Steven Harper's Blog, page 19

Thoughts and Prayers

This is what 25 years of "thoughts and prayers" have gotten us:Thurston High SchoolColumbine High SchoolHeritage High SchoolDeming Middle SchoolFort Gibson Middle SchoolBuell Elementary SchoolLake Worth Middle SchoolUniversity of ArkansasJunipero Serra High SchoolSantana High SchoolBishop Neumann High SchoolPacific Lutheran UniversityGranite Hills High SchoolLew Wallace High SchoolMartin Luther King, Jr High SchoolAppalachian School of LawWashington High SchoolConception AbbeyBenjamin Tasker Middle SchoolUniversity of ArizonaLincoln High SchoolJohn McDonogh High SchoolRed Lion Area Junior High SchoolCase Western Reserve UniversityRocori High SchoolBallou High SchoolRandallstown High SchoolBowen High SchoolRed Lake Senior High SchoolHarlan Community Academy High SchoolCampbell County High SchoolMilwee Middle SchoolRoseburg High SchoolPine Middle SchoolEssex Elementary SchoolDuquesne UniversityPlatte Canyon High SchoolWeston High SchoolWest Nickel Mines SchoolJoplin Memorial Middle SchoolHenry Foss High SchoolCompton Centennial High SchoolVirginia TechSuccess Tech AcademyMiami Carol City Senior High SchoolHamilton High SchoolLouisiana Technical CollegeMitchell High SchoolEO Green Junior High SchoolNorthern Illinois UniversityLakota Middle SchoolKnoxville Central High SchoolWilloughby South High SchoolHenry Ford High SchoolUniversity of Central ArkansasDillard High SchoolDunbar High SchoolHampton UniversityHarvard CollegeLarose-Cut Off Middle SchoolInternational Studies AcademySkyline CollegeDiscovery Middle SchoolUniversity of AlabamaDeKalb SchoolDeer Creek Middle SchoolOhio State UniversityMumford High SchoolUniversity of TexasKelly Elementary SchoolMarinette High SchoolAurora Central High SchoolMillard South High SchoolMartinsville West Middle SchoolWorthing High SchoolMillard South High SchoolHighlands Intermediate SchoolCape Fear High SchoolChardon High SchoolEpiscopal School of JacksonvilleOikos UniversityHamilton High SchoolPerry Hall SchoolNormal Community High SchoolUniversity of South AlabamaBanner Academy SouthUniversity of Southern CaliforniaSandy Hook Elementary SchoolApostolic Revival Center Christian SchoolTaft Union High SchoolOsborn High SchoolStevens Institute of Business and ArtsHazard Community and Technical CollegeChicago State UniversityLone Star College-NorthCesar Chavez High SchoolPrice Middle SchoolUniversity of Central FloridaNew River Community CollegeGrambling State UniversityMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyOssie Ware Mitchell Middle SchoolRonald E McNair Discovery AcademyNorth Panola High SchoolCarver High SchoolAgape Christian AcademySparks Middle SchoolNorth Carolina A&T State UniversityStephenson High SchoolBrashear High SchoolWest Orange High SchoolArapahoe High SchoolEdison High SchoolLiberty Technology Magnet High SchoolHillhouse High SchoolBerrendo Middle SchoolPurdue UniversitySouth Carolina State UniversityLos Angeles Valley CollegeCharles F Brush High SchoolUniversity of Southern CaliforniaGeorgia Regents UniversityAcademy of Knowledge PreschoolBenjamin Banneker High SchoolD H Conley High SchoolEast English Village Preparatory AcademyPaine CollegeGeorgia Gwinnett CollegeJohn F Kennedy High SchoolSeattle Pacific UniversityReynolds High SchoolIndiana State UniversityAlbemarle High SchoolFern Creek Traditional High SchoolLangston Hughes High SchoolMarysville Pilchuck High SchoolFlorida State UniversityMiami Carol City High SchoolRogers State UniversityRosemary Anderson High SchoolWisconsin Lutheran High SchoolFrederick High SchoolTenaya Middle SchoolBethune-Cookman UniversityPershing Elementary SchoolWayne Community CollegeJB Martin Middle SchoolSouthwestern Classical AcademySavannah State UniversityHarrisburg High SchoolUmpqua Community CollegeNorthern Arizona UniversityTexas Southern UniversityTennessee State UniversityWinston-Salem State UniversityMojave High SchoolLawrence Central High SchoolFranklin High SchoolMuskegon Heights High SchoolIndependence High SchoolMadison High SchoolAntigo High