Yellow Roses, Erev Rosh Hashanah 5774 ( Read more... )

Five years ago I had my first Rosh Hashanah in Boston.  I had pneumonia.  I had two roommates and a lot of unpacking to do.  These things combined to give me chest pains.  I couldn't breathe deeply.  And I couldn't believe I had so much stuff.  Too much stuff to pack in my backpack and go on to the next place ( Read more... )

It's the eve of the eve of the Jewish New Year again, and the truth is that on the whole the past year has not been great.  I had work issues (not with my real job, but with the extra part-time one that was supposed to be fun), health issues, personal stuff.  I turned 29, which didn't bother me nearly as much as I expected.   On the other hand, a ( Read more... )

For the past few weeks, I have had these two lines of a poem by Emily Dickinson in my brain.  I first read Dickinson as a 10th grader in Mrs. Altland’s English class, which is also where I met Mrs. A and why I always call her Mrs. A or Mother English.  And much to Mrs. A’s oft-voiced horror, I don’t particularly like Emily Dickinson.   So it’s odd ( Read more... )

Tonight I want to get in my car and drive somewhere.  I want to drive all night, maybe south.  Maybe to the beach.  And watch the sun rise on the road.  And when I get there, I want to go to sleep for a few hours, and go for a walk on sand crackling with frost, and drink coffee and smoke cigarettes and disappear myself for a little while.  Mostly I ( Read more... )

I assigned my 10th grade Honors English class to rewrite a fairy tale in the voice of Holden Caulfield.  And now, for your reading pleasure, I present a selection of the awesomest moments from this assignment.

Best Title:  The Goddamn Duckling

Best Opening:  Before I jump into the story, let me just say that every time I tell this story, it really ( Read more... )

September:  First month of student teaching at Newton North High School (NNHS).  Teaching real teenagers real literature, including Raymond Carver, who is now one of my favorite depressing authors.  It was awesome.  I kind of got thrown in there, and I really had to learn fast.  But I think I did.

October:  One day in the computer lab, I found ( Read more... )

In the summer of 2008, I posted this:  nancyshane.livejournal.com/46648.html  For now, I've decided to call it Silent Things.  And since December, I've been working off and on on a reprise.  So here it is:

( Silent Things Reprised )

And now, a collection of two semesters’ observations on Important Subjects by the great Herr Arnold, because I just found these notes and I don’t want to do my real work.

Read!  Herb’s thoughts on

… zoology!
Humans are the only animals comfortable with self-deception.  My cat never deceives himself.

… literature!
Poetry is that which gets lost in ( Read more... )

About a year and a half ago, my friend gimcrackery wrote this ( Read more... )