Classic Style

    T he first workshop in our spring series on how college-level instructors might foster AI-literacy among undergraduates, with practical suggestions, was late this morning.  Since I ws one of the co-facilitators that brought in educator, author, and content creator Trevor Muir, who is based in neighboring Grand Rapids,  the day provided a ready excuse to get dolled up for the trip to campus.   Not visible here are a pair of wool argyle socks, in navy with dark green and red diamonds, plus a dark brown braided leather belt.  Given the crewneck sweat, I opted for a bow tie for that extra bit of sartorial pizzazz.  The usual blend of Totley Towers and Darrowby, which really works on cold, gray, wet days like today.   A trench coat and gray Borsalino fedora topped things off nicely. -- Heinz-Ulrich  

  A nd here we are at the end of January already!  My, how time does fly.   In any case, here are a couple of shots of Thursday's at-home attire, another variation of the usual cold weather uniform when I am not on campus.  The usual corduroy jeans in one color or another with either a plaid flannel shirt (tucked in), or a Rugby jersey, and one of six  ribbon belts in the rotation.  A cozy day spent down here in my office, aka Zum Stollenkeller , recording and processing the latest edition of my podcast to provide added support to the students in my hybrid courses for Spring 2025.   Gotta love the Shure and Rode hardware combined with the audio processing software from Waves and Universal Audio!  That's stuff for a different discussion however.  Yesterday's 12-minute episode was on the importance of learning teams taking a close look at, reevaluating, and modifying their collaborative work habits following completion and submission ...

Yours truly showing off some recently acquired skin skis near the trailhead at Cross-Country Ski HQ near Higgins Lake, MI.   My favorite picture of the bunch. The Young Master and I always do "Dead Bugs" when we ski.  It's actually a key part of untangling oneself after a spill and preparing to stand up again. And finally, another of the Young Master and Bad Dad (on a different pair of waxable classic skis) moving toward a more challenging series of climbs with the inevitable descents early on Saturday afternoon along one of the less traveled trails at Forbush Corner just outside of Frederic, MI.   A few pictures from our recent skiing trip "Up North" during the weekend of January 17th-20th.  Don't be fooled for a minute by the flat terrain shown into thinking that cross-country skiing is a boring, slow sport.  Plenty of winding hills to climb and hair raising descents to make through the woods and open meadows of Northern Michigan where some areas are surp...

  Well, here we are a month +2 beyond Christmas and at the start of Week Three of the Spring 2025 academic term.  Figured I'd give my students something few if any of them have ever seen before.  A man in a double-breasted suit.  Except for the whales on the necktie and green socks, a fairly staid look overall but not displeasing.   The shoulders on the coat are cleaner than they look, but the dimples come from taking a selfie with my phone.  Were I even more vain, I'd carry my small tripod in my briefcase for these occasions. If only I could find it! A trench coat with liner zipped in, gloves, long gray plaid wool scarf, and a Borsalino fedora completed the picture when I ventured outside.  Certainly nowhere near as cold as a week ago, but it's still wintertime for another couple of months after all. -- Heinz-Ulrich

  P erfect weather (cold and snowy) for tweed, cords, and wool over a heavy OCBD shirt.  The overcoat was also heavy vintage tweed worn with the usual long wool scarf and Borsalino 'Classico' fedora.  In the Venn Diagram of vintage masculine style somewhere between Dr. Who, Wodehouse, and Herriot, which ain't necessarily a bad place to be.  And just think.  I'm only 80 or 90 years behind the times. -- Heinz-Ulrich

  M oving reluctantly toward the kick-off of classes for Spring 2025 next Monday the 13th with a summit this morning on teaching general education courses in challenging times.  Besides the typical start-of-term announcements and reminders, discussion focused on how to handle hypothetical difficult situations that might arise in the classroom given rising and emboldened hostility among certain segments of the population toward informed knowledge and expertise at odds with their ultra-conservative world view. On a more pleasant note, attire for today included a new pair of corduroy trousers given to me by the Grand Duchess for Christmas two weeks ago along with additional variants on the usual cold weather theme.  While rose-colored cords are not for everyone, a couple of different colleagues expressed their approval at different points.  As I remarked to some students 20 or so years ago, "If what I say is not interesting, at least you can enjoy looking at me."  ...

    A lthough classes do not reconvene for the Spring 2025 semester/term until next Monday the 13th, I eased myself back into early rising with an 8am appointment for a routine check-up the the eye doctor this morning.  What was I thinking??!!  The only saving grace, besides a good report from the doctor, was that the early appointment provided an opportunity to shower, shave, and toss on something a bit more than the usual cold weather at-home uniform of either a Rugby jersey, or a plaid flannel shirt and a pair of corduroy jeans. -- Heinz-Ulrich