I don't have anything eloquent to say, just, Best of luck, Cary, and we're rooting for you. Thank you for all you've done and all the inspiration you've provided, and please take the best of care of yourself.

Not quite. Blacks have issues, but they're not invariably the worst offenders. I have had a couple of black people (including hairdressers, but I blame them less because my hair is hard work) tell me "Wow, you need a perm/Please let me texturize this" etc. But by far the most ridiculous conversation I ever had was with a white male coworker, who, wanting to know why I hadn't blown my hair pin straight that day, led me on a far-too-long back and forth about why I wasn't wearing my hair the way I had been in a picture of a special occasion that he'd seen. Over and over I pointed out that long hair worn down caught on my clothes and broke off, and that I was trying to grow it, and this is what my natural hair does, on its own, without help from me. Finally, I said "Look, I'm embracing my African roots" (with a big smile, by the way, making an obvious roots/hair roots pun) and got pissily accused of playing the "race card." So... yeah.

(I do agree, though, that in many cases, non-blacks can't tell the difference and won't care, at least not consciously. They'r going to treat you how they're going to treat you, regardless. I've gotten markedly better and more respectful treatment in certain areas from other minority groups, though, when my hair is straight and down than when it's curly and up.)

The iPhone may be lovely, but I've watched it turn several my friends from personable, polite people into zombies who will stop a dinner conversation mid-sentence and fiddle around with an app for 20 minutes at the table. I think I may have noticed a little drool.

Obviously this thing is a drug. I'm just gonna have to say no. I'm already on the Internet at 11 pm on a Sunday -- I gotta know my limits at SOME point.

Where were the liberals angrily denouncing black and Latino voters opposed to gay marriage?

You weren't paying attention at ALL, were you?

I respect your right to your opinion and aesthetics, and appreciate your support, however please to not be telling black women what to do with their hair. It is not about what you like.

It is not better to REQUIRE natural hair from black women than to REQUIRE straight hair.

Sorry! Sorry! This:

"This is the society we live in -- it's not your own PERSONAL fault, and it's the the fault of the person wearing the hair either."

should read like THIS:

"This is the society we live in -- it's not your own PERSONAL fault, and it's not the fault of the person wearing the hair either. "

This is a sign I need to quit multitasking and head off into the sunset.