“Why do we have to have a Black History Month?” whined one of my less favorite Weston students in February of 2016. “Why don’t we have a White History Month?” “Because,” I replied without taking time to think, “every month… Read More ›
Dorchester/Boston
Avoid a risk in eleven languages!
Look at the image below. How many of these eleven languages can you identify? No fair asking Dr. Google! And I don’t think we can count English, since if you’re reading this blog you obviously can identify English. So how… Read More ›
Restaurants need more business on Tuesdays. So we had to go eat at Tavolo last night.
Restaurants need more business on Tuesdays. So we had to go eat at Tavolo last night. I know, it was quite a sacrifice, but somebody had to do it. Barbara had a margherita pizza with a side of house meatballs… Read More ›
Vincent and William
Keeping a watchful eye out for intruders, Vincent guards his brother William as he sleeps:
Dana Bullister for City Council!
Normally I don’t endorse political candidates in this blog. But normally my former students don’t run for office! In fact, as far as I know, this is only the 2½th time. Please correct me if I am wrong. Why the… Read More ›
Brasserie: An old but new restaurant in the South End
It rises again like the phoenix! As you know, the sad fact is that many restaurants have been forced to close permanently during the pandemic. But we were delighted to learn that one of our favorites, Gaslight Brasserie du Coin,… Read More ›
“Can data solve our wicked problems?”
That’s a direct quote from an audience member in yesterday’s online program at the Leventhal Center: “Can data solve our wicked problems?” The program, titled “Matt Bui on how communities use & refuse data about themselves,” was part of the… Read More ›
A typical house in Dot?
Spotted on my walk yesterday afternoon—a longer walk than usual because the weather was so perfect—was this beautiful house. Is it really typical for Dorchester? Well, you be the judge.
Boston in Transit (the book this time)
Five weeks ago I wrote about a BPL talk on “Boston in Transit,” i.e. the history of public transit in Boston. Now I’ve been reading the accompanying book, with the same title. What a gorgeous book it turns out to… Read More ›
A cheery song about the MBTA! (Red, blue, orange, and green)
Okay, so the lyrics aren’t perfect. That’s all right; don’t quibble. Just remember: always look on the bright side of life. No, wait, that’s John Cleese. Oh, well. Here’s the MBTA song:
Tavolo
Scrumptious dinner last night out on the patio at Tavolo! Barbara started with chef’s burrata with arugula, melon, prosciutto, vincotto, and black pepper; my starter was frico (pan-fried grana Padang, potatoes, baby arugula, pickled red onions, with balsamic reduction). Unfortunately,… Read More ›
The Mattapan-Ashmont “High Speed” Line in 360°
When I first moved to Boston, the Red Line went from Harvard to Ashmont (red because it’s close to crimson). Then the northern portion was extended from Harvard to Alewife. It was supposed to go to Arlington and Lexington, but… Read More ›
A new unit of distance?
No, this sign isn’t at a Starbucks:
An outstanding dinner from Tavolo
Barbara and I had an outstanding dinner tonight from Tavolo, with lots of leftovers: chef’s burrata with basil pesto, prosciutto, grape tomatoes, parmesan & parsley crumb, and vincotto; seafood fregola with shrimp, mussels, tomato broth, and garlic butter; confit duck… Read More ›
Boston in Transit
Boston’s rich history of public transit deserves your attention if you live in, work in, or have visited The Hub. That’s short for “Hub of the Universe,” in case you missed the memo. Boston is nothing if not proud of… Read More ›
Pi(e) day: not actually a national holiday!
OK, I tried to release this at precisely 3/14 1:59:26.535897932384. How well did I do? But why would the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) lie to us about Pi Day? This is just too distressing for words: Declared a… Read More ›
At least somebody appreciates teachers!
For the last few months it has seemed that nobody in Massachusetts appreciates teachers (I’m talking to you in particular, Governor Baker). But then I spotted this sign on someone’s front lawn during my walk today. It is on Msgr…. Read More ›
Ashmont Grill yet again
Last night it was once again time for Barbara and me to enjoy takeout from our favorite local restaurant, the Ashmont Grill! Of course takeout is not the same—either gastronomically or socially—as dining in, and it’s not warm enough yet… Read More ›
Just Thai… but what more do you need?
Tonight’s yummy takeout from Just Thai: JTK wings, gyoza, teriyaki beef, pork with garlic and oyster sauce.
Repairing Boston’s electoral process
We continue on from yesterday’s post talking about some good advice from Bill Walczak… That one was about how to repair the police (repairing instead of “defunding”); this one is about how to repair the election process in Boston, which suffers… Read More ›
Learning Strategies 