one thing that is making you happy today

It's payday!

juliana, is your manicure black with red tips, or red with black tips?

I am happy because tomorrow - vacation! I will get to see my grandparents' house at the beach, which my mother has done a lot of work on since I saw it in 2005.

I am so glad to hear that Leif turns 5 today. 5 is such a great age. It might be my favorite. What is the last absolutely insane thing he did?

It's sunny and cool and it's Friday!

I expect music snobs to think snobby things about me right now.

loves on shrift

turns up the post-modern emo-cock-rock

I avoided going to a deposition today (why the hose) and instead have read an article criticizing Freakonomics. If not happy-making, at least satisficing.

Happy Birthday, Leif!

That's so cool to hear about your friend, sarameg!

juliana's manicure must have been done with MAGICAL nail polish! I can barely get out of the salon before I eff up my fingernails. (which reminds me I want to schedule a manicure for my one day off between leaving here and starting new job.)

one thing that is making you happy today

My iced coffee was REALLY good. Also, unless we get really bad storms and they don't want to drive down from Wilm., I'll be having great Mexican food and delicious white sanria tonight with my family incl. my cousin John from Texas who comes into town once a year.

It feels a big birthday going from four to five, the start of school age. Though I guess he's going to be home schooled at first. Earlier we had decided he was going to school, but my wife has changed her mind. Since we're in conflict about our daughter over this issue I don't want to press the subject. Besides she has a good point that he is way beyond kindergarten stuff.

It looks like our daughter is going to school this fall. There has been an enormous amount of stress for my wife and daughter as the role of teacher and parent gets confused.

My wife doesn't want her to go to school because she feels that the work will be too easy and that she'll get exposed to drugs, bad language, and sex. She is even concerned about things like anti-drug programs even introducing the subject.

I hate to say it, but while I think our daughter is above average academically I don't think she is quite as exceptional as my wife thinks. Also, I've noticed when I've helped her revise school material that in subjects she likes she does great, in less interesting subjects she doesn't do very good. I think this isn't a matter of intelligence, I think it is a lack of study discipline.

I'm also concerned that she's almost eight and doesn't have any friends. She has some relatives her age, but she doesn't get much chance to play with them (also, I'm always arranging the play time and never my relatives so I feel a bit intrusive). She's friends with the neighbor girl, but the neighbor girl is four years older and has friends and activities that leave very little time as well, maybe eight days during the summer. I don't want her whole childhood spent inside the house. Plus, I'm worried about her being over sheltered and then going off to college.

My wife points out that her brother started drinking while at school and experimenting with some drugs which led indirectly to a brain injury that has been a tremendous burden on him and the family. She also likes to point out stories in the news about bad things that happen in schools. Meanwhile I point out that these are single incidents out of millions of kids.

That post was a lot longer than I intended it to be. It's just a tough issue right now.

Happy birthday, Leif!!

Today's a pretty good day, all in all--it's payday, there's a mini-F2F at the Buffy Singalong tonight, the weather's gorgeous, and my boss is on PTO.

Happy Birthday, Leif!

she feels that the work will be too easy

Legitimate concern if she's doing work well beyond grade level.

She is even concerned about things like anti-drug programs even introducing the subject.

Mark Twain answered that one far better than I ever could in "The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg."

Hee -- I'm a runner-up in yesterday's headline contest at Overheard in New York!