One of the disadvantages of widespread vaccinations is that people tend to forget how really bad the diseases they’re preventing are. Increasingly, well-meaning parents are opting out of vaccinations, partly because they may have mild side-effects, and partly because of a superstition that they may cause more serious damage, like autism. Why take the risk,…
Appreciating My Own Backyard
I’m very excited about my upcoming trip to Germany in February. I thought about where I wanted to go while I was there, and thanks to businesses like Ryanair, there were a variety of fantastic possibilities. From Frankfurt-Hahn airport, I could fly roundtrip to Barcelona or Katowice (Silesian Poland) for free; to Rome for 10…
Light of Doom Continues Sucking
I wish that instead of having their insipid “get to know the band better” snippets, The Next Great American Band gave the time over to letting the bands do an original song: because, after all, we’re not looking for the next great American cover band, but someone who has great songs of their own. That…
Teeny Manolo
Oh, it’s another internet contest I couldn’t resist. My favorite fashion blogger, the Manolo, told us to go to his sibling site, Teeny Manolo, for a chance to win some prizes. Essentially, it’s a blog for being a superfantastic parent. Well, I do have two superfantastic children, and Kelly does love the shoes, so I…
Can This Recipe Win Me a Cookbook?
Peter and I are avid fans of Gordon Ramsey’s shows, but as I’ve blogged before, the US version is just not the same as the UK version. I think the habit of giving the restaurants tens (or hundreds) of thousands in remodelling and equipment takes away the incentive to knuckle down and follow Ramsey’s advice,…
Black Friday Fever
The year before last, Peter and I did something we’d never done before and went after the post-Thanksgiving sales door buster specials. It’s kind of crazy, goofy fun if you can find a bargain to score. Peter was probably right in describing it as the same sort of experience as going to an all-night science…
Shopping for Antibiotics
As I mentioned in a previous post, the problem with our medical system is that so many people are insured, they have no idea what the real cost of their medical care is. Over a month ago I came down with a bad cough, which my doctor diagnosed as bronchiolitis. She gave me a prescription…
Kelly is 4!
It really doesn’t seem all that long ago that I was grumpily waddling around in pregnancy. But yesterday, we celebrated 4 years of Kellyhood. All of Neil’s birthdays have been a big occasion. I think I celebrated his fourth birthday with a room full of park-met toddlers following an elaborately planned home party that involved…
Shiaw-Ling’s 80s/90s Birthday Party
On Saturday night, we went to Pizza Chicago downtown for Shiaw-Ling’s birthday party. This year, her theme was the 80s and 90s, and she encouraged her guests to come dressed for the occassion. I did my best to reproduce my wardrobe, makeup and hair from 1982, the year Shiaw-Ling was born: Yes, those are actually…
Lake Almanor
After two nights and a day in Portland, we were back to a night of camping. Frankly, Peter and I were somewhat half-hearted about it, but Kelly was eager to spend another night in a tent and roasting marshmallows over a campfire. And so, we drove 8 hours south to a spot I’d read about…