( Read more... )

Almost Finished

Y

es, I finally decided to get serious last night and graded furiously. Consequently, I am just about finished. Just in time for the Sun Bowl where UCLA plays Northwestern. I hope to greet the New Year with all accounts closed--i.e. all grades in--and with a Bruin victory. God knows we need it after the spanking we got from you- ( Read more... )

The Mostest 2005--Movies
Science Fiction + Action = high marks

T

he word "film" is a term I associate with academia. I show Japanese Films: Ikiru, Woman in the Dune, Seven Samurai, Twenty-four Eyes. I enjoy these films for what they are: Films that inform, stories that engage, ideas that make you think. These are all very good things to do, but ( Read more... )

Gas, gas, gas

I

t seems that gas has played a central role in my life this year. The faux heart attack was actually a build up of gas in my intestines.
( Read more... )

( Read more... )

The Mostest 2005--Health
No Flu shot

A

t the end of every year, we get Top Ten Lists and the Best of Lists and the Worst of Lists. I like reading these lists a lot, as it allows me to recall many of the the things that occurred in the past year. But many of these events or moments had little to no impact on my personal life. For example, the Chicago ( Read more... )

Citizenship and Immigration Service

T

omorrow, M and I go to Immigration (CIS) for her interview. As I previously mentioned, our court appearance in August went well and things were going swimmingly. Two Fridays ago, M went for a medical exam so she could present the results to CIS along with the other documentation needed for tomorrow's 9:15AM ( Read more... )

Spelling counts II

A

couple of days ago, I posted my thoughts on spelling. Writing is, in my books, an important way to communicate, and correct spelling goes a long way for the reader. Now, I realize that spelling is not everything, and I hope I didn't leave the impression that a misspelled word can ruin an otherwise wonderful literary event, ( Read more... )

Columbus Day

M

onday was a holiday, I think. Of course that didn't mean that I didn't have work... or class...
( Read more... )

Spelling Counts

A

s an instructor of literature, I love words. It is expressive and conveys our thoughts and feelings at a distance. There is nothing that can replace words and language. It is at once abstract and concrete. A word, such as... say, "grass" is made up of four different letters, five in all--g-r-a-s-s--each of which have nothing ( Read more... )