Monthly Archives: June 2012

Little Free Library

Posted on June 29, 2012 by

Have you heard of the “Little Free Library” yet? Boxes like birdhouses full of books are popping up in front yards around the metro Milwaukee area.  My own neighborhood has several. What a nice idea this is . . . … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and reading, Little Free Library, Milwaukee | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Leaving the nest

Posted on June 28, 2012 by

One of the baby chickadees left the nest early this morning, around 5:30 a.m.  (See video of the nest I shot about a month ago here.) Shortly after letting the dogs back in, I glanced out the kitchen window and … Continue reading →

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Sullivan reinstated at University of Virginia

Posted on June 26, 2012 by

The big news this afternoon in the world of higher education is the reinstatement of Dr. Teresa Sullivan as president of the University of Virginia.  Two weeks ago she resigned under pressure, igniting an explosive response from that institution’s students, faculty, and alumni, … Continue reading →

Posted in Higher education | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Rave review for Pixar’s “Brave”!

Posted on June 25, 2012 by

First, a quick disclaimer: WordPress won’t let me use italics in the headline, which is why I’ve put quotation marks around the title “Brave.”  I usually italicize titles, as called for by the style guide for my field, the MLA (Modern Language … Continue reading →

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Beautiful fluid mechanics

Posted on June 24, 2012 by

I added cream to my coffee this morning and watched, mesmerized, as the white streak slowly triangulated and formed individual spirals, each of which then continued triangulating, until at last a giant, unified spiral sprawled across the surface of the liquid. … Continue reading →

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Pixar’s (nearly) unbroken streak

Posted on June 22, 2012 by

I want Brave to be good.   My younger daughter and I have a standing date every year to see the newest Pixar movie during its first weekend in theaters.  Already today I’ve seen so-so reviews for Brave, but don’t want … Continue reading →

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Perspectives on depth perception as metaphor in film

Posted on June 20, 2012 by

I took this photo of the hallway outside my hotel room in San Antonio last week. I loved how the striped carpet and the alternating patterns of light and shadow added to the telescoping effect created by the distance perspective. … Continue reading →

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Getting use to journalists who can’t spell?

Posted on June 18, 2012 by

This morning I was watching The Weather Channel® and saw this promo for an upcoming story: “Getting use to the heat.”  Sigh.  It reminded me of my disappointment two weeks ago when one of my favorite writers, Peggy Noonan, penned a column … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and reading, Grammar, punctuation, usage, mechanics, Writing, blogging | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Home from the conference, the homework begins

Posted on June 16, 2012 by

Details have never been my strong suit.  I’m a big-picture thinker, which is a good thing, but I’ve learned the hard way that the only way to make things happen is to pay attention to the details. At the conference … Continue reading →

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Phil Collins, Alamo historian. Yes, that Phil Collins.

Posted on June 14, 2012 by

So on the plane from Dallas to San Antonio last Saturday, I met Steve, who lives about 45 minutes northwest of the city.  Among the other tourist tips he gave me, the most intriguing was his joking suggestion that I keep … Continue reading →

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