The campus at The University of Regina is a large collection of buildings constructed around a central ellipse and all connected (presumably so that people can get from building-to-building without having to go outside and freezing to death in the winter). One result of this design is that there are some very long corridors. The longest hallway, by far, is on the south edge of the central campus running past the phys ed dept, the gyms, and all the way to a pit that has vending machines and ping-pong tables. When I first saw that corridor thirteen years ago, I had an inexplicably intense desire ..read more

Through a series of fortuitous events, I am once again teaching at The University of Regina. But this time for only the summer term (no more winters in Saskatchewan for me!). After my previous experiences (and as I rethink my experiences over the past 84 years of teaching), I have decided, once again, to revise and update my open letter to students. To my students: University is different from high school: you have to work.... really hard if you want to learn much. You have to read, you have to study, you have to think. If you don't do these things, you will likely fail or receive a low mar ..read more

It's spring! We should be flying kites, not drawing them with snowstomp art! My previous snow stomp art:         Kite (this post)         Act III         Into the Rabbit Hole          God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen         Tribute #3         Tribute #2         Tribute         Vanishing Point          ..read more

After a beautiful snowfall and a glorious couple of weekends, Nancy and I decided to do today's snowstomp art together: My previous snow stomp art:         Act III (this post)         Into the Rabbit Hole          God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen         Tribute #3         Tribute #2         Tribute         Vanishing Point          ..read more

It's the year of the rabbit. My previous snow stomp art:         Into the Rabbit Hole  (this post)         God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen         Tribute #3         Tribute #2         Tribute         Vanishing Point         Ukraine (in Cyrillic)         Calla Lilies         A Birthday Cake for L ..read more

After a very late night of strategic planning (i.e. finishing far too much scotch) with relatives and friends, I woke up to see the delightful snow on the ground. Since Encore... the Concert Band is playing a concert of 'seasonal' music this afternoon, I decided that the initial piece of snow art for the 2022-23 season should relate to that concert. And so here are the first few bars of "God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen". My previous snow stomp art:         God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen (this post)         Tribute #3    ..read more

Let me ask yet again, what is it about the famous Milton Friedman quip about monetary policy that today's central bankers don't seem to get? According to Friedman, monetary policy had (has?) an effect but only with a long and variable lag. Were all of today's central bankers trained by rational expectations cowboys to believe that all markets always clear instantly? Here are monetary data from FRED for the Canadian economy: Fascinating how M1 exploded early in the pandemic and then was followed (with a long and variable lag) by inflation that central bankers seemed surprised by. The last two ..read more

DOUBT is a play about two nuns who suspect the priest at their school is sexually abusing one of the boys. The priest is such a well-polished offender that he is able to make them doubt their suspicions. Ms. Eclectic used to work with sex offenders. Everything in this play rings true and is consistent with all the things she told me and had me read. The Play was written by John Patrick Shanley and was very well done. Excellent staging, and fantastic acting. Did I say fantastic acting? It really was! Dan Curtis as Father Flynn could convince just about anyone of his innocence. Nora Cuzzocrea as ..read more

Gratitude      Forgiveness      Stubbornness   Gratitude        Moving on          Problem-solving     Gratitude          Perseverance          Acceptance       Gratitude            Support            Toughness         Gratit ..read more

Carolle died at home this morning from a combination of congestive heart failure and renal failure. Last fall, it looked as if her health was improving, but it deteriorated during the winter. Carolle was grateful for everything: every opportunity, every friend, every relative. She always said, “I’ve had a wonderful life!” And that's what she meant: she loved her life. She was important in the lives of many people. For me, she was both challenging and caring, and she was strongly supportive of both me and my follies. Not a cheerleader, a strong supporter. We were married for nearly 40 years. A ..read more