A few years ago, a student at my school was the victim of a devastating house fire. Upon learning that the student, an avid reader, lost her bookshelf of favorite titles, teachers combed their personal libraries and local bookstores in hopes of surprising the teen with a replenished bookshelf. The cause of the fire was old, faulty wiring—the only blame
Read more2021 NOTE: When I wrote this, I had no idea (obviously) what would be happening a few years later. I can barely remember the specific issues, candidates, and conversations that spurred this post. It is just that we should be grateful, not only to those with whose views we may agree, but also to those who have expressed more superficial
Read moreNote: I wrote this in 2012, and I predicted that within ten years, the traditional college freshman-style research paper would change dramatically. I’ve taught college courses this year (2020), and yes, they have changed quite a bit. Citation styles are very different, expectations and paper types are different–change is in the air. When was the last time you curled up
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Define “reality.” Feel free to google it, and look through all the great philosophers and psychologists that Wikipedia so conveniently turns into sound bytes. I’m curious what they say, because I can’t neatly tie up in a tidy bow and point to it as a discrete package. That’s because I read. I don’t remember learning to read; I remember sitting
Read moreI started this month with the best of intentions: everyday, write a poem and post it on facebook. A worthy goal, and the type of challenge I normally relish. Crash and burn this time. Publicly. This is my response to the questions about where the “Roses are red, violets are blue” has disappeared to. The last year–fourteen months, if I’m
Read moreWhy do I write? Or, more precisely, why do I careen my thoughts across cyberspace (albeit, irregularly)? I’ve been pondering that lately, although I should admit that mulling over meaningless quasi-philosophic questions is one of my most effective ways to procrastinate from grading. A while back, I decided my blogging and other forms of inflicting my ramblings on people was
Read moreI’ve made an odd discovery. Every time I talk to a savant I feel quite sure that happiness is no longer a possibility. Yet when I talk with my gardener, I’m convinced of the opposite. ~Bertrand Russell This is a picture of my Christmas cactus, blooms bursting open on every stem. I’m always confused, then curious, then thrilled when I
Read more“Make a joyful noise unto the Lord all ye land/ Serve the Lord with gladness; come into His presence with singing../Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise/ Be thankful unto him and bless His name.” Psalm 100: 1-2,4 Every once in a while, I need reminded that music is fun. I get all tangled in questions of
Read more“If this isn’t good, what is?” Kurt Vonnegut It’s 9 am, and I’m sitting in a lobby at the Ohio Northern University Chapel. My daughter Bethany and three other Lima Senior students are in the chapel, practicing music as part of the ONU honors choir, and the guest artist is the woman who played Ariel on Broadway’s version of The
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The Wave Returns 