In America

I cut wildly long passages from de Toqueville. Yes, it’s great for our juniors to read historical sources on the American character, but seriously, have you read de Toqueville? Whew. I added little pictures where we stopped during reading to answer questions such as, “Are Americans greedy or generous?” “Do Americans work too much, or […]

Zoltar, Who Isn’t Real

I don’t want to know the future, yet I stop at Zoltar’s machine every time I visit Coney Island. It’s been a while. I still have all my fortunes in a decorated matchbox, in case I need to consult them. It’s part of my fascination with animatronics, robots intended for fun, and the whole Pygmalion […]

Eagle When She Flies

Dolly Parton died, and damnit, why? Today, the day after she died, I put on the important songs for my first hour class to listen to. My assistant and I talked about how great she was, after he had reminded me about “Islands in the Stream,” which I can’t believe I forgot. It was day […]

Fish Were Jumping

I mention to the barista that I have to go back to school tomorrow. “I used to work at a school. First I was a preschool teacher, and then I was a janitor. I found whole apples stuck in the toilets.” Thus the summer came to an end. I chose Hawaiian coffee, because the sound […]