beach trip 2

hot hunk n. brawny young man with a sunburn. [f. ENGLISH hot a. of or at high temperature; colloq. hunk n. large piece]

meadow

i want to scatter wildflower seeds on our front yard to get this effect but HOM adamantly objects. i don't see why not. if we must have weeds we may as well have a say in the species that we harbor.

inescapable conclusion

the biggest obstacle in a busy grocery store must the untethered child of a free ranging parent.

there should be a limit to the amount of experiential learning a child gets to do that the community has to participate in.

rest

in my weakness neediness weariness and loss

as i scale the pinnacles or plumb the depths

when i surrender my dearest dreams hopes and plans

there comes an abiding peace.

thank God.

he who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.  - ps 91:1

outliers - malcolm gladwell (2008)

this book is crafted around several ideas:

1. right place, right time,

2. the unavoidability of hard work, and

2. the advantage of a goodly inheritance.

which, if you ask me, are not new ideas at all, and not new when applied to success. just ask any east asian. our lore is chockful of ssu ma kuang-like role models and ah q-type cautionary tales.

methinks malcolm gladwell is shaping up to be a one hit* wonder who optimistically starts a franchise.

*the tipping point is, in my opinion, rather admirably original.

beach trip

a troop of testosterones camp overnight at our home on their way to the beach. they are up before the crack of dawn to pick up the corresponding flock of estrogens.

this shows that twelve years of strident and emotionally laden morning calls on schooldays are in truth redundant. when the stakes are high enough the alarm clock suffices perfectly.

divorce & remarriage

today, on J2's recommendation, i sever my decade long association with internet explorer and hitch myself to google chrome.

this marks our third alliance from the start of the world wide web to now:
1. netscape navigator, back in the mists of time,
2. internet explorer, and now
3. google chrome.

my favorite is the latest:
1. it's quicker, and
2. it's prettier.

enchantment

i see my first fireflies. evanescent pinheads of yellow glow and dance streaks in the dusk and reflexly activate fears of retinal detachment. clearly, my worldview is driven by a biological paradigm.

i remember the princess of legend with her living coronet of fireflies. pure hogwash, before today. looking at the floating faerie lights, i can well believe it now.

rite of passage

driving home, J1 neglects to disengage the hand brake.

in all honesty, this is shaping up to be a family tradition. the only one of us who is innocent is J2, who is not old enough a driver to sin much yet.

heartache

i cull six bags of books from our shelves. our library is a treasure trove lovingly accruing over two decades, and each time i streamline it a little part of my heart shatters a teensy bit.