Dome Pondering

The Sunday Sundown Rundown (formerly in the format of "3 Up and 3 Down") is where I share thoughts on three topics that piqued my interest, along with my favorite photo from the week. 25th Anniversary of 9/11 It is sort of hard to imagine that it has been twenty-five years since that awful day. It's been fifteen years since I've shared my experience as a High Schooler in Brooklyn, NY , and everything that came with that day (and the many to follow afterwards).  The world changed, and to this day, it still feels hard to grasp what happened (and what transpired with the health of so many afterwards). The lives lost, and the damage done. My son learned about 9/11, and his questions around it ignite some of that struggle with thought around it.  Daddy, how did they get the planes?  Did the building just, like, fall over?  On this 25th anniversary, it is even more concerning to see how the day is also politicized and sometimes weaponized in culture wars. I remember Americ...

Stay out of other people's cages. 

We try, don't we? 

The Sunday Sundown Rundown (formerly in the format of "3 Up and 3 Down") is where I share thoughts on three topics that piqued my interest, along with my favorite photo from the week. Chandika Shrestha I found so much of this story this week to be fascinating. Chandika Shrestha, a 64-year-old woman, was found alive - ALIVE! - after ten days below a collapsed house among the Nepal flood wreckage. The human spirit element and the sheer will to survive, combined with what can only be divine intervention. So much there to the spirit of life and an unexplainable reasoning.  Western Michigan vs. Michigan Ending Look, I'm as casual as they come when it comes to the college football space, culture, and fandom.  Nonetheless, somehow, I found myself (with my wife - who has about 3,485 things she would rather do before watching football) watching the final five minutes of this game on Saturday night. Little did we realize what we would witness.  I have no dog in the fight. But I fe...

I came across this recent poll , and it triggered a lot. What heightens this so much is the timing of it all, as I prepare to welcome the Class of 2030 (I know...insane, right?) to campus as a student-affairs practitioner. As the days whiz by regarding on-campus move-in day, new student orientation, and so many transitional moments for higher education students, I've also found my inbox at work slowly being taken over by, yes...parents.  Over the past couple of years, I've experienced a steady increase in parental participation in student life. This summer has been particularly significant, with a stark rise in parents asking questions and seeking answers regarding on-campus life - not the incoming students. Most of my emails before classes began have been from parents asking about student expectations.  And yes, part of that is due to the current distrust in the higher education space.  I get that.  Nonetheless, the recent findings from this poll have started to f...

The Sunday Sundown Rundown (formerly in the format of "3 Up and 3 Down") is where I share thoughts on three topics that piqued my interest, along with my favorite photo from the week. Nepal Floods The videos were incredible. It almost seemed too impressive to be real. A.I. maybe?  Nonetheless, everything we saw was legit. And in wrapping my mind around the authenticity of the scenes in those videos of the waves just crashing over towns...my mind knows those people had no shot. And my heart simply breaks for the country and people of Nepal.  I simply cannot fathom the devastation, despair, and emotions for those in Nepal.  Dolly Parton I wouldn't consider myself the biggest Parton fan. I appreciated her music, and my kids are beneficiaries of the amazing program, Imagination Library . However, in all of her tributes and reflections on her life this week, a continued and true selfless theme resonated. Dolly cared, contributed, and served. And it genuinely feels, even in lea...

How much time do you give away, meaninglessly? How much time do you steal, with clarity? 

Lay it on thick. 

The Sunday Sundown Rundown (formerly in the format of "3 Up and 3 Down") is where I share thoughts on three topics that piqued my interest, along with my favorite photo from the week. Tariffs, Eh? Look, I'm not an economist. However, from every reliable and credible economist I've sought reactions from, it seems that these tariffs aren't exactly the kind of policy that provides a foundation for a stable economy. Again, that's non-partisan, unbiased stuff.  Now, we're in a trade war with our neighbor, which sounds as ridiculous as it probably is. We once had free trade - FREEEEEEEE! - and here we are, bartering and retaliating with tariff sanctions against Canada. Huh? Someone help me? Seriously. How does this help us?! WNBA Smackdown? I'm a fan of the WNBA. Have been for a long time. I love hoops. However, the recent landscape of the WNBA has gone bonkers. And much of it is the league's responsibility. From the incredibly unprofessional press confe...