I am nuts. Certifiable. At least I admit it. I have boxes full of pens, stacks of notebooks, and enough books to erect a wall around my neighborhood Wal-Mart. This entry isn’t really about my proclivity (obsession) for pens, notebooks, and clacking keyboards. (actually I prefer drafting with pen on paper — with just the ...
I was waiting in the (long) cashout line in Barnes & Noble today when who with her beautiful face should appear?? Kate Middleton, all sunny and gorgeous gracing the cover of the latest People. Here comes the next Princess Diana, or rather, she is already here! As I stared at her picture with admiration (envy?) ...
Now THERE’S a title for you! I’m almost out of breath. Okay, so where’ my inhaler? Nothing a little puff can’t handle. Most seriously now, I’ve been feeling a little lonely of late. Actually, for the last year or so, and I don’t mean as in the warm-body-next-to-me kind of lonely. This is a spirit ...
It started out as a day encased in the freezer compartment of a Frigidaire. But by the end of my teaching-day, the sun was out and we were into a blistering 30 degrees. While driving on the campus, I saw something I haven’t seen in a very long time. I saw two young women skipping! ...
I went to a meeting the other day to discuss a brand new course which I, among about 25 others, was given the golden opportunity to teach in its first iteration. Frankly, I was honored and thrilled to be selected, and I think that generally, it is an excellent program. However, within the first 5 ...
Seabiscuit was one (terrific) thing, Unbroken is another. In one inconceivable episode after another, the hero of this story, Louis Zamperini, conquered the literally unconquerable in his quest to survive the perils of war in the South Pacific during the second of the great world wars. If this had been a novel, I would have ...
Sister Mary Joseph was relentless when I was in second grade and learning the art of penmanship. Above the blackboard in the front of the room were 26 placards, each with a single letter in cursive — both upper and lower case. The letters on those cards were perfect. The letters on my paper were ...
Granted, the space is small, and the characters limited to just 140. But let’s go for the ultimate challenge – forget the abbreviations and truncations, and go for the gusto instead! Craft your writing correctly within the confines of 140 characters; let it float in the air like sea foam in the breeze. Okay, okay, ...
Think about it. The essay is everywhere! I suppose it never went totally away, but today it is certainly ubiquitous! And as a quintessential English professor, I can barely contain my excitement. (I’ll try, watching this English teacher do cartwheels down the hall would not be a pretty thing). Take this entry right here. This ...