Meet Bob. He’s the father of BFA-teacher Mike Hill. This week, he celebrated his 48th wedding anniversary, and he marked the occasion with a romantic élan that would make a Tramp (ie. “Lady and the…”) proud. He bought a helium-filled balloon and attached a note to the end of its ribbon, inviting anyone who found […]
Under the best of conditions, it’s a recipe for chaos: load 300 teenagers into five buses and a couple of vans, then head off to the mountains for three days of skiing, snowboarding, worshiping and learning. Every year, I ask myself if I have the courage to face the weekend “retreat” of perpetual loudness, busyness […]
(Skip to the bottom for the latest installment in my George Clooney Photoshop collection!) I know some teachers who tend to speak in laudatory terms only of former students–those who have gone on to achieve greatness or renown. I too have found satisfaction and pride in seeing my former singers and actors carve out a […]
I’ve GOT to start getting more sleep. Which means that the Olympic Games have GOT to end! You see, with the time zone difference between Vancouver and Kandern, all the best events tend to start around midnight, my time, and both my sleep patterns and my ability to focus during daylight hours are suffering. Let […]
Sometimes, I just need to gaze on innocence. (I’ve been doing a lot of that lately.) And sometimes I have strong urges to punish the guilty. It’s the vindicator in me—the exactor of justice. I think it may be a force most powerful in those of us who were harmed at an age when we […]
One of the most enjoyable aspects of being a Creative Writing teacher is that I get to read journals. There aren’t many guidelines as to what or how the students are supposed to write. No restrictions on length or content. No stylistic judgment. Just a minimum of two entries per week and their teacher’s disappointment […]
(See bottom of post for my official b-day portrait–I LOVE it!) There’s a sort of unwritten rule among bloggers that birthdays are supposed to be marked by meaningful musings about the past and the future. I had intended to write such an entry. I’d even chosen the title: “Forty-Two Brooms.” The French tend to refer […]
I’ve long been moved by faces. It’s probably one of the reasons I’ve been so drawn to photography–the pursuit of that moment when eyes light with that inexpressible “something” that conveys so much more than a collection of traits and expressions. How many times in the past few days have I stayed up late, looking […]
I’m a firm believer in “marking the moment”—and if you’re a student of mine, that comes as no news to you. How many times have I stopped you in mid-something and yelled, “Wait! Mark this moment! You’re going to want to remember it sometime in the future!” Part of it is the MK thing: we […]
(Most photos are of the Colmar Christmas market and an alumni reunion at my place…) The question of the day, two weeks ago, was: does Michèle have brain cancer? It was a question to which I was rather eager to have an answer…and before Christmas, if possible! I took the fact that we passed a […]