Note from the Editors...

We distinctly remember wearily posting the last SELEDA article in June, and the triumph we were awash in at having come up with such an astoundingly pious excuse for taking a two-month vacation-- the "spending time with our families" vision/thousand points of light thing. One small step for the editors, one giant, colossal step towards complete pomposity.

Ahh, but the thoughts we had harbored of angelic family gatherings…the laughter, the 'wui afer sihon ande gures's, the sounds of other people's children throwing temper tantrums… Summer 1999 was going to be the mother of all summers.

Alas, the bliss promptly ended halfway through the first week, which was exactly how long it took our loved ones to realize that, y'know, they really didn't care all that much about having us hang around so much. (Some loved ones, we were horrified to discover, don't even like us, period… which will be "Topic #1" at the next session with our designated SELEDA nefs abat.)

By mid-July the SELEDA nafqot had became so trenchant, that we editors tried to seek comfort in each other. (Need we expound on how not a pretty picture that painted… not by any stretch of the imagination.)

Well, the minutes crawled into hours, and the hours stirred into days, the days crept into weeks, and the weeks finally lagged into months. But by the time we had stopped listlessly marking off the days on our refrigerator calendars, we were exhausted and in need of a serious vacation… if, nothing else, to get in touch with out inner children …those imbeciles!

All this to say that we missed being here and are delighted to be back! For those of you who sent us 'Gid yelemSELEDAn enna ter-arra eyarefu new" condolences, we are much obliged. For the multitude who refused to be mollified by any of our cunningly orchestrated excuses, well, our Excuse Vat overfilleth, so we'd be happy to keep churning out more until we hit on the one that won't make you squint your eyes in disgust, and 'ak-entuf' on your monitors.

...

So, two months off and what have we to show for it? Well, nothing, of course, … ('cept maybe a conspicuous beer belly) but we thought we would point out a couple of baby steps we've taken regarding the state of SELEDA (soon to be known as the Greater Undemocratic Republic of SELEDA).

Hopefully, you will have taken note that the Shadowy Computer Cabal on the editorial board has been hard at work (or hardly working) at making SELEDA as aesthetically pleasing as possible. Considering that its members' real-time profession includes, but is not limited to, re-splitting and tucking to bed various atoms and whatnot, we are grateful for any attention they give this page.

It should also be pointed out that the "entirely-spazzed-out-on-one-too-many-triple-shot-cappuccino" writing crew made the occassional and feeble attempt to assist in this ye teQedese alama, but we always ended up being put abruptly back in our places by the flared nostrils and clenched jaws of the kibur Cabal. "You cyber-Taybas," they'd snort at us with revulsion. "You are not fit to vacum our keyboards!"

YameTaun mechase 'Amen' belo meqebel inji, especially when it comes to blasé SELEDA computer meqwanints, who vilify everyone on the editorial staff who is unable to pontificate on T0 Vector Microprocessors, or who has never been invited to a Theory of Virus Shell Assembly slumber party.)

[A moment, please, to lament our empty, meaningless lives.]

The point being, while we are encouraged by our readers' response on the new SELEDA look, we just want to state that it is a work-in-progress, so bear with us until we find the right melk-to-qum-neger ratio.

Also in the works, (as soon as the manQurit anQo, gorebet 'Gud!' estil meteramess that has become standard procedure at SELEDA board meetings subside) is a brand spanking new SELEDA forum where readers will be able to interact in a chewa manner. Stay tuned for details.

Finally, in order to execute a proposed SELEDA mentorship program, we ask that professional Ethiopians willing to act as mentors to the young and the restless to contact us.

As always, we extend our deepest gratitude to our September contributors, who weathered the usual paranoid prodding and friendly mekera masayet to bring you exceptional articles. Starting with this issue, we hope to have a three-part series on "Healing the Ethiopian Soul", which will examine the weighty aspects of leaving home, forgiving the past and assimilation. We hope you find it insightful.

We also hope that SELEDA can be a sounding board to as many varied points of views as possible, so we encourage our readers to participate by not only sending in reactions to articles, but also by submitting personal essays which chronicle different experiences, triumphs and failures.

Beterefe, we have tried hard not to make the September issue betray our restless summer. After all, it was also plagued by nightmares of a splinter 'zine (aptly named, what else, 'TiQur Seleda') being launched by disgruntled editors who found the absence of the word "somnorific" in past SELEDA issues to be... abominable... just abominable! So, here it is…thrice. "Egzy'r somnorific-kachiun yasayachiu!"; "Tsbai ena somnorific mechase ayge'za!" (Chigir eko new!)

Mekam Addis Amet!

The (over-somnorificified) Editors.
editors@seleda.com