Actually, that’s my way of announcing my ongoing drawing for 10 autographed copies of Infinity’s Reach on Goodreads. Here’s the link: https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/108681-infinity-s-reach If you aren’t into fighting the crowds on Goodreads, or just want to know more about what I do, sign up for my monthly newsletter. Just click on the prompt on the header … More Free Books! Free Books!
“The Johnstown Flood” by David McCullogh. 304 pages. Simon & Schuster. I picked up this book a few weekends ago, mainly due to the influence of its author. David McCullogh is not only an excellent historian, but is also a great storyteller, and it’s often hard to find someone who can do both. I read … More Review: “The Johnstown Flood” by David McCullough
Busy times. We are down to two weeks and counting until students start filing into our classrooms, expecting us professors to fill their heads with stuff that passes as knowledge. And this is the time that I, along with most of my colleagues, am scrambling to get ready for that day. It would be great … More The Dog Days of Summer. The Guns of August. Or Some Such Nonsense.
I have plans tonight or tomorrow to post another book review, but I wanted to take this opportunity to commemorate another milestone. This marks my 500th blog, dating back to when I first started it in July 2009. A lot has changed since that first blog, a result of advice given to me at a … More 500
“To End All Wars: A Story of Loyalty and Rebellion, 1914-1918” by Adam Hochschild. Mariner Books. 496 pages. I have long had a curiosity about World War I, the “war to end all wars,” that very seldom is mentioned in literature or movies any more. It is grossly overshadowed by the Second World War, which, … More Review: “To End All Wars: A Story of Loyalty and Rebellion, 1914-1918” by Adam Hochschild
My students have gotten used to the silent treatment that I have been giving them on and off for the past three weeks. You see, I have a bad case of laryngitis. My wife got a bug, then I got it, then she got it again, then I got it again. In hopes that we … More Giving the World the Silent Treatment
It’s getting close to Valentine’s Day, and Shelly and I decided to celebrate early by going to a concert at American Airlines Center in Dallas last night. The performers were Sting of “Roxanne” fame, and Paul Simon of Simon & Garfunkel fame. It was a great concert–for the most part–even though we had to pay … More In the Moment
In his immortal book, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, William Pirsig tells of an incident he experienced as a high school composition teacher. He told a classroom full of students to begin writing–something, anything. They couldn’t think of anything to write. He then suggested they write about something in the room. They still … More Why I don’t believe in magic
For those who have been reading my blog on a regular basis, you probably know that I have been struggling with a form of writer’s block. I have said many times that the way to deal with writer’s block is to recharge your batteries by reading and watching movies, always watching for technique and ideas. … More Baby Steps
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2013 annual report for this blog. Here’s an excerpt: A New York City subway train holds 1,200 people. This blog was viewed about 4,300 times in 2013. If it were a NYC subway train, it would take about 4 trips to carry that many people. Click here to … More 2013 in review
The Great Adventure 