Dear Young Padawan,

Much has changed since the last post. Most of the World is on lockdown now, trying to control the spread of COVID-19, the novel Coronavirus.  As of today, April 19th 2020, according to the CDC website, more than 35,000 people have died in the US alone. That number is still rising, but not as quickly as it has been. It looks like Seattle’s peak was reached in early April after one month sheltering in place in our houses and practicing social distancing. 

It is still unclear WHEN we may be able to get back to normal. The Seattle Times stated yesterday that May 11th might be a first step in being back to normal, thought our Toddler-in-Chief has continued to fan the flames of misinformation and actually incite protests to the scientifically-based stay-at-home recommendations.  School has already been cancelle through June and many of your summer camps have been called off. There’s so many people out of work and businesses closed, it doesn’t look like there will be a normal to get back to, unfortunately. There have been more jobs lost in the last six weeks than all the jobs created in the last twelve years since the 2008 financial collapse! 

Our local Safeway now has One-Way aisles

We take lots of walks throughout the day – the colors now are beautiful.

You and Alexandra have done a lot of YouTube drawing tutorials.

When we go out now, we wear masks and keep our distance from others. Here’s Mommy waiting to pick up our Greek dinner order at Yannis.

This is what used to be a busy intersection at 8am on a Monday – now there was no car in either direction.

I’m on the last day of my Spring Break 2020, sadly, and I’m feeling the Sunday Blues in a bad way. Considering the circumstances, it was a fun spring break. I got a LOT of quality time playing with you….roughhousing, playing Jedi, dressing up as pirates, jumping on Julie and Erick’s trampoline, going on bike rides, or playing “puppy in a box” which you’ve made me play for over three years now. My 48th birthday was Friday and you had a whole list of events planned for me, starting with a breakfast picnic at Kirke park.

At the end of week one of our quarantine, you had a breakdown…..”I miss my teachers, I miss my friends, i miss doing fun stuff.” You’ve had to spend ALL your time with us, but you have done pretty well since. There’s not a lot of good news at all anywhere except for some pocket glimpses of Some Good News here and there from inspiring and creative people. 

The latest 1 Second Everyday Video:
Here is the 2019 Year in 1 second clips.

and here is January – March 2019

What you’re doing these days:

Since our extended home stay, we’ve watched Star Wars several of the movies. You’ve enjoyed them, which warms my heart, though you ask questions incessantly throughout the viewing. I suppose that is good that you’re inquisitive and curious, but it is also being impatient and controlling, which is tedious. At this final scene in Episode iV, A New Hope, as Han and Luke are about to walk down the aisle after blowing up the original death star, you asked, “Dad, Is Luke getting married?” 

A recording

Here’s you reading with Gaga in February 2020….you the emerging reader!  and motivated by cookies 🙂

In my life these days:

I’m wearing readers now all the time. It started this summer and now that I’m in front of a Zoom computer most weekdays, there’s a set always in my pocket. 

Letter from the Wild Mountain Cafe owner. 

I was really looking forward to joining a Grand Master Ultimate Frisbee team in Sardinia in June to play in a world tournament, but it will not be happening?  Lots of things are up in the air and most of the other events are called off. 

In the last post, I summarized our Africa trip last summer. One of the highlights was this lion cubs kill of a Thompson gazelle in the Sarengeti. Check it out.

In the news:

I’m going to skip this section today 🙂

A summary of a book or podcast I liked:

I’ve been able to up my book and podcast digestion lately…..I just finished Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi and There There by Tommy Orange. Neither books help me be proud of my whiteness, but I heard about them and wanted to explore them. Homegoing was a book that one of the English teachers at my school wants to study in class. 

Just three days ago, you started and finished the audio version of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets…..at least an 8 hour read!  You were captivated by it – Mommy and I were so impressed. 

If there is a silver lining to this home schooling and quarantine period, dear one, it is that we’ve got to spend a lot of time together reading, listening, chalk drawing, and roughhousing. 

Love you,

Daddy

Hey Sweetness, 

It has been wayyyy to long since the last post. I blame teaching an overload (for a colleague who was on medical leave), then intensives, for keeping me from being regular. Here’s the bare bones…..

I really enjoyed coaching your first sport team experience – basketball!  It was Kristina – Alex’s Mom’s idea. She’d done it last year and was asking for other coaches to share – so I volunteered. We had some practices to try to teach what it means to dribble, how to perform different passes, the BEEF of shooting (balance, eyes, elbow, follow through), and how to play defense, then we got to play games, usually every Tuesday and Friday. In terms of experience and ability, you were in the middle – you scored some baskets, played great defense, and played in every game. Alex was our one ringer – he scored nearly every point, and there were a few teammates who never really got the idea of defense or the fact that you have to dribble to advance the ball. All in all, everybody got better and enjoyed being on the Cougars. 

I grew as a coach as well. Early on, there was a lot of bickering about who got to take the entry pass out of bounds and dribble the ball down the court. To solve this problem, I brought a whiteboard and marker and wrote each person’s name down so that we took turns getting that experience and it was clear who was to get to touch the ball first. 

