1. When God comes among men, He comes not as a figure of awe and terror, but as an infant sleeping in His mother's arms. 2. I'm home in Michigan for Christmas; going back to Arizona for New Years'. It's nice to see rain again, though I wish it were snow (meanwhile, my sister in … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Christmas
Thoughts
Noble Cobra Magazine Lives: ‘The Discarded Image’
My long-neglected Substack has at last been coaxed back into life with the first of a commentary series on C.S. Lewis's The Discarded Image: Lewis starts off with a lengthy illustration of a key and oft-neglected fact of the Medieval mind: Medieval man shared many ignorances with the savage, and some of his beliefs may … Continue reading Noble Cobra Magazine Lives: ‘The Discarded Image’
Friday Flotsam: Kraven and Superman, Among Other Things
1. And my first full-time semester of teaching is officially over! Overall went pretty well, so far as I can tell. Very instructive, and I had a pretty good batch of guinea pigs students to work with. I have quite a few ideas for improvements next semester. 2. This has been a hard year on … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Kraven and Superman, Among Other Things
Sunday Flotsam: A Very Late Hodgepodge
1. I'm extra late this week. I wish I could say it was for a good reason, but no, it is mostly a matter of not wanting to do any work yesterday, I'm afraid. Been a while since I've gone all the way to Sunday. 2. It's been an extremely busy week of prepping the … Continue reading Sunday Flotsam: A Very Late Hodgepodge
Saturday Flotsam: Fairy Tales, ‘Heavy Rain’, Diplomacy
1. My first semester of full-time teaching is rapidly approaching its end. I'll be making exams this weekend. It's been an extremely educational experience for me, whether or not my students can say the same. 2. Is there anyone left in the world who doesn't know that the Brother's Grimm's fairy tales are generally more … Continue reading Saturday Flotsam: Fairy Tales, ‘Heavy Rain’, Diplomacy
Friday Flotsam: Thanksgiving and More 80s Movies
1. Happy belated Thanksgiving, everyone! 2. Yesterday was my first 'solo' Thanksgiving. My stuffing didn't turn out very well, but at least I had some turkey legs. Per tradition I opened the holiday season with a viewing of The Star Wars Holiday Special courtesy of rifftrax ("there's murder in his eyes; I like where this … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Thanksgiving and More 80s Movies
Marking Godzilla’s 70th Anniversary at the ‘Everyman’
The Godzilla series turned seventy years old this month, and I marked the occasion by writing a piece for The Everyman (which is now on Substack): There are few cinematic creations that achieve the status of genuine myth; of a tale embodying deep, complex truths about the world and of the civilization that gave them … Continue reading Marking Godzilla’s 70th Anniversary at the ‘Everyman’
Friday Flotsam: Tiresome Internet Videos, Boxing, and ‘Star Trek’
1. I am extremely thankful that there is a break coming up: the last few weeks have been exhausting. Working with teenagers is no joke. 2. Ridley Scott really needs to retire. All accounts are that Gladiator II is...well, exactly as bad as you'd expect a 2024 sequel to a highly-regarded film from 2000 to … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Tiresome Internet Videos, Boxing, and ‘Star Trek’
Saturday Flotsam: Mostly ‘The Hobbit’
1. I'm extra late this week. I wish I could say it was for a good reason, but it isn't. 2. My class finished reading The Hobbit this week (I pretty much gave two whole periods to almost nothing but reading because I'm realizing how little time is left in the first semester). As always, … Continue reading Saturday Flotsam: Mostly ‘The Hobbit’
Friday Flotsam: In Which I Critique Both Walt Whitman and Muhammed, but Mostly the Former
1. If nothing else, it's a relief to actually have an election that ended 'clean'. No talk of cheating or collusion, no 'too close to call', just a clear outcome arrived at in the space of a single night. Seems to me that used to be the norm, once upon a time. 2. I really … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: In Which I Critique Both Walt Whitman and Muhammed, but Mostly the Former
Serpent's Den 