I see new parents and I shake my head. I see them pushing a baby-stroller, or chasing down a scrambling toddler, and I think to myself the following thought: “There but for the grace of God go I…” Being a parent to babies, toddlers, and little kids is so exhausting. It sucks you dry. I … Read more
I talked to a childhood friend the other day by telephone. I was surprised when he explained to me that his 21-year old son was near disconsolate over the recent fighting in Ukraine. His son was tearful much of the time and had trouble sleeping, my friend told me. The kid spent hours glued to … Read more
Three days ago I watched Vladimir Putin’s incredible speech about Ukraine, Russia, and NATO. No matter what misinformation Putin might give out, I knew by then that he would order Russian forces to invade Ukraine. Two days ago I wrote an angry screed, “The Ukrainians Will Fight Alone,” about all this. Ninety minutes ago the … Read more
I read the following powerful story by Anne Applebaum with reference to the impending crisis of possible war in Ukraine. Vladimir Putin’s “Weimar Russia” is on the move, and nobody seems ready to stand up to it. Applebaum claims while there are no craven Neville Chamberlains in this story, there are also no stalwart Winston … Read more
My grandma, Margaret (“Peg”) Harriet Sullivan Geib, died when she was 77-years old. Her husband, Phillip James Geib, my grandfather, died at 90-years of age. Their deaths could not have been more different. My grandma was ready to go. I remember her telling me around 1977 or so that she had little interest in the … Read more
Supposedly my paternal grandfather (born in 1898) could recite long stretches of poetry by heart — Shelley and Keats, the classics. I mostly saw him recite semi-salacious limericks or other pithy humorous sayings, although he could recite those well enough, too. My grandfather had it all memorized. It was poetry at his fingertips, ready for … Read more
I wrote my last posting about the “metaverse,” which (in one form or another) experts assure us is the “3.0” future of the Internet. I was reading further more about it last night and I read the following: “The metaverse will take Big Data, biometrics, digital currencies (Bitcoin and its 10,000 brethren), blockchain technology, NFTs, … Read more
Dear Julia and Elizabeth, I am finally old. I think it is official. It has been coming on for a number of years, and maybe the preliminary step was my decision to get rid of social media and sever most of my online contacts. By 2019 I decided I would be a friend with you … Read more
Four weeks ago I wrote that one of my resolutions for 2022 was the following — “Don’t try to get COVID, but don’t exactly go out of your way NOT to get COVID.” I wrote that because it seemed like everyone was falling ill with the Omicron variant in late 2021, and sooner or later … Read more
“It is not the time for fear and cowardice, like with the Chicago Teachers Union. It is the time for resilience and courage.” Preface: School board meetings are about the surest cure to insomnia one can encounter, in my experience. And the vagaries of school district politics have always seemed to me beneath noticing or … Read more
Today on the first day of the new year I came across the above photo of a young lady in front of all the books she read in 2021. The new year 2022 has arrived, and the stage is set for her, me, and you to journey through the next twelve months of literary adventures. … Read more
I saw this ad the other day, asking me what was the death which most affected me: That is easy for me to answer. I saw this ad the other day, asking me what was the death which most affected me. That is easy. It was the death of Viktor Frankl on September 2, 1997. … Read more
NOTE: On December 1, 2021 I received notice of my USTA reclassification as a 5.0 NTRP tennis player. The following is my letter of appeal in response: December 11, 2021 To Whom it May Concern, I am writing this letter to appeal my rating bump from 4.5 to 5.0 NTRB rating. I suspect my recent … Read more
This week I read four articles which seem to sum up the zeitgeist at the moment. Walk with me through them and let’s see what we can see. “Where Have All the Grown-ups Gone?”by Paul Krugman I normally never read anything by columnist Paul Krugman: he is generally a one-dimensional thinker, and you know what … Read more
Some years ago I had a giant purge of my Facebook contacts. I got rid of almost all my former students and current co-workers here in beachside Ventura, California. I miss hearing some of the news about former students, but I don’t miss hearing about my co-workers. I decided to semi-strictly wall off my work … Read more
The news of a new variant of the SARS-CoV-2 first identified in South Africa – the one designated “Omicron” – took the world by storm last week. Without any details or much of any information – the world panicked. The stock market significantly dropped. Headlines were full of non-stop news on anything of note. Governments … Read more
On the evening of December 1, 2021 I felt a bit vertiginous. First of all, I had suddenly been reclassified as a 5.0 tennis player. That unexpected event totally took me by surprise. I was on my heels at the news this morning. Then this afternoon I read the accounts of the oral arguments held … Read more
I was teaching my second period class this morning when I received the text. A friend informed me I had been booted up to the NTRP 5.0 tennis level for the next year by the United States Tennis Association. “Noooooo!” I had seen this happen to others. They are moved up to the higher 5.0 … Read more
Like a snail with its shell it feels as if I have carried them around on my back for decades. My books. I own many of them. Too many? From apartment to apartment, even while in college and early adulthood, I never threw away any book I enjoyed. They added up. A buddy laughingly likes … Read more
It has been three full months since this school year began. I hear stories of my fellow teachers around the country pulling out their hair, claiming the students post-pandemic are “feral” in misbehavior and way behind in their studies. Some schools seem to be out of control. Teachers are fed up and quitting mid-year. Most … Read more
Dear Elizabeth, So I sit here across the table from you at the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf store at the corner of Telephone Rd. and Main St. here in Ventura, CA. You are enjoying a hot chocolate with whipping cream which you assure me is delicious. Your older sister Julia had soccer practice this … Read more
Two days ago, on November 7th, 2021, we ended daylight savings time. Now it gets dark as soon as 5:00 pm. That is early. This is what is on my mind tonight. The change in time has got me a bit off my game. The clock says it is 7:30 pm but it feels like … Read more
There is a malady which plagues my country. It is the malady of political division — of intense political ideology, and the denunciation of others because they disagree with you. Where will you find the source of this division? In the political extremes. In our two party political system, there are the populist Republicans who … Read more
It must have been around 1988 or 1989. I had a college job where I was wont to be at a desk for long hours at night without much to do. I would arrive to work and unload my backpack with my materials for the night. As was my custom, I would often push aside … Read more
It has been over seven weeks since Kabul fell to the Taliban, and I read the following article today which had the following attention-getting headline — “I will never become a Taliban wife. I would rather die.” This is so predictable. And so sad. The United States leaves Afghanistan, the Taliban takes over, and you … Read more
I figured I would take a step back and write a birthday message about my personal webpage on the 25th anniversary of its inception. I intend to explain why it came into being and how it evolved over time, and to show some of the back-side technology details and performance statistics. I started my website … Read more
I am 54-years old. I have been a teacher for 27 years, exactly half of my life. I went to school and then college. I got a job and worked. Got married and raised a family. Does my adult life consist mainly of sustaining myself and my wife, helping to pay our bills, and raising … Read more
A day in the life — Sunday September 17, 2021. A snapshot into my daily existence. An exposition on the choices we all make on how we choose to live. I woke up yesterday and went to the grocery store with my wife, who needed milk to make pancakes for our daughters for Sunday morning … Read more
Dear Julia, Six days from today you will embark upon your high school career in the classroom. It will be the first day of your freshman year. But as you have already started high school athletics, I will take this moment to write to you moving forward. You are fourteen years old, and high school … Read more
I have to admit I have paid almost no attention to the recall of Gov. Newsom and consequent upcoming special election. But I did sign the recall. Over a year ago I was biking along the boardwalk near the Ventura promenade when I spied two men sitting under an awning gathering signatures for the recall … Read more