Hi! I’m having my annual allergy-season eye infection, so I can’t really see. But this http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/atlarge/2011/06/06/110606crat_atlarge_menand?currentPage=all showed up on ALDaily this morning. And it’s interesting.  And Menand writes well. The only thing I’d say is this–I think there are really THREE theories of college education, not two, because the two parts of his secondary theory…

One of the other peculiarities of still having dial up is the fact that you can’t get on the Internet in a thunderstorm.   That means I spent this morning working in the living room, because the thunderstorms probably started before I was awake and went on nearly nonstop until about nine o’clock.  And there was…

Okay.  I’m asking for a favor. Would any of you who can think of such a thing post to the comments to this post the title and name of the author of a book you think has an EXCELLENT opening– I mean opening chapter or two, not just the first teaser line or paragraph. Maybe…

So, I got up way too early this morning, and the first thing I found was John’s post about how people who are getting up and going to work and coming home and going to bed are doing something, but it wouldn’t be interesting to read about. And all I could think of was–yes, I…

So, it’s Saturday morning on a long week end, and I’m doing–nothing. Well, working.  I’m always working.  But other than that, I’m finishing one book, starting another, and complaining because there does not seem to be an ANTM marathon when there usually is one. But I have been thinking, reading the comments, and some of…

There’s some Internet version of the things that all my students use, so that if I’m teaching lit at all, I get twenty papers that all have the same mistakes in them.  The other thing they do, of course, is to watch the movie, if there’s been one.  One term, required to teach “The Color…

Most writers do everything they can to block out interruptions and distractions when they work.  They find a room at the back of the house where no one comes.  They put their desks up against a blank wall.  They pull down the blinds so they can’t see out of the windows. I, on the other…

So, I got up this morning, turned on the computer, put the kettle on for tea, went to find my manuscript and…bang.  Power out in the entire neighborhood.  At that point, I did what any red blooded New Englander would do–I called Connecticut Light and Power to find out when the thing would be over. …

I’ve been having a day. Let me fill you in a little–Greg tends to be a jumpy kid.  He’s jumpy in situations with new people, and always with having to go to the doctor or the dentist. When we’ve got good luck, whoever is seeing him just sort of joshes him along for a while,…

That sounds very elegant, but it isn’t really.  I’m in desperate need of having my lawn mowed.  My older son is so allergic that the year he tried it, he put himself in the hospital.  Granted, it was a minor trip, but still.  My younger son doesn’t have the doctor’s permission to even try running…