Every once in awhile, it’s nice to be reassured that we’re not alone in the things we deal with as parents of teenagers. That’s how I felt while reading a new study that says 1 in 200 American kids is now vegetarian because, like my daughter, they’re appalled at the thought of killing a living […]
Valerie Peterson and Emmanuel Pierre have compiled a list of different rituals people celebrate to bring in the New Year. They all have to do with the concept of luck which, as mathematician Chip Denman once observed, is “probability taken personally.” For example, they cite: South Americans who would like to travel in the coming […]
When I brought in our trash barrels yesterday — Monday is pickup day in our neighborhood — there was a note attached which read, “Happy Holidays! We wish you a delightful holiday season, with warm wishes!” It was signed by two of the guys who do this route. Gee, isn’t that nice? Just out of […]
I called a friend yesterday to ask a question, and when he picked up the first thing he said was, “Let me call you right back. I’m on the other line, and it’s long distance.” After we hung up, I laughed at the old-fashioned way he’d put that. A long-distance call used to be a […]
There’s a new middle school being built in Tacoma, Washington, and the school board is trying to come up with a name for it. Among the possiblities are Eastside Academy Middle School, First Creek Middle School, Cesar Chavez Middle School, and Barack Obama Middle School. That last one was suggested Monday afternoon at a school […]
Here’s another story from this weekend in Vegas, but I’m going to change the name of the person involved. Let’s call him Roger. Friday morning, the phone rings in my room at 7:30am. It’s Roger, saying, “I can’t sleep, let’s go get breakfast.” I tell him he woke me up and this is way too […]