High school was such a long time ago, I’m not sure how this answer is going to come out. I graduated in 1985, which basically means that most of the folks I graduated with have kids who have also already graduated from their own high schools (and have probably already celebrated their own 10-year reunions and started to forget about their own experiences, so what chance do I have of having actual coherent memories, all of which is just crazy to think about.) Anyway…this is about my own favorite teacher(s) so let’s see what we’ve got. Continue reading “Who was one of your favorite high school teachers? What made them great?”
Category: History
How did your parents pick your name?
What’s in a name?
As Shakespeare said, “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” But is that really the case with all things? I’m not so sure. I mean would he have had the same career if Archibald Leach not changed his name to Cary Grant? Sure, the looks and talent would have been the same, but then, the arts are rife with stories of name changes for a variety of reasons. Continue reading “How did your parents pick your name?”
What Is Your Favorite Joke?
To be perfectly up front here, as I start writing the response to this week’s question, I can tell you the answer is “I don’t know.” In general, when someone says, “Tell me a joke,” I instantly freeze up and can’t think of a single thing. Which isn’t to say I don’t know any jokes, certainly, or have jokes I fall back on (which I’ll get to) but a favorite joke? I just don’t know. Continue reading “What Is Your Favorite Joke?”
Where Did You Go on Vacations As a Child?
This week’s question is another one involving travel/vacations. That’s okay, I like traveling and vacations. This one, though, is about vacations as a child which, by default, implies they were family vacations. At least in my case since the folks are still married, to each other, so there’s no inter-family drama involving who gets to claim Disneyland. Continue reading “Where Did You Go on Vacations As a Child?”
What was your first big trip?
Here it is, my first question from StoryWorth and already off to a rocky start. I read the question and immediately started pondering what was meant by “big trip?” How far back did I go? Was it in reference to an important trip or one of a huge duration? Naturally, it was Rasa who solved the dilemma. Continue reading “What was your first big trip?”
StoryWorth
I just got a fascinating holiday gift from my great friend and (sometimes) writing partner Troy and his wife Katie. It’s from a company called StoryWorth and the basic premise is pretty simple – at regular intervals (anywhere from once a day to once a month) they email you a question. You then answer it in as much or as little detail as you wish and email it back to them.
Do Something
Strangest words I ever heard from a professor regarding an assignment, but that was exactly what Dr. Felicia Campbell, who passed away July 27 from Covid-19 complications, announced as the details of a class project. “Just do … something,” she’d reiterate when questioned by a student who didn’t quite understand the freedom of the directive. “It doesn’t matter what you do, you just have to do something.” Continue reading “Do Something”
Clowning around…
I have a number of good friends who are now or have been at one time professional clowns. I’ve spent a good deal of time the last several years traveling and hanging out with some amazingly funny people. In the past I’ve lived with clowns, worked with clowns, consulted with clowns, written about… you get the idea. In fact, had the world gone a little differently, I might have ended up one myself. I’ve certainly been offered the opportunity.
Needless to say, I have a deep love, admiration and respect for the artform. Thankfully, I’m not the only one and a few years ago, David Carlyon wrote a great piece for the Smithsonian Folklife Festival called American Clowns: Performance, History, and Cliché, which looks at all those different factors in the world of clowning.
On Literary and Genre Canon
While on lockdown and teaching from home this week, my Media Issues class discussed the idea of “canon” in literature and they asked me if I would give them a list of things I think should/could be canon. Immediately I said the only list I could really give them were my own thoughts and they said that was fine, so here we go. Continue reading “On Literary and Genre Canon”
An Incomplete History of Comic Book Superheroes
That’s how it’s done!
50 Facts About the Apollo 11 Moon Landing for Its 50th Anniversary | Mental Floss
On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the Moon—and Buzz Aldrin became the first one to pee on it. Read about that and 49 other tidbits in the Mental Floss article 50 Facts About the Apollo 11 Moon Landing for Its 50th Anniversary. Continue reading “50 Facts About the Apollo 11 Moon Landing for Its 50th Anniversary | Mental Floss”
Marilyn Monroe’s personal library: an epic reading list | AbeBooks’ Reading Copy
In 1999, Christie’s staged an auction of Marilyn Monroe’s belongings, including her books. The books in Marilyn Monroe’s personal library, number between 400-500 titles, and reflect a wide range of interests and maturity levels.
When she died in 1962, she was only 36 years old and had publicly made the statement she found intellect the sexiest attribute a person could have.
I can only imagine what she would have done had she lived longer. I think the world definitely missed out on something good here.
Writing for Star Trek
So a few weeks ago, my dad asked me to write down the story of how I ended up working for Star Trek: The Next Generation. He was taking a class on the show through the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UNLV (which is an amazing program and one I wrote about a few years back). To be honest, I was pretty excited and honored he wanted to show me off! So anyway, here’s the story: Continue reading “Writing for Star Trek”
Audiobooks – a good listen
So it’s no secret I love to read. Over the last decade or so, I’ve also picked up the audiobook habit. If I’m walking around the streets, or on the bus on the way to work, odds are I’ve got my headphones in and I’m listening to a book. Over at Goodreads, you can see my audiobook list (as of right now, at almost 400 books long), which has a number of classics I’ve always wanted to read but never got around to or wasn’t able to get into in text form. I’ll also pick up dramatized productions and old radio shows. Continue reading “Audiobooks – a good listen”
Getting the Hang of Thursdays 