About a month ago, Jack saw a blood drive van and told me he wanted to donate – had been wanting too for a while, in fact – and now that he was seventeen he could do so without parental permission, which makes two whole things I didn’t know. What he actually said was it […]
The half marathon taper and how I’m probably doing it wrong
Tomorrow, I’ll be running a half marathon, which means today is the last day of that period we call the taper. If you’re not familiar with the taper, it’s the result of a whole bunch of running science that says it’s good to reduce your miles and intensity a few days before a big event. […]
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Turns out you CAN go home again, but they’ll probably make you sing
“You know, JaNean used to play Delta Dawn on the piano. She was good. You could harmonize with her.” It was more a statement than a request from JaNean’s cute, bespectacled mom. All I heard was Delta Dawn. I did what any rational person would do and belted out a refrain. Del-ta-a Dawn, what’s that […]
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Of couches and tchotchkes: pros and cons of hosting an exchange student
As I’ve mentioned, the term exchange student horror stories is one of the more frequent searches that brings people here. I’m still trying to figure this one out. Are you all considering hosting a student and wondering if it’s crazy? Maybe your own kid’s thinking about exchange, and you want ammunition to talk him out […]
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Running tip #378: Know how to cope with event photos
I saw a post recently in a fitness-oriented social media group: a woman running, wearing a race bib. The photo was taken from a low angle, the watermark of an official race photographer in one corner. I expected a “yay me!” message underneath instead of the anguish this woman poured out. She’d been proud of […]
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World’s Very Best Book Club
Colin and I like to share books, or rather, he reads a ton, then foists stuff on me and demands I read it right away so we can talk about it. He’s kind of a book bully. Our book discussions go something like this: “Did you read it?” “Yeah, it was good.” “You liked it?” […]
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A last day in Seoul, and a few weird and awesome things
This is Anne. Anne is an English teacher who was sitting next to Mike on the train last night and asked if he would be willing to proofread an assignment from one of her students. Mike obliged and thumbed through the work on her iPad, and the two struck up a conversation. She found out we’d […]
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Day … whatever … in Seoul: a little about the kindness of strangers
Today on the way home from our conference, Mike and I stopped to watch a little drama unfold. There were several young police officers making clucking noises and beating bushes along the side of the road. A little crowd gathered with us. A mallard swooped overhead and landed in some tall grass beyond the sidewalk. One of […]
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Seoul Day 7: Birthday Gangnam Style
If you’re looking for Days Five and Six to our Seoul Saga, you can stop. I didn’t do them. Our conference has started and those posts would have been about over air conditioned meeting rooms and trying to remember to exchange business cards with two hands. Actually, the last two days were dedicated to a pre-conference. Today the bonafide […]
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Day four in Seoul: Adventure and its drawbacks
There have been times on trips like these when I remember the word “adventure” is actually a rather loaded term. Sometimes, it means more than a rip-roaring good time. Sometimes “adventure” means “what the hell just happened and how can we avoid it in the future?” I’m going to tell you what just happened, but first […]
