Tomorrow is Dirty Face Day.

...or Ash Wednesday, as some people call it.

A small minority of students at UGA are of ash-receiving kind, and so many students give me strange looks when I get ashes before classes.

Often students will try to be helpful and rub off the ash from my forehead. "Nooooooo!" I'll cry, and try to duck before they can rub off the holy ash. For the determined ones, I literally have to knock their hand away.

Several years ago I was in a graphic design lecture, and a girl from across the room noticed my ashes. As I was there, talking about the great designer Saul Bass, her eyes got big as an elated look came over her face. She rushed over to me and excitedly exclaimed, "You're Catholic too!" That's how few of us there are here. (Latinos have a similar reaction when we see each other on campus, but that's a different story.)

So if you see me on campus, please try to remember that I'm not dirty -- I'm holy, and I swat.