Chili's, sushi, and "love" in the English department

Last year Anna said there was no love in our English department at Northeastern. I vowed that the next place I settled (as close as I ever get to "settled") would have love. With, like, people and everything.
Alors, c'est vrai.
Next weekend is Fun with Sushi. mmmmmmmm Raw FISH.
I suppose I should start in on my reading. Derrida is kicking my absent/present ass. If writing's goal is to make us absent enough to ourselves so that we can represent ourselves, then....something about the internet and the "presence" indicated by avatars, "instant" messaging, and the less present world of cyberspace text goes here. Can we say internet writing is different (differAnt?) simply because it purports to be less present (space) and more present (time)? Or does that not matter because writing in books or on paper is equally ephemeral: it can be burned, or lost or fade?
Is all self representation a type of absence? And aren't we always representing ourselves? (A self? A "selph," as Burke would say?) So even when I go out to Chili's with my friends, am I not absent to myself? Perhaps that's what we like. Too much presence is a bad thing. Madeline L'Engle wrote that most humans can't handle too much reality. Real reality would fry us.
Fry....mmmmmm eggs.

Your Hair Should Be Purple

Intense, thoughtful, and unconventional. You're always philosophizing and inspiring others with your insights.

What's Your Funky Inner Hair Color?

Cool. Now I know what to buy for next weekend.

You Are Japanese Food

Strange yet delicious. Contrary to popular belief, you're not always eaten raw.

What Kind of Food Are You?

Duh.

Your Hidden Talent

You have the natural talent of rocking the boat, thwarting the system. And while this may not seem big, it can be. It's people like you who serve as the catalysts to major cultural changes. You're just a bit behind the scenes, so no one really notices.

What's Your Hidden Talent?

Right. So this fabulous dissertation I'm going to write on rhetoric and subversive/dystopian fiction...that's going to be my contribution. Woo. Hoo.
I need to go protest something somewhere.