Rocket Kid is attending half day camp. (We’re all very grateful for places that are maintaining COVID protocols.) We don’t have to leave the house until eight or so. On Tuesday, his first day, I woke up at about six and decided I was going to run before I had to get him up, then … Read more
“The treasure is more fun when it’s lost.” That was the opening line from Gabe Anderson’s email. “Found treasure becomes normal treasure and eventually we forget that it’s treasure at all.” It was thought-provoking. His context was work (he’s a musician), but it applies to everything that we have on a sort of pedestal in … Read more
In most families as I’ve known them, Mom knows what’s going on. She is the keeper of the schedules, the appointments, the relationships between the kids and their friends, the homework, the extracurricular activities. She plans, shops for, prepares the food. Perhaps she nags for someone else to do the dishes, or perhaps it expends … Read more
Sometimes, while doing the most mundane things, an entire series of events—starting at the mundane thing and ending somewhere else—pops into my head. Like this one. As a kid, I never learned how to floss. Probably my dentist Dr. Silver taught me, along with some dollops of shame about my general oral hygiene habits. He … Read more
It doesn’t feel right to prattle on about the usual things today. The problem of gun violence is overwhelming. The problem of black people murdered by police is overwhelming. The problem of racism is overwhelming. There are solutions or partial solutions to these, and we rationalize our way around them. How do we connect when … Read more
Tempe Town Lake is a man-made lake not far from here where you can use a paddleboat or a kayak or go fishing. It’s also a popular location for triathlons. The water is not crystalline. When I swam in Tempe Town Lake, I couldn’t see my hand at the end of my completely outstretched arm. … Read more
What a fantastic opportunity we have been forced into! I know that could be interpreted sarcastically; I mean it completely sincerely. I am a teacher. Sometimes, I am a phenomenal teacher. Sometimes, I am a mediocre teacher. We all know teachers who have been teaching for a long time, teaching the same thing, plugging along … Read more
“There are starving children in Ethiopia.” I was told this regularly as a child when I didn’t like the food I was served. I’m sure people’s shaming country varied (children are, sadly, starving all over the world), but this is a familiar refrain to many of us. The Kid eats reasonably well and also has … Read more
Like everyone (I assume) in the US, we’ve been inundated with political ads. We don’t watch TV, so that helps. But the volume of postcards has been ridiculous. In particular, we received a postcard most days for several weeks, telling us the evils of one specific (not presidential) candidate. If I didn’t know the state-level … Read more
We had a great Halloween here this weekend. The Kid had two friends over, in their costumes and with masks. I had made an 18-piece puzzle for each of them, different color for each, and hid the pieces around the yard. The assembled puzzles revealed a joke and a clue for where they might find … Read more