Africa recap – Man, we went to Africa last summer. Did I mention that?  Landed in Kenya, then Tanzania (Arusha, Serengeti, Ngororo Crater), then Uganda (visiting Miles and Theo, rafting on the Nile, Merchuson Falls National Park), and finally Zanzibar. What an opportunity to visit a continent I never thought I’d visit – and to have Mommy as our “host” as someone who used to live in Uganda, it was a once in a lifetime visit. Here are some shots. 

Coconut water, picked by a man who climbed up the tree, on a spice farm tour.

The latest 1 Second Everyday Video:

Here’s my combined September and October 2019 1 Second Everyday Video

What you’re doing these days:

Sleeping Queens – your favorite game of late. A colleague at work told me about this game….it is perfect for you. You try to “wake up” as many queens as you can to get to a certain number of points, all while keeping your opponents queens asleep and fighting them off with dragons and sleeping potions. When you win, you shout “Victory!” 

Lemony Snicket – you tore through these audiobooks during the summer and in Africa. They’re narrated by Tim Curry and are just corny and super entertaining. 

A recording

Here’s you treating us to a post-Halloween 2019 show. 

And here’s you reading to Gaga during her visit in February 2020

In my life these days:

I participated in leading a Men’s Conference at my school this year – trying to redefine the narrative for Men in our world. 

After getting back from Africa, I trained for two weeks and completed the Lake Stevens Triathlon in September, 2019. 

One of the Math teachers went on medical leave, so I had to switch my classes and take on two  new statistics courses mid-semester

In the news:

Seattle elections

Ukraine investigation and impeachment proceedings

A summary of a book or podcast I liked:

If Beale Street Could Talk, by James Baldwin

Happy Fall, New 6 Year Old!

We just finished a big weekend for you – your 6th birthday. I’ll have more on that in a later post. Right now, here’s a catchup from the summer 2019.

You loved zoo camp….at the very end of the summer. Many of your friends were there, and one of my students was your teacher!

Alexandra has arrived, and she’s part of the family. She helps you get to and from school, and is speaking Spanish with you nearly 95%. 

The latest 1 Second Everyday Video:
Here is the summer double feature:

What you’re doing these days:

You love playing UNO, and mostly play by the rules. You do insist to always be the first to go in a game, though, and when you get hit with a “Draw Four” or other penalty cards, you say, “I don’t care.” You can’t hold cards in your hands that well, so you spread them out in front for all to see. Sometimes, you use a book to prop open in front of you to hide your hand, but you usually forget this and trust us not to look. 

Kindergarten has started, and you’re thriving. You come home with “Pawsitivity Awards” at least When you and I were in the car one day, the radio played “The Final Countdown” by Europe…..you shouted, “Hey Dad, My teacher plays this song for the last few minutes of independent writing (which I think is drawing, you aren’t writing yet). Every morning when you get to school, you and your classmates check in at the Mood Meter. Most days, you place yourself in the green, but occasionally, you spend some time in blue. When we were playing UNO one afternoon, you told me, “Dad, I spent some time in blue today.” I asked you why and you said you were sad about Boo 🙁 .  I so wish that I could have had SEL in my early education; I think it is a great feature for kids and adults to own their emotions and be able to talk about them. 

You have tried V8 juice and kinda like it. You have about two cans a week. 

You are about to outgrow using the men’s locker room to change for swimming lessons. You can each and start the showers; I used to have to push the button for you cause you didn’t have the strength nor the height. Now you have both and sometimes push the buttons for little boys who need help. 

A recording

In my life these days:

I’ve begun my 23rd year of teaching. I just returned from the senior campout at Camp Huston in Gold Bar, WA. 

My Piano lessons are going well. Right now I’m working on a Bach book of minuets and musettes. I never practice as much as I’d like to, but I’m really enjoying it. 

I have begun my twenty-third year of teaching, and my fifth at my most recent independent school in Seattle. For the last seven or eight years, I have had a transgender student in one of my classes. The first time it happened, in Redmond High School, I was shocked when the counselor pulled me aside before classes started to let me know about a student whose name was Bailey, but was presenting as Sean. Sean was in my Math in Art, Technology, and History class.     This year, for the first time, I introduce myself as Mr. Peabody and share that I prefer “he, him, his” pronouns, then had the students share with me (over a post it note) what pronouns they prefer to use. I don’t know if it is happening in other schools in Seattle (I’m pretty sure it is) or other schools around the country like Indiana, Mississippi, or Virgina, but to me it represents more of an openness to include a person’s true self, not just what they are judged to be. 

In the news:

Impeachment proceedings have begun against Trump. We’ll see where that goes.

The first all-women spacewalk happened at the ISS this week. 

Large areas of California have had their power shut off to try to prevent forest fires from spreading.

A summary of a book or podcast I liked:

Still Life With Woodpecker by Tom Robbins. I 

Don Quixote. I “skimmed” this one over the summer. 

RBG and Free Solo are both Oscar-winning documentaries that I was able to watch in the plane flights during our Africa trip. RBG is my hero – what a life. 

May Your 6th Year be filled with fun and growth, little Jessica. Like you say after you win at UNO…….Victory!!!!

