Illustration by Josh Hagler

Three days to go until Dead Day, and the feeling is universal. This semester flew by faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Sorry, that's Superman I've begun to speak of, but the semester has flown by in just such a way. I'd like to pause and allude to Zack Armstrong for a moment by looking toward pop culture for insight.

During a semester of high stress and anxiety, the WB chose its timing perfectly by bringing Superman back into our living rooms once again. It had been over four years since "Lois and Clark" last aired on ABC, and it was high time the superhero graces us with his presence again. Everyone should pause for an hour at 8 p.m. on Tuesdays to completely forget about the world and its real problems. Smallville is much easier to deal with.

Three days to go until Dead Day, and it's time to reflect on the insane semester that just passed. It began like any other semester. For the second time, I would be writing twice a week, sometimes more, for the Daily Wildcat. Having learned some lessons the first time around, I vowed to avoid the calamity that can be involved when one writes about any subject matter concerning ASUA. Smart move, believe you me.

But even avoiding those hot topics, I was still able to cause some controversy on campus. I continue to be impressed with the College Republicans and their consistent dedication to the thorough reading and quick responses to my columns. Bravo.

Three days to go until Dead Day - bring out the caffeine. There were two columns this year I was most proud of. One came a week after the attacks and spoke of the anti-Arab-American sentiments that had quickly arisen. Most of the feedback was good, and the negative feedback did exactly what I was hoping it would, - unveil the hatred within our community.

The second column came more recently, when I covered the racist Halloween fraternity parties held at Auburn. Interestingly, the greek community our campus felt compelled to respond. There has yet to be an excuse or an apology to come from Greek Life for their behavior on at the UA, but feeling the need to compensate for the actions of their brothers in Alabama, they demonstrated a willingness to begin the first steps towards positive change. And that's important.

There are regrets, of course. I called PJ O'Rourke, the political satirist, an ass in an issue of the week, thereby lowering myself to his level, in a sense. I should have used more creative, figurative language to explain why his racism is wrong. I also blew it in my column on Fred Ronstadt's record the day before Election Day. I focused the column on the gun issue, which I felt was the main reason to vote against him, but I could have reached a much broader audience had I talked about growth, women's issues or health in general. Talk about spilled milk.

Three days to go until Dead Day - the panic has begun to set in. Often people ask how I continue to write after I've been slammed in the letters to the editor. I had a particularly good run three weeks ago when I was tortured repeatedly in the letters with such insults as "commie" and "pacifist." Dealing with these is easy. I'm secretly flattered. I also try to remind myself that the letters that get published are often more controversial than my opinions. For the most part, the nice ones get forwarded to me by my editor when he feels sorry for me after a good College Republican feeding frenzy on my literary carcass.

In fact, sometimes it's these very letters that give me the gumption to go further, the bravery to try out a new and even more controversial topic, because it's fun to watch them get so mad.

And there's more to write. Just wait.

Three Days to go until Dead Day, and good luck! To all Wildcats, and Wildcats at heart: Merry Christmas, Feliz Navidad, Happy Chanukah, Ramadan, Kwanzaa, and any other holidays I've inadvertently missed. And thanks so much for reading.