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
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Th1rt3en
Yes, the title of this book really is Th1rt3en, not Thirteen. It looks better in all-upper case as printed on the cover: TH1RT3EN. And, as you see in the image below, in case you’re missing the point, the digits 1… Read More ›
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A Message for Joni Ernst and the GOP
Written and performed by the great Bruce W. Nelson:
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“A Murder Most French” and “A Fashionably French Murder”
Just over a year ago I reviewed Mastering the Art of French Murder, the first in a new series by Colleen Cambridge. Subsequently I read the next two volumes in that series: A Murder Most French and A Fashionably French… Read More ›
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Milkweed in Dot
Barbara and I enjoyed brunch today at the brand-new Dorchester branch of Milkweed! Barbara had the “traditional home-made hash,” which came with two sunny-side-up eggs, grilled Roma tomatoes, and sourdough toast — such a generous portion that she had to… Read More ›
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Irony
Probably not so easy to parody Sondheim. (Not so hard to parody Trump and Musk — except when you’re under such a tight deadline!) Well done, this 40% of the crew!
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No need for instructions?
Usually a kit for building a model-railroad structure comes with instructions and pictures. On the other hand, the last one that I bought just came with this explanation:: Hmmm… couldn’t they have found a competent English speaker nearby? I guess… Read More ›
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Two cuddly kittens
You know, of course, that you’re supposed to say “Rabbit rabbit” on the first day of the month, but Cassie and Barnaby claim that you should say “Kitten kitten.”
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Welsh of the West End
The West End, you say? Where is that? Well, that should be easy: we all know that the West End is the portion of Boston that was “urban-renewed” (i.e. demolished) in 1958. But surely it didn’t have a significant Welsh… Read More ›
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Cassie perched precariously
Cats, of course, are notorious for having a good sense of balance. That they do, but physics can sometimes have other ideas in mind. So here’s Cassie relaxing on top of a book, which was unstably balanced on top of… Read More ›
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Gobsmacked!
As you can see in the image below, Gobsmacked! is the title of the latest book by Ben Yagoda. The subtitle, The British Invasion of American English, provides (as usual) much more information than the title itself. Of course those… Read More ›
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A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor, a.k.a. Прекрасная глупая попытка
A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor is a sequel to An Absolutely Remarkable Thing, which I reviewed last month. These books are similar but different, if you know what I mean. I very much enjoyed both of them, but I would never… Read More ›
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Barnaby and Cassandra have settled in to their new forever home very nicely.
But which one is this? The lighting was very different, which makes it hard to tell. Now Cassandra has volunteered to wear a collar, making it much easier for us to tell who’s who, especially if they aren’t side by… Read More ›
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Welcome to your forever home, Barnaby and Cassandra!
Abigail wanted a brother, so we went to the Animal Rescue League today to find a suitable rescue cat to adopt. What we found was a bonded pair of siblings who had come here all the way from Texas (escaping… Read More ›
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Abigail, supervising…
…me as she lies on the couch.
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The Social Network
Yes, I know, I was supposed to have watched this movie 15 years ago. But I didn’t do that. Better late than never — right? I’m referring, of course, to the 2010 film The Social Network, the biopic written by… Read More ›
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VE Day
A song for today from the inimitable Marsh Family:
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Via Cannuccia
After a long —long for no particular reason — hiatus, Barbara and I went back to Via Cannuccia last night for a special dinner. As we had expected, the food was exceptional. We started by sharing a delicious and very… Read More ›
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The Future of the Republican Party (as written 61 and 75 years ago)
How did the Republican party get into the condition it’s in today? And where is it headed? Let’s start by looking at what was being said in 1964 and in 1950, in a book that I was assigned to read… Read More ›
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Pronoun Trouble
“I never use pronouns,” says one Susan Sparks Smith in a Facebook post. I don’t know her, but I was sorely tempted to reply “You just did.” That’s just one example of Pronoun Trouble, the new popular linguistics book by… Read More ›
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El Barrio
We don’t get food from El Barrio often enough, considering that it’s right in the neighborhood, as the name suggests. In fact, the original branch is less than one short block away from us! Last night we wanted tacos and… Read More ›
Learning Strategies 