LOL. I finally have time to think. Spring Break is upon us–and by us I mean students and faculty at our school–and it’s just in time. Everyone I know is welcome for the break, but we are also thinking about the mound of work that we are leaving behind, and which will be even larger … More Thoughts from the Hallway
I’ve always considered myself somewhat of a coward. I’ve always been a big guy–or a big kid. Knowing this, my mother always instructed me to never fight back, to look for solutions other than physical fighting. When I didn’t fight back in school, some of the guys considered me a coward, and I started believing … More Redemption of a Coward
No, I am not talking about literal messages from beyond the grave. But for you to really understand what I am talking about, I have to back up. My father died in 1993. Of those of us who are still alive, I suspect I knew him (arguably) better than anyone else. It was the usual … More Advice from My (Dead) Father
If you go to author Neil Stephenson’s (author of books like Cryptonomicon and Anathem) website, you will get a message that goes something like this: Dear Reader, if you appreciate my books, then I encourage you to leave me alone and let me focus on my work. Thank you. N. Stephenson. Writing is a solitary … More Private Parts
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. —Reinholt Niebuhr I got into an argument with my daughter the other day. You see, we live just outside the city limits, and because we live in … More What Is, Is
Yup. Birthday boy here. Don’t know whether to celebrate or commiserate. But as they say, getting older sure beats the alternative. The bright side of being 61 (yes, really! 61!) is that I am one year closer to retirement, which for me means switching hats and writing full time. I am doing pretty good now, … More Today Is Your Birthday (Na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na)
My students today are always surprised when they discover that I used to be a singer, actually a pretty good singer. All through college and the first 15 years of my career, I sang solos, in duets and trios, and in larger groups. I also wrote music for quite a while. I chose my college … More The Bravest Thing I Ever Did
When I was in college—many, many, many years ago–I was on fire to become a writer. Then I graduated, got married and started looking for a job. I had in my mind that someday, someday SOON, I would become a writer. And I would be really good. Four years later, I was still waiting for … More One Way. Or Another.
I see my life as a series of decisions. None of them were good or bad, but each of them set me on the path that I am on today. When I was about 10, my class visited a retirement center to sing for the seniors living there. After singing a few songs, an elderly … More Two Roads Diverged in a Yellow Wood
I hate hospitals. I hate doctors. And yet, here I sit in a hospital waiting room, standing watch as my wife of 39 years goes through surgery. It is a helpless feeling, a situation in which my wife and I know that even though it is a relatively routine surgery, it still involves general anesthetic. … More The Biggest Lie of All
The Great Adventure 