The term pro forma (Latin “as a matter of form”) is a term applied to practices or documents that are done as a pure formality, or seek to satisfy the minimum requirements or to conform to a convention or doctrine. I hate filling out forms. Therefore, I am quite bad at it. Back before our school [...]
We got hammered over the weekend – not during the Super Bowl, but by a snowfall of 28.5″ from Friday night into Saturday. It was the second biggest snowstorm since 1996 when 30″ fell. That year, we plopped toddler Hugh down outside in the drifts and he burst into terrified tears. This weekend’s snowfall was of Biblical [...]
Sometimes it’s depressing to live in a place that nobody considers exciting. When we go on trips and people ask where we’re from, and the answer is “Pennsylvania” or “Philadelphia,” there’s a glassy smile and a vague, “Oh, that’s nice…” or maybe a “Yes, the Liberty Bell….” Ian reported that in Europe, everyone said “Rocky!” While [...]
Can I just say how very thankful I am that Emily and I share the writing job at this blog? Coming up with fresh material 5 days a week all by myself would be hugely stressful. Even if I had enough good material on my own, which I wouldn’t, where would the time come from to [...]
As I recall, little boys are obsessed not only with superheroes and cars and firemen and guns, but also the concept of jail and bad guys. As they get older, few places loom larger in their imaginations than the mythical place called Juvie. When we drive by our local Juvenile Hall en route to the indoor [...]