Love, Dad

 
Happy Summer 2019, Big Tyke!

Here’s a summer post before we leave for our epic trip. Right now, I’m at school typing and you are across the street on the field at Pedalheads camp, doing sports in the morning and biking in the afternoon. Like all things except candy, you are shy and hesitant at first to try them, but then warm up and are ok with the activities we make you do as our kid. Here are some Pedalheads pics. 

You’ve been exhausted after each day, barely making it out of the car or off the bike, but you’ve enjoyed it. On Tuesday, when I rode the Yuba family bike to pick you up, you wanted to bike home, a good 5 miles over very hilly terrain. You made it for a good portion of the trip. I was so proud of your new independent feeling of being able to bike confidently. It is such a lifelong skill; I’m so glad you’re starting when you’re young. Seattle is such a bikeable and bike-friendly place. 

Back in May….Over Memorial Day, we continued our Guemes Island tradition. This year, Rachel, Denny and Eliza joined us and the Carneys. We ate well, played hard, and had just as much fun as the last years even though Boo wasn’t with us. On the ferry wait to get to the mainland, we met Knox the sheepadoodle. 

We were pleased to see that our gift to Boo’s favorite coffee shop, Grumpy D’s, was appreciated.

Over June to July handoff, we three were in the Bay Area for Arianna’s wedding and then you and I went to IL for Peabody Grandparent Camp. You recently finished your Halloween candy, but now have more after the Watseka 4th of July parade. You spent some quality time with your cousins, Gaga and Grandpa, and Great Grammy Dorothy. 

You and Alden celebrating his birthday at Kellart Lake.

You and Grammy Dorothy discussing what camp is like.

I used to live in this house with my friend Ray. We called it the Party Palace…West William Street in Decatur, IL

Here’s Nana, Poppop, and your Aunties (and Mack) having breakfast in the hotel after Ari’s wedding.

You and Gaga waiting for candy during the parade.

Gaga and Granpda sponsored a trip to the historic Lincoln’s New Salem, where Abraham Lincoln spent his early 20s as a small store co-owner before entering political life.

On the way back from New Salem, I visited Millikin, where I attended undergrad and then worked for seven years.

A Grandparent Camp selfie….thanks to Grandpa’s arm.

Painting rocks took up one “crafternoon.”

The latest 1 Second Everyday Video:

What you’re doing these days:

One afternoon, after I picked you up on the bike from LE, we were pedaling and singing, and just to go up Phinney Ridge. A car passed us, and then…..”BAM ssssssss.” I thought we’d hit something, ran over a balloon, or something, but it wasn’t that…..we blew a tire on your Crosby assist wheel. We pulled over and looked at the damage….a large gash in the outside tire. We would have to hoof it back home. Because of the sound and the fact that it happened right under you, you started to cry and plead to me not to tell Mommy. It really startled you and you couldn’t stop crying. We made it home and you eventually came to a point where you were asking questions about how the tire blew (I don’t think you know that there’s an inner tube like a balloon under the tire), how we would fix it, and if Mommy would be mad. I tried to convince you that blowing a tire was a good experience that we could count as growth as bikers. 

The next day you had a joke: “What did the tire say when it blew up?”    “I’m re-TIRE-ed.”

I remember the time when you did not get the Interrupting Cow Knock Knock joke……you’re growing in the joke-telling field, too, kiddo!

A recording
Here’s a listen to you singing some odes to some of your loved ones and friends, with guitar. 

You don’t treat me very well or give me a fair shake on things, especially when Mommy is present with us. 

In my life these days:

This summer has been epic, the longest ever for me. I just finished a Coursera Psychoogy course, am working on my Spanish, and working at school for hiring a new teacher and planning for my new classes. 

Here is our Math Department. I finished my second year as chair this year.

I’ve been out on my bike a lot, just riding around or transporting you to your activities. When I have free time, I’m playing frisbee, practicing some piano, and managing all my videos, photos, and songs. 

In the news:

There are more Democrat Presidential Candidates now than there are fingers and toes for most people. We are hopeful that a good one will emerge and end the nightmare that is the Trump Presidency. 

Much of the press these days is about the poor treatment of children (and adults) on the US-Mexico border and the separation of family members. 

The US Women’s National Soccer Team defeated The Netherlands 2-0 to capture their second straight trophy and their fourth overall title. Mommy and I watched some of the game before I left for my frisbee tournament….you watched Sponge Bob. 

A summary of a book or podcast I liked:
The Little Book of Huygge – suggestions on finding happiness from the Danes

Shores Beyond Shores: From Holocaust to Hope by Irene Butter. I heard Dr. Butter speak on an NPR article, and put this book on my list. She grew up in Berlin with her family, but moved away Amsterdam to escape the Nazis in 1939. She and her family were driven out of Denmark and enslaved in two camps, Westerbourg and Bergen Belsen. Her story is heartbreaking, but she leaves the reader with hope that humans can create a peaceful future. 

I’m excited for our trip, little one. 

Love, Dad
 

Hey Chicken Little,

Mommy asked you this question a few weeks ago. You’ve shown that you can eat pizza with your cousins, your babysitters, and with us, but one afternoon when you were hangry you refused to eat a day-old slice that Mommy and I were heating up. 

