This summer, we found out that one of the canine teeth in Neil’s lower jaw was stuck in a horizontal position, beneath the baby teeth it was meant to push out and replace. We hired an orthodontist, who sent us to a local oral surgeon who told us he’d be able to expose and bond…
Category: Daft Musings
San Jose’s Fiscal Responsibility
Earlier this month, I got the bad news that our city library hours are being cut again, with Mondays dark, and Fridays only open for half a day. But as I hear the news of shortfalls at all levels of government, not just city, but county, state, and federal, as well, due to a weak…
Costco Deals, Costco Rip-Offs, and Middle Class Snobbery
Recently, Peter and I got a Costco membership despite my assertion that Costco is a rip-off. As it turns out, the truth is nuanced–you can save some money by joining their club, but you have to know the value of things, since not everything is cheaper, and some is even more expensive. And the deals…
The Taxing Equilibrium
Like most citizens, I don’t like paying taxes, and as a sole proprietor, I’m acutely aware of what I pay in income tax, because I have to pay it directly in big chunks (rather than having it taken out of my paycheck bit by bit.) But a weekend helping out a friend in the rugged…
The Internationale, jazz style
I’ve heard The Internationale in French, Russian, and English, but I have to say this version’s so groovy it made me laugh, even though I’m not a communist. Tony Bambino the Internationale (via YouTube)
Andrew’s Last Storytime
I felt like I was witnessing the end of an era (or at least a phase of Kelly’s life) when her favorite storytime presenter, Andrew, announced he would be moving on to other things. In perspective, the timing was right: we’ve been going to see him almost every week for over 3 years, from when…
Good Friday and the Cologne Knight
One of the nice things about having my daughter at a Christian school is that we have to learn more about Christianity. And this learning, in turn, has given me a bigger picture on customs, traditions, and allusions in western civilization. Today, Kelly sang with her class during the early Good Friday service at the…
Our Last Day at Gathering 4 Gardner 9
By Sunday, things were beginning to slow down, though Neil was still disappointed that we’d overslept so he missed the first 20 minutes of Sunday’s talks. During the first break, we went to the exhibition room, where the artists and puzzlers were taking down their exhibits. I’d admired Jenine Mosley’s clever shapes, made completely out…
Mathematicians Playing with Space and Time
One thing I discovered at Gathering 4 Gardner is that mathematicians (not to mention magicians) really love playing with space and time. I had barely gotten there when I met a Swiss person who is actually Japanese; and a Japanese person who is actually Irish. To my knowledge, Neil is (probably) the only child who…
Party at Tom and Sarah’s
On Saturday afternoon, we loaded ourselves onto several buses which went over to Tom and Sarah’s house, where we could see the mathematical art, and participate in building some new sculptures. Soon enough Neil got to work on what he called a “Hilbert Curve,” a sculpture which eventually ended up looking like this: Julian came…