Category: Absurdity

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.  …

Get Off My Lawn

Watching a toddler grow fascinates me.  Every day seems like it brings new developments, especially with physical skills.  Our son has two new favorites: the headbanger, and the butt-first stair slide.  Admittedly, these skills aren’t anywhere on the …