I finally got around to watching the “The Rings of Akhaten,” the most recent episode of BBC’s Doctor Who. Overall, I thought it was entertaining and provided a compelling look into Clara’s past. Some reviewers characterize the episode as just ho-hum. I wouldn’t go that far. It wasn’t my favorite, but it was far from dull. … [Read more…]
Cleaning out my fridge today taught me two key lessons. 1) I am not nearly as clean as I think, because holy crap that thing was dirty. To be fair, I ended up taking out all the shelves and bins, scrubbing nooks and crannies that probably hadn’t seen light in years. But still, I am … [Read more…]
Roger Ebert died today after a long battle with thyroid cancer. I was honestly too young to have paid much attention to his movie reviews, but he and Gene Siskel’s iconic “thumbs up” or “thumbs down” method of critique has become ingrained in our cultural imagination. Indeed, it has outlived them both. I found Ebert’s … [Read more…]
As a Victorianist, I honestly don’t read much American literature (or literature about America), which is odd since I’m American. My recent nighttime reading, however, included David McCullough’s 1776, an informative, engaging, and masterfully written exploration of this crucial year in America’s history. First published in 2005, I’m obviously a little behind the times in finding … [Read more…]