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A “Less Than Three” Letter

Fats Waller – I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter

Today I intercepted the following love letter written during class by one of my algebra students.
The letter’s contents, which follow remind my of the confused nature of what it means to be in middle school:
Ten twenty sixx two-thousand and nine <3
2 the [...]

A Soggy Saturday

A Flock of Seagulls – I Ran

I know, I know….that’s not how you pronounce it (phonetically “Ron”), but after years of mispronouncing the title of this epic Kurosawa film, I finally got around to actually seeing it, this past Saturday, during a rainy Los Angeles afternoon. It’s usually this time of year that [...]

Algebra On Display

Pomplamoose – Beat It

Ah, the fun of using an LCD projector. It’s even more fun when I wear a white shirt to go along with it. My kids always get a kick out of the fact that as I teach, it often looks like I am wearing a just-created math shirt.
What’s even cooler [...]

….another proposal for Mr. Cortines

Mutual Admiration Society – Trouble

….holy cow…
…body crashing….
My next email to Superintendent Cortines:
Dear Mr. Cortines,
Please consider reinstating “naptime” at the secondary level. I’m sure that negotiations with UTLA will proceed quickly, as this is an issue that the entire educational community is will to stand (or at least sit) for.
Thank you…
……zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…….

International Sports We Really Care About

Wilco – Poor Places

When I was a kid, I watched the Olympics every two years with my family. Barcelona, Lillehammer, Atlanta, Nagano, I watched both winter games and summer games with joyful expectation.
This year, I did not end up watching the Vancouver Olympics at all, and I’m trying to track down the gradual [...]

I’ve Got Writer’s Blog

John Cage – 4’33”

-Robert Rauschenberg.
It’s Friday, and my Outlook task list says that it’s that time again for a blog post. Unfortunately, I’ve been so busy this week that I can’t even begin to mentally wrap my mind around what would be worth blogging about, a disease that I’m terming“writer’s blog”.
I wonder if the artists [...]

Really? Only 1.7 Miles?

Jackson Browne – Running on Empty

This past Sunday afternoon I played racquetball for the first time, and having a blast, have made a minor commitment to try to get a bit back into shape. Now trust me, I know that setting the bar too high will only lead to utter frustration and failure, so [...]

What are the odds?

James Horner – A Kaleidoscope of Mathematics

  This is the parking lot at The Grove. One of the downsides of statistics is that they put into full focus the reality of situations that can only be described as abysmal.
Yet, the TFA naïveté within me says there is hope in the midst of even the most [...]

Slow Down – An Experiment in Lethargy

Yann Tiersen – Naval

Yesterday was President’s Day. In honor of the day, I thought briefly to myself “Gee, I’m glad our President is hard at work today”, and then proceeded to enjoy a fantastic day that included, among other things, a trip to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, or better known by locals [...]

BBQ and TFA – only ONE is a TLA (“Three Letter Acronym”)

Henry Thomas – Texas Easy Street

Explore your city! Last evening, my friend Carl and I drove down to Compton to try this BBQ shack that we’d both heard about in a local paper.
While I would not normally drive 30 minutes for BBQ, I must say that this BBQ was simply sublime. Bludso’s is, [...]