The Five-Minute Photo Shoot
photo: rus vanwestervelt, goucher college, towson, md 9/26/11 My drive home from school today took less time than I expected, and I had exactly ten extra minutes before I had to pick up my oldest daughter to take her to the gym. Given the fact that I was still five minutes from home, that left [...]
We Are Writing More Than Ever, Or Are We?
On the surface, I should be really excited about this ever-evolving global explosion with writing. In fact, the statistics are nothing short of staggering. In February 2011, The Nielsen Company documented over 156 million public blogs in existence. In 2009, 1.5 trillion text messages were sent or were received (dhtech.com). According to Facebook’s statistics page (accessed [...]
Are We All A Little Weakened At The Roots?
Trees down on Cowpens Avenue, Towson, MD, August 28, 2011 (Hurricane Irene) Photo: amy vanwestervelt Eleven days ago, an earthquake rocked the Mid-Atlantic region. Then, five days later, Hurricane Irene moved through the area, bringing down trees and power lines that disrupted service to over four million people along the East Coast. And now, looking [...]
Proclamation: There Will Be No More Proclamations!
There’s a particular scene in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix where Dolores Umbridge takes over as High Inquisitor at Hogwarts. In a flurry of images depicting rules and restrictions being created and enforced, Argus Filch stands atop an old, rickety ladder and pounds proclamation statements into the school’s storied walls. Most noted [...]
Stay in the stream?
Distractions, distractions, distractions…. I am guilty of inviting them, these distractions. I interact with Facebook friends on an hourly basis at times, especially when I am engaged in a rather exciting experience. Earlier this week, My wife and I took our two younger children for a Light Rail tour of Baltimore, stopping on three of [...]
addendum to my six people I’d like to meet
…and I think you’d like to meet her as well. Her name is Christine Kane, and she’s an inspiring artist who does a phenomenal job of keeping in touch with her fans and friends through her blog and through email. She’s a reminder to me of just how important it is to stay grounded in [...]
Slaughter in the Back Yard
When we moved into our new house last May, Spring had already consumed our small, quarter-acre lot. The azaleas in the front were in full, brilliant bloom–an explosion of pinks and reds and whites that distinguished our home from all others along our quiet street. In the back yard, where our property line kisses the [...]
The Fragrant Evening
Last night, as I made my usual 9:41 p.m. Starbucks run (grande soy chai latte, if you were possibly wondering), I was stung by the sudden fragrance of fresh honeysuckle that has just bloomed in the middle of our yard. For the longest time, we wondered what that bush might be. Well, last night, it [...]
I’m Back (in black)
Greetings, all: First, let me thank all of you for your kind words, your emails, your cards, your everything. I am honored to know all of you, whether it be in person or online. All of you have made this passing much easier to bear, and I am very grateful. With each day that has [...]
Caring for Mom
Ugh. Earlier this year, just after Winter Break, I and a few of my colleagues were looking at the semester ahead of us. February allowed its usual breaks for Presidents’ Day and Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday. But then we all looked at March: a string of five straight weeks of teaching without a break [...]
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