Category Archives: Family

The Backstory to the SAS Reredos

Posted on June 15, 2018 by Uncomely and Broken

Earlier this year, I wondered about the reredos in the St. Andrew’s-Sewanee school chapel, discovering that it was a copy of the Demidoff Altarpiece, now in National Gallery, London, but originally made by Carlo Crivelli for the church of San Domenico in … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Family, Italy, Saints, Sewanee, Statues & Monuments, Uncategorized | 3 Comments

This is the last

Posted on May 1, 2018 by Uncomely and Broken

“It is very happily and kindly provided,” writes Dr. Johnson, “that in every life there are certain pauses and interruptions, which force consideration upon the careless, and seriousness upon the light; points of time where one course of action ends … Continue reading →

Posted in Family, Sewanee, Sports & Games, Time, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Protected: You have heard of Gettysburg, but does it haunt you?

Posted on October 31, 2017 by Uncomely and Broken

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

Posted in Cemeteries & Funerals, Family, Ireland, Military, Sewanee, Slavery, The South, Uncategorized | Enter your password to view comments.

Capone among us

Posted on October 27, 2017 by Uncomely and Broken

This morning in McClurg, Jack Nance just told me a great story. Back in the 30s, he says, when Al Capone was being sent on his heavily-guarded way to the Atlanta Penitentiary for tax evasion, he went by way of … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Family, Music, Sewanee, Tennessee, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

“Certain You Approve”

Posted on October 17, 2017 by Uncomely and Broken

“Certain you approve.” For some reason, this line has been stuck in my head for a week or two now. It’s the sort of thing my wife and I regularly say to each other, a snippet from a song or … Continue reading →

Posted in Family, Poetry, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Remembering My Late Great Friend and Mentor, Bob Kupka

Posted on October 3, 2017 by Uncomely and Broken

This is a piece my brother Jamie wrote about Bob Kupka, a former teacher of his at West Roxbury High who became a great friend. Bob passed away in January 2016, and his obituary is below. Jamie sent me this … Continue reading →

Posted in Boston, Cemeteries & Funerals, Education, Family, Music, Sports & Games, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Protected: But Let Judgment Run Down As Waters

Posted on September 20, 2017 by Uncomely and Broken

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

Posted in Animals, Bible, Classics, Family, Mythology, Sewanee, Time | Enter your password to view comments.

The Abbo’s Alley Labyrinth

Posted on May 18, 2016 by Uncomely and Broken

There’s a fine piece in Smithsonian today about labyrinths, which put me in mind of Sewanee’s own version of the mystic maze (about which more below). As Jennifer Billock, the author of the Smithsonian piece, writes about the spiritual engagement with this unique … Continue reading →

Posted in Classics, Family, Mythology, Sewanee, Uncategorized | 4 Comments

High Hosey

Posted on July 13, 2015 by Uncomely and Broken

The other day I asked my wife whether she had ever used the expression “high hosey,” as in “High hosey the front seat.” It means, in essence, to reserve or “call dibs on” something. Although she grew up in a … Continue reading →

Posted in Boston, England, Family, Language & Etymology | 7 Comments

A Scandal in Bohemia

Posted on July 3, 2015 by Uncomely and Broken

Postscript, July 11.  So we went to the opening of Rent in Tullahoma last night. It was a big and exuberant show, with some very strong performances, especially the female leads. Afterwards, there were tears and hugs afterward, all very … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Drama, Education, Family, Italy, Music, Rome, Sewanee, Tennessee, The South | 1 Comment