A Scar that Never Fades

Good early morning, Into the post-Super Bowl, pre-Valentine’s Day, middle of the week-Winter Olympics mashup of February. It’s the 10th of February, and a day for me that remains as clearly etched into my memory as November 22, 1963, the 28th of January 1986, 911, or even March 4, 2020 (I actually noted in conversationContinue reading “A Scar that Never Fades”

A Vision for What is Possible

Hello at the beginning of another week, My appreciation for history is because of the amazing history teacher, Mr. Larry Flom. Additionally, he taught my civics class and American Government class. The importance of understanding the role of our government and how it works. He taught me both in terms of understanding and appreciating theContinue reading “A Vision for What is Possible”

Hooped Earrings and Monster Trucks

Hello from breakfast at Perkins, The beginning of the year is like an episode of the show that was on television when I was small, titled The Twilight Zone. I know that comment is anachronistic, and it reminds me of the last few years I was teaching and things I had used anecdotally earlier inContinue reading “Hooped Earrings and Monster Trucks”

Minnesota: 10,000 Lakes and More

Hello from the road, We (my sister-in-law, her husband and I) spent the night in Sandusky, OH, after a long day of driving from the Quad Cities, and on our way back to drop me off in Bloomsburg before they arrive in New Jersey. It was a busy two weeks-plus back in Iowa for theContinue reading “Minnesota: 10,000 Lakes and More”

The World Breaks Everyone

Hello as the wind howls outside my window, The winter cold front is blowing through, and while we did not get the snow, whiteouts, or ice those north of us experienced, it is down right cold, and we’ll see what the morning brings. Those even straight West or minimally North are seeing zero visibility andContinue reading “The World Breaks Everyone”

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”

At 250 . . . Once, Always

Hello from the corner table, Currently, there are a lot of words tossed around (which is not really anything new, but perhaps different ones) that get used, pushed upon the other, and taken out of context. Or sometimes, thinking about the work of Anthony Giddens, the British social theorist, they take on new meanings. PerhapsContinue reading “At 250 . . . Once, Always”

Immortality Isn’t

Hello on the traditional end of summer, Queue up your favorite Eagles tune or claim to be a “parrothead” even if all you know is “cheeseburger in paradise” or “Margaritaville,” but the last couple months have rocked (pun intended) my musical world. While other members of the Eagles had already passed, the weekend news, informingContinue reading “Immortality Isn’t”

deoch don doras

Hello from Starbucks in the Commons, We are in the throes of the end of the semester, and I am doing a boatload in individual student conferences. The days have blended together so much that earlier today I was quite sure it was Thursday instead of Wednesday. Part of my cluelessness is the craziness ofContinue reading “deoch don doras”

The Difference Between Being Important and Thinking You Are

Hello from a bit of an unpredicted appointment, Good Monday morning from Geisinger-Danville. What began as a follow up appointment has turned into much more. I am continually amazed by the complexity of the human body, but even more so by how many of those intricacies we take for granted. I have learned a greatContinue reading “The Difference Between Being Important and Thinking You Are”