Disregard the false start (below; don't disregard the picture, though, it's still good.) Soon after the first post I got hit by a serious health incident (sciatica; pain; spine surgery etc.) and it took me a while to recover to the point where I have time to blog. In the meantime Aster decided to finalize her break with "Libertarianism" and to terminate her mailing list, which had gotten filled with that unfortunate mix of crackpots and poseurs that is "Libertarianism's" inevitable consequence. I am teaching at the University (where I work) this summer quarter, and attending the Ayn Rand Institute's OCON this week - and getting ready to blog my reactions to OCON, a recent foreign trip, new Romantic music and whatever else might come my way.