Category Archives: Life

If life is a journey, not a destination, how do you pack?

Posted on August 18, 2026 by Katherine Wikoff

This was a question/prompt for a writing exercise done for a meeting of my writing group in December 2022. I came across it today going through folders to organize ephemera related to some larger writing projects. Seeing it again now, … Continue reading →

Posted in Life, Travel, writing exercises, Writing, blogging | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

“Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!”

Posted on August 10, 2026 by Katherine Wikoff

[NOTE – This is a “draft” post from 14 years ago that I just now stumbled across as I was searching for things I have written about movies. I can’t provide any more context than that for this post, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Life, Movies and film, Popular culture | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

(Somer) Sault Ste. Marie

Posted on August 7, 2026 by Katherine Wikoff

Our dog is never happier than when she’s outside on a sunny day, soaking up the rays in her backyard. On the other hand, she is terrified of thunderstorms, to the point where she needs medication (trazodone) to get through … Continue reading →

Posted in Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

(𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴) C O O O o o ʟ

Posted on December 5, 2025 by Katherine Wikoff

As I was putting on my coat yesterday afternoon to head out to my 3:00 PM class, I noticed what appeared to be a smudge or scuff on the wall near my office window. Slightly upsetting. Not only was it … Continue reading →

Posted in Creativity, Life, Science | Tagged , | 6 Comments

Some thoughts on Taco Bell

Posted on October 7, 2025 by Katherine Wikoff

I am informed by some spammy email in my Outlook that today is “National Taco Day,” which I have confirmed by checking in with Google. Ser Amantio di Nicolao, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0&gt;, via Wikimedia Commons https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Four_tacos_from_Santa_Rosa_Taqueria.jpg In honor of … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, History, Learning, Life, Popular culture | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald

Posted on October 2, 2025 by Katherine Wikoff

Well. I’ve never cried in a museum before, but the Edmund Fitzgerald exhibition at the Grohmann Museum had me in tears yesterday afternoon. I was making my way through the special exhibit’s gallery, looking at photographs and paintings of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, History, Life, Milwaukee | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Wednesday morning, September 10, in downtown Milwaukee

Posted on September 10, 2025 by Katherine Wikoff

Just two photos from my morning drive to work. First, I was on 10th Street just west of the Wisconsin Club, housed in the 1843 mansion built by Alexander Mitchell, founder of the Marine Bank and president of the Chicago, … Continue reading →

Posted in Life, Milwaukee, Photography | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Intersection of Beige and Cream

Posted on August 21, 2025 by Katherine Wikoff

Because working on a computer for hours at a time (in a single sitting) is not good for anyone, I try to take short, frequent breaks to get in some stretching and walking as much as possible. Fortunately, my office … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Life, Milwaukee, Photography | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

Smiley (Or, The Most Happy Staircase)

Posted on July 31, 2025 by Katherine Wikoff

Two references to unpack in that title, but first . . . . . . here’s a photo I took the other day around 2:15 PM of the atrium staircase at the Grohmann Museum (where my office is). If you … Continue reading →

Posted in Life, Photography, Popular culture | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

LOL, that lurid, sensationalist movie poster for “12 Angry Men”

Posted on May 29, 2025 by Katherine Wikoff

I’m teaching a technical communication course this summer and using the film 12 Angry Men as “raw material” for students to use in analyzing positive and negative communication behaviors commonly found on project teams. In doing some class prep, I … Continue reading →

Posted in Life, Movies and film, Popular culture, Teaching | Tagged , | 3 Comments