Why am I so bad at watching TV?

The thought of having to sit and watch 8, 10 or 13 episodes of a show that was just released makes me feel anxious and overwhelmed.

Patti Smith, The Big Easy, and me, part 2

Part 2: A weary traveler in the Big Easy with a dead battery. Click here for part 1 As I left the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and walked back to my car, I was in a great mood. The sun was low on the horizon and Patti Smith’s performance had been perfect. Even …

Patti Smith, The Big Easy, and me, part 1

Patti looked up and smiled, then laughed, and we cheered and laughed with her.

Cleanliness is next to…

This is the latest in a series of random thoughts while being holed up during the COVID-19 pandemic. How much hand sanitizer does it take to kill one’s credit card? I have no idea, but I’m convinced that before this pandemic is through, I will find out. I’m trying to stay in as much as …

Goodbye to breakfast

This is the first in a series of random thoughts while being holed up during the COVID-19 pandemic. The alarm went off at 5:40 a.m. I really didn’t want to get up. After all, what’s the point of teaching from home if I still have to get up? There are few advantages to getting old, …

Dickerson offers insights into craft

'60 Minutes' host, long-time journalist visits Lamar Journalist John Dickerson visited Lamar University, March 9, the latest presenter in the 2020 Judge Joe J. Fisher Distinguished Lecture Series. Prior to the main event, Dickerson spoke to members of the local media in the Rothwell Recital Hall. Members of the University Press joined journalists from The …

Review: ‘Francis Bacon: Late Paintings’

This is a review of the exhibition “Francis Bacon: Late Paintings" at Museum of Fine Arts Houston published in the March 2020 ISSUE arts magazine. For a link to the story, click here. To see a digital version of the pages, click on the image below.

Douglas more than movie star

Golden era actor more than what was seen on screen Kirk Douglas died Feb. 5 and the plaudits immediately began pouring in for the 103-year-old legend of the silver screen, and deservedly so. His résumé includes the classic films “Paths of Glory,” “The Vikings,” “Ace in the Hole,” “Spartacus” and “Lust for Life.” But Douglas …