[Re-posted from Nov. 22, 2003] 47 years ago today I was a 13-year old 8th grader at Edgar Allen Poe Intermediate in Alexandria, Va. It was an ordinary school day until about 2:20 in the afternoon, when we were changing classrooms, and suddenly a rumor was flying that the President had been shot. That was …
Reading the NYT article today which pulls the curtain back on internships and the abuses thereof, I’m reminded of the first actual job I had which got me a paycheck, complete with deductions for federal and state taxes and social security withholding. That was in 1967. Before that I’d had newspaper delivery jobs where I …
I went down the hill to the store with 10 minutes left in the Butler-Kansas State game and got back home when there were still 3 minutes left. Considering it took me 25 minutes in real time, that says something about television timeouts. I had the game on the radio in the car; I was …
To take the taste of Lieberman’s “principled” stand out of our mouths, here’s a nice French Christmas tune. Back at Thomas Jefferson High in Virginia my French teacher taught us this song. Mr. McConnell accompanied us on his autoharp. From The Wonder of Christmas, Un flambeau, Jeanette, Isabella — Renee Fleming and the Mormon Tabernacle …
Back in 1967 I was trying to find the right college to attend; at the time I wanted to study anthropology and archaeology. The U of Arizona had a good reputation in those areas of study, and by virtue of my parents’ declared residence I was eligible for resident tuition there. So off I went. …
James Michener would have been 100 years old last month. Christopher Reynolds of the LA Times had a wonderful essay about the man and his work which just appeared in our daily newspaper. Yet for all the fame and wealth that came his way, I’m here to argue that the author hasn’t gotten the credit …
Ah, memories. I walked into the Dollar Store to pick up cigarettes today, and the oldies radio station was playing a song from “Hair.” Back in 1969 or 1970 my fraternity (Alpha Kappa Lambda) was teamed up with (I think) the Chi Omega sorority to perform this song during Greek Week. Picture a whole bunch …
Thirty-six years ago yesterday four students were shot dead by the Ohio National Guard at Kent State. I don’t have precise memories of that day, but I certainly have memories of the trip back to Guam via Air Force transport jet a couple of weeks later. At the time, if you were a college student …
(Reposted from 11/22/03) On November 22, 1963 I was a 13-year old 8th grader at Edgar Allen Poe Intermediate in Alexandria, Va. It was an ordinary school day until about 2:20 in the afternoon, when we were changing classrooms, and suddenly a rumor was flying that the President had been shot. That was confirmed about …
There’s a serious market failure going on in the pre-packaged food industry. When I lived in Japan as a 23-year-old sailor, I became an amateur anthropologist, spending some of my evenings studying human nature. Much of this research took place in bars, and these observations often required that I myself partake of the products bars …