Trick-or-Treating

October 31st, 2014 → 5:57 am

“We talk with goblins, owls, and sprites.” – The Comedy of Errors

And pirates, princesses, and superheros – all costumes my son’s friends will wear tonight.  Happy Halloween!  I can’t wait to go trick-or-treating.

Filed under: Blog & Other

Gas Prices

October 29th, 2014 → 5:48 am

“O Hamlet, what a falling-off was there.” – Hamlet

$2.59/gallon yesterday.  Can you believe it?!?

Filed under: Blog & Economics/Money

Lute Strings, Bagpipes, and Other Instruments Made from Animal Parts

October 23rd, 2014 → 6:08 am

“Is it not strange that sheep’s guts should hale souls out of men’s bodies?” – Much Ado About Nothing

I agree.  It is weird to contemplate…

Filed under: Blog & Literature/Theatre/Art & Other

Fear of Ebola

October 20th, 2014 → 6:06 am

Albany:  “You may fear too far.”

Goneril:  “Safer than trust too far.”

                                            – King Lear

Ebola panic is spreading…

Filed under: Blog & Other

A Bouquet of Flowers

October 18th, 2014 → 6:39 am

    “For you, there’s rosemary, and rue; these keep
    Seeming and savour all the winter long.”  – Winter’s Tale

I came home from work last night feeling rather down after a rather dispiriting day at work.  And right when I walked through the door I heard my husband and son scrambling in the kitchen, giggling, telling me to wait where I was and close my eyes.  My son had picked a basketful of flowers for me from the schoolyard that day, and then he and my husband had brought them all together in a nice bouquet, which my son handed to me proudly at the door.  It nearly brought tears to my eyes.

Filed under: Blog & Self/My Life

Lack of Sleep

October 15th, 2014 → 5:34 am

“What art thou that usurp’st this time of night?” – Hamlet

I haven’t gotten a good night’s sleep in ages, it feels like.  Damn you, usurper of the night…

Filed under: Blog & Other & Self/My Life

Does Evil Have a Reason?

October 13th, 2014 → 6:13 am

“Every why hath a wherefore.” – Comedy of Errors

The above quote basically says that there’s a reason for everything.  Being an academic, I’ve always liked this rather famous quote.  I’ve always liked thinking that with enough study and effort, you could understand anything.  But I read recently that “there is no ‘why’ in the heart of darkness“; that at bottom, there is no fathomable reason for pure evil.  Is this true?  I have to admit, now I’m confused…

Filed under: Blog & Stupid/Evil People

Man’s Best Friend

October 10th, 2014 → 6:14 am

    “Ask my dog:  if he say ‘ay’, it will; if he say ‘no’, it will;
    if he shakes his tail, and say nothing, it will.” – Two Gentlemen of Verona

I was heartbroken to read that the dog of the nurse in Spain who was infected with the Ebola virus, Excalibur, was put down this week.  Poor dog!  Dogs are such good companions – they do what we say and comfort us when we’re sad and now, apparently, give their lives for us when demanded.

Filed under: Blog & Other

Guest Post – Swag

October 7th, 2014 → 5:49 am

    “What hempen home-spuns have we swaggering here,
    So near the cradle of the fairy queen?” – A Midsummer Night’s Dream

I’ve seen a bunch of articles lately about the origin of certain slang words including “swag,” and how, actually, many slang words we use today really aren’t that new or unique at all.  Swag and swagger, for example, have been around for hundreds of years, including, notably, in Shakespeare.  So does that make modern entertainers like Jay Z and Justin Bieber not all that cool, or does it just make Shakespeare even hipper than I thought it was possible for him to already be??

Filed under: Blog & Literature/Theatre/Art

White Woman Sues Over Being Turned Into a Black Mom

October 4th, 2014 → 6:26 am

“There is no darkness but ignorance.” – Twelfth Night

A woman in Ohio apparently received the wrong sperm from a sperm bank, but only found out after she was pregnant. She is white and had ordered sperm from a white sperm donor, but was inseminated with sperm from an African American instead.  She had her baby, bonded with her for two years, but only recently decided to sue the sperm bank after experiencing how hard it actually is to raise an African American child.  OMG.  Read this article.  I’m sorry this happened to this woman, but at this point I’m much sorrier for her poor daughter.  How is this lawsuit going to make her feel?  There is nothing wrong with darkness, people, the only wrong is ignorance.

Filed under: Blog & Stupid/Evil People