Before this post continues, I’d like to take a moment to reflect in the love and life of Clementine “Boo,” Milman, our beloved best friend, who died April 8th of this year. Boo had been slowing down considerably and a week before spring break, had stopped eating kibble. She would eat special treats like sausages and peanut butter, however. The vet said that Boo had several tumors around her body along with pericardial bleeding around her heart. We are sad that she’s not with us anymore, but thankful that her death was not prolonged. 

Unfortunately, she passed away before we were able to make it back to Seattle, so we paid our last respects to Boo at the animal hospital several hours after she died. The nurses wheeled her out on a gurney covered in blankets; you noticed that her tongue was still a little wet and gummy. We pet her, hugged her, and thanked her for all the love one last time before she was wheeled away to be cremated. 

Now, about two months later, we don’t walk as much in the mornings or afternoons. I don’t get my podcast feed listened to as much as I used to, and there is still a big hole in our hearts and vacant space under the table where our Boo used to be. We miss her a lot. 

On to happier things…..we’ve started to bike more often lately…..more than three times a week. And Mommy bought a Rad Power Bike which has transformed her commute! We’re a biking family – ready for summer.

A few weeks ago, there was a dead rat on the side of the road, freshly killed. You were fascinated with it, with lots of questions about how it happened and what was going to happen with the creature. I taught you the word “decompose,” and we spent one entire trip to school discussing things that could decompose and what they would look like. We became citizen scientists, taking notes on how the rat had changed every day as we drove by…until yesterday when you informed me that you were bored of the rat and you didn’t want me to talk to you about it anymore. 

 The latest 1 Second Everyday Video: Here are the last three months with tiny tidbits of what you’ll see if you view them. 

March 2019: lots of snow activities, Grammy Milman’s funeral, and sneaking up on a crow.

April 2019: the last days of Clementine, some frisbee, Mommy’s vaccine is in use, friend Shawn over for dinner, and an early start to spring. 

 
May 2019: a track meet, biking, Mother’s Day, Mommy’s bike, Memorial Day on Guemes, and winning at the Safeway Monopoly game. 

What you’re doing these days:
You are 48 inches, 56 pounds, from your latest 5 year old checkup.
 
You are still challenged by some numerical concepts and the days of the week…. Recently you asked which is longer 15 minutes or half an hour? You still ask about if a shoe is on the correct foot. You don’t have a sense of time, really, and you still tell us “I don’t know my left from my right, Dad!”  I keep thinking it isn’t that tough, there are only two options, and the hand you WRITE with is the RIGHT hand, so how difficult can that be? 

You have, on the other hand, started doing “sumas” with your classmates and teachers, which is astounding. Several times in the afternoons when I’ve picked you up, all the students are a the tables doing pages of math addition problems. The teachers make up pages of single number sums like 3 + 4 or even 11 + 9, and they’ve taught you how to find the result! I am amazed and proud of you. 🙂 

After Easter, we had our first easter egg hunt. You were jealous because Finn and his brother Bridger had an overflowing bucket of candy and you were jealous, so I bought some candy-filled eggs at Fred Meyers and made an impromptu hunt. I hid the eggs on the first round and you found all of them. Then you hid them on the second round, and I found 11 of the 13, but there are still 2 eggs unfound to this day! 

We often have “Crosby time,” the 10-minute period where you call the shots and we play without me being in my adult ego-state. I learned this tool from the parenting class I’m taking.  During these times, you have me play “baby big cat,” where you pretend you are a baby leopard and I am the grandma-hunter who traps you, stuffs you in a box, and ships you to my grandson to serve as his pet. Most of the time you, the shipment, have to go overseas by airplane, so you have me give you turbulence by flipping the box over and over. You love it. One evening we spent almost an hour with those two damn boxes only while Mommy got dinner ready. Thank god it is only normally  10 minutes; then I can change the activity. 

We’ve been using these two boxes for the “big cat” game. You are inside with a blanket, pillow, flashlight, and the leash I used to trap you.

When we have Crosby time outside, it is usually after I pick you up from school and we are at the park. There, you are a dog, I am the owner, and we have to take you to the vet to get your shots. But….you constantly escape by leaping out of the car (the play structure) and I have to catch you and carry you back in a specific manner (by the waist), time after tedius time. Invariably, you scratch me with your dog claws and escape, again, and we continue this dance until I’ve had enough….but you love it. You past dog names have been Cashew, Sasparilla, and Spacey. 

A recordingI wish I had a recording of this interaction with our Amazon Alexa, but I’ll just summarize here. I asked Alexa something about the Seattle Marathon (I wanted to make sure it was the next day because it would affect my driving route to frisbee practice). Alexa didn’t answer my question, but answered something totally goofy. Then she asked, “Did that answer your question.”

Mommy said, “No….loser.”

Mommy, for some reason, hates Alexa. 

In my life these days:
I spent much of this school year working on renewing my National Board certification. This time, it required about forty pages of narrative, reflection, along with a 10-minute video of my teaching and eight pages of student work with my commentary. It was tough, but I think I passed and this will keep me current for another several years. 

