My big brother and my son facing off at chess. I am outclassed!

Similar:Last event of a busy day downtown. #AgathieChristie #murderontheorientexpressAestheticsOn the Virtues of a Dadsplained Literary ChildhoodThe last book I read to her was Wutherin…BooksMechanical innards for a Steampunk set piece. #Blender3D #greebleshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oChXOu8C…AestheticsCliffhanger from ST:TNG Best of Both Worlds. I haven't made time to watch TNG in probably …The cliffhanger for Star Trek: The Next…

Preview of “The Fantasticks” (thanks, Tribune-Review, for covering the arts community)

For Luisa, Jerz’s character, “the world is still a magical place, full of epic characters and situations and — above all — romance.” She says the audience should like Luisa and care about her, not wanting the world to hurt or change her. A fun show to perform “‘The Fantasticks’ music is uniquely beautiful, and…

The Fantasticks (Oct 18-27, Theatre Factory)

Similar:Attribution, Editorializing and DefamationIn the Nightly Noodle Monthly, former No…Current_EventsBuzzFeed plagiarism, deleted posts: Jonah Peretti explains.In 2012 my former Slate colleague Farhad…BusinessI almost cried when I saw this entrance to the children's section of the Kansas City …PersonalI have two scenes in a horror film. My head appears in a third scene.During Fall Break, I filmed…

Man enough to sew my own computer bag. Insecure enough to seek validation on social media for doing so.

Similar:Smalltalk through masks is hard; I really was glad to see so many familiar upper halves of…If you said hello to me recently and I d…CultureHad a rough day. Designing another 10 sq cm of #steampunk control panel doesn't fix everyt…AcademiaAnd so it begins.BooksDax (#StarTrek #DS9 Rewatch, Season 1, Episode 7) Jadzia Dax faces the…

Come see Carolyn as “The Girl” in The Fantasticks, Oct 18-27.

Similar:The Struggle to Save Ballet From ItselfA former dancer reckons with the rigors …AestheticsInheritance (#StarTrek #TNG Rewatch, Season 7, Episode 10) Data's mom talks a lot, young …Rewatching ST:TNG Within minutes of hea…EmpathyIt's a Didactic Day in the Neighborhood: Mister Rogers and Educational IdeologyI recently lamented that my kids are gro…AestheticsUmberto Eco and his…

I have two scenes in a horror film. My head appears in a third scene.

During Fall Break, I filmed my scenes for the horror indie The First Night of Summer. My character is a cheesy dad who’s trying too hard to engage with his sullen teenager — played by my daughter. While coaching us on the set, director Mark Sciubba described the dynamic he was looking for, and asked…

Let’s conſider ſome ſurpriſing old type: “Did you ever hear ſuch a wind-ſucker, as this?”

I ſhall always treaſure the pleaſant ſurpriſe of ſeeing the “long s” while reading Epicoene, by Ben Jonſon. Similar:Amusing Reference to ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ Imagine a scenario in which circumstan…AestheticsThe secret police: Cops built a shadowy surveillance machine in Minnesota after George Flo…Many of the same people who reject maski…Current_EventsGoogle overtakes Apple in the US…

A Matter of Honor (ST:TNG Rewatch, Season 2, Episode 8)

Rewatching ST:TNG after a 20-year break. Riker accepts a temporary assignment as first officer of a Klingon vessel. “A Matter of Honor” offers a thoughtful, enjoyable dramatization of differences between Federation and Klingon culture, and a good B-plot in which Wesley helps a visiting officer adapt to routine operations on the Enterprise. It’s a nice touch…

The dress we ordered for the “girl next door” role in The Fantasticks… vs the dress that we received!

Similar:Professor Sees Parallels Between Things, Other Things”By drawing parallels between things and…AcademiaEco-critical Code Studies: Reconfigurations of nature in the born-digital artifact “Coloss… Video game history is colliding:…AcademiaThe daughter is working hard as a dancer and Flaemchen understudy. @frontporchtheatricalsCultureLeonard in Slow Motion (9min video)Leonard exists in slow motion but lives …AestheticsNortheast braces for temps near boiling…

Two stunning hugs end Amber Guyger’s murder trial on a merciful note

Chants of “no justice, no peace” drifted from the hallway into the the 204th District Court, and then Botham Jean’s 18-year-old brother stepped up to the witness stand Wednesday. This was Brandt Jean’s chance to tell Guyger exactly what he thought of the former Dallas officer after she was sentenced to 10 years in prison…

Love This Headline: “He took a date to the park where he was gored by a bison, figuring it wouldn’t happen again. He was wrong.”

