profitable projects, too little in that I'm prone to sulking when everyone else is placing their work...)

In the meantime: still hunting for a local source of chicory-flavored coffee (the market that used to stock Cafe du Monde didn't have it today). Started a new story. Sent a revised budget to the Finance Committee. Putting spinach on the stove in a moment. And so forth.

One year ago: ". . .so what if it isn't love yet?"