It ended badly
On 30 April, 1975, the last troops and refugees were evacuated from Saigon, and the hideous failure known as the Vietnam War officially ended. I was a sophomore in high school. I remember this picture being circulated all over the news: people rushing (many in vain) to get out of Saigon before it fell to [...]
And they leapt to their feet…
…for the “King of the High Cs.” Last night I was recording some Romantic era stuff for my music history class, and ran across “Nessun dorma” from Puccini’s opera, Turandot. Pavarotti. Like Elvis, Madonna and Prince, he’s known worldwide by simply one name. I know there are opera singers out there who think it’s passé [...]
History of Me, Part II
How about a couple of funny pictures? We were living in Waukegan, Illinois when I started school in 1964. This is my first grade picture. Notice how my mother did my hair to look like hers. She definitely won in that category: (Click for larger view) motherandme We moved to suburban Milwaukee in 1968. That’s [...]
Schmenglish III
As many of you know, I think a lot about grammar. Not in a militant way (well, ok maybe a little); rather, I’m just a little picky when it comes to mistakes that are easy to make when speaking and writing English. Therefore, I have taken it upon myself to be a grammatical Johnny Appleseed, [...]
On being nibbled to death by ducks
They are going to kill me. Swear. Boston University and Barnes & Noble (partners in extortion), I must admit, have happened on an idea that is positively, consummately, hilariously brilliant. Ladies and gentlemen…the “Coursepack.” What is a Coursepack, you ask? Well let’s see if I can get this right. A Coursepack is a bunch of [...]