Author Archives
In 2018 I semi-retired by retiring from Weston High School after my 21st year teaching mathematics there. This was also my 44th year as a teacher altogether. In 2023 I retired fully, adding in my 18 years at Harvard’s Crimson Summer Academy each summer. For 21 years I had taught at the Saturday Course in Milton, MA, and I used to serve on the board of the Dorchester Historical Society.
I read, cook, and spend a lot of time building my model railroad. For some reason I’m left with less free time than would be ideal, considering that I’m supposed to be retired, but somehow I also manage to devote time to my wife, Barbara, and to our varying number of cats (once up to six, but now sadly down to one).
Larry Davidson
ljd@larrydavidson.com
-
Good stuff cheap! The story of Jerry Ellis and Building #19
Surely, if you are of a certain age (and if you lived in Massachusetts at the right time) you remember Building 19 and Gerald Elovitz. Actually, you probably don’t remember the latter name, because he was always known under his… Read More ›
-
With Prejudice
You may or may not know that Robin Peguero is a candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in Florida’s 27th District. You may or may not know that he is also a novelist… and the author of With Prejudice…… Read More ›
-
Happy birthday (or maybe not), Messrs. Strunk and White!
When I was a teen — i.e. before I knew better — I thought highly of Strunk and White’s classic Elements of Style. It came highly recommended by the establishment, and even though I was suitably anti-establishment back in the… Read More ›
-
Why don’t Native Americans want to be called Native Americans?
Or should I have asked “Why don’t American Indians want to be called Native Americans?” Or perhaps some other formulation. Here’s the thing. As a general principle, you should call people what they want to be called. Right? But problems… Read More ›
-
Hydrangeas
The hydrangeas are busy beautifying our back yard. (These are hydrangeas, not hyacinths, right? Flowers are not my strong point, even if they do have Greek names.)
-
Dine and Die on the Danube Express
Someone recommended this book to me — I wish I could remember who. But maybe it’s just as well that I can’t. Written by one Peter King, not Agatha Christie, it was clearly inspired by Christie’s famous detective novel. But… Read More ›
-
Only the best…
-
Fireworks
Abby, Barnaby, and Cassie remind all of our neighbors (and your neighbors) that as we approach July 4th it’s not just cats that are traumatized by fireworks:
-
Christina II
I usually don’t do AI images, but I’ll make an exception this time.
-
Unabridged
You do remember Stefan Fatsis, right? Maybe from NPR, maybe from Word Freak/Scrabble. Now he has published a must-read called Unabridged. Yes, as you suspect, it’s about dictionaries. In particular, it’s about Webster’s Third New International Dictionary of the English… Read More ›
-
Speaking of Les Miz…
Speaking of Les Miz, I mentioned in that post that “This [the Boston cast] was a cast of no-name pros whose heart just wasn’t in it. They seemed to be going through the motions, alas.” Perhaps you’d like some contrasting… Read More ›
-
The Tartan Army: the day Scottish FIFA fans drank Boston dry
How long has it been since I’ve been to a Kim Wallach concert? Literally decades, as it turns out, but the YouTube algorithm decided it was time for me to listen to her newest song: “The day Scottish FIFA fans… Read More ›
-
Too much light!
Apparently the light is too bright for Cassie’s delicate eyes, so special measures are required:
-
Les Miz in Boston
Unfortunately I was just so disappointed! Les Miz is one of my three favorite musicals, and I had never seen a professional live performance of it. (I’d seen the movie, and I’d seen an excellent high-school performance.) So I had… Read More ›
-
“Belly rubs needed over here.”
“More belly rubs needed over here,” says Cassie.
-
Roses
They officially belong to the neighbors… but they like visiting us on our side of the fence.
-
Claude vs. ChatGPT
I asked ChatGPT and Claude to create a 3D image of me, both using the same prompt: Create a 3D image of me using your knowledge of my jobs and interests, based on this photo. The photo was this: Here’s… Read More ›
-
Judeo-Arabic
That title sounds a bit like an oxymoron, doesn’t it? But it isn’t. It’s a real language, spoken by some 240,000 Jews throughout the Arab world. For a quick intro, see the Wikipedia article, but I first want to make… Read More ›
-
How was last night at Tavolo different from all other nights?
Because it was the first Wednesday of the month and therefore provided the option of choosing Tavolo’s Pasta Tour! I almost went with that option, as I had never done it before and it looked tempting. But I decided (or… Read More ›
-
Signs of being an introvert
Posted by someone who doesn’t know me… but they sure have it right! Seven out of eight in my case. I don’t know the significance of the color of the numbers, but only #7 doesn’t fit for me:
Learning Strategies 