I dislike the ^ character in most contexts, including this one (as well as with Apple's "blocks" extension to C, where they are designed to resemble an asterisk

I dislike the ^ character in most contexts, including this one (as well as with Apple's "blocks" extension to C, where they are designed to resemble an asterisk -- but IMO, do a poor job of it). Might I suggest the % symbol? It's full-height (like # and @), close on the keyboard, and not used at the beginning of words currently.