Lately, I’ve been thinking about this memory I have. It’s incredibly fuzzy, but there it is: I’m at Disneyland. I’m maybe five or six years old. After going on the usual kid-rides—It’s a Small World and the like—my father decides that I’m ready for the next step, “a big-boy ride.” At Disneyland in the late [...]
Author Archive
Cellular memories, a to z
I have an unhealthy affinity for my car, and for driving in general, which of course means that a) I live in LA and b) I like to take road trips. And while I enjoy traveling with the right friends (i.e., whoever lets me control the stereo), I also just like driving alone. In part, [...]
Nutshelves and escape goats: The art of appreciating student writing
As a community-college English instructor, I spend a great deal of time commenting on student essays. If you’ve ever graded a stack of 25 or so freshman composition papers—or better yet, spent a weekend grading, say, 75 or 80 papers—then you understand just how much monotony (and mediocre writing) that can entail. But, then again, [...]
Liz Phair, Sundance, and another juvenile rant on selling out
On my last night at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, I managed to ride the coattails of two guest-listers into Park City’s “hottest” night spot, Harry O’s, where Liz Phair was performing with Ben Folds (Five? Four? Three?). Before ostensibly sneaking in, I was told that this was a private party—”VIPs only, guy”—by a disdainful [...]
