Pierre Moran Mall
May 6, 2017
I feel like the Pierre Moran Mall disappeared when I wasn’t looking. It was a huge part of my life from the earliest of the 1980s well into the late 1990s, and then, it was gone. … More Pierre Moran Mall
Author: americanmallproject
Concord Mall
May 6, 2017
I spent a couple of hours at Elkhart’s Concord Mall today. This is a mall near to my heart. I cannot count the hours I spent there, the happy times, the ears pierced, the popcorn eaten, the stickers bought. Not now, anyway. … More Concord Mall
Travel Dog’s Travel Tips
August 1, 2015
I recently had a fabulous time flying with my dog, Buttercup. But in preparing for the trip, I found nothing but horror stories and heartbreaking posts on message boards all over the internet. Not helpful! I needed some friendly advice about how to best prepare for flying with a pet, and couldn’t find much. So, … More Travel Dog’s Travel Tips
Winter Moon
March 9, 2015
I think that would a good album title for vaguely holiday-ish but not overtly Christmas music. Anyway, here’s a picture I took.
From Exuberance to Irony: “Walking on Sunshine” in Film
January 29, 2015
Written for grad school in 2009, this piece is a fun look at how one song has endured through twenty-five plus years and scores of use in various media. Kicky drums and tambourine open the song, beating out a sense of excitement about what’s to come. Almost any listener knows the song … More From Exuberance to Irony: “Walking on Sunshine” in Film
Isn’t She Pretty in Pink?
January 27, 2015
A little while ago, I was listening to this podcast, on which the special guest was one of my friends from grad school, Chris. The subject of John Hughes movies came up, as it will, and inevitably the hosts noted that Hughes had a keen ear for the music of the time. OMD’s If You Leave was mentioned, … More Isn’t She Pretty in Pink?
What To Do on a Date
June 26, 2014
Here’s one of my favorites, first re-introduced by Mystery Science Theater 3000 in the early 90s. Watch that version – it’s fantastic. What To Do on a Date (1950), produced by the prolific and amazing Chicago-based Coronet Films, is the story of gooney high school guy, Nick, as he learns how to ask class cutie Kay on … More What To Do on a Date
Habit Patterns
April 3, 2014
I dearly love watching and writing about classroom films of the 1950s and 1960s. I’ve written about them here and there, and decided to collect my far-flung bits into a Short of the Week feature. Because why not. Kicking off is one of my absolute favorites, Habit Patterns, from 1954. It’s a fifteen-minute exploration in shame and conforming, … More Habit Patterns
Monkees Surprise
March 25, 2014
Over at tumblr, a video I made for my fall 2012 Fan Studies class made the rounds all the way back to me, all covered with love and awesome notes from other Monkees fans. It’s like getting a present! It’s a super cut of all* of the running gags from The Monkees 1966-1968 television show. … More Monkees Surprise
A Place Called Home
March 20, 2014
Today, I submitted my final project for graduate school. With this, I’ve finished my last class – a course on Audio Documentary production. It’s now onward to the Comp Exam, and hopefully, graduation! For this project, I was so very fortunate to have three lovely people share with me their stories about moving, growing, and … More A Place Called Home
