Eye of Newt, and Toe of Frog

Gallaudet may have dominated this blog and many, many others over the past month, but Gallaudet isn't and never has been the center point of my world. As I told friends a couple weeks ago, "When all this is over, I don't want to hear the word 'Gallaudet' again for about a year." The actual protest has ended (so far!), and my thoughts will be turning to some of the larger issues broached by the protest. So while I might still talk about deaf-related issues, I'll be focusing less and less on Gallaudet proper over the next few weeks.

While this doesn't mean I'm suddenly going to stop commenting on or analyzing the events of the last six months, it does mean I'm going to start blogging again about politics, social issues, and *gasp* my life.

Those of you who have just joined are welcome to stay. I view my blog as something of a conversation between myself and the world-- if it wasn't, I'd just keep a journal or diary privately for my own benefit, and that'd be that. So feel free to comment, to read what I have to say, and share anything you like (just be sure to link or give me credit, eh? *grin*). If you'd rather do something else with your time, that's okay too.

Today's October 31-- Halloween! For a time, I thought Halloween was something that would be out of my life, at least until I had kids of my own. I fondly recall the costumes my mother made for me when I was little, and enjoyed helping with the trick-or-treaters as I got older. But I didn't think Halloween was going to be personally something I'd enjoy on the same level again.

Wrong. Since I moved to Los Angeles, I've started a few new traditions that make this time of year interesting and exciting. One is an annual Halloween party thrown by a friend, and I've come to look forward to this bash. This year's party lived up to the anticipation. Another annual ritual is going to West Hollywood to view the Halloween festivities. I did this for the first time last year, and enjoyed myself so much I'm doing it again tonight, as soon as we finish dinner. Last year our camera was enjoying a vacation from California climes, and was hanging out in Washington, D.C. This year the camera's within reach, so if I spot anything truly outrageous tonight, I'll share what I've seen with the rest of you.

On that note, Happy Halloween! Fire burn, and cauldron bubble...
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[Housekeeping] I'd like to quickly note a couple of things as well, before I take off:

1) I know my identity is now an open secret, and it doesn't bother me, but I'd still appreciate it if commenters would refrain from using my name in the comments box. One of the main reasons I'm using a pseudonym is because I've been looking for work on and off for some time. While I don't particularly care if the Deaf-world knows who I am, I *do* care about prospective employers. The fewer people with the power to make my life joyous or miserable that know who I am, the better off I'll be.

I don't ban commenters, like certain bloggers do; I won't edit the general gist of what you have to say, ever (unless you do something extraordinarily stupid and illegal, like make a death threat). But I will edit out my real name. Just so you know...

2) I've noticed here and elsewhere on tons of other blogs that people are posting e-mail addresses-- often to allow the bloggist to contact them. While I have no problem with that here, I'm betting that just like me and everyone else, you don't want spam. Spambots and scammers have been known to troll blogs, message boards, and even comments to harvest addresses. I suggest that if you're going to post your own e-mail address, or someone else's, that you write it like this: mrsandman(at)blogger(dot)com. Another option is: mrsandman@NOSPAMyahoo.com.
This ensures I (and others can contact you using your address, but it makes it harder for a machine to collect names and addresses, and inflate your inbox in various annoying ways.