This year's Christmas film with the family was Batman Returns, my first time seeing it. My immediate reaction is that this film feels like a fever dream, or like a piece of fan fiction written by someone who is very enthusiastic about the 1960s Batman TV show and is more than a little insane (which, … Continue reading Some ‘Batman Returns’ Thoughts
Thoughts
Back on Catholic 365: Infant King
First article in a long time is up on Catholic365, just in time for Christmas: Among the strictures against monarchy presented by the American Revolutionaries was the absurdity that a king can come to the throne at any age, and that, as Mr. Hamilton put it in one of the Federalist Papers, “a helpless infant … Continue reading Back on Catholic 365: Infant King
Friday Flotsam: A Lot of Variety and a Bollywood Clip
1. Ember Friday of the Third Week of Advent. Enjoy your fast and penance before Christmas! 2. It's been a pretty good week for me; I maintained my intended schedule, for the most part (I tend to fall off toward late afternoon, but I'm likening that to being out-of-shape and will trust that I'll get … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: A Lot of Variety and a Bollywood Clip
In Which I Defend My Much-Disliked Former Employer
I find this funny: I have no love for my former employer, United Wholesale Mortgage, for many reasons, but this strikes me as too patently absurd not to laugh at. Apparently, someone's suing them for racial discrimination. See the full article here. I'm sure this has happened plenty of times, but if you knew the … Continue reading In Which I Defend My Much-Disliked Former Employer
Friday Flotsam: Complaints, Movies, and Alexander
1. Auto-play videos on web pages are one of the worst ideas of the internet age. Every single time you go to a web page you have to rush to pause the thing before it starts, as likely as not hearing the first second or so over and over and over. Even if I'm going … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Complaints, Movies, and Alexander
Immediate Reaction to Seeing ‘Godzilla: Minus One’
So, my immediate reaction is "Go see this film. It's only getting a limited release in the US, but this deserves all the support it can get." Wow, it's been a long time since I've seen a film this good in a theater (that wasn't a re-release or special showing). I'm trying to make a … Continue reading Immediate Reaction to Seeing ‘Godzilla: Minus One’
Wednesday Political Thoughts
I've decided to try to restrict my political musings to Wednesday, that being a day well-suited for such a woeful child as this. "We the People...." I happen this morning to have thought of that famous John Adams quote: "Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to … Continue reading Wednesday Political Thoughts
Quick Thoughts on ‘The Last Unicorn’
I'm up in Maine visiting the niece and nephew this week, and for movie night tonight we watched The Last Unicorn. The film has a very high reputation, but honestly, I wasn't impressed by it. Oh, it's interesting, and I think I'm glad I saw it, there are a lot of good ideas in it, … Continue reading Quick Thoughts on ‘The Last Unicorn’
Friday Flotsam: Federalist Papers Again (Sorry)
1. The past few months have felt strangely repetitive and empty. I seem to have fallen onto a psychological cycle wherein little is done, but the same patterns repeat. I haven't written much lately, though constantly intending to. I find myself unable to relax into any kind of work, that is, to let go of … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Federalist Papers Again (Sorry)
Friday Flotsam: Teaching Stuff and a Couple Federalist Papers
1. I'm generally not very fond of the lesson plans I'm given, or the readings. That is, a lot of the readings are fine in themselves, but odd choices for the subject. In US History and Literature class, for instance, my students are reading a book about the Carmelite martyrs of Compiegne, written by a … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Teaching Stuff and a Couple Federalist Papers
Serpent's Den 