Eschatology

Some of the year 2000 worriers seemed to me to be simply longing for The End, or at least a good catastrophe. At least then, they seemed to say to themselves, we'd know why we were so upset, why we feel unreal, like tourists in our own realities. I'm sure some of them were disappointed when disaster didn't strike...

On the other hand I felt a lot of people had put things on hold to see if there would be disasters, and when there weren't, an amazing amount of energy was released.

I know there are places where life definitely isn't good, like Iraq (U.S. sanctions having unintended genocidal consequences) and the former Yugoslavia – where they have real catastrophes underway right now. But for a fat and spoiled Norteamericana like me, whose catastrophes are largely psychic ones, it's been a good year so far, basking in all the energy released when the end *didn't* come.

MEN ARE MONKEYS ROBOTS WIN

GAMEOVER why'd you end it like this why'd you end it like this sick and tired of time moving on push and shove towards the eschaton you go around it comes back it comes back you go on what's the use when it's so close gameover why'd you start it like that why'd you start it like that infinite loop caught in a rift yr eyes are weakened at the red shift you look hard you look through you look through it so hard what's the use when its so close gameover [the twist of a head the turn of a phrase a particular particle the dying of days comes crashing down a flash of white light the message encoded between the wrong and the right what's the use when it's so close continually continuing the continuum why must it end] one of these days it will stay undone moving still moving one of these days it will all be gone better than before one of these days it will stay undone over then out one of these days it will all be done its so close

A Jeffersonian pervert, with interests ranging from legal prostitution to »how to make love,« to Moonies and DOS buyout conspiracy theory. Mr. Perkel claims to have written over 250,000 letters to periodical editors and has himself published 28 issues of Think Magazine, manifesto of the »Nerd Liberation Movement.« You can lease this eloquent and prodigious nutcase for only $250 an hour through Mr. Perkel's 'rent-a-genius' program.