Baltimore Ravens vs Atlanta Falcons being projected onto the wall in Lexington Market When I was a kid, my grandmother made sure I had lots of experiences, as she did for my cousin and, apparently, for my mother, aunt, and uncle...think piano lessons, dance lessons, sports, sports camps etc. In my case, it started with … Continue reading Everything Old is New Again…yet somehow Different
As a young professional, I accepted the nomination to run for president-elect of my state professional association. My tenure as president elect, was cut short by the resignation of the president (that’s a story for my memoirs), and I was thrust into the office of president prematurely in February 2000, after only 5 months as … Continue reading Embracing the Gray
This past Sunday, my immediate family decided to get together for brunch at the home of the youngest relative. I stress immediate family because there are only four of us directly descended from my grandmother. With spouses, there are 6. We do have a host of cousins who are definitely important to my story (not … Continue reading Family Ties
“Not my horse, not my rodeo”, or “not my circus, not my monkeys” Buckle up folks, because this is going to be a quite tangential passage. People talk about a lot of things that they know nothing about. I know that while I don’t know everything, I’m also quick to check google and suggest that … Continue reading Not my horse…
Merriam-Webster.com Word of the Day for February 16, 2023: Lyrical One More Chance by the Notorious B.I.G. “… Isn't this great? Your flight leaves at eight Her flight lands at nine, my game just rewinds (don't go, don't go, don't go) Lyrically, I'm supposed to represent I'm not only the client, I'm the player president… … Continue reading Lyrical
Large portions of this entry were originally posted to the UMBC First Generation Student Network in February 2021 As to not assume that you are familiar with me, it is likely a good idea that I take a moment to introduce myself. I am the Director of UMBC’s Office of Academic Opportunity Programs (AOP). AOP … Continue reading From Pain to Passion to Purpose in 2022
Y’all are just going to have to follow me on this one. Saturday Night Live used to have a series of sketches entitled “Deep Thought by Jack Handey”. It was purely satire. While this blog isn’t satire, and my mother’s maiden name was Handy (no E), I still felt the title of it. Let’s jump … Continue reading Deep Thoughts with a Handy: Politeness and Gender Identity
In 1986, my aunt married a man who was originally from Ohio. In the summer of 1987, we (my grandparents and great aunt) drove to Columbus, Ohio for what had started out as a family reunion. That ended up being canceled, but my grandparents, ever the domestic travelers, decided to go anyway. I remember several … Continue reading The Value in Exposure
I believe people subscribe to two schools, at least where failure is concerned. They either believe failure is unacceptable, or they believe that failure is not only acceptable, it is valuable. I once heard someone say “if we got it right the first time, it would be called search, not research.” Failed experiments serve a … Continue reading Failure is an option
Lifting as I Climb 