I never have time to create materials like this during the academic year. Brand new handout. Easily 10 hours of work. Hoping to post one a week.

AP Style follows the standard English practice of capitalizing proper nouns. They stayed with Uncle John at Gracious Living Inn on the shore of Grenada Lake while on vacation in the South. Capitalize the names of particular people, places or things. (Proper nouns.) In the above example, “shore” and “vacation” are common nouns. They stayed with my uncle at a hotel on the south end of a peaceful lake.…

Oh that sweet, sweet feeling of progress.

Similar:Why do academics dress so badly? (Answer: they are too happy)I used to wear a suit and tie when I tau…AcademiaComputers and Writing 2020 Funding Request: SubmittedMy contributions this year are a worksho…AcademiaThe daughter is performing now Twin Lakes Park.The daughter is performing now Twin Lake…PersonalMy simulation project does not require me to master medieval…

And now that June’s almost over, it’s time to start prepping for the fall term. (Sigh.)

Similar:They figured it out.PersonalAdded an overhead minimap to my #medievalyork #unity3d simulation. #mysteryplayAdded an overhead minimap to my #medieva…DesignStupid Puns For the WinMy daughter just trounced me in a pun wa…AmusingMy 13yo and 18yo enthralled by WarGames.Wife likes movies. Son likes military th…CultureI played Pseudolus freshman year in college. Haven't seen the show in a…

Capitalists Tell Facebook They’ve Had Enough

It started as a murmur of dissent, but over the weekend the campaign to persuade brands to boycott Facebook ads for the month of July turned into a major crisis for the social media giant. It began badly on Friday when Unilever, one of the world’s biggest advertisers, announced it was joining the Stop Hate for Profit campaign, which had already been backed by Verizon, Patagonia, and Ben and Jerry’s.

After a pretty crappy day, I found shreds of joy in this clip of socially distanced salsa.

In my discipline, teaching small seminars typically depends on students sharing their weaknesses and vulnerabilities in pairs and small groups, gradually building trust while the teacher moves through the room, listening and joining in and backing away as appropriate. Masked students who are 6 feet away from each other will have to shout their failures…

Sarek (#StarTrek #TNG Rewatch, Season Three, Episode 23) Aging with Dignity and Vulcan Mind-melds

Rewatching ST:TNG after a 20-year break. The Enterprise-D ferries Spock’s father to a diplomatic meeting that will define his career — but the 202-year-old Sarek is not well. The Vulcan’s entourage includes his human wife Perrin and two aides, all of whom get decent story arcs. Wesley gets some good scenes with LaForge and his…

Me as a highshool photo-bomber, I presume at the cast party for The Music Man.

Similar:Giving Obsolete Books an Afterlife as Theatre PropsOnce, someone really cared about these o…AestheticsFaces the girl makes during her Luisa monologue. (Four more chances to see The Fantasticks…AestheticsFull Bloom opens next weekend. Tickets 724-527-5777.PersonalOpening night. Support local artists in your community!PersonalFinished Reading The Chronicles of PrydainWe could hardly stop reading just before…BooksThe choreographer daughter is…

And if my point of view is somewhat misty-eyed…

And if my point of view is somewhat misty-eyed, There’s nothing clearer in my life than what I wish and feel for you — And that’s a lot. No matter what. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Melissa Shontz (@melissashontzphotography) on Jun 28, 2020 at 5:56am PDT Similar:Ringling Bros. circus…

Theatre Crowd Mustn’t Be Bitter

The entertainment industry seems upset that pubs are to be opened before any theatres or music venues. But you can understand why the pubs have priority – it’s a matter of safety. Theatres are wild places where you can’t control the public. So often, during a show by a comic, the audience spreads viruses by…

The Most Toys (#StarTrek #TNG Rewatch, Season Three, Episode 22) Data Abducted by Eccentric Collector

Rewatching ST:TNG after a 20-year break. The crew react to losing Data in a freak shuttle accident, but he’s been kidnapped by a trader who wants him for his collection. An odd, low-stakes episode that gives us a good look at Data’s ethical principles and negotiating technique, as he calmly debates with his captor and…

Wearing A Mask Is A Sign Of Mutual Respect During The Coronavirus Pandemic

Shortly after my region ended their lockdown, I went to my local Walmart to return something I had purchased online. I was shocked that more than half of the people there weren’t wearing masks. I got in and out quickly, wondering all the while whether the chance to get infected was really worth the $22…

Hollow Pursuits (#StarTrek #TNG Rewatch, Season Three, Episode 21) Misfit Crewmember Faces Holodeck Addiction

Rewatching ST:TNG after a 20-year break. Awkward, stuttering junior engineer Barclay spends too much time in an alpha male holodeck fantasy. His swordplay, barroom brawls and over-the-top moments of swagger and seduction approach Kirk-level bravado. A predictable but enjoyable riff on Thurber’s short story, “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.” LaForge and Riker have given up…

Okay yes, this affirmation does matter to me and it will go into my annual review for next year.

Marked 832 AP English essays in a week of online work. Rating is based on how accurately I marked the pre-graded training examples scattered in amongst the flood. A really good professional development tool, that helps me to align my assessment with what my peers feel is high school writing skill that deserves college credit.…

When is Donald Trump kidding? When is he being sarcastic? When is he being serious? Who gets to decide?

Earlier today a reporter, following her journalism training, asked Trump, “Were you just kidding, or do you have a plan to slow down testing?” His response: “I don’t kid, let me just tell you.” At this weekend’s Tulsa rally, the president had said, referring to the US response to the coronavirus pandemic, “I said to…

I am at that stage of life where I am excited about loading a new dishwasher for the first time. (The one that came with the house in 2003 finally died.)

Similar:And yes, that's her picture in the program (from the PPT Shakespeare contest).At PPT’s The Diary of Anne Frank. …CultureWhen you hear your daughter the understudy is going on for a sold-out show. Live theater i… CultureOpening night. Support local artists in your community!Personal"Shakespeare in Love" with the Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra and Stage Right!When I teach…

Rt Covid-19 — How Quickly Coronavirus is Spreading in the American States

This site tracks Rt, the value that measures how many people the average infected person infects, in each of the American states. An Rt greater than one (depicted as red in this interactive chart) means the virus is spreading to more people. A value less than 1 means it’s on track to die out. Note…

In June, 2000 I was blogging about anagrams, 1750 Paris, ambiguity, a hyperlink patent claim, and reading posture

In June, 2000, I was blogging about Poems inspired by anagrams (T.S. Eliot = Toilets; Emily Dickinson = Skinny Domicile) Where to go if you wanted to know what was happening In 1750 Paris The Lexicon of Intentionally Ambiguous Recommendations A patent lawsuit that claimed ownership of the concept of hyperlinks Reading posture (how do…

Happy Father’s Day

One of my favorite pictures of my father. This is our Chevrolet Caprice station wagon, circa 1971. I’m rocking the stripes. Similar:Fall 2021 Grades Submitted Mission accomplished.AcademiaThe Distracted Classroom: Transparency, Autonomy, and PedagogyI don’t ban technology in my classroom, …AcademiaTrump, finally, takes the coronavirus emergency seriously CNN’s Stephen Collinson praises the pr…Current_EventsYes, this is my 11yo…

A father gives his happy toddler a ride on his shoulders.

Only a Dad (Edgar Guest poem, read by Carolyn and Peter Jerz for WAOB Audio Theatre)

Carolyn and Peter Jerz recite “Only a Dad” (directed by Leigh A. Jerz for WAOB Audio Theatre) Similar:How We Can Help Students Survive in an Age of Anxiety Today’s students have also lived…AcademiaA colleague bakes Irish soda bread to share on the Humanities floor every St Patrick's DayPersonalSold out opening night of Mamet’s Oleanna. Chilling.…

Sharing memes about news you don’t see is lazy. Be part of the solution!

Similar:Fancy iPad Holder with Compartment For Storing Your BabyFisher-Price enters the Apple aftermarke…AestheticsCalifornia Political Cyberfraud Abatement Act Pulled by AuthorCalifornia’s Ed Chau withdrew his propos…CultureWhat Is Gamergate, and Why? An Explainer for Non-GeeksI’ve been following the frustrating slow…Current_EventsRoss deserves better "Friends": a defense of nerdsI was not a fan of this show, but I am…