Today’s title is meant quite literally. My four-year-old son and I were playing at the park. After a good amount of running and sliding, he wanted to play in the sandbox. It was a grand time. We dug and made little mountains. But what really cracked me up was when he announced that Bucket turned … More Imagination Sandbox
I don’t want to romanticize the good old fashioned American hamburger. I mean, it is one of the greatest foods there is, but that isn’t what I want to dwell on. But maybe just a little bit more. I’ve spent fifteen years living in Japan and it is a shame that the common image of … More Eat That Burger
I’ve had this stuffed animal since 1990. I’m sure of that because it is a little mogwai that I got when Gremlins 2 came out. Memory says that I saved up my allowance to get it, but who knows. This little stuffed animal has been with me through many stages of life. It came with … More Like Son Like Father
Somethings always out a smile on my face. Joining that list is my little girl’s hair. Not only is it soft and fluffy, but it is also pretty punk rock. It’s current natural state of being is to stand straight up and kind of lean towards the middle, giving her a baby Mohawk. Combine that … More My Little One’s Mohawk
Yesterday I focused on my baby girl, today let me take a few moments to sing the praises of my son. And just to get it out of the way, don’t get crossed on the title. He isn’t a bigger emotion joy. But he is just plain bigger. Not only is there an almost four … More A Bigger Joy
By nature, I am not a morning person. If left on my own, I do tend to drift to a schedule where I both stay up and sleep later. At least, I think I do. I’ll be honest, it’s been a long while since I could put that to the test, but it feels right. … More Little Joys
I hold my daughter and once again I marvel at how tiny she is. My hand stretches from shoulder to shoulder and I’ve had apples larger than her head. She nestled into me and the world is one again at peace. Contentment flows through me. It’s energy that I want to breath in. Her hair … More Two Months and Five Days
Here in Japan we have reached that beloved string of holidays known as Golden Week. Due to the Imperial change over this year the total number of consecutive days off reaches nine. While I am always glad to have days off of work, I will admit it is not quite as exciting when national holidays … More Golden Week: Day 1
For most of the day I’ve been help captive by a very tiny warden. She’s forced me to parade while carrying her for hours on end. Food has been prepared on demand, and if it does not arrive timely enough, loud reprimands ensue. Even now I am forced to rock endlessly as she lounges. If … More Help!
Today is a Sunday and that means a good portion of the day was spent in a local park with my son. I’m still a little sun-bleached and likely a little sandy, but it was a fantastic day. One neat little nugget was when my son wanted to play one of the games that he … More Songs in a Park
Deadly Troubadour 