Page Two: To Start, To Stop, and To Start Again

Since I went into the hospital after Thanksgiving, this column has puttered along in fits of starting and then disappearing, then starting again. This doesn't reflect my health as much as it reflects circumstances, consequences, and other factors. Among those is that after a spell of not getting much mail for "Postmarks," the Chronicle has been receiving a lot. We always want to encourage feedback from our readers, so we've been printing much of it.

When you read this, the Texas Film Hall of Fame Awards, South by Southwest, and SXSWedu will be less than two weeks away. We are in the midst of SXSW hurricane season. One of the revelations of my going down so deep before springing back up to break the surface was that defending SXSW was as much a waste of time as trying to define it. The vastness of its scope and the enormity of its successes argue too eloquently for me to be able to add anything.

Thus a short column this time to say, "Let's all brace for the craziness ahead." I'm back at training camp and will soon being doing this column full-time again. Enjoy, engage, debate, and participate; the day is yours!