SchoolUniversity of California-Los AngelesJeremiah Burke High SchoolAlpine High SchoolTownville Elementary SchoolVigor High SchoolLinden McKinley STEM AcademyJune Jordan High School for EquityUnion Middle SchoolMueller Park Junior High SchoolWest Liberty-Salem High SchoolUniversity of WashingtonKing City High SchoolNorth Park Elementary SchoolNorth Lake CollegeFreeman High SchoolMattoon High SchoolRancho Tehama Elementary SchoolAztec High SchoolWake Forest UniversityItaly High SchoolNET Charter High SchoolMarshall County High SchoolSal Castro Middle SchoolMarjory Stoneman Douglas High SchoolGreat Mills High SchoolCentral Michigan UniversityHuffman High SchoolFrederick Douglass High SchoolForest High SchoolHighland High SchoolDixon High SchoolSanta Fe High SchoolNoblesville West Middle SchoolUniversity of North Carolina CharlotteSTEM School Highlands RanchEdgewood High SchoolPalm Beach Central High SchoolProvidence Career & Technical AcademyFairley High School (school bus)Canyon Springs High SchoolDennis Intermediate SchoolFlorida International UniversityCentral Elementary SchoolCascade Middle SchoolDavidson High SchoolPrairie View A & M UniversityAltascocita High SchoolCentral Academy of ExcellenceCleveland High SchoolRobert E Lee High SchoolCheyenne South High SchoolGrambling State UniversityBlountsville Elementary SchoolHolmes County, Mississippi (school bus)Prescott High SchoolCollege of the MainlandWynbrooke Elementary SchoolUNC CharlotteRiverview Florida (school bus)Second Chance High SchoolCarman-Ainsworth High SchoolWilliwaw Elementary SchoolMonroe Clark Middle SchoolCentral Catholic High SchoolJeanette High SchoolEastern Hills High SchoolDeAnza High SchoolRidgway High SchoolReginald F Lewis High SchoolSaugus High SchoolPleasantville High SchoolWaukesha South High SchoolOshkosh High SchoolCatholic Academy of New HavenBellaire High SchoolNorth Crowley High SchoolMcAuliffe Elementary SchoolSouth Oak Cliff High SchoolTexas A&M University-CommerceSonora High SchoolWestern Illinois UniversityOxford High SchoolRobb Elementary SchoolThurston High SchoolColumbine High SchoolHeritage High SchoolDeming Middle SchoolFort Gibson Middle SchoolBuell Elementary SchoolLake Worth Middle SchoolUniversity of ArkansasJunipero Serra High SchoolSantana High SchoolBishop Neumann High SchoolPacific Lutheran UniversityGranite Hills High SchoolLew Wallace High SchoolMartin Luther King, Jr High SchoolAppalachian School of LawWashington High SchoolConception AbbeyBenjamin Tasker Middle SchoolUniversity of ArizonaLincoln High SchoolJohn McDonogh High SchoolRed Lion Area Junior High SchoolCase Western Reserve UniversityRocori High SchoolBallou High SchoolRandallstown High SchoolBowen High SchoolRed Lake Senior High SchoolHarlan Community Academy High SchoolCampbell County High SchoolMilwee Middle SchoolRoseburg High SchoolPine Middle SchoolEssex Elementary SchoolDuquesne UniversityPlatte Canyon High SchoolWeston High SchoolWest Nickel Mines SchoolJoplin Memorial Middle SchoolHenry Foss High SchoolCompton Centennial High SchoolVirginia TechSuccess Tech AcademyMiami Carol City Senior High SchoolHamilton High SchoolLouisiana Technical CollegeMitchell High SchoolEO Green Junior High SchoolNorthern Illinois UniversityLakota Middle SchoolKnoxville Central High SchoolWilloughby South High SchoolHenry Ford High SchoolUniversity of Central ArkansasDillard High SchoolDunbar High SchoolHampton UniversityHarvard CollegeLarose-Cut Off Middle SchoolInternational Studies AcademySkyline CollegeDiscovery Middle SchoolUniversity of AlabamaDeKalb SchoolDeer Creek Middle SchoolOhio State UniversityMumford High SchoolUniversity of TexasKelly Elementary SchoolMarinette High SchoolAurora Central High SchoolMillard South High SchoolMartinsville West Middle SchoolWorthing High SchoolMillard South High SchoolHighlands Intermediate SchoolCape Fear High SchoolChardon High SchoolEpiscopal School of JacksonvilleOikos UniversityHamilton High SchoolPerry Hall SchoolNormal Community High SchoolUniversity of South AlabamaBanner Academy SouthUniversity of Southern CaliforniaSandy