stephenschrum

Alternate Careers

What alternative career paths have you considered or are interested in? Let me begin by saying that I believe I chose precisely the correct career for myself. As a college professor, I had a great deal of autonomy in making my schedule and teaching what I wanted to teach. At a small campus, as anContinue reading “Alternate Careers”

Don’t Balk, Walk

What is your favorite form of physical exercise? Back in the 70s, when running was trendy, I decided to try it. I went to the local college campus track and did a couple of laps. That was when I learned of the condition called “shin splints.” Painful, and a good inducement to stop running. IContinue reading “Don’t Balk, Walk”

To The Moon…AND Back?

How much would you pay to go to the moon? Today’s prompt assumes (I hope) that some sort of Earth to the Moon route has been established with reasonable rates for the average Terran. Otherwise I will have to launch into a socialist rant about billionaires and space travel and how it’s a harbinger ofContinue reading “To The Moon…AND Back?”

The Story of B

This is a story I’ve been meaning to recount for years. It’s a bit hazy anymore, though I recall some aspects of it vividly. I first met B at a summer theatre workshop. I was a Theatre major at Temple U. but returned to my first college, York College (where I had been a SpeechContinue reading “The Story of B”

Kid At Heart?

What does it mean to be a kid at heart? I received a text from my cousin Bill right before Halloween. He asked if I was going to “haunt the yard” on October 31st. It’s like he blew the dust off a long forgotten memory; I suddenly recalled the two of us running around theContinue reading “Kid At Heart?”

When You Wish For The Apocalpyse

I have a friend who, if he perhaps did not truly believe the Mayan Calendar predicted the end of the world in 2012, kind of hoped the world would end. And so I wrote this song, “The Ballad of the 2012 Believer.” Video to follow. Ballad of the 2012 Believer(SLOW)No man knows the day, andContinue reading “When You Wish For The Apocalpyse”

So, So Many

What major historical events do you remember? In my memoir, Immaculate Misconceptions: Tales of Catholic School, I recount the day John Kennedy was shot. Since we lived so close to the school, I would come home for lunch. As I ate my tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwich, the phone rang. When my mother answeredContinue reading “So, So Many”

ImPromptu

I enjoy these forays into daily writing; I feel like I’m doing something creative every day, if only for a few minutes, and I hope someone is out there actually reading these musings. Occasionally, though, I balk at the prompts. Often they spark my imagination in a way that I can talk about more thanContinue reading “ImPromptu”

I’m Proud To Be…

What are you most proud of in your life? This is an interesting prompt, and one that I could get very long-winded with, making lists of all kinds of things. But, as I often quote, brevity is the soul of wit, and I want this to be a witty (though not funny, just insightful) post.Continue reading “I’m Proud To Be…”

Pounding That Same Insistent Piano Note

This is the final paragraph from a paper I wrote, “Artaud’s Theatre of Cruelty” A Definition,” submitted for my graduate criticism seminar on 6 December 1985. “In this way, theater should always have a mystical power to evoke emotion in the audience. As a director, I feel that if time and care is taken inContinue reading “Pounding That Same Insistent Piano Note”