Similar:White House Bars Times and Other News Outlets From BriefingKudos to the reporters from Time and AP …Current_EventsThe crying Honduran girl on the cover of Time was not separated from her mother, father sa…The original was a stunning image, which…Current_EventsPitching a Magazine Article: Resources for Beginning Freelance WritersJerz > Writing >&nb…BooksSmith College Protesters Bar Journalists From Covering Sit-In…

Studying STEM Isn’t The Career Boost We Think

Turns out, getting a STEM education may help you get a good job early but if you want a good career, you’re better off in liberal arts lane. In other words, even if you’re only measuring money, a liberal arts education is probably worth a ton more than most people may think. […] [B]y the time…

Unnatural Selection (ST:TNG Rewatch Season 2, Episode 7)

Rewatching Star Trek: The Next Generation after a 20-year break. Tension mounts between Captain Picard and Dr. Pulaski as the Enterprise encounters a rapid-aging disease. I rather liked how Picard, who just last week quoted part of Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18, is in his ready room reading a book when Troi reminds him he wanted to…

The Schizoid Man (TNG Rewatch: Season 2, Episode 6)

Rewatching Star Trek: The Next Generation after a 20-year break. In his final hours, an arrogant, crotchety cybernetics genius takes a liking to Data. After the genius dies, Data starts acting arrogant and crotchety. Hmm. This early in the run of TNG, we’ve already seen the trope of a brilliant, older professional man supported and…

You, Too, Can Have a Viral Tweet Like Mine: Demystifying Poetic Meter

Saving for the next time I teach “Intro to English Study.” It’s all well and good to sing “The Ballad of Sweeney Todd” to the tune of “Hallelujah,” but why can’t you do it the other way around? For that matter, why does it work only when you limit yourself to the first two lines…

Loud as a Whisper (ST:TNG Rewatch, Season 2, Episode 5)

Rewatching Star Trek: The Next Generation after a 20-year break. A mediator who communicates via a telepathic chorus is a warring planet’s only hope for peace. While the episode isn’t perfect, nothing made me want to facepalm. I cared about Riva (the mediator) and his romantic (but at the same time respectful and professionally empathetic) interest…

The Outrageous Okona (TNG Rewatch, Season 2, Episode 4)

Rewatching Star Trek: The Next Generation after a 20-year break. A pony-tailed pirate-shirt-wearing pile of charisma steps out of a Renaissance Festival sideshow onto the Enterprise for a silly low-stakes caper. Meanwhile, Data tries stand-up comedy. I cringed when the guest star put the moves on the pretty transporter technician (played by a before-she-was-famous Teri…

My Review of the Charlottesville Tryout of “A Few Good Men” 30 Years Ago

A librarian at the University of Virginia kindly scanned and emailed the review I wrote, as an undergraduate student journalist, of the pre-Broadway tryout of A Few Good Men, in September 1989. I was prepared to cringe, but I was actually kind of proud of the lead, which applies equally to the professional production now…

My son teaching chess to a young pupil

Similar:Blue Feed, Red FeedFacebook is designed to keep your attent…CultureLotteries: America's $70 Billion ShameCan this be true? People spend more mone…BooksAs yearbooks die, colleges lose a link to the pastThis year, for the first time in decades…AcademiaMedea at Seton Hill University.CultureStoryNexus: building your own adventure gamesIf you’re a veteran gamer you’ll remembe…CybercultureNew York fails Common Core…

Overwhelmed? Start a new to-do list with “1) Breathe; 2) Make ‘to-do’ list”

Felt momentarily overwhelmed by the day’s tasks. Made the following list: 1) Breathe. 2) Make “to do” list. 3) Post blog entry about “to do” list. 4) Go to lunch. 5) Prioritize to-do list. (Break up the intimidating tasks into smaller steps.) 6) Do first important item on list. (Repeat as necessary.) I’m…