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’
Movies
Friday Flotsam: Teaching, Napoleon, and Oz
1. Well, I made it through my first week of the new teaching job. It was overall easier than I expected; it felt like slipping back into a somewhat familiar routine, the same sense of just standing up and talking to the class. 2. That said, it did feel a bit like building a railroad … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Teaching, Napoleon, and Oz
Friday Flotsam: Melancholy and Random Thoughts
1. I had my first teacher meetings this week. Next week starts classes, though with shortened days. 2. In a rather melancholy mood for one reason or another. 3. Reading Dickens, I occasionally stumble across moments that show how masterfully understated he could be, when he took the trouble. Most of the time, when he … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Melancholy and Random Thoughts
Thursday Flotsam: Moving, Politics, and Bueller
1. Tomorrow I leave for the desert of 48, so this week's flotsam comes a day early. 2. Yesterday was moving (out) day, when men came to cart all my worldly goods off into a truck. It also just so happened to be the day that Michigan was hit by the tail-end of a hurricane. … Continue reading Thursday Flotsam: Moving, Politics, and Bueller
Annual Praise for ‘Independence Day’
For newcomers, I watch 'Independence Day' every year on the Fourth of July: the following is (mostly) an old post on my great fondness for the film. When Independence Day came out, it was a huge hit, but ever since then it’s kind of become the poster-child for the big, dumb, CGI-fueled blockbusters of … Continue reading Annual Praise for ‘Independence Day’
Saturday Flotsam: Moving, A Book, A Film, and Economics
1. Was packing yesterday and lost track of the time, so this is Saturday Flotsam again. 2. As of this writing, I still haven't gotten final confirmation on my apartment. Last time I spoke to them the application is in the final stages, but that was a day or so ago. I don't anticipate it … Continue reading Saturday Flotsam: Moving, A Book, A Film, and Economics
The End of an Era
Roger Corman, the King of the B-Movies, has passed away on May 9, 2024 at the ripe age of 98, and with him has died an entire epoch of film making. It would take a book - a multi-volume book - to fully describe Corman's career and impact on the film industry. He produced his … Continue reading The End of an Era
Friday Flotsam: Legal Rebellion and Written Law, and ‘Monkey Man’ Impressions
1. Among the many absurdities of the American mind is the notion that a revolution can be legal. Consider the incessant quibbling over whether, say, Southern secession was 'legal' or not under the Constitution. In the first place, the question of whether leaving the Constitution is or is not permitted under the Constitution you are … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Legal Rebellion and Written Law, and ‘Monkey Man’ Impressions
Friday Flotsam: Various and Sundry
1. The weather is warming up, which means my middle schoolers were extra rowdy this week. I am increasingly convinced that children are, in truth, reptiles. 2. For recreation I started re-reading The Ball and the Cross for the first time in quite a while. Chesterton's way with words is of the sort that is … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Various and Sundry
Friday Flotsam: 26 to 48, America Lists, and ‘Godzilla x Kong’
1. First and foremost is some pretty big life news: after much searching and many applications, I've been offered a full-time teaching job with a traditional Catholic, classical education school. The only slight catch is that it's, ah, rather far. I live in Metro Detroit, and the job is in Phoenix, Arizona. Which means that … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: 26 to 48, America Lists, and ‘Godzilla x Kong’
Serpent's Den 