Archive for June 2021

Yesterday Charlie and I found ourselves driving behind a car with a message in the rear window that read, “Unmask our kids.” Before I could say a word, Charlie – who is still unvaccinated because of his age – said, “Yeah, I’d like to be unmasked, too. But I listen to doctors and scientists and…

It’s been mentioned on a couple podcasts recently that folks from Massachusetts – and specifically the Boston area – possess a certain degree of edginess and readiness to fight. Perhaps an undercurrent of impatience and even rage. “Maybe,” I thought after listening to these podcasts, “I’m not as confrontational as I thought. Maybe I’m just…

A few years ago, students, along with the help of a handy parent, built a set of foot stocks for our production of King Lear, complete with latch and padlock. In the play, the Earl of Kent, disguised as a lowly messenger, is placed outside the Earl of Gloucester’s castle by Reagan and her husband,…

Remember when these morons and many more like them entered the Michigan state house last May, carrying guns in an attempt to intimidate legislators into lifting lockdown restrictions? They look so proud of themselves. Don’t they? Just imagine how fragile your ego and infantile your logic must be to think this is a good idea.…

Back in March, I had 50 photos of myself printed. I brought them to school. My plan was to offer autographed photos of myself to my students, saying things like, “Given how much you adore me and how famous I am, an autographed photo of me is just about the best gift you could ever…

Great news. Support for same-sex marriage in the United States has reached an all-time high of 70%, according to a poll released by Gallup last week. The percentage — the highest since the organization began recording the trend in 1996 — marks a 10% increase since 2015, the same year the U.S. Supreme Court ruled…

United States bishops have approved a “teaching document” that may rebuke President Biden and other Catholic politicians who support abortion rights. The rebuke may deny Biden communion. For the record: President Biden is personally opposed to abortion but does not believe that he should impose that personal belief on others. In response to the Catholic…

I have a friend who has been playing golf for about five years. In that time, he has scored three holes-in-one. Not through blind luck, either. He’s already an excellent golfer. Only one of my many other golfing friends has a hole-in-one as far as I know, and he played golf in college. I had…

On Friday night, a friend said, “Congratulations. You survived your school year. Did you hold up okay?” “It was one of the best years of my teaching career,” I replied. At first he looked surprised. Then he assumed that I was expressing pride in being able to help others during this perilous time. He thought…

Early morning. The boy is under the blanket, building worlds in Minecraft. The cat is hanging out with his buddy. I continue to be astounded by how affectionate, dependent, and attached two entirely different species – incapable of any meaningful communication – can be with each other. Somehow we can live in harmony and love…