Dare I say it? I like Legoland more than Disneyland. It’s less crowded, less overtly commercial, and since Neil’s been going there since the year it opened, we already have many fond family memories there. Disneyland works hard at being a pleasant place, and it is an exceptional amusement park, but it can’t overcome my…
The Call from Hollywood
Peter and Neil are fans of the television show “Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?” So when the show announced it was casting for a new class and invited eligible children to send in videos of themselves, we went ahead and made an audition tape of Neil and mailed it off. I figured that…
The Passion of the Christ
A few days ago, Peter and I watched The Passion of the Christ, Mel Gibson’s movie about the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. I am pissed off! Not because of the movie, but because of all the b.s. put out about the movie when it was in the theatres. According to the reviews and columns I…
My Medieval Garden
I did a very daring thing yesterday: I dug up a patch of dirt behind our spa and planted vegetables. If plants were people, I’d be in jail for all the plants that have died in my neglectful, inept care. If I brought every plant that has died on my watch back to OSH, I’d…
Rubbish!
The Cornell Waste Management Institutue, in its most recent attempt to tell me where the bogus statistic they published came from, pointed me to William Rathje, an anthropologist/archeologist who’s excavated landfills and studied the waste disposal habits of Americans. He hasn’t responded to my email inquiries yet, but at this point, it’s not that important:…
Our Memorial Day Parade
One of our favorite neighborhood traditions is the annual Memorial Day parade. It begins just half a block from our house, on the street just behind the nearby elementary school and winds for about a mile past our local playground and to another elementary school. Children from both schools comprise a choir that sings patriotic…
The Too Smug Bicyclist
I’ll admit that I am smug about my bicycling instead of driving. I like the exercise, I love never having to hunt for parking, and most of all, I’m having fun. But the smugness can go too far. To wit, here is a letter from today’s Mr. Roadshow column in the San Jose Mercury News:…
Russians versus Germans
I recently joined a Yahoo group for German-language children’s activities. I’ve been in Yahoo groups for Russian-language activities, but I am overwhelmed by the difference between the two nationalities. On the Russian boards, the Russians almost always write in English. Sure, some of it is due to the fact that not everyone has a font…
Poolside Summer School
My blogging has been light lately because my mind’s been on putting together an educational curriculum for Neil (and to a certain extent, Kelly as well) this summer. It’s no secret that I’ve been disappointed in his teacher this year, and I think in some ways he’s fallen behind milestones he achieved in third grade….
The Strawberry Man
For all I know this phenomenon may be nationwide, but I think I’m pretty special and lucky to live in a neighborhood where, during strawberry season, a man appears on a street corner just a few blocks away selling farm-fresh strawberries at a below-market price. It’s always the same guy, though I have yet to…