I've had a song from the 1989 Eurovision stuck in my head. As I was editing/fixing/polishing/rendering the animations for McAllister Elementary, I listened to it on repeat, as I do, making handy use of the YouTube refresh button. It was still on my computer when I dashed to McAllister the very day before our viewing… Continue reading Animations with kids and old Eurovision songs
Animating with kids: the home stretch
I am finished animating with all the kids I'm suppose to animate with, for now. I can't believe it. And something so nice happened on my very last day. I was back at Wolf Meadow. Let me back up ... there's no good ending as far as Anna goes, unfortunately ... I just never animated… Continue reading Animating with kids: the home stretch
The train in Pakistan is faster than Amtrak
Did you hear that, Amtrak? Okay, it's not always faster, but just lookie here: The train in Pakistan goes from Rahim Yar Khan to Karachi in 10 hours. That is 386 miles, or 621 kilometers. Meanwhile, I have been on the "Carolinian" between Charlotte, North Carolina and Washington D.C. about 50 times. The route, which does… Continue reading The train in Pakistan is faster than Amtrak
Is Pakistan safe for tourists?
Security for travelers in Pakistan is intense. There are rifle-wielding guards everywhere. When you approach the airport in Karachi, you have to pass through a couple of check-points before you ever get to the airport. At the checkpoint, there will be a guard with a rifle pointed straight at you a little ways away. Then… Continue reading Is Pakistan safe for tourists?
Stuck in Pakistan
I wasn't stuck in Pakistan; but someone I knew was. Let's call him Jassim. Jassim went to Pakistan for two weeks to attend conferences at two different universities. Just so you are aware, purchasing a regular tourist visa to Pakistan, at least for Americans, costs almost $200, but because Jassim was going for conferences, it… Continue reading Stuck in Pakistan
Me and Anne Shirley teaching: Animations with Kids
I just finished re-reading Anne of Avonlea (the sequel to Anne of Green Gables.) In that book, Anne is sixteen-and-a-half years old and starts teaching, and of course, she becomes the best teacher the kids ever had. I always liked reading this book. I loved reading about Anne as a teacher. Except this time when… Continue reading Me and Anne Shirley teaching: Animations with Kids
Amtrak’s clever plan for getting from Houston to Chicago
Let us first examine the map, so we know what we're talking about: See that, Houston to Chicago, a straight shot north across the United States. Here's Amtrak's proposal: Step 1: take the Sunset Limited train from Houston to Los Angeles. Step 2: take the Coastal Starlight from Los Angeles to Portland, Oregon. Step 3:… Continue reading Amtrak’s clever plan for getting from Houston to Chicago
“We fell in love in a hopeless place”
This was my third article for The Daily Tar Heel: "We fell in love in a hopeless place." If you go to my "writing" page, you will see that it's one of my favorite articles that I wrote. I wrote it during a pretty stressful time; and I wrote and re-wrote and crafted every word… Continue reading “We fell in love in a hopeless place”
The last of the mohicans
I'm reading the "Last of the Mohicans". I'm reading it because Lucy Maud Montgomery read it and mentioned it in her journal. However, I checked it out 2 months ago and I am still on page 45. In the meantime, I finished reading "How the Garcia Girls Lost their Accents" and started and am over… Continue reading The last of the mohicans
Can’t understand fifth-graders
I'm working with fifth-graders, and they are quite beyond my comprehension. There was this girl called ... well, let's call her Anna. She's a goofy girl. She spent the first class I was with them with her head down or in her arms the whole time nearly. Now she's livened up a bit and she… Continue reading Can’t understand fifth-graders
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