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My late 20th century middlebrow center of gravity
Deliciously burning tops of mouths since 1974 (photo: Stouffers.com) Sometimes I like to scroll through this blog for the fun of it, as if I’m walking down Memory Lane to revisit writings about Memory...
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Thirsting for knowledge and understanding at a bookstore
Imagine a bookstore as a sanctuary, a place of refuge to read, think, and reflect. Reporting for The Guardian newspaper, Kareem Shaheen writes about Pages, a bookstore and cafe in Istanbul, Turkey,...
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Boston at night
It’s been a while since I’ve posted here. Life has been very busy, and this personal blog has been rather neglected as a result. I will be writing more in the weeks to come, but for now I wanted to do...
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Please follow me to TinyLetter!
Hi Everyone, I launched this little blog four years ago, and during that time I’ve published over 260 entries. I hope you’ve enjoyed the lion’s share of them! I’m now inviting you to follow me to the...
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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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What is it about cold weather that draws me to bookstores?
As soon as I stepped out of my home today and felt the near-wintry chill against my face, I knew that I’d be paying a visit to the venerable Brattle Book Shop in downtown Boston. You see, for some...
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Creating your own little patch of the internet
(image courtesy of clipart-library.com) Can a sense of place be virtual? Can we create personal space in an online environment? Can we stake a claim to our own little home patch of the internet? I know...
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Year-end thoughts and such
Jamaica Plain, Boston, winter scene (photo: DY) Various friends and family write annual holiday letters, and it’s a neat way to share the year that is about to pass. However, I cannot get my act...
View ArticleThe Great War, in stunning, detailed color
Lately I’ve been watching movies depicting aspects of trench warfare during the First World War, including “Journey’s End” (2018), “King and Country” (1964), and “Westfront 1918” (1930). I highly...
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Early winter binge viewing
The combination of a cold and some holiday downtime has led to a lot of binge viewing during the past couple of a weeks, and the televised rewards have been substantial. Here’s what I’ve been binging:...
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The Manhattan diner: 24/7/168
Tara Isabella Burton, in a feature for The Economist’s 1843 magazine last year, serves up a human interest story on an iconic Manhattan institution, the 24-hour diner: Londoners have their pubs....
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When a legendary restaurant closes, a lot of good memories go with it
This weekend marks the closing of Durgin-Park, a Boston restaurant featuring classic Yankee-style cooking that has been around for over 190 years. In explaining their decision to close, owners cited...
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A tour of historic Massachusetts General Hospital
The tour concluded in the Ether Dome Like many folks, I generally don’t like being at hospitals. It has nothing to do with the dedicated health care professionals who work in them, but rather because I...
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Pats win! (And other notes about sports fandom in Boston)
Banner up — my school is on Boston’s championship parade route (photo: DY) Although I’ve been living in Boston since 1994, this city is not my first love when it comes to pro sports devotion. I grew up...
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How long does it take to make a new friend? (And other thoughts on friendships)
A recent Yes! magazine feature on 2018’s top scientific insights about living a meaningful life reports on a study by researcher Jeffery Hall (U. Kansas) examining the process of building friendships....
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When an author finally “clicks” with you after several tries
One of my 2019 resolutions has been to downsize my overflowing book collection. I’m actually managing to keep to it, with several dozen books already given away or donated, and lots more to follow. In...
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Hooked on karaoke
During the last three months, I have become hooked on karaoke. It’s not that I am new to karaoke. In fact, I’ve done it lots of times, mostly by joining with friends to rent out small private studios...
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Bronnie Ware: “The Top Five Regrets of the Dying” (and what she’s learned...
For years, palliative care provider Bronnie Ware helped people who were nearing the end of their life’s journeys. Her work included conversations with them about what regrets they had carried into...
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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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A walking tour in Ancient Rome
Inside the Roman Colosseum During the last week of July, I found myself in the grand city of Rome. This first ever trip was occasioned by the International Congress on Law and Mental Health, a biennial...
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