I had one of those “dad moments” (for lack of a better term) the other day. I was with K-Man and we were enjoying an afternoon of parks and play. In the midst of all of this, I realized that I wasn’t exactly in the moment as I should have been. I was distracted. My mind was wandering. K was chattering away about this or that (and probably fire trucks), but I wasn’t altogether “there.” That’s when I looked up to see that he was riding an escalator. [more]

I’m no longer the proud owner of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. It’s been two days since I sold my bike. And, I’m still a bit sad. There’s a bit of a hole in my identity, just as there is in the garage where the giant bike sat for the last four years.

I had wanted a Harley since I was five. I had one. Now…I don’t. But, having that Harley in my garage was a bit like having a German Shepherd in a small apartment – such animals need open spaces, they need to get out and run. I know my bike is in a better place and that makes me feel better. [more]

From time to time, I search Craigslist for writing gigs. This research isn’t so much to find jobs for me personally; it’s more of a way for me to keep tabs on whether the competition (to my company) is looking for talent (and what they’re looking for). Today, I found the following post (all spelling, punctuation and grammatical issues are hers, not mine): [more]

On the way home from an adventure-filled morning that included stops at two fire stations, the botanical gardens, a bookstore and California Pizza Kitchen, K-Man decided it was a good time to take off his Crocs. “Daddy, I take my Crocs on,” he proclaimed proudly. (The whole “on vs. off” thing really confounds the little guy.) This was almost immediately followed by, “I want my Crocs!” I explained that I was driving and, since we were almost home, I’d get his shoes for him very soon. This wasn’t a satisfactory answer. [more]

I like reading Aliki’s posts. We have much different experiences, which leads to our having much different perspectives on the “life and times” of parenting. Different perspectives are good things. While I agree with everything she has to say about the amazing benefits of parenting, I still don’t understand why we have to get so defensive about the study in question. (Which, by the way, appears to be rehashing old data – so, it’s not all that valuable, anyway.) [more]