I’m at Barnes & Noble with my lovelily pregnant wife, enjoying a cool java on a scorching day. Did you know that you cannot use a Starbux gift card at the Starbuxes (Starbuces?) within B&N? There’s something paradoxical about that–is it really a Starbux if you can only use B&N gift cards?

Ψυχη is Greek for 'soul'--and for 'butterfly'

On our way here, I was stopped at a light and saw a beautiful monarch butterfly on the pavement in front of me. I don’t know what was wrong with it–perhaps it was the heat, or it had been hit by a car, or it had just emerged from its chrysalis–but it could not quite get off the ground no matter how hard it fluttered. Up and down, a few inches high, a few inches forward–I only saw its orange and black wings for ten seconds, but it was quite compelling for some reason. I swerved slightly to avoid it, but I can’t imagine it survived much longer under the onslaught of vehicles that followed.

Such an inspiring and saddening considered making a foray into poetry or songwriting. Then I remembered how fruitful my last few attempts at poetry have been, and decided against it. So, for all you singer-songwriters out there, here’s a metaphor for…something.

On Fred’s recommendation I purchased and began reading Writing Your Dissertation in Fifteen Minutes a Day. This book has been an incredible comfort to me; Joan Bolker knows and understands the highs, lows, emotions, distractions and fears of the doctoral student. As a professional writing consultant, she advises doctoral students at Harvard, Brandeis and several other schools in the Boston area. This very practical book is a wonderful companion that will always been within easy reach of my desk for those debilitating cases of writer’s block.

On that note, it’s back to the dissertation…