🗞 Only One Company… There’s only one big tech company that seemingly never played this hire-for-the-sake-of-hiring game, and thus hasn’t announced any layoffs at all, let alone a headcount that would fill a basketball arena. Just one. One company that has, at its best, always kept its cool …
Oh, hello semi-annual sinus cold. Nice to see you again.
Ladies and gentlemen, Two. 📷 credit: the wife
🗞 “My Ithaca Burned Down Too,” Ukrainian teenager reflects on reading James Joyce just before war.
TIL that Github sunset the Atom code editor in December. I rarely use it, but always loved working in it.
Yuuuuup.
Autumn has arrived in Tempe, AZ. 📷
Went to Mass this morning. It’s Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. Stopped on the way home for menudo at a local taqueria. I’ll be home and (mostly) off the social medias grid today. Happy mew year, folks. 🤙🏽
I’m struggling to put into words my grief over the passing of Pope Benedict. I learned so much about the faith from his writings, and his sermons. He became an intellectual north star for me at a formative time in my life. His abdication taught me humility beats ambition.
Thanks, Mom. 🤙🏽🎄🎅🏽
📽 About to start Empire Strikes Back with the kids. They don’t know Darth Vader is Luke’s dad. Queue the 🤯🤯🤯 ‘cause it’s coming.
Two sick little boys: recovering post-tonsillectomy and ear infection, respectively. Literal and figurative middle of the night. YOLO, folks. If you’re wondering how to YOLO, this is how it’s done. 🤙🏽
All time best Mike Leach soundbite, his take on the PAC12 college mascots. Rest in Peace, Coach.
“At this point we can all agree that Angelo is a piece of shit.” —a student paper on Measure for Measure
5yo had a tonsillectomy this morning. Already finished; waiting for the nurses to bring me back to post-op. Im proud of the kiddo’s bravery even when he got nervous. Next on today’s agenda: ice cream.
“More than any other time, if you are not on Twitter, you just don’t know what is going on.” 🗞️ Twitter comes of age - Marginal REVOLUTION
One upshot of the younger brother discovering where mom hid the oldest’s Christmas presents this morning is the beautiful strumming on the ukulele while I drank my coffee and got ready for the day.
Always something a little endearing when all the late assignments on the final paper are from the best students who fret and stress about every last minute detail and miss the deadline by 5-10 minutes. Average students (and below) just turn in “what they got.”
📚The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains, Nicholas Carr. This book was on my queue for later during winter break, but someone recalled it from the library. Alas.
Trader Joe’s. 📷
And with that, I’m done teaching for 2022—grading final papers notwithstanding.
About this time of the semester, the illusion of safety collapses for students who haven’t been coming to class. Suddenly, without warning, final papers are due. Never mind that they’ve been on the syllabus and Canvas since the start of the term. 🎓📑
USA USA USA
I recently purchased the new Criterion edition of WALL-E in 4k (half off on Amazon), but it arrives damaged from Amazon. (Replacement ordered, received without damage.) Then I stumbled on this review of why it’s the best cinephile film to watch with kids .
Since I’m not currently spending money on a music subscription, I need to fish in my boxes for the Christmas albums. My oldest recently discovered my iPod classic; it was like explaining 8-track or rotary phones, but now he’s eager to rip CDs and load them on the iPod.