Hook Elementary SchoolApostolic Revival Center Christian SchoolTaft Union High SchoolOsborn High SchoolStevens Institute of Business and ArtsHazard Community and Technical CollegeChicago State UniversityLone Star College-NorthCesar Chavez High SchoolPrice Middle SchoolUniversity of Central FloridaNew River Community CollegeGrambling State UniversityMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyOssie Ware Mitchell Middle SchoolRonald E McNair Discovery AcademyNorth Panola High SchoolCarver High SchoolAgape Christian AcademySparks Middle SchoolNorth Carolina A&T State UniversityStephenson High SchoolBrashear High SchoolWest Orange High SchoolArapahoe High SchoolEdison High SchoolLiberty Technology Magnet High SchoolHillhouse High SchoolBerrendo Middle SchoolPurdue UniversitySouth Carolina State UniversityLos Angeles Valley CollegeCharles F Brush High SchoolUniversity of Southern CaliforniaGeorgia Regents UniversityAcademy of Knowledge PreschoolBenjamin Banneker High SchoolD H Conley High SchoolEast English Village Preparatory AcademyPaine CollegeGeorgia Gwinnett CollegeJohn F Kennedy High SchoolSeattle Pacific UniversityReynolds High SchoolIndiana State UniversityAlbemarle High SchoolFern Creek Traditional High SchoolLangston Hughes High SchoolMarysville Pilchuck High SchoolFlorida State UniversityMiami Carol City High SchoolRogers State UniversityRosemary Anderson High SchoolWisconsin Lutheran High SchoolFrederick High SchoolTenaya Middle SchoolBethune-Cookman UniversityPershing Elementary SchoolWayne Community CollegeJB Martin Middle SchoolSouthwestern Classical AcademySavannah State UniversityHarrisburg High SchoolUmpqua Community CollegeNorthern Arizona UniversityTexas Southern UniversityTennessee State UniversityWinston-Salem State UniversityMojave High SchoolLawrence Central High SchoolFranklin High SchoolMuskegon Heights High SchoolIndependence High SchoolMadison High SchoolAntigo High SchoolUniversity of California-Los AngelesJeremiah Burke High SchoolAlpine High SchoolTownville Elementary SchoolVigor High SchoolLinden McKinley STEM AcademyJune Jordan High School for EquityUnion Middle SchoolMueller Park Junior High SchoolWest Liberty-Salem High SchoolUniversity of WashingtonKing City High SchoolNorth Park Elementary SchoolNorth Lake CollegeFreeman High SchoolMattoon High SchoolRancho Tehama Elementary SchoolAztec High SchoolWake Forest UniversityItaly High SchoolNET Charter High SchoolMarshall County High SchoolSal Castro Middle SchoolMarjory Stoneman Douglas High SchoolGreat Mills High SchoolCentral Michigan UniversityHuffman High SchoolFrederick Douglass High SchoolForest High SchoolHighland High SchoolDixon High SchoolSanta Fe High SchoolNoblesville West Middle SchoolUniversity of North Carolina CharlotteSTEM School Highlands RanchEdgewood High SchoolPalm Beach Central High SchoolProvidence Career & Technical AcademyFairley High School (school bus)Canyon Springs High SchoolDennis Intermediate SchoolFlorida International UniversityCentral Elementary SchoolCascade Middle SchoolDavidson High SchoolPrairie View A & M UniversityAltascocita High SchoolCentral Academy of ExcellenceCleveland High SchoolRobert E Lee High SchoolCheyenne South High SchoolGrambling State UniversityBlountsville Elementary SchoolHolmes County, Mississippi (school bus)Prescott High SchoolCollege of the MainlandWynbrooke Elementary SchoolUNC CharlotteRiverview Florida (school bus)Second Chance High SchoolCarman-Ainsworth High SchoolWilliwaw Elementary SchoolMonroe Clark Middle SchoolCentral Catholic High SchoolJeanette High SchoolEastern Hills High SchoolDeAnza High SchoolRidgway High SchoolReginald F Lewis High SchoolSaugus High SchoolPleasantville High SchoolWaukesha South High SchoolOshkosh High SchoolCatholic Academy of New HavenBellaire High SchoolNorth Crowley High SchoolMcAuliffe Elementary SchoolSouth Oak Cliff High SchoolTexas A&M University-CommerceSonora High SchoolWestern Illinois UniversityOxford High SchoolBridgewater UniversityRobb Elementary SchoolMichigan State UniversityCovenant Christian SchoolTBA 

