Yeah, it’s been a while.  I’ve finally dug my way out from under the end of the semester mess and after exams tomorrow I’ll be a free man for the summer (at least until I start teaching).  As I take a break from studying to remind you that I still exist, here are some of the things I’ve been remiss in writing about:

–The huge oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.  Suffice to say, it’s already a pretty epic disaster, and will only be getting worse if it isn’t contained soon.  The problem is, the leak is from a mile down under the surface.  The only silver lining is that all new offshore drilling plans have been shelved.  The next time you meet someone expounding on the virtues of “drill, baby drill!” tell them to talk to a Louisiana fisherman.

–Nearly 100 Atlantic right whales gather off of Rhode Island.  Pretty awesome.  Especially once you realize that that represents about a third of the remaining population.

-I went fishing the other day, and all literally all I caught the whole time, while kingfish, Spanish mackerel, and smooth dogfish came up all around me, was this: