Category Archives: life

Long live the humanities

Posted on 23 December 2017 by

In an essay for the Chronicle of Higher Education, English professor Nina Handler laments the extinction of her species: Charles Smithson, a character in John Fowles’s 1969 novel, The French Lieutenant’s Woman, is a wealthy, idle gentleman who faces the … Continue reading →

Posted in culture, life | 12 Comments

A must read: “My Family’s Slave”

Posted on 17 May 2017 by

The ashes filled a black plastic box about the size of a toaster. It weighed three and a half pounds. I put it in a canvas tote bag and packed it in my suitcase this past July for the transpacific … Continue reading →

Posted in culture, history, life | 2 Comments

Curmudgeons

Posted on 29 April 2017 by

A friend sent this on with a sniffle warning, and she was right. But it’s a good kind of sniffling, accompanied by laughter. If you don’t mind the potty mouths of a bunch of Brooklyn natives, with an occasional Spanish … Continue reading →

Posted in humor, life, video | 1 Comment

Song of Saturday

Posted on 1 April 2017 by

Before I could relax, I had to hang the laundry Before I could hang the laundry, I had to water plants (because the laundry rack blocks access to the plants) Before I could water plants, I had to wash the … Continue reading →

Posted in life | 4 Comments

Questions from a young adult

Posted on 4 August 2015 by

I received a letter from a young adult who is considering leaving her home town, where her parents serve as a safety net, and going someplace completely different — perhaps out of the country. She asked me a few questions … Continue reading →

Posted in life | 2 Comments

Le Tour is coming!…and other tidbits

Posted on 3 July 2015 by

Tomorrow is a day my wife and I look forward to all year: the start of the Tour de France. For the next three weeks, we will arrange our work and social lives around the television as we absorb gorgeous … Continue reading →

Posted in life, science, sport, video, weather | 7 Comments

Dotty

Posted on 11 June 2015 by

Winner of the Best Short Film at the Nantucket Film Festival, “Dotty” will make you laugh — and then it will break your heart. Vimeo link. Hat tip to Inge.

Posted in culture, life, video | 3 Comments

Vertical dancing

Posted on 29 May 2015 by

Until now, I did not know of the existence of a sport called “vertical dancing” or “Bandaloop dancing.” But watching this video made me into a fan. Filmed during the Art + Soul Festival in Oakland, California, it shows two … Continue reading →

Posted in culture, life, video | 4 Comments

This ‘n’ that

Posted on 20 March 2015 by

While working hard on deadlines, I kept tossing interesting things into a folder and thinking I’d blog them later. That folder needs a good cleaning, so here’s a link dump to start off your weekend. *** In a classic example … Continue reading →

Posted in astronomy, biology, culture, Europe, life, science, video | 11 Comments

Epic snow breaker, backups and more

Posted on 14 February 2015 by

Let’s get the day started off right and watch Canadian National Railway locomotive 2304 plow through deep snow near Salisbury, New Brunswick. You’ll definitely want to put this on HD if you can, just for the fun of it. Only … Continue reading →

Posted in life, Portugal, tech | 7 Comments