Archive for 2012
Father and son in Shakespeare
The idea that reverting to the original pronunciation of Shakespeare’s day has brought new meaning to his work is fascinating, but the most interesting aspects of this video for me was the relationship between this father and son. They have chosen to pursue an identical line of work and seem remarkably simpatico as a result.…
Read MoreNot a fan of Santa Claus
Clara spent most of the evening demanding that I play a game called Christmas, in which I would be Santa Claus and she would be a kid. Unfortunately, I was eating dinner at the time so the game never happened, but she had elaborate plans that included such things as, “You go upstairs, Daddy. There’s…
Read MoreDicks could have spared humiliation had they been born in Denmark
In Denmark, choosing both the first and last name for a child is serious business, requiring the approval of the Ministry of Ecclesiastical Affairs and the Ministry of Family and Consumer Affairs. The Law on Personal Name is designed to protect the a child from a name that is embarrassing or could cause him or…
Read MoreJoy and cheer indeed!
Weaponized brownies
My sister and I are back in business. After a lengthy hiatus, Kelli has begun writing again for our brother-sister blog, 107 Federal Street, and I am once again responding to her posts. All it took was the gift of a used laptop. It turns out that my sister is much more willing to write…
Read MoreAwkward questions about sex, underwear, my mental health and my tax return.
At all of my book talks, I offer a prize for the most unique or challenging question of the evening. This began after a woman asked me about the role my ex-girlfriends play in my fiction. When I asked her why she asked the question, she replied, “You look like the kind of guy with…
Read MoreSo much for skipping…
While attending the Brattleboro Literary Festival last October, I was reintroduced to the joys of skipping. My wife was less than supportive about my newfound joy, but I heard from at handful of readers who had taken my advice and tried skipping again after many years of non-skipping. All reported it to be an unexpectedly…
Read MoreNew Year’s resolution failure
A reader was kind enough to point out that I have not posted the progress made on my New Year’s resolutions since October. While these last two months have been some of the busiest of my life, this is no excuse, especially since the posting of these results is an actual resolution on my list…
Read MoreSpidermen everywhere
I read last week that scientists are currently working on a substance that would give people the Spiderman-like ability of walking up walls and ceilings. This is going to be amazing. It’s also going to create enormous problems in terms of classroom management.
Read MoreJudgmental wrapping jerkface
I do not wrap gifts well. Part of my problem relates to a lack of skill, but I also don’t value the wrapping of gifts all that much and designate time accordingly. Growing up, most gifts in my home were wrapped in newspaper, and if we were lucky, the color version of the Sunday comics.…
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