The daughter introduced me to this wonderful Martin Freeman comedy. Kind of like School of Rock, but with an elementary school Christmas play. Painfully funny. The kids were so authentic.

Similar:Beautiful day for a walk.PersonalColossal Cave: The Board Game by Arthur O'DwyerThe kids and I enjoy nerdy board games. …CultureAuditioning in Pittsbugh (flanked by shots from recent performances).CultureEnjoyed watching the restored version of the hugely influential 1927 sci-fi movie #Metropo…Enjoyed watching the restored version of…AestheticsNow I can relax a bit. (But just a bit.)PersonalMy basement…

Gil Gerard (1943-2025)

I built a model of the two-pronged Starfighter (a really sleek and elegant vehicle that deserved a better name) and the one-engined Draconian fighter. I recall being impressed by the two-hour pilot I knew the series that followed was silly fluff. I was 11, so perhaps at the time I didn’t quite appreciate Erin Grey…

Fall 2025 Grades Submitted!

Similar:Adventure | T.M. CampGreat story of nerdiness and discovery a…CybercultureMore #blender3d #steampunk #design. #blender3dart #aesthetics The officers’ conference roo…AestheticsHad a blast watching all the amazing entries in Pittsburgh's 48 Hour Film Festival, b…PersonalThank you, Bogdan, for fixing and dropping off my light.PersonalMy 10yo Launches a Soda Bottle Rocket http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbNu8…AestheticsI let her tend the rabbits.Great production…

The daughter is home from London.

Similar:What a great time everyone had at the "Cabbies."Culture"Oliver Twist" is a story of redemption for PICT Classic Theatre.Carolyn started rehearsals for PICT Clas…BooksSelf-Regulation: American Schools Are Failing Nonconformist KidsFor a while, we were part of a homeschoo…CultureI just bought Diamond City.Games"I don't view Shakespeare's work as intimidating anymore." — midterm reflection from coll… “It…

Misleading to suggest that because I have nothing left to mark that I have nothing to do, but this is progress.

Similar:AP Style: try to determine, and then respect, a source's preferences when it comes to…PersonalTrack and field fundraiser:photo by Carolyn. FIRST ONE!!!PersonalMy student journos are meming it like bosses.PersonalMy colleague @crissycp offers warm soda bread and tea every year, as part of her authentic…AcademiaThe Penance of Eleanor, Duchess of Gloucester, by Edwin Austin Abbey.This painting…

Kids Rarely Read Whole Books Anymore. Even in English Class.

Twelfth-grade reading scores are at historic lows, and college professors, even at elite schools, are increasingly reporting difficulties in getting students to engage with lengthy or complex texts. Perhaps that is to be expected in the era of TikTok and A.I. Some education experts believe that in the near future, even the most sophisticated stories and…

The Moral Authority Of Animals

Chimpanzees in Arnhem’s Royal Burgers’ Zoo in the Netherlands had learned zookeepers’ rule that meals wouldn’t be served until all had assembled. But one day, as reported by Time magazine in 2007, two teenage chimps were more interested in staying out to play than coming in to eat. The others had to wait for hours,…

Serving at Christmas on the Hill 2025

Similar:The girl asked me to read R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots) to her. #quarantine #partylik…BooksTWEEN GIRL: "What's a tribble?"TWEEN GIRL: “What’s a tribble?” MY GE…PersonalOn my fantasy #steampunk cruiser, every uniform is a parade dress uniform. #Blender3D #ble… The first few weeks of Jun…AestheticsNew home office setup. I was delighted to find those little storage boxes…

A lost generation of news consumers? Survey shows how teenagers dislike the news media

More than half of the teens surveyed believe journalists regularly engage in unethical behaviors like making up details or quotes in stories, paying sources, taking visual images out of context or doing favors for advertisers. Less than a third believe reporters correct their errors, confirm facts before reporting them, gather information from multiple sources or…

Here are some real statements from Pope Leo that many people who have been sharing fake memes seem to have been looking for.

Pope Leo XIV, who has made peace and unity priorities of his pontificate, emphasized that “the more we are reconciled, the more we Christians can bear credible witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which is a proclamation of hope for all” and, in the words of Pope Francis, “a message of peace and universal…

Pie, anyone?

Similar:Headphones, Croutons and RhetoricME (with crouton tongs in one hand and s…CultureIdentity Crisis (#StarTrek #TNG Rewatch, Season 4 Episode 18) The Case of LaForge’s Disapp… Rewatching ST:TNG An enjoyable …MediaSherlock Holmes and The Woman (WAOB Live Virtual Performance)I was happy to play Watson. The daughter…BooksFinished Reading "Fibble," Book 4 in "Heck: Where Bad Kids Go."I…

A student who is writing her research paper on Taylor Swift made a passing reference to Kanye West and offered to explain herself. Her jaw dropped when I showed her this meme I created around 15 years ago.

Similar:The Girl at rehearsal (where else?).PersonalOver the years I have leveled up my Blender3D skills.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNLArSlF…AestheticsThe Incredible Shrinking Ad [The Future Web Is Mobile]Is higher education ready for the switch…AcademiaOut for an April stroll.NatureWinners Chosen in Annual Shakespeare Monologue and Scene ContestMichael Henninger took this wonderful ph…Books"I don't view Shakespeare's work as intimidating anymore." — midterm…

I Set A Trap To Catch Students Cheating With AI. The Result Was Deflating

My classes are generally small enough that I have time to get to know each student’s writing. When a student who confuses “bias” and “biased” in a hand-written response later that day sends me an email later that day that uses “whom” and “betwixt,” I notice. I can’t prove a student is abusing AI, but…

‘History has treated her badly’: Hamnet and the 400-year-old mystery around Shakespeare’s wife and son

Anyone seen “Hamnet”? I was not too impressed by “Shakespeare in Love,” which perpetuated the biographical fallacy — that the key to unlocking the one, true meaning of a literary work is listing how each detail in a literary work “could represent” some detail in the author’s life, and that once you’ve constructed that list,…

Connecting the Dots…

Madeline Cash reflects on her boomer mother’s use of ellipses. When I texted to thank her, she responded, ‘Enjoy . . .’ Why not Enjoy period or Enjoy exclamation point? Did she resent the gift? Are the treats poisoned? There’s an extensive online discourse on the Baby Boomer generation’s penchant for ellipses. ‘OK . . .’ ‘Thanks…

Celebration of Writing Fall 2025. Students present their research for their upcoming term paper.

Similar:8 (Short Halloween film by Josh Reardon)My daughter and I appear in this short f…AestheticsI'm Gradually Losing My Hearing. (It’s Part of Aging.)During a department meeting today, I not…AcademiaScrooge Is My BrotherMy daughter delivered the opening “Marle…CultureStage Right's production of 'Secret Garden' is heart-tugging showIn the Stage Right production, the role …Current_EventsI'm in the timeline…