International student enrollment at Kent used to number in the thousands, back in the early- to mid-2010s. Then, in the late-2010s and early-2020s, international student enrollment declined sharply, to the point that they were numbered in the dozens. In the … Continue reading
I recently finished reading Dolly Parton’s lyrical anthology, Songteller. It’s a coffee table book, with lots of pictures and one-page anecdotes about the song lyrics. So, it’s not exactly designed to be read cover-to-cover. Still, I’ve been gradually working my way through … Continue reading
Ben Folds is one of my favorite artists. I was first introduced to his music at Grumpy Dave’s in downtown Bowling Green, back in the late-1990s. Some aspiring young artist was doing a live performance of some piano-heavy alternative rock … Continue reading
My sister-in-law Jacqueline comes from Virginia. She recently visited us in Ohio. And while she was here, she told me about a podcast called Alabama Astronaut. I just finished listening through all eight episodes (plus the forward and a bonus … Continue reading
I recently finished reading Jeff Chang’s book, Can’t Stop Won’t Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation. It was recommended to me by my friend Mark. Even though I’m a slow reader, I had some extra time off over Kent State University’s … Continue reading
It’s that time of year for retrospection. Earlier this month, I shared some observations regarding my musical preferences and listening patterns from 2022, as recorded quantitatively, by Spotify. But these metrics are overly influenced by the time of year in which a … Continue reading
We did a little Sinterklaas celebration on Monday night, around 9:30 PM. Pretty late for Marci, Cor, and me. But Elliot had a shift at Subway until closing. Olivia was busy with school work (until she took a little break … Continue reading
Spotify has created its own holiday. Have you noticed? Its annual publication of listeners’ “Year Wrapped” at the end of November / beginning of December feels momentous. My family looks forward to it for weeks ahead of time. And when … Continue reading
Most Saturday nights, I’m in bed by 9:00 PM. But this weekend, our family’s college students were both home for Fall Break. And one of their favorite bands was playing at an intimate venue nearby. So, I decided to join … Continue reading
I love small-town festivals. I grew up in a town that celebrated its Bicycle Days every summer. Marci and I had our first date at the Bucyrus Bratwurst Festival. And I’m always on the lookout for other interesting observances that … Continue reading