Category: Absurdity

Toddlernobyl

An accident has occurred at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant.  One of the reactors has been damaged.  Measures are being taken to deal with the consequences of the accident.  Assistance is being given to those affected. — Soviet …

Stealing Neighborhood Ants: A Field Report

I walked into the kitchen, envelope in hand, ready to earn my World’s Greatest Dad mug.  My son’s first ant farm had arrived last week, and now I had the inmates.  Ripping the envelope open, I rolled the …

After Action Report: The Long Night

The first rumble comes at midnight, that witching hour when nothing good ever happens. My stomach clenches like a fist, and I know what’s coming.

Twinkle Trials: My Journey to Holiday Illumination

“When are you going to put up the Christmas lights?” my wife asked. I looked at her much like how a cow looks at an oncoming train.  In the eight years of our marriage, I had yet to …

Through Fire and Fluff: How I Survived a Kitchen Calamity

The flash point for your average marshmallow is 200 degrees Fahrenheit.  I know this because my wife attempted to burn down our house with marshmallows a few days ago.  I was in our office when the cry for …

Yellowstone and Grand Tetons: A Haiku-tiful Experience

My wife and I decided life wasn’t challenging enough, so we decided to do a five-day road trip to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons with our toddler.  Remarkably, he took mercy on us and behaved like a champ.  …

War is Gardening by Other Means: My Battle with the Weeds

I have never had much of a green thumb, but Colorado has done its best to remedy that.  Unfortunately, its tool of choice has been weeds.  It also decided to get a head start, with the weeds in …

A Man, A Wasp Nest, and a Lesson in Critical Thinking

I have a swollen lump on my thigh about the size of a tennis ball.  It’s red.  It itches.  All in all, an unpleasant experience—zero stars, would not recommend.  Why, you ask, do I have a red, itching …

My Son Is Not A Terrorist

Terrorism is defined as the use of violence or the threat of violence in the pursuit of political goals.  This comes shockingly close to the experience of living with a toddler.  Toddlers embrace violence, be it hitting, kicking, …

House Hunting: Amusing, Odd, and Criminally Inclined Homes

If it wasn’t for the fact that it’s a whirlwind of stress as you grind through a slow, agonizing death march of compromising on what you thought you held most dear, house hunting would be a fantastic activity.  …