Skip to main content

Sunday Sundown Rundown - 7/17/22


3 Up

1. NASA Webb Telescope Pictures - It's definitely a nerdy thing, but it is also a tremendous wonder to see the photos that came back from NASA's Webb Telescope. The photos, super crisp like we've never seen before, are images that make you wonder how big the Universe is, and truly, how small we are. Just a fantastic image. 

2. Buffalo 'Tops' Reopens - After the hateful shooting that rocked its community, that very Tops Supermarket has reopened in Buffalo. The store serves as an epicenter for that very community, and while it'll be difficult, it's just good to know they are moving forward, rebuilding, and reconnecting. 

3. Bartender Left $4,000 Tip - I'm a sucker for stories of the human spirit and just outright goodwill. Imagine the heart of a single mother bartender when a patron leaves a $4,000 tip on a $176 bill. That's cool stuff. 

3 Down

1. Uvalde Shooting Details - The details and video coming out of the Uvalde Shooting investigation is downright horrific. From upwards of 50 police officers waiting around, to images of some of them on their phones while the shooting is occurring, it's just another layer to the tragedy and an element to the AR-15 safety debate. 

2. 10-Year-Old Abortion Story - If the abortion debate and discussion weren't intense enough, add this horrific story of a 10-year-old girl who was raped needing to travel across state lines for assistance. What felt like an "outlier" argument, quickly became a reality, and furthermore became a realization that this happens far too often. 

Honestly, all of it is just super heartbreaking. 

3. Secret Service Texts - So, the secret service deleted texts regarding the events of January 6th? Yeah, nothing suspicious about that. SMH. 

1 Interesting

Juan Soto rejecting $440M - Sure, the average annual value is low for a player of his caliber. Sure, fifteen years is a long-time, especially when most of the money is on the backend. And yes, Soto has reservations about signing long-term without knowing who the new owner of the Nationals will be. 

But bruh, at 23, you turned down $440M, guaranteed? That's some guts. 

Cover Photo

This landscape of “mountains” and “valleys” speckled with glittering stars is actually the edge of a nearby, young, star-forming region called NGC 3324 in the Carina Nebula. Captured in infrared light by NASA’s new James Webb Space Telescope, this image reveals for the first time previously invisible areas of star birth.

Credits: NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI

Recently Read

Quick Ponder: Future Self

We always think,  what would we say  to our  younger self? However,  what would  our younger self say  if they met us, today?

Quick Ponder: Talk

They're gonna talk.  What if you just. let. them. talk.  

Working in Higher Ed, Lately

"Working in higher education must be interesting these days, huh?" That question was posed to me by several people who recently learned that I worked in higher education. The recent discourse around the industry and field has certainly shifted in narrative and the overall feel within it. I recently wrapped up my fourteenth (!!) academic year. It's remarkable to think that I've been serving students and following a passion for this long. This is especially the case considering the rising turnover, the documented yearly burnout, and the increasing exodus from the field.  And, yup, there is that whole enrollment cliff combined with the politics that are more present than ever on college campuses.  So yeah, higher education is weird right now. Very weird.  Some quick thoughts : IS IT TIME?  Yes, I have thought about leaving the field several times. Especially, over the last few years. COVID didn't really bother me, but it's safe to say that the world of higher edu...