We’re planning a trip to Africa this summer! More on that later.

I just finished my twenty-second year of teaching!

I feel conflicted about Michael Jackson, who has been accused of sexual misconduct with at least two young boys that he hosted at his Neverland ranch. I knew he was a strange guy, but was sad to hear about this misconduct. You and your class were on a Michael Jackson kick a few months ago…your teachers played his music and two of your classmates comment often on how much they like Michael Jackson. I feel sad knowing that someone who was once a model for me (I practiced the moonwalk and his moves for many hours in middle school) and also a source of music for you used his power to harm young children.

In the news:
Alabama just passed the most restrictive anti-abortion laws in the nation, essentially banning abortion for even rape victims and spells out jail time for doctors who perform abortion – more jail time than those who commit the rape itself! I am ashamed for our country and how it is moving backward with women’s rights and rights of the

Mommy’s vaccine is in use – the world’s first malaria vaccine. She has been working on it for most of her career. 

A summary of a book or podcast I liked:

I just finished The Last Pass by Gary Pomerantz and Bob Cousy – about the relationship between white Cousy and black Bill Russell, his NBA Celtic Hall of Fame teammate. Cousy wants to offer Russell one last pass, to make up for the lack of acknowledgement of him when they were young basketball players on the same team. 

I also read Crest of the Peacock, Blended, The Little Book of Hugge which I learned about from this Freakonomics Podcast How to Be Happy. 

Mommy and I just finished watching Icarus, the Oscar-winning documentary about the breaking open of the Russia doping scandal. 

Time to pick you up and head home, my love.

Hugs, Daddy

Hey Kid,

This week we visited Starbucks three days in a row after I picked you up from school. You got a gift card from Gaga and Grandpa and you wanted to use it. You bought cake pops two of the days and a banana nut bread slice the other day. 

When we were in line at Starbucks, there were two students in front of us about to order. They were giggling and talking loudly. In a quiet voice, like you were telling on them to me, you whispered, “Dad, I think those two are teenagers.” 

This past weekend, we flew to LA for the memorial service of your great-grandmother, Rebecca Milman. You and I met her just one time shortly after you were born. At that time, her memory had eroded so much that she didn’t recognize Mommy or Cousin Tessa. Mommy and Tessa, though, have many fond memories of their grandmother. It was a sad occasion, but kinda good for the family to have closure after seeing Grammy slip away while still alive. 

Here are you and Uncle Jeff having an jam session, Grammy’s ashes being interred, some back scratch time with Nana and Poppop, you on the dock at Thousand Oaks, and a fancy acocado toast and latte breakfast in LA. 

The latest 1 Second Everyday Video:
Here is January and February of this year. Because of the Intensives, I’ve been a tad late on several things – so the first two months of the year have been combined. 
Highlights in this video: lots of snow…skiing, sledding, six snow days, Dear Evan Hanson on Jan 24, the end of intensives on January 25th (I rode my bike way down south to register for a Frequent Traveler # so I could apply for Pre-Check on flights in the future), Ethics Bowl, dancing to La La Land on Feb 18, and Gaga and Grandpa’s visit in late February.

What you’re doing these days:

For the first time in several months, we biked to school. This time, instead of using the Yuba family bike, you wanted to go on the “Crosby assist” bike, which is an add-on to the back of my bike that allows you to pedal. It thrills me to hear you howling on the hills and chanting “You can do it,” as we ascend the tough inclines. It reminds me of riding on my Dad’s handlebars when I was your age. 

It was 75 degrees on the first day of Spring this week. We rode the bike and hung out in the hammock by Greenlake.

Here’s the new Peabody Planner – newly covered with Rey from Star Wars and your latest T-rex drawing. This is my TWENTY-FIFTH PEABODY PLANNER!

A summary of a book or podcast I liked:

Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen. The Instructional Coach at my school recommended this…read by The Boss himself. It starts with his early life growing up in Freehold, New Jersey, the son of working class Catholic family who had fits and starts trying to stay a family. From the first guitar to playing in front of 70,000 screaming fans, Bruce impressed me with his story. I know his major hits, but I’d never known about his 40 year band, his activism, and how poetic his lyrics are. 

It’s late, Spring Chicken. Time to turn in. Love, Daddy

Dear Harry and Smelly (over the holidays, you have named your boobies), 

I hope you are keeping warm these days. This is now our 6th snow day in 8 regular school days –  and we’re going a little stir crazy here. Today, you’re at your cousins for the morning and I’ll pick you and C and A up in a few hours and head to the new Lego Movie. 

My principals have now requested us to post assignments on Schoology so that students can have something to do and learn while we aren’t in classes. In theory, this is a good idea, but when kids aren’t in our classrooms, we can’t count on many doing the work, and some have gone overboard and worked WAY too much…..some parents have complained that kids are doing too much work and it is stressing them out. I’ve got to be mindful to stay calm when we finally return and not go nuts with assessments and piling work on.

The latest 1 Second Everyday Video:
Here’s our 2018 in one second videos. You’ll see date nights, skiing, my gun anthem clips , and some great vacations (DC, Disney, St. Croix and Destin, and Jackson, WY), more bikes, 5 year old parties, and smiles again this year. I am a lucky Daddy. 

