Archive for November 2013
The greatness of Guess the Animal and the stupidity of Freeze Tag.
After running around the house ten thousand times playing tag with my daughter and exhausting myself, it’s always good to know that I can stop all the chasing with a suggestion that we play a game called Guess the Animal. Whoever taught my daughter this simple game was a genius. I’d give you a hug…
Read MoreIt’s okay to make fun of fat people, but only if they are really, really fat.
Sarah Palin stated that although she is against bullying, it’s understandable people comment on New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s weight because it’s “been extreme.” Apparently there a designated threshold on mocking people who are overweight, and Chris Christie exceeds it. I’m not sure what that threshold is, but thankfully Sarah Palin does. Maybe she’ll share…
Read MoreHer first blank page
It’s not often that you get the chance to see a writer’s first blank page. But this is it. The first time my daughter sat down to write a story. She still can’t write words yet, and she may not become a writer, but if she does, this will be the moment that it all…
Read More6 things you should never talk about, plus 2 of my own
This American Life’s producer Sarah Koenig’s mother lives by a set of rules about conversation, including an actual list of off-limits topics. I want to go on record as supporting this list wholeheartedly. The list: Diet Health Your period Sleep Dreams Route talk, which is discussion of the route you took to arrive at your…
Read More“Get rid of yourself” never sounded so sweet
After reading books to my four year old daughter in her bed, I curled up beside her and snuggled with her. I’d come home late from work and had barely seen her, so I was trying to squeeze out a few extra minutes of father-daughter time. We lay beside each other for a few moments,…
Read MoreVerbal sparring 101: The nuclear option is effective but will leave you radioactive
I was sitting at a table with three other people, including a man about 20 years older than me. We were discussing professional conduct and manners in today’s world, and the older gentleman was complaining about how “rude and uncivilized” people are today. “Kids, you mean?” I asked. “Not just kids. People your age, too.…
Read MoreWhat kind of jerk complains about a little music at dinnertime?
AC Peterson’s, a family restaurant in West Hartford, Connecticut, invites performers from the adjacent theater to sing show tunes on Monday evenings to their diners. Three or four young talented men and women walk around the restaurant with a microphone, singing songs from shows like West Side Story, Annie and The Sounds of Music, collecting…
Read MoreDon’t mess with Charlie
My daughter, Clara, speaking to one of her friends: “I know you’re not good with babies, but my brother, Charlie, is the best baby in the whole world.” Clara may just be the best big sister in the world, too.
Read MoreThere are simply too many excellent religions to choose from today.
When I was about ten years-old, my mother brought me to my first CCD class. I came home from that experience and declared that I was no longer a Catholic. To my mother’s credit, she accepted this declaration but told me that I needed to have some kind religion in my life. So began the…
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