The grace of the Irish is what immediately comes to mind when I think about the two weeks I was in Ireland in July. Oh, I know that people usually think of the common phrase, “the luck of the Irish.” Throughout history, though, the Irish have not been particularly lucky. Think of the potato famines […]
The Grace of the Irish Read More »
A guy in Connecticut was arrested recently after he had a meltdown over a bad haircut. In spite of my current expanding forehead situation, I can totally relate. As a child of the sixties, hair wars comprised much of my life. Exhibit A was my high school. Every day, the dean of boys walked the
Follicular Assault Read More »
One of the books that I drew inspiration from during my teacher preparation days was How 2 Gerbils, 20 Goldfish, 200 Games, 2000 Books, and I Taught Them How to Read by Steven Daniels. His first year of teaching in an inner city school was a disaster. But he learned from it and became a
Classroom Critters Read More »
I was four years old, and we lived on the top floor of a fisherman’s house in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. I could see the ocean from my window, and our landlord often brought us fresh seafood. My father, a USAF radar operator, worked lots of seven day weeks and double shifts because of the Cold
The Persistence of Doors Read More »
I had a pet otter for about two years when I was growing up in the dusty farming town of Fessenden, North Dakota. His name was Joe and we played together quite a lot. My best friend, Carol, played with him, too. I should mention Joe was imaginary. Carol had a bird named Hi-low who
Growing Up: From Otters to Elvis Read More »
“… the pinnacle of hyenic humor, was the hyena, the classic hyena, that hit too far back while running, would circle madly, snapping and tearing at himself, until he pulled his own intestines out, and then stood there, jerking them out and eating them with relish. “‘Fisi,’ M’Cola would say and shake his head in
Dave Barry, Novelist: The M’cola Perspective Read More »