In many ways the recently concluded school year was a very good one. I had consistently positive experiences with the kids in my classes, on my teams, and in the house where I did evening duty. As a school, we are pretty much back to our pre-pandemic routines now. Our government classes returned to the state and national capitals for the first time in three years and enjoyed one of the best DC trips ever. The JFK Program seniors delivered a strong set of final presentations to wrap up their experience. I was happy to connect with some familiar faces from the ranks of the alumni during Reunion Weekend last month. My tennis team’s top duo won the New England prep school doubles crown in the final weekend of spring sports. I was able to host each of my classes, my teams, the three JFK cohorts, and the residents of Quantrell for social gatherings in my (still new) house in the closing weeks of the school year. And one of my heroes, Billie Jean King, delivered the Commencement address at school in late May. All told, lots of check marks in the “plus” column. So my work life essentially provided some balance to what was, in many ways, a tough year for me personally.

And now, a few brief snippets:

• This spring I splurged and bought myself an authentic Eames lounge chair (and matching Ottoman) for my study. This iconic piece of furniture design—mid-century modern—was something of a hefty investment, but one I can justify as I spend a lot of time reading books for reasons personal and professional.

• This past weekend I indulged in a short road trip to visit the Franklin D. Roosevelt house in Hyde Park, New York, and also catch a couple of Shakespeare performances. Part of my trip itinerary consisted of a few hours in Williamstown, Massachusetts—stomping grounds during my college years. I haven’t been back there in perhaps a decade now. Lots of nostalgia in this visit, as well as the sense that a lot of the campus (and town) has changed dramatically since I lived there. Reliving my undergraduate experience a bit, I did have an irresistable urge to play music by The Police as I cruised around the college grounds!
• I make a habit of following the televised coverage of tennis at the four major tournaments whenever I can, particularly in the latter rounds. I found myself in the car in the middle of a four-hour drive the morning of the Roland Garros men’s singles final. I was delighted, therefore, to discover a live audio feed from the BBC available on SiriusXM satelite radio, so I had the unusual experience of listening to, rather than watching, the final set of the match as it happened. Given that tennis is such a visual sport, the play-by-play and commentary was actually far better than expected. When I arrived home I was able to see the match (or jump to portions I wanted to watch anyway) on the NBC Sports streaming app.
• Earlier this month, I spent a weekend at a place that was brand new to me: Great Camp Sagamore, a Gilded Age-era getaway in the Adirondacks. The site is appropriately rustic, the accommodations pretty basic, and the meals communal. A beautiful spot to lie low for a bit at the end of the school year.
• In May, I completed the two-year Middle Ages Sequence in the Graham School at the University of Chicago. I’m proud of this particular accomplishment because many of the works we wrestled with were quite challenging. Heavy on the allegorical storytelling, theological treatises, and Islamic philosophy. I’m halfway through a similar curriculum in the American Tradition at this point, but whether I continue with the second year of the program will depend on whether I take on another academic project I am considering. More on this in my next update once I resolve this possibility . . .
• In the meantime, in addition to teaching a trio of summer school classes in the mornings, I’ll be taking two courses at UChicago—one on Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and another on the Book of Psalms—as well as a class on French New Wave cinema at Stanford. Also on tap in July: a week’s worth of seminars on Kafka’s short stories with the St. John’s College Summer Classics program as well as a World War II mini-course offered by the Gilder-Lehrman Institute. Then in August I am scheduled for a week’s immersion in Homer via University College London. Lifelong learning keeps me busy!
• This summer I once again am offering an Experience Choate mini-course for the school’s alums and parents. This year’s class—Freedom, the American Dream, and Cinema of the 1970s—is something of a sequel to what I did in 2022 with a half-dozen 1960s films. Participants watch six movies over the course of three weeks and we meet for an hour online after each one for a discussion. As always: no quizzes, tests, papers, or grades involved.
• In the interest of furthering my own cinematic education, I picked up a few boxed sets to keep me entertained in the months ahead:
  • Alfred Hitchcock Collection: Dial M For Murder / North By Northwest / Strangers on a Train
  • Alfred Hitchcock: The Ultimate Collection—15 films, including Psycho, Rear Window, Rope, The Birds, The Man Who Knew Too Much, and Vertigo, along with tons of extras
  • Essential Fellini (The Criterion Collection)—14 films, including La Dolce Vita, La Strada, and 8-1/2
  • Ingmar Bergman’s Cinema (The Criterion Collection)—39 films, including Fanny and Alexander, Persona, The Seventh Seal, and Wild Strawberries
  • Pier Paolo Pasolini’s Trilogy of Life: The Decameron, The Canterbury Tales, and Arabian Nights (The Criterion Collection)

  Taking advantage of the new(ish) big 4K flat screen TV and the 4K Blu-ray player in my new(ish) place to watch these, of course.

What I’m Reading