Category Archives: Pixel-stained Wretchery

Sunday Afternoon Potpourri:

It’s been a gorgeous weekend in Mondoville; I spent enough of yesterday afternoon outside to get pinked up, though not scorched or sore, and I’m currently in my office with the window open and the TeenBeat Mayhem stream providing my … Continue reading

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Sunday Afternoon Potpourri: Us and “Them” Edition

I’ve spent the afternoon doing lesson planning, but I thought I’d take a break to get caught up on the blogging end of things. But first… *** Remember the ’50s Big Bug movie Them!, with its tale of giant mutated … Continue reading

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Cut Me Open; Count the Rings

We’re getting ready to start looking at each other’s work in my creative writing class, and for a run-through, I decided to let them practice on something I wrote around 1985 or ’86, at about the age of 20. (I … Continue reading

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Sunday Afternoon Potpourri: Coronation Edition

No, not that guy in England — nothing against him, but this one’s closer to home. *** A public schoolteacher’s career is like an iceberg; most people never see most of it. Yes, there’s the grading, lesson planning, and assorted … Continue reading

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Sunday Afternoon Potpourri: “Too Old to Rock and Roll, Too Young to Die” Edition

I’m in the office, doing a bit of planning for the week’s classes. But of course, that’s always a good incentive to do something else, so here we are. *** I’ve noticed in the past that I seem in many … Continue reading

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Counting Blessings

I’ve said before that my sense of humor is so dark it veers into the ultraviolet. As is often the case, I think it’s a counterweight to the fact that I’m a melancholic sort most of the time, with a … Continue reading

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Sunday Afternoon Potpourri: Absent-Minded Edition

The new term starts in eight days, so I’m poking at syllabi this afternoon instead of watching the Bengals play the Bills. I’m sitting in my office recliner, and a couple of minutes ago I realized that I’m wearing mismatched … Continue reading

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Sunday Night Potpourri: Wild Card Edition

I’m watching my erstwhile home team, the Cincinnati Bengals, in the first round of the playoffs. I’ve only watched a few NFL games this season — my tastes run more toward the college game these days, and have for years. … Continue reading

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It’s The Principle of the Thing

I had a new experience the other day. For the first time since my return to creative writing, I earned royalties for a short story. Specifically, I received an amount proportionate to the number of words my “One of Us … Continue reading

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Encouraging Words

“We respond to enthusiasm.” — Robert Fripp, on The Great Deceiver I’ve mentioned before that I’ve been a writer all my literate life, and was making stuff up — songs and stories — even before then. So I’m comfortable in … Continue reading

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