There’s a lot going on in our house right now in the aftermath of losing our two dear pets within 48 hours. A fair bit involves Simon, and I’ll get to that later. But I thought we could use some levity, eh? I know I sure as heck could. Especially since this morning I set […]
Category Archive for 'Friends'
Many of the parents in the car-pool lane at KIP have to drop off multiple kids to multiple locations. When I look at them, I marvel at their ability to juggle overlapping schedules and feel a little guilty (and a lot grateful) for my own lazy schedule. And rather naturally I suppose, I wonder if […]
On Friday, August 6, at about 10:40 a.m., my friend Gabriel (birth name Kwai Akech Kwai) became a family man in the truest sense when his wife Alek and daughter Agotich arrived from Khartoum, Sudan, via Amman, Jordan, and Chicago, Illinois. And what a long, strange, trip it was. They met four years ago through […]
Which is good, because I’m too tired to write right now. That will come later. But all you really need to know–or see–is this:
How Hot Is It?
Posted in Friends, Jessica, Little Boy on Aug 4th, 2010
EVERYONE has their own stories to qualify the brutality of this summer’s heat wave (hottest on record here in Kentucky). The New York Times ran a funny piece last month that measured the misery in terms of utility workers’ overtime pay, the physical toll on firefighters and police officers, and the stir-craziness of New Yorkers […]
When I was eleven or so, I’d pass boring summer or winter break days by reading random encyclopedia entries. In particular, I’d hunt for entries on countries and peoples. One day, the encyclopedia opened to “Lappland,” and my world was rocked by the knowledge that these indigenous dwellers of far northern Sweden and Norway—now called […]
Letting Go
Posted in Friends, Jessica, Little Boy on Jul 11th, 2010
If I lived on Sesame Street, I’d tell you that this summer is brought to you by the theme “letting go.” The first thing I’ve had to let go of is control over Simon’s emotions. When he was younger, I’d work hard to get him out of funks or to prevent a funk from happening. […]
Party Pics
Posted in Family, Friends, Jessica, Little Boy on Jul 6th, 2010
I hosted a July 4 party this year, my first ever. This has always been my brother Perry’s holiday, but he returned from vacation the night before this year and so didn’t have time to put on his usual grilling, explosive-laden extravaganza . I’m guessing he’ll reclaim the day next year, but I’m so happy […]
I have been working like a demon for the last week or so to get ready for the Fifth Annual Sudanese Scholars Celebration. I was responsible for drafting talking points for our guest speaker, writing and assembling our programs, and putting together seven graduate tributes/biographies to read during the service. I wrote about this ceremony […]
A Fine Balance
Posted in Friends, Jessica, Little Boy on May 24th, 2010
So how does a sensitive 31/2-year-old boy handle interpersonal conflict? I’ve been wondering about this for ages. Actually, no. I’ve been worrying about this for ages. Many times I’ve seen a much younger child grab something from Simon only to look on as my stunned son stood frozen in place and cried. As many times […]