I read something a few weeks ago where people were talking about their experiences with work during the pandemic, and one person they profiled had been laid off and never happier. I can relate to that. The two times in my adult life I've been unemployed...I had time and energy to do something I enjoy: bake. Baking takes planning and patience, and the energy to summon the ingredients and be home, ready to rotate the cookie pans or put the bread in the oven only once it has proofed. In other … [Read more...] about A Near-Perfect Orange Cake for Christmas
Remote school is fine, just fine
Like most kids this year, mine are in the ether, attending elementary school online only. At first it was a shitshow. Then it was slightly less of a shitshow, then it was going okay, then actually good. Cue record scratch. Today I learned from browser history that younger kid has ditched school the past 3 days to attend Minecraft videos on YouTube, while pretending for my mom to be in school. You see, we moved my mom across the country (2500 miles or so) to move in with us to be in charge … [Read more...] about Remote school is fine, just fine
Full-on mid-life GenX crisis
I'm a full-on walking cliche of a mid-life crisis. Shouldn't come as any surprise. Mid-40s: check! Low thyroid / depleted / exhausted: check! Relentless parenting of small children: check! Stuck in my career with no upward path: check! But just the normalcy of the mid-life-edness of it all has hit me like a flaming garbage truck. I can't seem to get up from the wreckage. It feels like every time I try, I just fall over again, stunned by some other completely obvious detail I … [Read more...] about Full-on mid-life GenX crisis
A 7 Year Old’s Take on Logos
I try not to ascribe things to my kids - like what I think they'll be when they grow up. But of course all parents have thoughts. My 7 yo is doing a lot of that lately with logos, and it makes me wonder if they're going to be some kind of graphic designer or artist. Why is the LEGO logo not made of lego bricks? Why is the Dunkin Donuts logo a coffee....when they make donuts? I mean it's "donuts" right there in the name, not coffee. Why do Microsoft & Google logos use similar colors … [Read more...] about A 7 Year Old’s Take on Logos
Left behind online
My kids' school district has released its plans for fall. Or as I like to call it AUGUST. Swear to Christ, why schools start first Monday in August here is beyond me. And the COVID-19 school year plans are unfolding similarly to most school districts. There's a full-day, in-person option. This is a necessity, given many parents' need for schools to be physically open so they can go to work. There's a fully online version, which will be horrible, but hopefully not as awful a shit show as … [Read more...] about Left behind online