Why am I Fascinated?

Hello from Main Street, I am back in the only official town in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the place where I first moved in the late summer of 2009. It is a typical Main Street of small town Americana, and like many small towns, it has experienced the growing pains of a changing culture, theContinue reading “Why am I Fascinated?”

And So It Goes

Hello from another day of grading and coffee shops (not completely, but I will explain), It is another weekend, and for the moment it seems more like a September afternoon (though now overcast) than almost Halloween. I looked at my hometown in Iowa, and I spoke to Max up in Houghton, and both places wereContinue reading “And So It Goes”

Vertical or Horizontal? Perhaps a look at numbers might reveal something

Hello from the Campus Starbucks, Familiarity can be a double-edged sword, most certainly, but sitting back in Starbucks at the Andruss Library is a good thing. The rearrangement of the traffic flow as well as the tables makes getting some work done much more arduous, but thank goodness for a charged phone. The memories ofContinue reading “Vertical or Horizontal? Perhaps a look at numbers might reveal something”

ABD and Buslife

Hello from the soggy Cumberland Plateau, The last 36 hours or so have been a struggle to get anything done as it has rained off and on since Sunday and now pretty much non-stop for the last day and a half. I had hoped to be on my way back north by yesterday. Now IContinue reading “ABD and Buslife”

Understanding the Consequences

Hello from the bus, It’s early morning, and I am sleeping on an air mattress in a sleeping bag (well, not actually sleeping because I’ve started this blog). It is September 11th, a consequential day in American history. It is also a day, where as a gun-owning culture, we are confronted with the shooting ofContinue reading “Understanding the Consequences”

Which Direction am I going?

Hello from the Cumberland Plateau and Spencer, TN, I arrived here on Saturday night, almost a week ago, having traveled from the Quad Cities, with a stop in Fenton, Missouri, and then back through the tip Illinois and north to south through the corner of Kentucky. For the most part, the drive was good andContinue reading “Which Direction am I going?”

Truly Unexpected or Simply Avoided

Hello from the Beetle, I am waiting to meet someone, preparing to share breakfast and listen to their stories about being in a new place for their summer. Four amazing young people have traveled from Quito and Cuenca in Ecuador to spend a summer learning new skills in the restaurant, and in some ways theyContinue reading “Truly Unexpected or Simply Avoided”

The Pathology of Hostility

Hello from an afternoon break, I regularly find myself questioning how did we get here. How did we become so polarized the idea of working together is a pipe-dream, so divided that our response to disinformation or even an insurrection has become commonplace or we see such incidents of things from stalking to swatting asContinue reading “The Pathology of Hostility”

More than a Number

Hello from my living room, It is quiet and peaceful; I returned from a wonderful family Christmas, back in Iowa for the holiday for the first time in a decade. Currently, the music is off; the fireplace is burning softly; and I closed my eyes for a brief minute or two. At the moment, afterContinue reading “More than a Number”

Thankfulness in a Solitary Manner

Hello from the study on the Acre, It is about 1:30 or so on a Thanksgiving afternoon here in Pennsylvania. It is not like other Thanksgivings I have experienced, at least for the most part. Then again, it is not the first time I have spent one alone. That is simply how life works whenContinue reading “Thankfulness in a Solitary Manner”