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My Feet

What's up with my feet? I went shoe shopping today and tried on some size 12s, my usual size. But they were too small. I tried 12 1/2. Still too small. Mystified, I hunted around and found a 13. STILL TOO SMALL. After more hunting, I found a pair of 14s. They fit.

Somewhere, somehow, I gained two whole sizes. The hell? 

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Armed Guards and Schools

 For the people who want to install armed guards in schools to deter mass shooting, we have this: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2776515

TL;DR: "the rate of deaths was 2.83 times greater in schools with an armed guard present"

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Ride

 I just got back from an evening bike ride, the first of the season. The red wing blackbirds are back, along with the robins and the mourning doves. The spring peepers are having a huge party down by the creek.

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Stress Cooking

I'm vagueposting, I know, but ... I'm sitting on some potentially rotten news, and I have to wait until May to know for sure. It's incredibly stressful, and to cope, I'm downing Xanax and spending today in the kitchen.

It started with a batch of banana muffins for breakfast. I like my recipe for these. Bakery muffins are basically fruit-flavored cupcakes and make your teeth ache. My recipe uses minimal sweetening, and they're very good, especially hot from the oven and slathered with butter. A little sausage on the side and it was a perfect breakfast.

We were almost out of bread, and what we had was going stale, so I whipped up a new loaf in the bread maker. When it was done, I pulled it out and set the machine to making some dough with added minced garlic. Then I went downstairs to run and do stupid PT exercises.

Finished up and showered just as the dough was finishing. I let it sit in the machine while I got out chicken, wine, more garlic, mushrooms, and onions. Chicken breasts are so huge these days that one is more than enough for Darwin and me, and they're so thick, you have to slice them in half sideways so they cook without drying out the outer part and leaving the inner part raw. I sharpened my big knife and zipped it through the breast until I had four manageable pieces.

I fried them with salt and pepper in olive oil, removed them from the pan, and added more oil. When it was hot again, I added the onions, garlic, and mushrooms. They sizzled nicely. When everything was tender, I sprinkled in flour, waited a few moments, then poured in Marsala and deglazed the pan. That done, I added beef broth (which is weird, considering this is a chicken dish), let it thicken, and returned the chicken to the pan. Chicken Marsala!

While that was simmering, I set my iron grill sheet on the stove and let it heat. I pulled chunks of the bread dough out the maker, flattened them, smeared olive oil on them, and dropped them on the sheet. In no time at all, I nice batch of naan. 

Put together a salad, set the table, and we had a very nice dinner.

What else shall I make?




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Tolkien and Me

 An interview with me! And Tolkien. In a way. Check it out:

https://talesaftertolkien.blogspot.com/2023/03/author-interview-steven-piziks.html?m=1 

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Shazam: Fury of the Gods

 Darwin and I saw Shazam: Fury of the Gods yesterday. It was a fun movie and we enjoyed it. A lot of critics were clawing their eyes out, but geez louise, folks--this is a popcorn movie, not high art.

There were a couple misfires. (Minor spoilers follow.) Billy and Freddy are supposed to be seventeen, but they act like middle schoolers, as they did in the first movie. Made no sense. The unicorns didn't work. At all. Not one bit. And the product placements, especially Skittles, were heavy-handed and embarrassing.

But there was a lot of cool. The gay reveal--yay! The audience we were with cheered. And so many Shazam comics Easter eggs, including the RV from the 70s TV show. And cameos galore (see the 70s TV show above). And the final scene with another super-hero--a delight!

So we were happy.

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Good News, Everyone!

 
On Wednesday, the Michigan House voted in favor of adding sexual orientation to Michigan's civil rights law. The bill has already passed the Senate. Governor Whitmer is expected to sign it. This means it will be illegal to discriminate against LGBTQ+ people based on their orientation or what gender they present as. The opposition complained that the bill doesn't make an exemption for "sincerely held religious beliefs," though none of the speakers in question explained why religious organizations should be allowed to discriminate when no one else can.At any rate, this is hugely good news! Michigan has become a safer place for LGBTQ+ people!

www.mlive.com/politics/2023/03/michigan-to-codify-lgbtq-protections-into-states-civil-rights-act.html


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Mega-Storm Walk

A huge snowstorm is sweeping across Michigan. As it drew in, the forecasts became truly scary. Although the students at Wherever were hoping for a snow day (when don't they?), the storm wasn't going to arrive until late afternoon, so school was in full session.

