004/366: Tech Support

Grandma and Grandpa setting SteelyKid and The Pip up to watch Netflix.

It’s Labor Day weekend here in the US, so we’ve come down to my parents’ for an end-of-summer weekend. The kids are, of course, thrilled to be visiting Grandma and Grandpa’s house where they can bask in the warmth of… Transformers cartoons on Grandma and Grandpa’s Netflix subscription. (I’d say “Kids these days,” but if… Continue reading 004/366: Tech Support

Father’s Day 2015

The Pip is ready to fix anything that needs drilling, and SteelyKid wants a katana.

Act I: STEELYKID and THE PIP: Happy Father’s Day, Daddy! DADDY: Aww, that’s sweet. So, what are you going to make me for breakfast? STEELYKID and THE PIP: What? DADDY: It’s father’s day, right? So you guys should be cooking breakfast for me. STEELYKID and THE PIP: No!!!! THE PIP: We can’t cook breakfast for… Continue reading Father’s Day 2015

The Pip: Future Comic-Book Movie Screenwriter

The Pip, striking the poses necessary for using his blasting power to blast bad guys.

The Pip is in a big superhero phase at the moment, and all of his games revolve around being a superhero of some sort. He has also basically memorized a couple of 30-page Justice League books, after demanding them over and over at bedtime. As I did with SteelyKid, I make a game out of… Continue reading The Pip: Future Comic-Book Movie Screenwriter

Cute Kids: Your Hugo Discussion Alternative

Left: The Pip with a screwdriver and his "fixing goggles." Right: SteelyKid inside the awesome house she built.

I was thinking about writing something about the 2015 Hugo Award nominations train wreck, but you know what? Life’s too short. So here’s a couple of cute-kid photos from this morning’s trip to the Children’s Museum of Science and Technology over in Troy. They have these awesome construction toys, consisting of wooden rods with holes… Continue reading Cute Kids: Your Hugo Discussion Alternative

Happy Birthday, Grums

The Pip and SteelyKid having fun with their great-grandmother.

Today is my grandmother’s 90th birthday: born on this date in 1925 in the Bronx, the seventh of eight kids. She moved out to Long Island circa WWII, and has lived there ever since. Many of my favorite childhood memories involve visiting her in Mineola. Back in the 70’s, she used to host me and… Continue reading Happy Birthday, Grums

Why Is Snow White?

Emmy, the Queen of Niskayuna, sitting in the snow hoping the camera will spit out some treats.

It didn’t make the news, because skittish media types are mostly based in New York City and thus don’t care about anything north of Westchester County, but we had a big snow storm yesterday. It started snowing Sunday night, though, and kept up through pretty much dinnertime Monday. Both the local schools and the snow-day… Continue reading Why Is Snow White?

Fly, Fly Away

The Pip simulates a big gust of wind.

Tonight’s bedtime stories included two books involving flying characters: Foo, the Flying Frog of Washtub Pond (in which the title character gets blown into the sky by a gust of wind), and The Magic Brush. The latter is a dead-grandparent book, but ends with a cheerful picture of the kids reunited with their grandfather in… Continue reading Fly, Fly Away

Holiday Card

This year's holiday card, featuring SteelyKid and The Pip.

Once again, it’s Christmas for those who celebrate it, and a really boring Thursday on the Internet for those who don’t. In keeping with tradition, we’ve taken the kids to Grandma and Grandpa’s house in Scenic Whitney Point, NY for a few days. This will coincide with a big drop-off in social media use on… Continue reading Holiday Card