What you’re doing these days: 

Tonight we made more Shrinky Dink nametags for your new stuffed animals, Richard (the lion) and Pika (the giraffe). You bought them with your own allowance money this weekend, despite Mommy and I trying to talk you out of it. Here’s a shot of two of the nametags and a picture that you took of your animals. 

You’re a super skier – you finished lessons this season up at Stevens Pass with Natalie from the Olympic Snow Sports Ski School. You loved Natalie by the end of the 6 weeks; she helped you make some good turns on steeper hills than last year – and because she had gummi bears for you and your classmates. 

A recording

We were on the swivel chairs just talking the other day and you picked up Herman Melville’s Greatest Works and started to tell this story. 

In my life these days:

I’m proud to be taking piano lessons with Virginia, our neighbor down the street. I started back in October and meet her most every Monday night at 9:20pm! The time is perfect for me since you and Mommy are in bed already. I’ve got a couple of Bach minuets, The Glasgow Love theme from Love Actually, and a songbook from LaLa Land. This has been on my bucket list for a long time and I’m so thrilled that I’m playing piano again. I’ll insert one of my pieces sometime. 

A summary of a book or podcast I liked:

I listened to Life After Death by Damien Echols. Damien was one of the West Memphis Three, teen boys pinned for gruesome murder they didn’t commit in 1993, then sent to jail (Damien to Death Row and 9 years of solitary confinement) for seventeen years! His story reveals the sickening life of a prisoner, and a scathing first-hand account from the wrong end of the criminal justice system. 

I was awed by how Damien transformed himself into a survivor of the system, devoting himself to personal transformation through study, meditation, and force of will against the the guards and other inmates around him. Several documentaries have been made about him, and he’s got books and many videos (including the documentaries Paradise Lost (1996) and West of Memphis (2012). 

You are asleep with your stuffies in your rainbow room right now – though you came out several times with “questions” that you had to ask me and Mommy. Sleep well, mi amor. 

Dear 5-year old,

On Halloween this year, you had your costume picked out weeks in advance – Super Girl. 

The latest 1 Second Everyday Video:

What you’re doing these days:

A la Star Wars, when I leave you off at day care and let you know that, “I love you,” you reply with, “I know.” 

You have Hip Hop Dance Class every Friday – teacher Abby is expanding your repertoire of moves, music, and exposing you to movements like carioke and kartwheels. 

In swimming lessons, you went off the diving board without teacher or vest, then swam to the shallow end using your crawl technique.

You ask if the shoe is on the right foot, though you ask for help with zippers sometime and you’ve given up on me (and Mommy, too, for the most part) with wiping your bum. 

I can’t remember why you got interested in this….maybe we read a book about catching shrimp…..but you wanted to know how a shrimping boat worked, so we watched a video of how a shrimp boat works on YouTube

How Was Toy Story?  “It was Humiliating.”

A recording

This is another one of us going up Phinney Ridge on the bike with you cheering for me. This time, though, you get a little snarky and giggly. 

In my life these days:

In mid October,  two swastikas and “I support the KKK,” were written on desks and in the auditorium stage of my school. Then, the week later, three Jewish member of the faculty received handwritten “kike” notes in their mailboxes. It has not been a very fun October – the Halloween assembly was canceled, there have been several all-school assemblies, and many people are feeling scared and at risk at school. The author of the KKK remark was identified, and it wasn’t a student, but the creator of the notes is still at large. I am sad and concerned for the nation with the subverted racist and xenophobic rhetoric that has been issued from the current administration. It provides more of an open door for bigots and fearful people to lash out at others with hate speech and hate crimes. 

I performed a Bollywood dance with another group of teachers for my school’s Culture Night. Since Mommy was gone, you had to come with me. This is us, backstage, before the dance. You were shy at first, but at the end you wanted to watch up close next to the stage. 

Here are some dreams I’ve had in the last weeks. 

Racism dream: had a car but the tags expired and I let my black friend use it. He was pulled over. I felt guilty.

An Unprepared Dream: I was in a Rubik’s Cube competition that was happening in a car, but the cubes were knockoffs and I not 3 x 3 cubes, so I couldn’t solve them the way I was used to. I did what I could. 

Unprepared Dream: I was heading in to a Walmart, feeling confident and important. People were lifting their heads and staring at me in admiration and awe. I passed through the doors as the greeters and checkers turned their heads as well. It was only after I was in the store that I realized I was completely naked!  I found a backpack that had shorts and a shirt inside that I quickly put on, but the damage was already done. 

In the news:

The Kavanaugh hearings. I really don’t want to type any more on this, it is so depressing. 

A caravan of Honduran refugees reached the border in late 2018. 

The mid-term elections saw a record 34 new women elected to the US House of Representatives (previous was 24 in 1992) – 33 of them Democratic. There were some exciting changes, and depressing results that showed how polarized of a nation we are right now. 

