Last night, for the third time in four days, my little one had a hard time sleeping through the night. She’s only ten months old, so she still holds many of her own mysteries. From around midnight she will half wake up and cry just loud enough to wake my wife and I. We’ll fight … More It Makes the Day
When I was growing up one of the last things I ever wanted to be when I grew up was a teacher. It both was and wasn’t surprising. After all, not only is my mom a teacher, and a wonderful one at that, but a majority of my extended family either are currently teachers, involved … More A Downside of Teaching
I’m sitting on a train cruising through Tokyo. There is a mist of rain falling and even that amount can cause trains to slow down. I’m using that time to continue to ponder how to make this year a more successful year than the last. This isn’t a slight against what was earned last year, … More Keeping Plans Moving
If you are a regular reader of this blog, you might have seen that 2020 has not been off to the best of starts. Some of those issues have been resolved. Others are still out there baring their teeth, But, despite that I am constantly reminded that I am very fortunate. I write this after … More The Center Holds
I’m not sure if the following anecdote is an insight into life in Japan or not. It happened here in Japan, and it does feel like something that belongs here. But, then again, as it get older and deal with my kids I enter grounds that I have no point of reference for. Maybe the … More The Paper Chase
Having a four-year-old is an adventure. I love it. Sure, not everyone needs or wants children. I can both understand and respect that. But I do love being a dad and both teaching and learning from my son. We just finished our New Year’s celebrations. Here in Japan, that includes a visit to a shrine … More New Year, New Questions
I tend to avoid posting along the same themes two days in a row. And with yesterday’s piece also being a critique on modern Japan, I really did not intend to do so again today. But sometimes life has different plans and yesterday provided an incident that I need to release through the written word. … More Even in Japan…
My little guy likes reading books. Or at least he goes into phases where he wants to read books. Tonight we sat down together and read eleven together. Of course, he’s four so the books aren’t all that long. Still, it is pretty neat to see how quickly he changes and how his understanding increases. … More Reading Together
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’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
Deadly Troubadour 