This week has been a landmark one for former flower child-hater Jim Groom. After incessant railing against wailing, constant use of “hippie” as a derogatory term, and the occasional misspelled bumper sticker, Jim is, as of this week, a new man. What changed? Under my supervision, Jim underwent a rigorous “Hippie Sensitivity Training” program. In only three days, the results have been dramatic.
DAY 1:   Word-image association

As you can see, there was quite a lot of work to be done. However, through persistence and good luck, the final results were spectacular.
DAY …

I went downtown today in search of wooden things to paint, and returned with three kitchen implements, a music box, and a typewriter.

The music box didn’t play, so I dug out my screwdriver and pliers.

After an hour and a half, it was playing again. The melody is a little haunting:
Music Box
And after some fiddling in GarageBand:
Take Two
Can anyone identify this tune?
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Next step: finding a ribbon for my new (old) typewriter.

(The first step is admitting you have a problem.)
After a tiring evening of assorted geekery, I found myself engaged in conversation with a friend. The usual kind of late night conversation. Languid, wandering, tangential. And full of unexpected thoughts that eventually inspired this post on my film blog.
But what about this inspiration? Suddenly I found myself on fire. It took me completely off guard. Surprise! It’s four in the morning, and one minute I’m half awake, ready to collapse on the couch, and the next minute I’m up and engaged, …

I have a friend. Actually, I have more than one, but this particular one is special. We both started out as psychology majors, then made the switch to English. And we both have an intense passion for film. I’d never really analyzed this before, and perhaps it was the tangential late night mentality, but I suddenly wondered if this was significant.
Why?
Is there a connection between these variables? Or just coincidence?
What is it about film that draws us, specifically, in?
Film is a combination of the two, which is why we find …

Dear UMW,
I feel that our relationship is heading steadily downwards. Romance is declining. You consistently fail to deliver on promises, like faster internet, helpful administrators, and edible food. It took over five minutes for this page to load, OSACS is as frustrating as ever, and I just had chicken that tasted like cat. (Not–I might add–that I know what cat tastes like. But I have a more than adequate imagination.)
You never buy me flowers anymore. Or tune the residence hall pianos. You block campus foot-traffic with enormous tents for days, …

Over the course of my internet travels, I’ve seen many commercials. They show up on web pages, before online episodes of TV shows, and–of course–on YouTube. Some are funny, some are irritating, some are just stupid.
But none of the ads I’ve seen are as effective as one I ran across the other day.

Do you think a commercial like this would go over well in the U.S.? And for you parents out there– amusing or upsetting?

Just got this error message on my computer.

Um, what?

After all the recurring class discussion about sexuality, I’d really like to see some individual reactions and perceptions. What does sexuality mean to you? Is it a conscious or unconscious decision? What was your impression of the sexuality of each of the characters in Makai? And do you think sexuality can be fluid over time in general, or only when affected by specific events?
I would love to hear your opinion on this. It is a topic worth exploring. (I’m certainly not looking for a specific answer, and won’t be offended …

I’ve been thinking some more about our discussion in class yesterday. I wasn’t especially coherent at the time, but I think now I know what I was trying to say.
Simply remembering an event like the Holocaust is no guarantee that it won’t happen again. Memory is subjective, revisionist, and easily manipulated. Although saying so is a little cliché, history does tend to repeat itself.
But even so, I do believe in preserving details. Facts are cold, lifeless. They enable trivialization and give you everything except what is needed most to effect …

This is gradually becoming my catch-all creativity blog. My latest Bullet article!
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A Plague on Both Your Blouses: Renaissance Festival for the Modern College Student

Think of Maryland, and what comes to mind? Seafood? Mediocre baseball teams? Bad drivers? How about thousands of people running around in Elizabethan costume?
The Maryland Renaissance Festival is the second-largest fair of its kind in the United States, running every fall season from August to October since its opening in 1977. The festival itself takes place in a recreation of an old English village just northwest …