A summary of a book or podcast I liked:

I Will Not Fear by Melba Pattilo Beals is a personal account of one of the Little Rock Nine, the students chosen to integrate Central High School in Little Rock, AR in 1957 after Brown vs. Board of Education was decided. I was saddened and inspired by Melba’s faith and persistence, enduring physical and verbal abuse every day she and the other black students tried to attend their classes. Melba goes on to share how, when the Governor of Arkansas sent the National Guard to bar the students from entering yet allowing the white students to enter, President Dwight Eisenhower sent an Army Division to bend the will of the governor. That show of force worked to get the nine to school, but it didn’t protect them from the death threats and constant hate from students and the community. I sent Dr. Beals a thank you e-mail after reading her book, grateful for what she endured for the advancement of race relations in our recovering slavery-stained country. Here’s a video of Melba in 2018 talking about her experience.  

Red Brain, Blue Brain from Hidden Brain Podcast, discusses the biology of the tendency to lean more liberal or conservative. Could it be that the political divide that exists in our country has always been there, and is the result of the dice-roll of biology more than the inheritance from our parents?

Can’t Stop There – here is a National Geographic Special Issue about race that basically displays how it is an entirely made up human construct. I’ve been carrying this issue around for several months until I summarize it in one of these posts. I read this issue entirely because it displays clearly how humans make things much tougher on themselves than they really need to be. Here are some of the quotes I highlighted.

“Race is not a biological construct. Instead, race is a social one with devastating effects.”
“The concept of race has no genetic or scientific basis.”
“All people alive today are Africans.”
“There’s more diversity in Africa than all the other continents combined.” (34)
“The visible differences between peoples are accidents of history. They reflect how our ancestors dealt with sun exposure and not much else.” (40)

This NG issue explains how the first humans came from Africa about 200,000 years ago. Due to climate conditions and normal mutations in our genetics, we look, react to foods, handle sun exposure and elevation differently, though. Somewhere along the line, our competitive natures drove us to categorize peoples into “races.” This divvying up brought along inherited feelings of superiority, which has had dire consequences over generations.

Just saying “race is made up” is no consolation to the scores of people who have been the victims of racism, and this issue is hardly new news. Yet racism, feelings or superiority, and violence toward the Others persists. I’ve heard my whole life that we’re basically all the same, but it is clear there are differences, and because we also seemed hard-wired to label and categorize, using the visible signs we see as race and ancestry is easy to do.

The NG issue goes on to outline how these human-made divisions have played out in cities, genocides such as Rwanda, and fighting between Israeli-Palestinian and Rohingya-Burmese. The last sections display the changing demographic of “interracial” marriage, the disproportionate interaction with blacks and police, and how historically black colleges are experiencing an upsurge in enrollment and activism.

The only differences between humans is .5% of the genetic material between us. When will we eliminate our idea of race?

This hidden brain episode revisits the issue of gender and the fluidity of it. A quote that I remember from it was, “Nature has no edges.” 

I’m still carrying you on my shoulders, and I love it. You still reach out and hold my hand when we’re walking Boo or after I pick you up. 

Love, 

Daddy

Dear Near 5-Year Old,

You have made it clear this year what you’d like your birthday party theme to be as well as your Halloween costume. Without giving them away fully, they are both related and are “super” and involve “girls.” Mommy has made the reservation for your party, at a bouncy place this year, and has sent out the e-vites. T-minus two weeks. 

It is time for a quick Summer-y of what happened in June, July, August, and September.

June – swimming lessons with your friend Merriam and her sister Isabel, graduation at my school, Nana and Poppop visited to see graduation at Your school, Mommy’s half marathon, I had the Math Department over for dinner and games.

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July – 4th of July on Whidbey, San Diego with Pat, Fred, Miles, and Theo, Grandmaster’s Ultimate Frisbee Tournament in Chicago,  more biking, swimming in Greenlake, Gaga and Grandpa camp while Mommy and I went to Jackson Hole, WY, then a tea party with Great Grandma Dorothy. 

August – end of our IL trip, hiking in Leavenworth, start of school. 

September – we played catch with T.R. and Catherine, attended PreKinder curriculum night in your new classroom, went camping at Tinkham Campground on the I-90 corridor, started the sequence of 5-year old birthday parties, you started Hip Hop Dance lessons, Mommy and I saw Carbon Leaf at the Crocodile, and we flew back to IL for Grammy Dorothy’s 100th birthday party. 

Here’s part of the card I made for Grammy Dorothy. I made a 100-year timeline of events (family history, IL history, sports, arts) and also put in many of my memories of her in my life.

The latest 1 Second Everyday Video:
My TEDx Talk has been edited and loaded on YouTube; I am very proud of it and shared it on social media when it was published.
Here is “The Art of Reflection,” by David Peabody, at TEDx UPrep in April 2018

What you’re doing these days:

“Are ghosts afraid of other ghosts?” – You asked this a few weeks ago

“Get Something to Eat So You Stop Being So Foul.” – Mommy said this to you. 

Over the summer, we did a lot of sitting out on the deck snuggling on Sunday Mornings….You asked me What is it like when airplanes punch through clouds? Have we done that in an airplane? Does the sky ever stop?

