Today we were fortunate to be able to join the students on a walking tour of London. Highlights of the three hour tour included Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament, the Horse Guards Parade, Trafalgar Square, Covent Garden, St. Paul's Cathedral, and the Millennium Bridge. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKIHfwZozVM But even better than seeing these iconic landmarks were … Continue reading A Wonderful Walking Tour of London →

Much of what we know about classical humour comes from a Roman joke book containing 265 gags known as the Philogelos – translated as Laughter Lover, according to historian Mary Beard, who presents BBC history programmes. Here are a couple of examples: A chatty barber asks his customer how he would like his hair cut. … Continue reading The World’s First Practical Joke? →

Estimates are that there are 85 million Amazon Prime members. Now some people may find such a number interesting, certainly Jeff Bezos would, as would all those who hold Amazon stock (which many people do, if not outright, then through a mutual fund). Now there are other people who may find Mersenne Primes much more … Continue reading There’s Amazon Prime, and Then There’s Mersenne Prime →

That was the response of Dylan Jones, editor of GQ magazine, when he was asked if he wears socks in bed. Uh-oh. Guilty as charged, at least on occasion. I did not know it was such a fashion faux-pas to wear socks to bed, but if the editor of GQ magazine is ridiculing such behavior, … Continue reading What Kind of Man Would Wear Socks in Bed? →

A reddit user, backforward24, took the first stab at compiling the most beloved/popular novels for every country in the world, creating a world map that features the cover of each book on top of each country. He crowdsourced it through reddit because, as he noted, "I'm struggling to find great books for over 150 locations! … Continue reading The Most Beloved/Popular Novels for Each Country in the World →

Apparently January 4 is National Trivia Day. In honor of such a momentous occasion, the web site Mental Floss compiled 60 amazing pieces of trivia, and I thought I would share a dozen of my favorites from that list. I also added one item to the end of the list - something that I should … Continue reading Happy National Trivia Day! (and sharing my bewildering lack of knowledge) →

We’re sitting at JFK airport, three hours before our flight to London. While David Kanigan would have a field day in such a situation, given his gift of observation and the beautiful way he describes his travel adventures, I’ll take the easy way out and just post this video of The Clash singing their classic song, … Continue reading London Calling! →

The time has finally arrived. Tomorrow, my wife, our youngest son, and I depart for a three month trip to London where I will be teaching as part of a Villanova study abroad program. We are quite excited about the opportunity, and we've spent a good deal of time getting ready for it. But it … Continue reading Getting Ready While Getting Old →

Many people set a New Year's goal to exercise more. Like many other New Year's goals, people start off gung-ho by hitting the gym several times a week, but within a month or two are barely making it to the gym once a week. So what are some things you can do to keep that … Continue reading How to Motivate Yourself to Go to the Gym →