Archive for September 2011
Are digital wedding invitations acceptable?
In this week’s episode of Manners in the Digital Age, Farhad Manjoo and Emily Yoffe debate whether it’s acceptable to scrap the paper wedding invitation and use digital invitations instead. Just for the record, I fully support the use of digital invitations for weddings and wish my wife and I had gone this route. Our invitations were…
Read MoreThe curse of the hyper productive
A friend of mine included the following paragraph in an email about productivity and our mutual inability to relax: The irony is that people like us will not have a deathbed in which to reflect upon our lives. We will keel over sweeping the kitchen floor or cleaning the litter box, typing a blog, or…
Read MoreSuch joy!
A new hat, a pair of red rain boots and a plethora of puddles and pebbles. If only I could find as much joy in the simple things of life.
Read MoreJuggling?
While Clara was taking her bath last night, she handed me three rubber balls and demanded that I juggle. Juggle? Who taught her that word? When I tried to ignore her request, she demanded I juggle again. “Juggle, Daddy! Juggle! Please!” So I juggled. Except I can’t juggle, so I tossed two balls in the…
Read MoreHomework blues start early
My daughter was given the first homework assignment of her life last week. She had to decorate a “Me Doll” in a way that reflected aspects of her character. I thought it would be a silly waste of time, but it turns out that the assignment was actually fun and fairly productive. Still, a two-year…
Read MoreI loved kickboxing. Kickboxing did not love me.
In 2002 I took kickboxing lessons for about six months. I was excited about the lessons. I thought the sport was going to be a lot of fun. I like to punch things. But the class was all-female with the exception of me, so the instructors structured the class such that it was 80% kicking…
Read MoreCracked ribs, cracked shmibs
Much has been made about Tony Romo’s return to the football game on Sunday and leading his team to victory with broken ribs. Words like courage and heroic have been bandied about quite a bit when describing Romo’s performance. The last time I played flag football with my buddies, I suffered a concussion and my…
Read MoreAn addendum to my list of flaws and shortcomings
Last week I posted a list of my shortcomings and flaws and asked for any other suggested additions to the list. Not surprising, there were plenty of suggestions. One of my friends from high school, who is now a licensed clinical psychologist, analyzed my list of flaws and made this comment: Starts off with a…
Read MoreAn acceptable alternative to everlasting life
Anyone who reads this blog regularly knows that I am both slightly obsessed with and terrified of my own death. Having come so close to death on several occasions (including two in which my heart actually stopped), I am keenly aware of the fragility of life. As a result, the possibility that I could die…
Read MoreDinner and a fashion statement
I did not see my family much over the past three days. A late night wedding on Friday followed by an all-day wedding on Saturday, followed by the Patriots opening day at Gillette Stadium kept me away for much of the weekend. My wife sends me lots of photos and videos on days like these,…
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