From last fall… It’s Sunday afternoon. The sky is blue, and the air is cool — a welcome relief from the heat that refused to yield to October. It is cool, and the sun is dancing in the canopies of the trees. should go swimming. This is usually the wettest month in Central Texas, but […]
Yearly Archives: 2026
They Can Do That
Fri, 19 Jun 2026, 11:48 AM (-06:00)
A few months ago… Two students walk into the room. One of them has a question. The other is evidently there for moral support. The first student, who is in Precalculus, asks about an upcoming quiz. I point at the whiteboard. She turns to see a sketch of a unit circle — previous work from […]
hallucination #123
Thu, 18 Jun 2026, 08:28 AM (-06:00)
The code doesn’t compile. I tell the AI about the error. When I compile the code, I get this error: … And I show it the confusing details. To which the AI responds Ah, that is completely my fault. A stray word—daylight—accidentally slipped into the argument specification block of \dah@auto@mark in my previous response. What!? […]
conjunction
Tue, 16 Jun 2026, 09:46 PM (-06:00)
As viewed looking west across the street from the driveway…
Fritillary and Passiflora
Mon, 15 Jun 2026, 03:39 PM (-06:00)
1. When the world wearies… This morning, Lorene of Garden Rant fame, wrote about letting her plants speak for themselves, in which she posted just photos and names of the plants in her garden. She led with this wonderful quote from Minnie Aumonier. When the world wearies and society ceases to satisfy, there is always […]
First Person Quality Control
Tue, 2 Jun 2026, 10:17 PM (-06:00)
1. Brain in the Room I read something recently by a guy about using Claude. It was a confession. He was angry at himself. There was a software issue of some sort which he fed into Claude, which analyzed the issue, outlined a solution, and implemented a fix. He then had Claude push the code […]
End-of-Year Goodbyes
Sun, 31 May 2026, 09:27 AM (-06:00)
I make goodbye cards for the students at the end of each semester — hand-colored and signed, although the black outlines are mass produced from a single original. Unlike previous years, this spring I made a different card for each of the three preps I taught — about 175 cards in all, allowing for some […]
A Gathering Place on the Second Lake
Sat, 30 May 2026, 10:07 AM (-06:00)
1. Two Deep Lakes The first lake in the chain was deep. Mimi used to warn us about the drop-off — how the lake was a half-mile deep. It was her way of saying, “Don’t swim out too deep today.” This was in keeping with how she would warn us about other hazards of that […]
Miss You
Fri, 29 May 2026, 08:13 PM (-06:00)
The final exam was over. Everyone in the room had finished and turned in their tests. The tests were graded. There was still an hour to go, and so there was nothing to do but sit and chill. The room was quiet. This particular class was small and always quiet. But with the seniors gone […]
Fire
Wed, 20 May 2026, 10:24 AM (-06:00)
“Is it ok if I play music?” The algebra students had just begun the first part of their final exam. I didn’t want to break the silence, but I really wanted music while I graded the last few assignments that had somehow appeared the hand-in box since yesterday. (Funny thing how that happens at this […]