You have a new bestie, Thea, who lives just four houses down. For the first week, you played with her often, running up and down the block, but lately as Thea has started Kindergarten, your friendship has cooled. Today, you started to write a “long lost friend,” letter to her. We’ll see what happens. 

A recording

Here’s a clip of us biking up Phinney Ridge – you start the “You Can Do It” chant. 

Here’s another of my favorites – a birthday message you recorded and had Mommy send to Sylvia – one of your babysitters. 

In my life these days:

I’m working on the new model of intensives that my school is introducing in January 2019. I also worked hard to make and enjoyed playing in the Grandmasters Ultimate Frisbee Tournament this summer. We earned fourth place in the nation!

In the news:

It has been one year since the Las Vegas massacre. Still no large moves in legislation for gun control. President Trump continues to stir up controversy. Brett Kavanaugh, accused of sexual assault, has been confirmed as the latest US Supreme Court Judge. I find nothing good to report in this section. 

A summary of a book or podcast I liked:

I’ve started to listen Hidden Brain, we still repeat This Podcast Has Fleas, and I just finished David Sedaris’ Calypso. 

Sweet Dreams, Chicken Big. You’ll be five soon. Love, Daddy

Dear Spring Chicken Little,

Your babysitter shared this quote from you …., “Today I didn’t take full advantage of Nap Time!” At least you’re aware of our expectations of you and the effects of not making wise choices.

You’re a goofy kid – and I love it!

My school has a traditional “Dancing With the Starr” event each year, when one student from each grade in the High School competes for their class by presenting an original dance. I was asked this year by Helen, a senior, and together, with Mikayla (Chemistry teacher, fitness instructor, and great dancer) we shared something special with the audience. It was one of the highlights of my year. 

What you’re doing these days:

You still enjoy stories in the car. In the mornings, I do the stories about smurfs, a tree that grew stones instead of fruit, and a wishing well. When we’re all in the car, we listen to Stories Podcast. Our favorites so far have been “Dog King: Dog Days of Summer,” and “The Golden Screw.” Most of them have a song piece where the narrator, Amanda Weldon, sings along with light ukulele accompaniment. We really want our names to be announced before one of the episodes, so I donated to the Podcast.

When I’m telling you a story, you offer minimal interruptions unless I pause for too long or you really want to change where the story is going. You rarely ask clarifying questions. I started a story about a dog who could hear well. It got paused when I dropped you off at daycare. When I picked you up in the afternoon, immediately you asked me, “Daddy, will you continue the story about the dog who had keen ears?”

One night, you (and me and Mommy) were up coughing most of the night. You coughed so hard you vomited on your sheets and pillow. It was a difficult time waking up the next morning and we were all tired. When you got dressed and came downstairs, you yelled, “Alexa, tell us a joke.”

Our spring break this year was memorable. First, we went to DC to celebrate Passover and Nana and Poppop’s 50th Wedding Anniversary! Then it was your first Disney World experience…..

There were several lice outbreaks at your school this year. When we had a sighting one evening, I made an emergency trip to the drugstore to get a shampoo kit. I have images of You and Mommy, your heads wrapped in saran wrap, reading Disney, waiting for the ten-minute timer to go off, indicating that the lice medication had done it’s job.

A recording: I taught this witty quote from Winston Churchill. 

Some more quotes from you: 

“Mommy, if I read this book will I learn all that you did?”  (Disease Control and Prevention in Developing Countries was the book you had)

(I miss the old times when I was a baby.)

Why can’t we stop by the wading pool?
Because we’re expecting a guest.
Why are other people in the wading pool?
They aren’t expecting a guest.
You don’t know that!!!

In my life these days:

I gave a TEDx talk at my school in April titled “The Art of Reflection.” It was a pleasure to prepare for and I’m excited to have it released. 

I gave another “Calculated Change” presentation at NCTM with my friend Amanda this year. 

I organized the pantry one weekend – labels, rotating trays, and categorized bins. 

I helped our school enter the Washington State Rubik’s Cube Competition. 

In the news:

On Valentine’s Day 2018, there was another school shooting at Marjorie Stoneman Douglass School in Parkland, Florida. The shooter was a young white male who had attended but not graduated from MSDS. 17 people were killed and 17 other injured. A handful of student-victims of the shooting who escaped alive started a movement that has developed more traction for change than previous mass shootings. The students have organized twitter boycotts, legislative changes for gun control, and have called out politicians who receive money from the NRA, pressuring them and warning them on the wave of young adults who will reach legal voting age and don’t want to be the “school shooting generation.” 

I am a gun violence victim. In 2001 I was held up by a man with an automatic handgun. Fortunately, I escaped alive, but my perception of my safety, bias against the race of the person who threatened my life, and view of humanity changed that evening. I was inspired by the Parkland students activism and devoted my February/March 1-second video to the gun reform issue.

Hopefully, when you are in school, you won’t have to go through what your cousin did at the Noblesville West Middle School shooting.  

A summary of a book or podcast I liked:

We Love “This Podcast Has Fleas – a show about a dog who hosts a podcast, but the cat in the same house has one, too! It is hilarious and we’ve listened to each show about a dozen times. 

Love, Dad