Shrewsbury 1575 6/7/22

One of the funniest moments was when a couple that looked like maybe they were the grandparents of a young lady wouldn’t let her give me a coin because “he’s just going to keep it.” Well, yes, I would have kept her quarter (or dime or nickel) and returned a dollar. So, you know, very clever of them.

Exploding Roses 6/3/22

I grabbed a few students, packed a bunch of chemicals in my vehicle (that I probably should not have been hauling without a proper chemical transport license), and off we go.

Cell Phones 5/18/22

The plan backfired, spectacularly, as the next thing I heard was a chorus from several students saying loudly, “DO MINE NEXT!!!”

Teaching and Learning 5/17/22

It’s a fantasy to say that I am a good teacher, or that I will be able to teach them anything. I can’t, because the choice isn’t mine. The students, themselves, have to decide if they want to learn.

Candle 4/23/22

Science builds on itself, so if you don’t understand this chapter, you won’t understand the next, but this can also be crippling to a professor.

Thin Line 4/3/22

The campus was more or less deserted. The day was comfortably warm, and I know I was enjoying my task knowing there was no immediate deadline for completion. That’s when he walked in.

And Again 3/20/22

It is my firm belief that it is the responsibility of all adults to know gun safety. In this day and age, there are just too many guns around and the chances of finding one is too high. If you happened on one of my handguns, would you know about the safeties? Would you trust them? Would you know how to unload them? Would you know that removing the clip isn’t enough?

Women’s History Month 3/7/22

women do deserve a month of recognition. Hell, they actually deserve at least a century of recognition for all they have done.

Reputation 2/11/22

Reputations are enigmas. They are so tough to build, yet so fragile once set. If the reputation is damaged, it takes much longer, and much more work, to rebuild it to the former glory. I am fortunate enough to have some great friends still at that institution so I’m very happy to say that the reputation of the computer science at XXU did rebound. Not only did they rebound, but they've grown far more than I would have imagined. They found their niche, and many years and incredible government grants later, they’ve built a reputation that far exceeded anything they had accomplished before, or during, my tenure there. But, on occasion, I remember their reputation when I started, and how fragile it really was. I’ve learned great lessons from this, and it seems as though their computer science people have as well.

National Guard Teachers 2/7/22

We have got to start treating people better, but that ship may have already sailed. Perhaps we’re in a position where business owners have saved so much money on employees for so long that now they need to spend money to figure out how to do work with fewer people.