In his post on the emotional intelligence of long experience, Alan Jacobs spotlights a letter from the great 18th century writer and lexicographer Samuel Johnson to his younger friend, who at one point thought he had said something to offend Johnson: You are not to imagine that my friendship is light enough to be blown … Continue reading Hope to love you long
Category: Family
Hand in hand
Did some hand tracing with Mr. 21 Months, which reminded me of a picture I took of us last year while on a walk. Using a crayon made our hands look chunkier than they really are, but little man’s hand in the picture was just as chunky as it looks.
A cheerful failure
For Filmspotting's latest poll, they ask which of the provided movie failures you are the biggest cheerleader for. The criteria: “These are movie ‘failures’ that paired well-respected, ‘auteurist’ filmmakers with existing properties—and high expectations—resulting in significant disappointments critically and (usually) at the box office.” Check out the poll for all the options. I’ve only actually … Continue reading A cheerful failure
Pick up your kid
There’s a post by Jason Kottke I’ve thought about almost every day since he wrote it last year. He links to an animated version of The Very Hungry Caterpillar, then reminisces about reading picture books with his now-older kids: We’ll likely never read any of those books together again. It reminds me of one of … Continue reading Pick up your kid
Ghost Papas: Fatherhood in ‘The Patriot’ and ‘Interstellar’
I recently rewatched The Patriot for the first time in a long while. I was big into this movie as a lad, so rewatching it as a thirtysomething dad was something of an experiment to see how my adolescent tastes hold up. There's good (John Williams' score, Mel Gibson as likeable movie star) and bad … Continue reading Ghost Papas: Fatherhood in ‘The Patriot’ and ‘Interstellar’
Healthy not-knowing
Hat-tip to Austin Kleon for the above snapshot of his journal entry: “The true gift of children is they destroy what you think you know and provide the opportunity for healthy not-knowing and growth.” Children aren’t necessary for achieving healthy not-knowing and growth, but they’re a hell of a good catalyst. See also: “The rules … Continue reading Healthy not-knowing
Homeworking, day one
Thanks to COVID-19, today was my first day working from home. (That's my new makeshift workspace above, squished into the space between the closet and extra bed in our guest room. I've since added a second work laptop.) My library is closed to the public indefinitely, along with most everything else, but as my work … Continue reading Homeworking, day one
Inch by inch
My son walked for the first time today, the day before his first birthday. I was in front of him, bouncing on our exercise ball along to some music (Kira Willey’s “Everybody’s Got A Heartbeat” to be exact). He wanted in on the bouncing action. He was already standing—he’s been standing strongly in place for … Continue reading Inch by inch
The rules are there ain’t no rules
There's a scene in Grease where Leo, the head of the rival Scorpions gang, says to Travolta's Danny Zuko before they drag race: "The rules are there ain't no rules." https://youtube.com/watch?v=b08DChU5qsg It's one of the many random lines that has stuck in my head from a lifetime of movie watching. I think about it a … Continue reading The rules are there ain’t no rules
Four months old
The Boy just turned 4 months old and is absolutely perfect. He is starting to roll over, has recently discovered his own feet, and is super chubby and smiley. So you can imagine my reaction when I read "The Youngest Child Separated From His Family at the Border Was 4 Months Old" in the New … Continue reading Four months old