Let’s get one thing straight: nobody has to write King Lear during social distancing. “Productivity” is not a priority. If your social distancing means chilling and/or taking care of the day-to-day and/or just focusing on surviving, then that’s what you should do. For me, with my individual personality and disposition,…
Note: I wrote this, like, the day before everything in Toronto went strict social distancing. I’m glad we’re taking such precautions as a community to flatten the curve and protect our vulnerable community members. I think most of this still stands though. An additional few things that are shaping up…
Dexter did it. So did Mulder. And House. Sherlock Holmes did it in both his shows, sometimes more than once. It almost makes you think there should be a support group: “Hi, my name is Sherlock, and…” (“Go on, Sherlock.”) “… I get out of tough situations by faking my…
Among the many reasons I find myself fascinated by modern adaptations of Sherlock Holmes is the way they always implicitly address one of the themes that speaks to me: the relationship between expressing emotions and strength. Most Sherlock Holmes characters swear by the Great Detective’s lived maxim that (paraphrased) emotion…
How did I do with last year’s goals? Who can really say? … This blog. This blog can say. 1. How to own a condo or other residence. Oy yoy yoy, the Toronto housing market. Husband deserves all the credit on this one–he really dug into the market and the…
Here are 10 things I learned in 2019. 1. How to stop squirreling things away I am really bad about hanging onto stuff. Used to be, my big excuse was that I “might need it.” That one, I’ve got over; at the start of the year, my bigger excuse was…
Hello, everyone. I’m Professor Byleth, but you can call me Byleth. This course has no syllabus because apparently those don’t exist at Garreg Mach monastery, so I’m NOT going to spend the first 30 minutes of today going over some important course policies… … is what I would say if…
It’s cliché by now for affluent thirtysomethings like me to say we don’t feel like grown-ups. I mean, I don’t. I teach university students who are usually between 18 and 21 years old, and my gut feeling is that I’m close to “their age.” It doesn’t help that my gender…
I told you I was embracing “crotchety.” 1. Clothing fits with arbitrary people names. Why is your line of skinny pants now re-branded “Dustin”? Do people named “Dustin” tend to wear skinny pants? Do you want me to think that if I buy your pants in this fit, I, too,…
Shana tova! Hope my fellow Jews out there have a sweet and healthy new year! Here are a few things I’ll be carrying over from the “old year” to make sure my new one is just that: 1. Dreyer’s English: An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style by Benjamin…