Slacker Returns

For those not in the know, "Slacker" is Mariel's friendly nickname for me. Of course, she chose this moniker entirely at random, and for no reason in particular. I'm sure of that.

Anyway, in case you're wondering why this slacker hasn't been posting lately (OK, so you aren't), I took Monday off to see my mom, who's visiting from the East Coast. I also plan to take Wednesday off for the same reason. And, if all that weren't enough, Mariel (no slacker, she) will be off Friday AND another colleague is in the hospital. Add that all together, and you get little time for blogging, unfortunately.

Thus, I am about to undertake the ultimate slacker's adventure: Rather than find something interesting to say, I'm just going to riff off on what all my FF colleagues have already said:

Rob: Thanks for the primer on Pakistan! Now I can fool friends at cocktail parties and make them think I know what I'm talking about!

Jonathan: The phrase: Rudy is a scoundrel really requires no "but." That said, if we're going to talk about doing away with ethnic pot shots, could we also blow the whistle on those who think it's funny to call our German pope and Austrian governor Nazis? (An Austrian-American whines ...)

Mariel: These pay raises are an outrage! I think we need to write an editorial ...

Rob: I like your post on the war on science, and I've added my 2 cents in the comments field.

Rob, again: Divorce is also eco-destructive because kids have to be shuttled around from home to home. Anyway, if "for the good of the planet" can keep couples together, great, although I would have hoped that "good of the kids" would be sufficient.

Robert: OK, so this teacher is more than a little goofy. But she means well, and heck, she's more than paid for her naivete.

Earl: Good points on Taylor, although I would note this is hardly an isolated case. The media rushing to judgment? And hewing to a dubious but sensationalistic story line? Yup, that sounds about right.

Tina: Nice piece on illegal-immigrant makeover in Sunday's paper!

And finally, Bridget: We hope you're recovering well, and we'll see you back in the mix soon!

OK, time for this slacker to get back to work!