Even as the campus on Saturday celebrated the life and legacy of professor George N. Parks, who led the Minuteman Marching Band to national prominence during his 33-year tenure, it was clear that his influence will continue to be felt just as his death will continue to mourned far beyond the campus itself. I was […]
Each day since we all learned the sad news of George Parks’s death, I’ve been overcome by all the memories, stories and testimonials to our friend George. Facebook truly brought our family together as we celebrate and mourn.
Who doesn’t love having surgery (without the silly drama)? I had a really good experience with my first surgery since little-kid tonsillitis. I opted to use a surgeon out of Cooley-Dickenson Hospital in Northampton where they have a spankin-new surgery wing donated by the man who founded Yankee Candle. It was nice. The whole experience.
No, I’m not ordering any really exotic dinner. This being the Year of the Tiger, includes my birthday. Out of curiosity, and forgetting much of what I learned in a college Chinese mythology course, I checked Wikipedia for details. But I did remember that I am a tiger, more specifically a Wood Tiger, but not […]
NOTE: This was written originally as an opinion column for a UMass alumni newsletter. For time immemorial or so it seems, UMass Amherst (nee UMass) has struggled with its alumni outreach. I think a lot of that has to do with a long-standing patriarchical view the campus and its inhabitants have toward Beacon Hill. We want Boston […]
Today was a good day to think about things we should reflect upon at least once in a while. I did so while slinging pies and cakes and turkeys. It’s a funny day, Thanksgiving. It’s my first without Dad. Well, that’s not entirely true. I hadn’t shared Thanksgiving with him in a few years. No […]
The New York Times this week took a very interesting tack in discussing this age-old question. My immediate thoughts went to my father, who is living with cancer, and is fortunate enough to have good health insurance. Recently my mother showed me four years’ worth of monthly itemized bills from the hospitals Dad’s been to […]