Author: Chad
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My son’s media of the moment
A spinoff of an ongoing series Bluey. A not-small number of times after watching an episode I’ve thought, “Was that one of the greatest episodes of TV ever?” Hot take: the only TV shows a kid needs, really, are this and Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood—the yin and yang of instructive, high-quality children’s entertainment. Picture books aplenty.…
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My home screen
The funny thing is this looks similar to the last time I shared my home screen, despite having gone through a few different iterations since then. But I landed back at the black wallpaper and (even more) minimalist layout for a few reasons: My recent job change allowed me to delete several apps I didn’t…
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Playground adventures anew
The playground at the park near my parents’ house is getting renovated, which means the place as I knew it from ages 11-18 will be no more. I’m glad for the memories I have from there, many of which are shared with my childhood best friend, Tim, who also lived a block away from the…
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This is the bookend
After nearly 7 years, today is my last day at my library job. It was my first full-time library position after a few part-time jobs out of library school, and for that alone I am immensely grateful. Whenever someone asks me how I like working at a library, I say I love it because every…
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On ‘The Science’ and dedication to reality
Alan Jacobs: There are many reasons why millions of America don’t trust The Science, including belligerence and ignorance, but if you ask me, I would say that the most important reason is illustrated by the stories above: Scientists are sometimes untrustworthy. If they want to rebuild our trust in them, then they should start with…
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Media of the moment
An ongoing series Jackass Forever. A dirty, cringey, gut-bustingly funny cinematic soul-cleanse. Bound for my end-of-year top 10 just like the other Jackass movies. Everything Everywhere All At Once. I think I need to see this at least twice to fully appreciate it, not for any plot reasons but because it really lives up to…
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The best parenting advice I’ve ever gotten
The best parenting advice I’ve ever gotten was from my own parent. Per my mom: When all else fails, lower your expectations. Runner-up is from my other parent. Per my dad: Kids spell love T-I-M-E.
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Come as you are, but be ready to change
The slogan of the church I attended in middle and high school was “Come as you are”, which was fitting for a nondenominational church in the hyper-liberal, irreligious enclave of Madison, Wisconsin. I remember the senior pastor expounding on the slogan during one sermon. He added an addendum that I think transforms it into something…
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Six movies at the end
The small movie theater near me temporarily closed in March 2020 due to COVID, but then sadly never reopened. (The one movie I got to see there before the end was Knives Out—not bad…) Whoever closed the building for good clearly didn’t take a peek around the corner, because these movie posters are still on…
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Fine free fate
What happened when New York Public Libraries eliminated overdue fines last fall? Exactly what always happens when libraries go fine free: A wave of returned overdue materials came crashing in, accompanied by a healthy increase (between 9 and 15 percent, depending on the borough) of returning visitors. Since last fall, more than 21,000 overdue or…
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Long live the limited podcast series
My recent experience with the Band of Brothers podcast made me realized I’m very much a fan of the modern trend of “official” companion podcasts released alongside limited series by the show’s creators—Watchmen and Station Eleven being two recent examples I enjoyed and appreciated. These are slightly different beasts from the popular post hoc recap…
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Recent Views
More photography here and on my Instagram. Into the tundra: A ghostly window creature: 3 year old was “helping” me clean out the car on a warmer day by “fixing” a headrest with a wrench, but all you can really see is the reflection of the sun and clouds in the rear window: Among the…
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Courage & Camaraderie in ‘Band of Brothers’
Band of Brothers, the 2001 Tom Hanks-produced HBO miniseries that dramatized the history of Easy Company paratroopers throughout World War II, was a formative viewing experience for me, especially on the heels of Saving Private Ryan. That was as a youngster interested in history and World War II, and as the grandson of a veteran…
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The Rockefeller theory of time travel
Morgan Housel: Charlie Munger was born in 1924. The richest man in the world that year was John D. Rockefeller, whose net worth equaled about 3% of GDP, which would be something like $700 billion in today’s world. Seven hundred billion dollars. OK. But make a short list of things that did not exist in…
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Connect 4 with a 3 year old
Things my 3 year old did while he and I played Connect 4: Said “I block you!” after each time he inserted a disc, even when he didn’t block me Inserted discs pell-mell with the goal of filling the entire board Inserted discs using his toes Things he didn’t do: Attempt to connect 4
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Into his great daily unknown
We celebrated Little Man’s third birthday this week (well, fourth if you count his actual day of birth). While looking through my photos of him I noticed a motif of capturing him from behind as he ventures forth at varying speeds. I like this vantage point for a few reasons. Since we don’t post his…