the depressed grinch

One of the posts I’ve been meaning to write for a while is on using cartoons in teaching social theory, specifically a couple I’ve used this semester. But I haven’t had time to write it up. Meanwhile, though, a friend and colleague in UNC’s med school put together this analysis of the Grinch: I thought […]

half truths

I was teaching about concepts and essentialism today–social constructivism and all that–and giving a Marxian “we make the world, but not in circumstances of our own choosing” gloss on it. And then, on my way home, I stopped by my local grocer. And I saw “fat free” half & half on the shelf. I am […]

of fads, fashions, and hamsters

The “got to have” toy this holiday season is the Zhu Zhu Hamster.   I started hearing about them from a friend’s kids last week.  They move around randomly all over the floor, make little clicking chatty noises, and -best of all – don’t require cleanup.   They’re also cheap at $8, IF you can find them […]

crafty kid

Sunday morning cartoons this past weekend included a 1969 version of “The Origin of Spiderman” en français (probably from this series, but I’m not sure). Husband and I tried to fill in the blanks created by the language barrier, but the one thing Kid took from the show is that Spiderman sewed his own costume. […]

championship social science

OK, it’s March Madness time. I had no interest whatsoever in college sports before moving to Chapel Hill and quickly becoming a Tar Heel devotee.

family day weekend

We miss out on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day up here in Ontario, but we’ve got a brand new winter holiday: Family Day. It was implemented last year, when I called it “Give Me Back My Childcare; I’ve Got Work to Do Day.” This year, I’m a better planner I have more time to plan […]

mario kart party this friday!

Don’t forget that Friday, 8pm EST is the 2nd Occasional Mario Kart Wii Scatterplot Extravaganza. It will have all the pomp and circumstance of the inauguration, but without any of the metal detectors and frostbite. Our last party was really fun, and all of you (yes, even you) should feel warmly invited. What, no Wii? […]

isn’t it about time for another mario kart party?

No, not yet. You are still on winter break, after all, and then you have to get something in for the ASA. I know! Why not reward ourselves for our good work just after the ASA deadline, say Friday, January 16? Or is that American 3-day weekend going to get in our way? Probably. Okay, […]

new year’s eve

Husband says that each holiday is my favorite, and there is some truth to that (except you, Valentine’s Day–drop dead!). But I especially like the New Year’s holiday, with all its promise to mark the passing of time, remember the good stuff and/or hope for a fresh start. I would love to celebrate, but do […]

a gift for you all

I’ve been given posting privileges, and so figured that my first post should be a holiday-themed, food-related,  gift to you all: Don’t know what to get for that last elusive name on your holiday shopping list?  Why not get them Burger King’s new Flame – burger scented body spray? It’s not a hoax – they’re […]

the president-elect has game

The Chicago Tribune has a column on Barack Obama as a basketball player. But Obama, to borrow a playground term, is a “baller”—a player, even at age 47, of a populist, sweat-inducing, real sport and the possessor, to judge from the video of him in action, of no small amount of game. (He played Sunday […]

book launch party: you’re invited!

Any chance there are locals lurking? Sociologists looking for a reason to road trip? It is a lovely time of year to visit–the leaves are changing, the sky is blue, and my book is having a party. I hope to see you there!

friday kid blogging: a postmodern moment

Husband and Kid are on the floor of the kitchen hallway, playing a game in which hockey cards are players and a penny is the puck: Husband: I scored! Kid: No, you didn’t. Husband: Let’s check the computer. (Husband and Kid each open pretend laptops to check the slow-motion replay) Husband: The computer says it’s […]

tiny dino!

It is a mom’s dream. A new tiny dino has just been discovered. I present to you the Albertonykus borealis.* It’s just the size of a chicken, and apparently it ate ants. So cute! Maybe next, they’ll discover a big-eyed, fuzzy dino. That would rock. *Canadians always name their dinos patriotically.

the ache shifts from brain to muscle

Hockey, it turns out, really does help a crank like me feel better, in a way that ultimate frisbee does not. Apparently, the running around out in the fresh air on green grass–as awesome and fun and tiring as that is–is not a substitute for smashing into people as hard as you can. Go figure. […]