When my brothers and I were little and fighting or fidgeting in the car, say, my dad would tell us “Stop faunching around!” We knew what he meant from the context, although apart from him, our mom, and maybe some other relatives, nobody else ever used that word. It started to seem that my dad had made it up. [...]
One of the greatest days of my life passed unremarked by everyone else in the world. But I shall never forget January 5, 2004. It was the day after Malcolm turned 7. At his party, his friend Ryan had given him a Toys R Us gift card, and off we drove to the store to [...]
As computer users, I like to think Chris and I were on the early-adopter side. In 1980, at my very first – and very short-lived - job out of college, I was trained at McGraw-Hill Publishing to use a Macintosh computer. Several Macs were quarantined in a room high above the Avenue of the Americas, and as I [...]
This summer, we have not roamed very far afield. We’ve barely roamed past our zip code. With Ian and Hugh both working, we must now juggle the work schedules of four people. This represents a huge change in family life. Don’t get me wrong: we’re thrilled that the boys are earning money, but boredom and ennui were setting in. Only [...]
The East Coast has lived through the most sweltering July since the dawn of time, and it has taken a toll. Right now, we’re in a temporary reprieve, and everyone is so grateful. But there’s also a sense of dread, because all the weathercasters assure us that another killer heatwave will soon return. Chris and [...]
Like a few other people, Chris and I are eagerly awaiting the start of the new Mad Men season on Sunday night. Having these great cable series is a fabulous part of adult life. We’ve loved and lost The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, and The Wire. Just this month, we watched the entire season of [...]
Ian checks the old-fashioned mail every day, looking for his college roommate assignment. Word is, the envelopes were mailed out of Baltimore yesterday, so everyone in the Mid-Atlantic states should have his or her assignment today. Ian has not had a roommate since 1998, when Malcolm learned how to climb out of his crib. At [...]
Things Unnecessary: the name of a store at The Springfield Mall. Not The Springfield Mall one mile from my home (although it could be), but the one in The Simpsons. It’s full of all that stuff people bought like crazy, for no apparent reason, which then forced them to go out and rent storage units. Today’s photo is [...]
These pillowcases arrived in the mail yesterday. I snagged them on eBay for a song. Yes, Master-Slave pillowcases from the 1950s, beautifully hand embroidered and crochet-trimmed. He’s smugly reading his science fiction, she’s exhaustedly holding a feather duster. I put them on etsy and they sold almost instantly, for quadruple what I paid. I was kind of [...]
Continuing my very belated entry into the 21st century, I also got my iPod set up over the last few days. The gadget was my birthday present from Chris in 2009, but due to a series of unfortunate events, not even one song was placed on it for oh, 366 days. Among the obstacles, my computer [...]
