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There’s a particular scene in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix where Dolores Umbridge takes over as High Inquisitor at Hogwarts. In a flurry of images depicting rules and restrictions being created and enforced, Argus Filch stands atop an old, rickety ladder and pounds proclamation statements into the school’s storied walls. Most noted…
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This morning, at our full-Saturday session with our writing Fellows at Towson U, my colleague Cheryl led us along a writing marathon, where we selected a state (wooden piece of a puzzle) from a bag and answered a few questions about home, place, and our relationship (if any) with the state that we selected. What…
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all photos by rus vanwestervelt, 4/24/11, Goucher College, Towson, MD I am free, liberated from the grip of out-of-control social networking. I severed my ties with Facebook early this afternoon, turned off my computer, and headed out for a 2-mile hike along the trails on Goucher’s campus. This is not the first time I have…
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Distractions, distractions, distractions…. I am guilty of inviting them, these distractions. I interact with Facebook friends on an hourly basis at times, especially when I am engaged in a rather exciting experience. Earlier this week, My wife and I took our two younger children for a Light Rail tour of Baltimore, stopping on three of…
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loch raven reservoir. art: http://www.artofabbey.net/ Last month, I sketched out a monthly hiking plan that would send me all around the state, tackling some of the trails that I’ve never been on. This strategy was in line with my bigger project of dropping the weight and leading a more healthy, active lifestyle. Well, the good…
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Did ya miss me? In case you didn’t realize, my blogging pen spilled no ink yesterday (don’t feel bad–I didn’t even realize that I had not written until long after midnight…). I thought that I would be completely devastated by forgetting to write. Instead, I chuckled to myself and fell fast asleep. Writing every day…
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SUICIDE HOTLINE: 800-273-8255 Earlier this week, a 14-year-old boy, active in his Christian middle school in my community (he was reportedly the student government president), took his own life. I do not know any of the details of this horrible tragedy. What I do know is that middle school children (and, tragically, even those younger…
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Many highlights to this day (there always is when I’m teaching at Towson), but the surprise highlight has to be listening to Annie Dillard’s Pilgrim At Tinker Creek, as read by Tavia Gilbert. I’ve had this book on my iPod for some time now, but today was the first day that I really listened to…
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Three quick thoughts for the night: 1. Today, the Baltimore Sun reported that Maryland Casinos took in a revenue of over $13 million in the month of March. In 2008, Governor O’Malley stated that the Casinos would primarily cover the needs of our schools (i.e., the money would go toward education). Hey–Didn’t the state report…
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Just a few hours ago, the Orioles completed their home opener of the season, where they kept their formula alive of outstanding starting pitching, stellar defense, and clutch hitting. Throw in a couple of 3-run homers by Old Man Roberts on the team, and you’ve got a perfect record that is absolutely no fluke. We…
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