stephenschrum

Instincts We Trust

Do you trust your instincts? I always try to embed a joke, hidden meaning, or odd allusion when I coin my post titles. Get it—“coin”? To address this prompt, I have to first define instincts for a human. Are they some sort of manifestation of extra-sensory perception? (That’s “spidey sense” for you Marvel fans.) OrContinue reading “Instincts We Trust”

Deconstructing the Year

What’s your favorite month of the year? Why? One of the things I focused on when teaching postmodernism and deconstruction was looking at the negative space, at what isn’t there. This is not to be confused with liminal space, or the space in between things. A google search suggests a door may be considered aContinue reading “Deconstructing the Year”

Anywhere?

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be? For most of my life I did only domestic traveling because I either didn’t have the time to go elsewhere, or more likely I didn’t have the money. Now that I’m adding some destinations to my list, I can better answer this prompt.Continue reading “Anywhere?”

From Voracious to Vicarious

What book are you reading right now? A few years back I directed The Birth of Merlin, considered one of Shakespeare’s Apocryphal Works. That is, it’s been attributed to him—at least in part; scholars think he collaborated with William Rowley on the text—but no one is 100% sure. To help explain the play and contextualContinue reading “From Voracious to Vicarious”

In the Icecubes of My Drink

Another piece from my back catalogue has resurfaced and been completed with the use of AI. Longtime collaborator Jeremy dePrisco took the song I had written and made a recording of it, with some flavoring of Frank Zappa, I believe. I’ve long wanted to do the music video, maybe in Second Life, but AI madeContinue reading “In the Icecubes of My Drink”

Favorite Place In My City…?

What is your favorite place to go in your city? I’ve lived in a few different locations up to this point; to enumerate them (and the number of different addresses in each): You can see why, when I have to renew my “I never molested children” clearances mandated after the Penn State/Sandusky scandal, I needContinue reading “Favorite Place In My City…?”

First Impressions

What’s the first impression you want to give people? By answering this prompt, I feel like I’m taking notes for an online personal ad. Speaking of which, I’m often amazed at how much truth is revealed in the subtext of such ads. I used to present some in my Playwrighting class, and ask, “What isContinue reading “First Impressions”

The Perfect Song

So often, when one hears a song, especially when it’s played at a significant moment or time in one’s life, one thinks of it as a perfect song. There’s nothing that could be added or subtracted to improve it. Sometimes, that response will change over time. A song starts playing on the radio, or onContinue reading “The Perfect Song”

The Famous Ones

Who is the most famous or infamous person you have ever met? There was a long-running TV game show in the 1950s and 1960s called What’s My Line? Regular people and celebrities would enter, sign in (please!), and then the panel would question them in order to guess who they were or what they did.Continue reading “The Famous Ones”

Welcome to Macintosh!

Name the most expensive personal item you’ve ever purchased (not your home or car). One of the projects I’m currently working on* has the working title of Digital Tech Memoir. It’s a recounting of my life with computer technology, reflecting both the development of said technology and how I’ve used it in my personal andContinue reading “Welcome to Macintosh!”