1. My parents are in town visiting, so my schedule (such as it is) is thrown off, hence another Saturday Flotsam 2. I didn't have a lot of chance to get into the Halloween spirit this year, between work and other matters. I did get a chance to revisit Hammer Films' Horror of Dracula, starring … Continue reading Saturday Flotsam: Hammer Films and Not Much Else
Friday Flotsam
Friday Flotsam: 5th Century Italy, Manga, and Election Songs
1. Lately I've been learning some about the 5th-7th century in Italy, which is really a criminally under-discussed time period. Most popular histories more or less just jump from "sack of Rome" to "Dark Ages," as if nothing happened in between. But boy, did it ever! Like how we have a rare instance of one … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: 5th Century Italy, Manga, and Election Songs
Friday Flotsam: PT Conferences and Some Other Stuff
1. I had my very first parent-teacher conferences this week. They went pretty well overall; the parents were supportive and engaged, and we had a few fruitful conversations about what their children can do to improve. Though more often I just had to say "yes, Offspring is doing well in my class and not causing … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: PT Conferences and Some Other Stuff
Saturday Flotsam: Sick Again and Kung Fu
1. I came down with another cold this week and ended up staying home from yesterday. As I told a colleague the other day, my body is just not used to being around all these little germ factories all the time. 2. If I could work my will, there would be a moratorium on making … Continue reading Saturday Flotsam: Sick Again and Kung Fu
Saturday Flotsam: More History and ‘Who Goes There?’
1. I had my first angry parent encounter this week: someone not happy with one of my assignment policies. Sample from the conversation: "I think you're being very unprofessional.""How so?""You have a very poor attitude.""Can you tell me how?""You're too terse." An unpleasant experience, but an inevitable one. In any case, the policy still stands … Continue reading Saturday Flotsam: More History and ‘Who Goes There?’
Saturday Flotsam: Various and Generals and Capybara
1. The correct answer to the question "Am I a racist?" is "I don't care." 2. Listening to podcasts about Napoleon from Apostolic Majesty (an excellent and very thorough history channel, by the way). Napoleon, as I think I've mentioned, strikes me as one of the closest examples we've had in history to a genuine … Continue reading Saturday Flotsam: Various and Generals and Capybara
Friday Flotsam: Sick Again, Snow White, and RIP James Earl Jones
1. My cold returned with a vengeance this week. I ended up having to go get prescribed antibiotics and taking two days off from work right in the middle of the week. But I'm recovering (again) and at least I was able to go in to work today. 2. Part of my class schedule is … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Sick Again, Snow White, and RIP James Earl Jones
Saturday Flotsam: Not Much to Say
1. I got sick last weekend, meaning I missed a day of school and I'm still not a hundred percent. I keep miswriting things on the board and having to start over. But oh, well; I have another weekend to recover. 2. Oddly, I don't have much to say today, though I've got quite a … Continue reading Saturday Flotsam: Not Much to Say
Friday Flotsam: Rand, Tucker, ‘The Crow’
1. Have a much-needed four-day weekend ahead of me. I'm starting to get more into the routine of teaching full-time, at least so that it's less like I'm building a railroad as the train is rolling over it and more like I'm building it as the train is within sight. 2. In my US History … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Rand, Tucker, ‘The Crow’
Saturday Flotsam: Random Thoughts
1. I made it through my first (almost: we had the Feast of the Assumption off) full week of full-time teaching. The short version is that, while there were some rough patches, I survived. 2. Are there any browsers left that let you toggle the 'tab-close' buttons off? Because I find those very annoying for … Continue reading Saturday Flotsam: Random Thoughts
Serpent's Den 