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Two memorable semester breaks
Brandt Hall dormitory, Valparaiso University, Indiana (photo: DY) Even though I’ve been teaching for some 27 years, I don’t get overly enthused about semester breaks. They usually involve a fair amount...
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Music as time machine: 1979
At my go-to karaoke place in Boston, the main stage DJ is fond of playing clips of late 70s pop music in between numbers selected for performance. When things are a bit slow, he’ll even get up and...
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Pandemic Chronicles #3: Carless in Boston
Model and make of the only car I’ve ever owned It has taken a global pandemic to get me to a point where I feel limited by not owning a car. Here in Boston, we’re experiencing a predicted surge in...
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Pandemic Chronicles #7: Adventures lost
Our study abroad group at Coventry Cathedral, England, 1981 A couple of weeks ago, our study abroad group from college met for a Zoom-enabled happy hour/mini-reunion. It was the latest gathering of our...
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Pandemic Chronicles #16: “May you live in interesting times” (Umm, on second...
My school during more celebratory times, including being on the parade route for championship celebrations Many years ago, when I was easily inspired by catchy phrases, the expression “may you live in...
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Pandemic Chronicles #20: Witnessing “The Troubles” 40 years ago
Belfast, Northern Ireland, 1981 (photo: DY) With vaccinations on the increase and safer travel becoming a realistic possibility during the months to come, memories of past sojourns have become...
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Pandemic Chronicles #21: Migrating
Have you ever moved to another part of your city, state/province, or country? Have you ever relocated to another nation? Why did you do it, and how did you get there? NPR’s TED Radio Hour had me...
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Pandemic Chronicles #25: Monet, London fog, and memory at the Museum of Fine...
Monet and Boston exhibit, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (photo: DY) A greater appreciation for the cultural amenities of my home town of Boston and its surroundings has been an unintended but welcomed...
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Pandemic Chronicles #26: Old postcards as time travel experiences
The pandemic has prompted me to revive a boyhood hobby of stamp collecting, as I’ve shared in my new blog on lifelong learning and adult education (here and here). It has been an enjoyable and...
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Forty summers ago, a first-ever trip to NYC
Forty summers ago around this time, I was packing a small suitcase in preparation for a first-ever trip to New York City. This was to be a reconnaissance mission of sorts, an initial exploration of...
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