“People suck.” “Skin is stupid.” These are actual statements made by my doctor in our most recent appointment, the first being a comment on the origins of the outdated food pyramid, the second with reference to the issue which had led me to seek the appointment, a skin issue. There may be some truth to… Continue reading The awkwardness of expertise
Category: essays
Of her I sang
There were certainly elements of my childhood that were less than idyllic. My parents divorced when I was small, and there were confusing, turbulent years during which I spent summers and holidays with my father, the remainder of time with my mother. During these years, a core memory is of flying through the vast desert… Continue reading Of her I sang
Pontifications on Swedish beauty
Recently, my father and I took a two-week trip to Denmark and Sweden. Although the trip also involved a tour of the Elsinore castle, a cycling tour of the Swedish countryside, and a leisurely stay in Stockholm, I had an ulterior purpose: to investigate the stereotype that people of this region (but Sweden in particular)… Continue reading Pontifications on Swedish beauty
The Buddha meets Hitler
The prospect of an entirely blank universe, an empty shell. Of course such a prospect is unimaginable to the human mind, but usually we substitute in its place four white walls, the equivalent of a film set’s green screen. Within this empty shell, sound would echo infinitely, and yet there is no sound. Does such… Continue reading The Buddha meets Hitler
Love at first sight in Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet”
I am currently teaching Romeo and Juliet to 9th graders, and recently we read and discussed act 1, scene 5, in which the eponymous characters meet for the first time. During this meeting, Romeo delivers the following speech, one so beautiful and pure as to bring a tear to my eye: O, she doth teach… Continue reading Love at first sight in Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet”
Jackson Holzberg Buckley 