I kept a nervous eye on the storm. I have a 50-minute commute and didn't want to get caught in it, and it was set to arrive not long after school got out. The moment I was able, I dashed out the door and sprinted for home. No sign of snow when I pulled off the highway in Ypsilanti, so I stopped at the store for a few things and encountered the usual pre-apocalyptic crowd of people who were convinced that their survival depended on grabbing every gallon of milk and loaf of bread they could get their hands on. I just wanted bananas and a frozen pizza so I wouldn't have to make supper!

The snow started just as I was pulling out of the store parking lot. Big, wet, sticky flakes. 

Throughout the rest of the afternoon and evening, the snow really ramped up. It was BAD snow, thick as oatmeal. And we got a LOT of it and very quickly. I was glad to be at home!

Darwin, who doesn't go into the office on Fridays, and I had a nice, cozy meal while outside, the storm continued to gain strength. We saw lightening and heard crashes of thunder--thundersnow. This is a new phenomenon in Michigan, and exists thanks to climate change.

Then the lights flickered. They recovered, then flickered again, and then yet again. I dug out flashlights and candles, just in case, and immediately afterward, the flickering stopped. You're welcome, everyone!

At around 9:30, my phone blared with a message from the emergency messaging system. We were being advised not to drive, as the roads in the area were all but impassible. Wow.

It was too dark to see out the windows, and wanted to see what all the fuss was about, so I pulled on my heavy boots and my winter gear and headed outside for a good tromp.

The weather didn't disappoint. Wet snow swirled around, blown by a gusty wind. Every tree and limb was covered in white. The street in front of my house and the main road nearby were both nearly shin deep, and it packed into a slippery mess underfoot. No sign of a snowplow anywhere.

I tromped down to a dirt road leading to farm country. Everything was white and windy. A few ruts through the snow showed some people were foolish or desperate enough to drive. I heard sirens in the distance. The wind was powerful, but between my practical winter gear and the exercise, I was toasty warm. I wondered how someone from Hawaii would handle this.

Ahead of me was a pair of car headlights. As I got closer, it became clear they weren't moving. A bit closer, and it became clear the car was stuck. A woman was inside, tapping on her phone. My Midwestern helpfulness genes kicked in, and I approached. She didn't see me. I tapped lightly on the window, then stepped back so I wouldn't be looming over her. Startled, she rolled her window down.

"Do you need a push?" I said.

"I've called a tow truck," she replied. 

"That'll probably take quite a while. I could give you a push and we could probably rock you out of here."

"No, thanks. This is the third time I've gotten stuck, and if I get back on the road, I'll just get stuck again. I'll wait for the truck so it can just take me home."

"Okay, then," I said with a wave. "Good luck!"

I tromped on. 

At one point, I turned off the road and onto a sort-of trail that leads through a stand of pines. They're TALL, and at this moment, they were covered in snow that pull their branches downward. They stood like a line of white giants gearing up for war. The scene was both beautiful and eerie.

I wanted to see what the nearby graveyard looked like, but I noticed I was starting to feel a bit tired--walking through deep, wet snow is hard work--and I figured I'd better head back. It wouldn't be a good idea to exhaust myself and still have a mile or more to walk. So I turned around.

The lady and her car were still stuck, but just as I emerged from the trees, a tow truck bustled past and pulled up to her. The driver got out to do tow truck driver things and was industriously doing them when I arrived. 

"Hey!" he said when he saw me. "How's it going?"

"Busy night for you, I'll bet," I observed.

"I'd way rather be home!"

And I continued on my way.

Finally I got back, a little wet, but not at all cold. A brisk Michigan walk! I made hot chocolate and toasted some home made bread and celebrated being warm and inside again.



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My Journey Through Laryngitis

The cold left me with laryngitis. Right now, I can't make a noise louder than a croak. It makes life difficult at work. I use a text-to-speech program, which my students think is splendid. I'm also wearing a card that says LARYNGITIS with a frowny-face so people will understand right away that I can't talk.

I'm avoiding all speaking until my voice is better.  

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