Continuing with the gaming theme that played a major role in Player by Proxy, Ready Player One, and The Chalk Artist, now we need to talk about Felicia Day’s amusing and engaging memoir, You’re Never Weird on the Internet (Almost). As you know… Read More ›
Life
Bach’s Big Birthday Bash
I’d like to give a well-deserved shout-out to my students Laura and Thea for their excellent performance at yesterday’s Boston Bach Birthday Bash celebrating J.S. Bach’s 333rd birthday! Yes, it’s a few days early for Bach’s actual birthday, but that’s… Read More ›
Retiring
I am retiring in four months. To paraphrase a colleague whom I have never met, “I will be retiring from Weston, not from education.” After 21 years at Weston — and 44 years altogether in teaching — it’s time. I told… Read More ›
DreamLand Wax Museum
Sometimes a Groupon just leaps out at you and demands to be purchased. It’s a bah-gain, after all, so how could you resist? That’s how Barbara and I ended up visiting Boston’s DreamLand Wax Museum as part of our staycation this week…. Read More ›
Still Life
What a beautiful collection of locally grown early-Autumn produce provided by one of my colleagues (looks like a still life, doesn’t it?)
“Why are more American teenagers than ever suffering from anxiety?”
The cover article in the New York Times Magazine from 10/15 (yes, I’m just now catching up) asks, “Why are more American teenagers than ever suffering from severe anxiety?” The author, Benoit Denizen-Lewis, continues with this observation: “Parents, therapists and schools are… Read More ›
The War Room
How I miss Bill Clinton! Yes, he certainly wasn’t a perfect president — and yes, he wasn’t Obama — but… [You can finish the rest of the sentence yourself.] The War Room is a documentary about Bill Clinton’s successful 1992 campaign… Read More ›
Morning glories
I do love our purple morning glories!
Hillbilly Elegy
What an irritating book! Even if you haven’t read Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance, you’ve probably at least heard of it, as it made quite a splash when it came out last year and stayed on the best-seller list for weeks… Read More ›
Snow Crash
The time came to re-read Snow Crash. I had first read Neal Stephenson’s seminal science fiction novel when it came out in 1992, and then again at the end of the millennium, which seemed appropriate. Now, to celebrate its 25th… Read More ›
Mansplaining
I have to share this cartoon (by Arnold Zwicky), but I’m not going to explain it:
Kids today
“What’s the matter with kids today? Why can’t they be like we were, perfect in every way?” OK, that’s satire. But I’ve heard plenty of teachers say, in all seriousness, “Why don’t students read instructions anymore?” Or, in a tone… Read More ›
William makes it clear.
William makes it clear whose iPad this is.
The long hiatus is over.
Resuming my blog after a hiatus of too many months — eight, in fact! — so, stay tuned!
Bullying Three Ways
I originally started drafting this post well before last night’s presidential debate and the follow-up by Van Jones, but these events have slightly rearranged what I need to say. This thread actually started on September 27 with four talks (to different… Read More ›
School Daze
Being forced out of one’s comfort zone is a good thing, right? So they say. But I’m not so sure. I just watched School Daze, a 1988 pseudo-comedy written, directed, and produced by Spike Lee, who also played one of the lead roles. It’s primarily about… Read More ›
A multi-calendar from a century ago
Wow! Look closely at this amazing image. What is it? Clearly [???] it’s an Ottoman calendar from a century ago. Fortunately, it has been annotated for our viewing pleasure. It shows the then current date — apparently April 20, 1911 —… Read More ›
Henrietta’s Table…and a mysterious sign
Excellent dinner last night with Barbara, Ellen, Aviva, and Jake at Henrietta’s Table: I had smoked pastrami salmon, duck, broccoli, strawberry cream pie… Of course I had them remove the calories first. Haven’t had duck in months, so it was… Read More ›