Author Archives: stephenschrum

Commence to Begin

I’m always amazed to see kindergarten, middle school, and all other kinds of milestone graduation ceremonies. This never occurred to us when we were kids. We moved straight from grade to high school. Our grade school was grades 1 to 8, and when grade 8 was finished, there was no ceremony. For us there wereContinue reading “Commence to Begin”

To Paraphrase the Alien in Plan Nine from Outer Space:

“All you faculty are stupid!”  We often see a dichotomy between an upper and a lower class. And sometimes this division is false, but persists nonetheless. For example, on an academic campus, we may see a prejudice on the part of maintenance workers who look down on the faculty. I never did. My first realContinue reading “To Paraphrase the Alien in Plan Nine from Outer Space:”

Here Come the Japanese People! EEK!

My one grad school directing professor told me about this Butoh group called Sankai Juku. Butoh is a Japanese dance drama form often referred to as the “Dark Dance of the Soul.” I was highly anticipating their appearance in Berkeley until an accident resulting in the death of a company member cancelled their appearance.  TheyContinue reading “Here Come the Japanese People! EEK!”

Men! Stay Out! Except…

So there’s a big deal these days about using the “correct gender rest room.” And maybe this is a provocative notion, but maybe we should just get over it. Here’s why. Years ago, I was at the Rites of Spring progressive rock festival (ROSfest) in Gettysburg, PA. One of the things you have to knowContinue reading “Men! Stay Out! Except…”

Too Many Angels

I was outside on “Holy Saturday” (which seems like it should be truly a day of rest amidst the constant Easter services but apparently isn’t, and counts as a “vigil” day) and looked down the street to my neighbor’s house. Without my glasses, I saw two white-clad figures I took to be angels. My inclinationContinue reading “Too Many Angels”

Camping? Camping!

Yes, it’s another of those spammy scammy text exchanges. Lately they haven’t been playing along with my improvs very well, but this one tried a bit more than most. I really thought my first comment regarding a visible erection might put them off but it did not. In the end I stopped the conversation withContinue reading “Camping? Camping!”

York, PA Businesses (6)

We continue to move further out in time and space (from my original neighborhood) as I explore memories of more York businesses. This time: the Paperback Trade.  I’m not sure how I first heard of it. It was located in a large room of a school building converted into stores, so it had probably beenContinue reading “York, PA Businesses (6)”