A BOLD FRESH PIECE OF INANITY »

Monday, February 27, 2012

Out of the Bluegrass

Before we left for home, we hit up two Kentucky landmarks—the Lincoln memorial on Louisville’s riverfront and a frozen-yogurt shop that offered mocha and pop boba as toppings. Okay—granting landmark status to a fro-yo joint is a bit of a stretch, but I failed to mention that they also served milk teas.

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Play D'Oh!

Reed’s toy cars and plastic dogs met a similar fate that the mastodons and saber-toothed cats did in La Brea Tar Pits.

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Louisville Snuggler

We took a weekend trip to Louisville to see Erick and his family. They are living in Kentucky for a year as Erick finishes up his surgery fellowship before their move to our neck of the woods in late July.

Among the myriad games and scenarios my brother creates for his son Quintin, Human Burrito might have been the one best received by the visiting cousins. Here are the boys spilling out of the ends of the rolled tortilla/blanket, and Olivia’s off-camera searching for some salsa.

Friday, February 17, 2012

The Glamour of Grammar

Grammar is a topic that’s far from fun for most people, and certainly not in the ballpark of things we conjure as glamorous. But author Roy Peter Clark is determined to change that mindset, pointing out in The Glamour of Grammar that at one time in the history of language “glamour” and “grammar” were the same word. He goes about showing the many ways in which language learning and usage can retain its ancestral roots in enchantment, charm, and magic.

Divided in short topical chapters, the book looks like a usage guide but reads like an extended essay on the wonderment of language. I’ve already recommended it to the aspiring writer I know as Dad, and I recommend it to you, dear reader, as inspiration for your next round of assembling words.

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Hats Adorable

There’s a Berenstain Bears book about old and new hats—appropriately titled Old Hat, New Hat—that we’ve worn out over the years from frequent readings. In honor of that family favorite, I present to you the title in picture form.

Old hat


New hat

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Blocks Party

Open gym. Open pit. Open invitation to jump into a pile of soft red blocks. Opened a can of worms. Gym no longer open once hour mark is up. Now openly complaining about having to leave. Hoping to get through open door, but know that leaving quietly is no open-and-shut case.

Sunday, February 12, 2012

AweAbestruck

Olivia first learned of Abraham Lincoln presenters—notice I didn’t say impersonators—from the terrific documentary titled “Being Lincoln: Men with Hats.” The child herself has dabbled in some Lincoln presenting, most notably a couple Halloweens back. When I learned that there would be a Lincoln presenter at a local historical society home on this anniversary of our 16th president’s birthday, I jumped at the chance to take her to meet her historical hero. She, too, jumped at the opportunity, donning her Lincoln outfit and with her presidential action figure in hand.

She and her friend Lucy got to interact with Mr. and Mrs. Lincoln. To say she was over the moon would be an understatement—try over the moon of a planet in some faraway galaxy. The experience was enhanced by, of course, some Abe-licious cake at the end of the meet-and-greet.

Saturday, February 11, 2012

The Choice Is Yours

I’ve had the great fortune of hearing Jonah Lehrer speak in person, as he was the keynoter at a conference I’d attended in the fall. I was familiar with his work on Radiolab, a favorite show of mine in the world of radio and podcasts, for which he’s a contributing editor. He has written two books to date: Proust Was a Neuroscientist and How We Decide. I picked up the latter during the aforementioned conference, and Lehrer was kind enough to sign my copy and make small talk with me as I gushed about how much I adore Radiolab. (I may have uttered something to the effect of “Radiolab makes my life better.”)

How We Decide tackles two questions: How does the human mind make decisions? And how do we make those decisions better? In it, Lehrer provides numerous examples and studies of our rational and emotional decision-making processes. The mixing of anecdotes and research rings of Malcolm Gladwell’s tried-and-true formula, but Lehrer distinguishes himself with his brand of elegant eloquence.

I highly recommend you select this book when you’re trying to decide what to read next.

Wednesday, February 08, 2012

Orange Man

Reed devours oranges (clementines, technically—which he calls tangers, as in tangerines) the way flamingos take to shrimp. And because a flamingo’s pinkish hue gets accentuated by its mass consumption of shrimp, we expect Reed’s skin to resemble John Boehner’s in no time.

Monday, February 06, 2012

Land of Nod

Passing out in front of the TV was a favorite pastime of mine in my unmarried days. These days I’m much more likely to pass out with the lap top screen still glowing, or, as is the case with Olivia on this night, with a book by my side in bed.

Sunday, February 05, 2012

Full Spectrum

As someone who has encountered autism within our family, I take a particular interest in books on the subject. I’ve read parts of the book by John Elder Robinson—brother of memoirist Augusten Burroughs—about his experiences growing up with Asperger syndrome, which is an autism spectrum disorder. Recently, my mom has brought to my attention a new book I’m eager to get my claws/eyes on called The Journal of Best Practices: A Memoir of Marriage, Asperger Syndrome, and One Man's Quest to Be a Better Husband. And I just finished a wonderful book called Following Ezra: What One Father Learned About Gumby, Otters, Autism, and Love from His Extraordinary Son. (Apparently, the titles of books involving the autism spectrum must span a literal spectrum.)

Following Ezra in an inspirational read for all—parents and non-parents, those with autism in their family and those without. Tom Fields-Meyer writes in an effortless and affirming way. His tales of unconditional love for his autistic son are a reminder of the ways we should show love to—and receive love from—those closest to us.

Saturday, February 04, 2012

A Book You Can (International) Bank(ing) on

Three words: International. Crime. Thriller. Piqued your interest yet? No? How about another three? Written by relative.

The Geneva Connection, as I’ve mentioned before, is the first book by my mother-in-law’s cousin. I’m about as far away from the worlds of international banking and drug trafficking as a Mongolian goat herder is, but I was immediately drawn into the story so richly told by one Martin Bodenham. The book is a real page-turner—actually a page-clicker (it is only available electronically)—which is a relief because I don’t want to be lying when I tell him how much I enjoyed it.

Glossed Love

Olivia recently went over to her friend Logan’s house, where the two were able to operate a lap top and laminating machine to their heart’s content. The result? An early Valentine’s Day laminated card for her dear dad.

Friday, February 03, 2012

Lending a Hand (Vac)

Reed takes to a hand vac the way most two-year-olds take to their toys. He demands first crack (sweep?) at the crumbs and dust bunnies on the floor, and he loves to add the attachment that allows him to suck up the dirt in the hard-to-reach places such as couch cushions and lost childhoods.

Wednesday, February 01, 2012

Even Odds

50/50, a film destined for viewing as part of the 50/50 project, received a favorable rating in excess of 80% from Rotten Tomatoes. The 50/50 in this case refers to the cancer survival odds of Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s character, who find the challenges of the changing natures of his relationships to be as exhausting as his actual cancer treatments. The film is essentially a buddy film that interjects some light humor into a heavy topic.

By the end, I ended up on the thumb-down side of the coin flip. I came into this wanting to like this movie, and I was even prepared to shed a tear along the way. Perhaps that’s where it went wrong for me: I was giving it the reins of my heartstrings, but it chose instead for the occasional tickle of my funny bone.