I took Kelly to the native American powwow held annually on the Stanford campus. I always feel awkward going to a powwow, because it is a very native American event, and I have no grounding whatsoever in native American culture. On occassions I encounter natives in my regular setting who are constantly saying “sorry”; I…
How I Learned to Stop Driving and Love My Bike
I’ve always liked using my bicycle (the road bike with a seat for Kelly) for short trips, when time and distance allowed. More recently, the record high gas prices have inspired me to, well, first of all, put off optional driving, like a trip to the zoo or art museum, and secondly, to use my…
RTFM
When I was just starting to work as a computer journalist, one of the artists on staff offered me a simple job: he had an aquaintance who wanted some help with his new Macintosh computer. Naive as I was at the time, I turned it down on the premise that I couldn’t offer any information…
Perfect Mom Syndrome
This morning, columnist Karen Heller mentioned Perfect Mom Syndrome: One year my daughter was in a class where each and every mother looked like a supermodel, even first thing in the morning, except they were all doctors and lawyers who ran 10Ks, sat on charitable boards, and staffed every school committee while turning out exquisite…
Bible Study
Right now I have 8 Christian bibles in my house, and it’s kind of freaking me out because I’m not even Christian. Neil’s one day at the School of Choice convinced me that I should read and introduce the Bible to my son, given that Christian philosophy is the underpinning of Western Civilization, which is…
What Happened If You Had a Garage Sale and No One Came?
Every year, on the first Saturday in May, our neighborhood association sponsors an area-wide garage sale by placing an ad for it in all local publications and distributing flyers about it to all homes. All a household has to do is collect saleable items and bring them outside to sell. Last year, it was a…
The 4/29 Conspiracy
Early last Sunday, the driver of a speeding tanker truck carrying gasoline lost control and crashed on the 580-to-80 ramp (that is, the connection between most of the East Bay going to and fron San Francisco and Berkeley). As a result, the gasoline ignited, creating a huge, intensely hot fireball which destroyed the overpass. Needless…
Three (Private) Schools for Smart Kids
When my frustration with Neil’s current school year had reached a high level, Peter encouraged me to look at some private schools. In Peter’s opinion, it doesn’t hurt to look and see what else is out there. As we already knew, public schools have the advantage in resources and range. Whenever I volunteer in a…
I Haven’t Had Enough Booze Yet
I’m finally catching up listening to Shelly’s Podcast. I know the broadcaster personally, and the best I can explain the show is that it’s about technology, the quest for great music and other fabulousities, and all things Austin. On one of these shows, she played this sound clip: not_enough-booze.mp3 It’s clearly not Shelly, so some…
How I Made Some Brats Behave
Last year, our family had a VIP pass for Great America, which also got us into Bonfante Gardens. Great America turned out to be a great disappointment because it wasn’t very family friendly at all, and on the few rides geared towards children, there was a nasty problem of line cutting. Park signs said line…