Archive for November 2023

I have a flip chart of feelings on my desk at school. Each day, sometimes during the day, I flip it to a feeling that represents my current mood. It’s designed to do two things: Teach my students new vocabulary. Make my students aware of how I’m feeling so that they can adjust accordingly. That…

Another reason to have children. You get to do stuff like this…. if you name them right.

I was talking to a younger friend about his new girlfriend, including how they met. He laughed and said, “On the apps,” as if I had asked the most ridiculous question possible. So I asked him if he’d ever met someone – a stranger in the real world – who he dated or might want…

Elysha and I were out to dinner with friends. Clara and Charlie were home alone. In the middle of dinner, I received a text message from Charlie and a photo. The message alerted me to the score in the Celtics-Raptors game. The photo was of the television. The Celtics had switched back to the traditional…

During a lesson on the three branches of government, a student asked if a person could sue the President. “Actually,” I said somewhat sheepishly. “I was the member of a lawsuit against the President back in 2017 for violating my First Amendment rights after he blocked me from his social media accounts, and in 2020,…

Last Sunday, I posted an amusing anecdote on my blog and social media. At least, I thought it was an amusing anecdote. Instead, a whole bunch of readers disagreed with my thoughts and actions, as described in the post. The context isn’t important, but suffice it to say: I noticed and said something to a…

A day late, but file this away for next year: My friend, Kathy Binder, has an outstanding means of avoiding political arguments or similar kerfuffles at Thanksgiving: Invite friends. Non-family members. It’s certainly not a guarantee that there will be no arguments, but when non-family members are present, your stupid uncle, know-it-all nephew, and angry…

In honor of Thanksgiving, I offer a gift for all of you who look forward to football just as much as you do the turkey, and probably more. If you are a serious football fan, this is a must-read essay by the sometimes annoying but more often brilliant Chuck Klosterman. It comes from his book,…

Thanksgiving 1981 My family is spending Thanksgiving at my grandparents’ home. I’m 11 years old. After dinner, I try to sit at the adult table and engage in conversation. I’m quickly shooed away. Instead, I grab paper and begin writing political cartoons about the challenges of Reaganonmics, the need to save the whales, and the…

I’m playing golf with a friend. He has two birdies, a handful of pars, and one bogie through six holes. He’s a very good golfer, but this might be the best round of his life. He can’t seem to miss. On the seventh hole, from an elevated tee box, he hits the ball and pulls…