Monthly Archives: June 2013

Riding a Big Wave

Three-quarters of the Berries (and some of our friends) made it to Spartanburg, SC, last night for the First Annual Southern Surf and Instro Fest. My review can be found at the oft-neglected band blog.

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On Another Front…

Dead End Follies, Benoit Lelievre’s take on dark fiction, Mixed Martial Arts, basketball, and many other interesting things, reviews Broken Glass Waltzes. Feel free to drop in — he’d love the company!

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Orientations and Disorientations

My summer term Brit Survey class is taking the final as I type this, and one young man has already told me this is his final college class — he has jumped through all the hoops. Meanwhile, kids are coming … Continue reading

Posted in Education, Family, Why I Do What I Do | 1 Comment

So Long, Alan Myers…

The former drummer for Devo has died after a lengthy struggle with cancer. Myers was the band’s drummer from 1976-86, easily the band’s best period. Beneath the band’s cartoonish robofacade, there was remarkable musicianship going on. While Myers was with … Continue reading

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I Think These Seem Connected

The prices paid for convenience, in both music and photography, are excellence and beauty.

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How to Earn an Instant A for Participation

Part of my unorthodox background in literary study means that sometimes cool stuff — even the occasional craftsman’s touch — slips by me. I got another example of that in my Brit Survey class today. We wrapped up Paradise Lost, … Continue reading

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Poetry Corner: “For I Shall Consider My Cat…”

Worthy of your attention is this brief article at Early Modern England on names people gave their pets in the medieval and early modern periods. It’s interesting in itself, but I particularly love a poem mentioned along the way. It … Continue reading

Posted in Literature, Medievalia | 2 Comments

QotD: We’ve Got What You Want Edition

In the NYT today, Verlyn Klinkenborg writes a bit about what the humanities have to offer. He notes the decline: Undergraduates will tell you that they’re under pressure — from their parents, from the burden of debt they incur, from … Continue reading

Posted in Culture, Education, Why I Do What I Do | 3 Comments

“My Dad Was In A Band…”

… and so have I been, time and time again. Dad was voted “Most Talented” in his senior class at Hume-Fogg Tech back in Nashville. I was about 8 or 9 when I discovered this (by looking at my folks’ … Continue reading

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A Review and Other Stuff

Author Mike Monson offers a review of Broken Glass Waltzes over at his place. If the spirit should move you after reading his review, you can pick it up in e-reader form for a mere 99 cents as part of … Continue reading

Posted in Broken Glass Waltzes, Family, Music | 2 Comments