For me, 2008 has definitely started off with a bang. Just take a look at how my last week has gone: Monday: We all go to the mall to buy Peter new jeans. We return with a couture top and a new car for me. World fails to take notice. Tuesday: It’s 2008! Our family…
Ringing in the Year with a Brand New Car
Loretta was the first of my friends to tell me I need a new car. But then, she’d also been my navigator on a trip to the San Diego Comic-Con during which my car’s thermostat malfunctioned and we had to manage by turning the heater on full blast driving through Los Angeles in the middle…
Alien Conspiracy on Wood Trail Road!
The Santa Clara County Parks department recently launched a “Healthy Trails” program with a list of trails to hike in the local parks. Since I love taking my children outdoors, I was all over that, and in a lull between working and shredding papers on Sunday afternoon, we all decided to take one of the…
Shreddin’ Our History
Peter’s been in a throw out the old, bring in the new mood over this Christmas break, which I believe was, at least in part, inspired by Tim Gunn. Since paring down his closet, Peter’s also ripped out obsolete wiring; replaced or retired old technology; and cleaned out our garage and attic. The consequence of…
On Zoos and Circuses
I’ve never taken my children to a circus, and we’ve only been to the San Francisco Zoo and the Oakland Zoo once each. I sometimes wonder if I’m depriving them of one of the requirements for a full and memorable childhood, but the recent news that a tiger got loose on Christmas day at the…
Our 2007 Christmas Treasure Hunt
For about 10 years now, a treasure hunt for Christmas presents has been part of our family tradition. Peter and I take turns planning one for each other. Neil, who loves puzzles has gotten in on the action and has been requesting a hunt for himself as well for the past few years. Well, this…
Norad Tracks Santa
For the last two weeks (if not longer), Kelly’s been jumping into our bed early in the morning, asking “is it Christmas yet?” No, I have to tell her, not yet… But thanks to Mental Floss, I found something that may keep her at bay: Norad’s 2007 Santa Tracker. If you’re anxious about Santa’s route,…
Dance Hall Girls
Mount Holyoke used to have a January session: two weeks in which you took a specialized course you’d never think of taking during the regular academic semester. I loved it, and even dropped in on courses that weren’t mine for the lectures. The courses, such as an overview of Film Noir, were essentially exactly the…
Too Much Spanish?
It’s quite obvious that we have a lot of immigrants from Mexico and South America, and in the capitalist way, many businesses have sprung up to service them: we have locally-produced Spanish radio, television, and newspapers; many businesses advertise that their staff speaks Spanish; and most non-perishable grocery items are labelled in both English and…
Christmas Crackers
This year, I thought I’d reached the heights of Christmas crafting by making our own Christmas crackers. For most of my life, I’d been intrigued by this peculiar British Christmas delight, and I’d read many a story in which children pulled their crackers on Christmas day. But I’d never seen one, so when Michael’s (the…