stephenschrum

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”

In Memorium

In a funny synchronistic way, the topic of funerals and memorial services passed through my mind the last several days, and then the Sunday New York Times featured an interview with a hospice nurse. All of this reminded me of a suggestion I once had for my own memorial service. Before I get to that,Continue reading “In Memorium”

Working: Title?

What have you been working on? In my travelogue of the UK trip I mentioned how both Joyce and I wound up with a (non-contagious, thank goodness!) intestinal flu, and then returned home with colds. I still have only a lingering cough, but Joyce has had conjunctivitis twice and is relapsing back into a cold,Continue reading “Working: Title?”

Hidden Secrets

What’s something most people don’t know about you? Is the title redundant? I mean, if they’re secrets, aren’t they necessarily hidden? And if they are revealed, they’re no longer hidden. Perhaps this is what happens when I write a blog post and formulate a title before that second cup of coffee. I think there areContinue reading “Hidden Secrets”

Hazy Lazy Days of…Retirement?

Do lazy days make you feel rested or unproductive? I recently visited my storage unit and brought home two boxes with stationery supplies. I’ve run out of good printer paper and had to resort to printing with these thin sheets I found in a desk drawer. I feared they might get stuck inside the printerContinue reading “Hazy Lazy Days of…Retirement?”

A Ghost Rises From a Smoky Past

Inspired by the recent prompt about being a good neighbor, I’ve been reflecting this week on some of my past living situations. Today’s entry concerns the room I rented during my second year in Berkeley. My first year I lived in the International House dorm, but I couldn’t stay there over the summer, and soContinue reading “A Ghost Rises From a Smoky Past”

Just Add Walls, And Stir

Yvonne Shafer, a professor of mine at Ohio State (I know, I should say THE Ohio State University, their official branded name), once likened a decrepit building she saw to the original set for Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, as designed by Jo Mielziner for the 1941 Broadway premiere. I thought that look wouldContinue reading “Just Add Walls, And Stir”