Archive for August 2017
Quite the catch
I’m lying in bed, waiting for Elysha to finish brushing her teeth. I’ve staring at my phone. I laugh. “What’s so funny?” Elysha asks. “Nothing,” I say. “I’m just reading some haiku that Charles sent to me. This one really has me thinking.” I pause. Wait a moment. Then add, “That’s right! I’m the kind of…
Read MoreStretch your summer
If you’re a parent and your child is returning to school this week, or you simply adore the summer like I do, a bit of advice: Sometime over the course of the next few days, sit down and make a list of everything that you did to fill your summer days. My list includes beach…
Read MoreA little girl, a Supreme Court justice, and courage
It’s the top of the seventh at the Hartford Yard Goats last night, which means we have abandoned our seats for rides on the enormous, inflatable slides behind the right field fence. Charlie has hurtled down these monstrosities before, but for Clara, this is her first time. I expect her to be nervous. Frightened. She…
Read MoreA fitting end to a new beginning
My summer vacation has come to an end. Today I return to the school that has been my home for the last 19 years. These last few days of summer have been excellent, and they have served as a reminder about how important my school is to me. How important the people who I met…
Read MoreThings I Do #8: I plant pennies heads-up
I plant pennies heads-up throughout my home and in the wild because of the commonly held superstition that finding a penny on heads is good luck and/or allows you to make a wish. I like to think that every heads-up penny makes someone feel a little bit happier. In our house, Charlie accompanies these discoveries…
Read MoreNortheast School is a stupid name for a school. Three times over.
I drove by Northeast School in Vernon, CT the other day. Lovely little school filled with teachers who are undoubtedly doing an excellent job, but Northeast School? With the opportunity to name a school after any of the people in the world worthy of recognition, the town of Vernon decided to name their school based…
Read More’80’s John Hughes villain comes alive
On Tuesday, Louise Linton, wife of Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, posted a photo of herself stepping off an official government plane wearing designer labels. I know she was wearing those labels because she hash-tagged them in the photo caption. Jenni Miller, a Portland, Oregon mother of three, didn’t love the photo and wrote “Glad we…
Read MoreForest Man is the best man
This is simply amazing. The best, most inspirational documentary of the most remarkable person I’ve seen in a very long time. Feeling like you can’t make a difference? Feeling helpless. Don’t. Forest Man will make you feel like you can do anything.
Read MoreBoy and bear
You know what’s even more overhyped than a partial eclipse? The panda. I know I sound like a curmudgeon, but every time I see the panda at the National Zoo, I can’t help but think, “Yup. It’s a bear. Black and white, but really, just another bear.” My friends find bears wandering in their suburban…
Read MoreThis is what a free and excellent media looks like
This is the way journalists should conduct an interview. This should be taught in journalism school. This is exactly what people want from the media: Hold public officials and hackneyed pundits accountable.
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