This is a post where New Dad tries to remember what fun/new things we did this year with the boy...because otherwise he'll forget it.
So, apologies in advance if this feels like a personal journal entry, because, well, that's pretty much what it is. (But you might learn some fun things to do with your three-year-old! But probably not.)
Bowling. Turns out, this activity is not just good for overweight middle-aged men. It's great for kids, too! Also, they had an air hockey table. The boy loves himself some air hockey.
Voting. The boy comes with New Dad to vote in a city election. He learns that voting is fast, and that he can come inside the booth, and Daddy can hand him the ballot to give to the ballot takers, and for some reason it's cute, and not a possibly illegal way of voting.
Hiking and BBQing in the mountains. Not in that order. Also, a lot of driving. Good fun, though.
Lancaster Air show. Lots of planes. The boy fell asleep before the Thunderbirds, which was good, because one "Thunderbird" was sick, which led to a lot of "More like gentle storm birds" jokes. And by "led to," I mean, just this one, right now.
Natural History Museum. Butterflies! And other natural stuff.
Local carnival with friends and their kids. Rides, cotton candy, and he got to throw darts again this year, which was scary (again), yet also really brave of the carnie to turn their back while our 3-year-old and his 3-year-old friend with a wicked arm threw REAL DARTS at balloons. And by "brave" I mean, dumb. Real dumb.
Camping with friends and their kids. Turns out, letting kids run around out doors tires them out. Next summer, the plan is to camp every day.
San Diego with grandparents and cousins. So much fun. Thanks for renting a house a block from the beach, grandma, but next time, ON THE SAND. What are we, savages? Why do we have a cross a street to get to the beach? (This is a joke - house was amazing. Thanks again!)
Mammoth with grandparents and cousins. Another great trip. Saw a lot of the cousins this year, now that I'm writing this all down...
Descanso Gardens with friends and their kids. Good gardens with the smallest train ride in the world, for not the smallest ticket price.
Driving range and putting green. The boy loves it! For 10 minutes.
Sky Zone. A trampoline park. So much fun. New Dad loved it...for 10 minutes. Then New Dad got tired. The boy got tired after 45 minutes, and then noticed an air hockey table...
Cal Poly Pomona Pumpkin Patch. Arguably the most crowded pumpkin patch in Southern California. Somehow, that day in October was the hottest day of the summer. (Get it, it's actually fall?) Amazing corn maze, though, and I don't say that lightly.
Thanksgiving Plane Flight to San Francisco, Drive to Central California. The boy loved the plane flight - mostly, he loved playing Asteroids on the plane. The boy loved San Francisco - mostly playing air hockey on Pier 39. The boy has my genes.
Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) Connected up the old system to show the boy Duck Hunt. Turns out, the light gun doesn't work on "new" TVs. Played Super Mario Bros instead. Turns out, that game is SUPER INTENSE compared with the Angry Birds and Pokemon Go games of today. Example: Mushrooms and venus fly traps are TRYING TO KILL YOU. And if you're not careful, you fall down a hole to your death. And that's just the first half of level 1-1.
By my count, that's 15 new things. I thought that was a lot, but now I'm thinking there are 52 weekends in a year...
Next year we'll shoot for at least 26 new things.
And more camping. And doing things where the boy can just run around and the parents can just sit around.
Seriously.
-ND
Thursday, December 14, 2017
Sunday, January 15, 2017
Books I Read - Or Attempted to Read - in 2016
Meant to post this New Year's Eve. But, I'm a parent, so it's two weeks late. -ND
As the boy gets older, I'm trying to get back that old habit of reading books. Here's a brief rundown of the 23 books I read - or at least partially read - this year.
The whole list, followed by brief descriptions of the best ones. (And why you should read them NOW)
1 The Life You Can Save - Peter Singer
2 Toddlers are A**Holes: It's Not Your Fault - Bunmi Laditan
3 Between Parent and Child - Haim Genott
4 365 Thank Yous - John Kralik
5 Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk - Ben Fountain
6 A Million Miles in a Thousand Years - Donald Miller
7 The Killing Season - Miles Corwin
8 Attempting Normal - Mark Maron
9 The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up - Marie Kondo
10 A Framework for Understanding Poverty - Ruby Payne
11 Leviathan Wakes - James Corey
12 Holidays on Ice (Reread) - David Sedaris
13 Getting Even - Woody Allen
14 Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance - Angela Duckworth
15 The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing - Alan Ries & Jack Trout
16 Smartbomb: The Quest for Art, Entertainment, and Big Bucks in the Videogame Revolution Heather Chaplin & Aaron Ruby
17 The Pleasure of My Company - Steve Martin
18 The Sellout - Paul Beatty
19 How to Dad - Boswell and Barrett
20 The Bin Ladens - Steve Coll
21 Boundaries with Kids - Cloud / Tounsand
22 The Problems of Philosophy - Bertrand Russell
23 Fluke - Christopher Moore
WORTH EVERY SECOND
Read These 5 Books RIGHT NOW
The Life You Can Save - Peter Singer
If you were walking by a lake and saw someone drowning, would you save them, even if it inconvenienced you? That's the issue with global poverty, argues Singer. He's right - we need to get off our duffs. Donate to Oxfam, and others. Check out www.thelifeyoucansave.org. Oh, and read this book.
Toddlers are A**Holes: It's Not Your Fault - Bunmi Laditan
One of the best-written, and funniest books I have ever read - but really hits home if you're a parent. It's the book I wish I would have written, but so glad she wrote it because I would have never been this funny. But not just funny, it makes us as parents feel a lot less alone and dysfunctional. Turns out, a lot of people are thinking the same things - ie: Is it too early to drink? What did I do with all my time when I wasn't a parent?
Between Parent and Child - Haim Genott
Picked up this book at a used book store on a whim, and it has changed the way I think about parenting and talk to children. Specifically, my children. Specifically, my son.
365 Thank Yous - John Kralik
Another used book store random find. (Shout out to HALF OFF BOOKS in Whittier - the best used book store in the San Gabriel Valley - and dare I say, LA County?) Not well written, but Kralik's a Pasadena attorney, so it feels local, and the effect of writing a Thank You card every day feel real. Definitely inspired me to start writing Thank You cards. So inspired, I wrote all of four cards in 2016. I plan to do better in 2017 - THANK YOU, John Kralik, for reminding me.
Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk - Ben Fountain
It turns out real literature is still being written. This take on American excess and emptiness told through the eyes of a soldier being honored during a Dallas Cowboys football game is both strange and phenomenal.
REALLY REALLY GOOD
A Million Miles in a Thousand Years - Donald Miller
My sister gave me this book because it's about screenwriting, but it works simply as honest writing about trying to figure out life in your 30s.
The Killing Season - Miles Corwin
LA Times reporter follows a homicide crew through a bloody summer in South Central Los Angeles in the 90s. It's like reading The Wire, but in LA.
Attempting Normal - Mark Maron
As a fan of his podcast (WTF), I was destined to like this book. What I didn't expect was the high quality of the writing. Maron can write, and not just funny stuff, but actually write. Only negative: discusses sex far too much. (He rarely talks about sex on his podcast, so it's just odd and a little disturbing.)
The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up - Marie Kondo
Almost a spiritual guide to cleanliness that has made me 10% cleaner, but has made it a whole lot easier to throw things out. Turns out, if you take the thing you're going to throw out and stay OUT LOUD: "Thank you for all you've done for me" to the thing, then throw it away, then you don't feel bad about it. It's like closure. It works. Strangely. And I don't know why.
WORTH CHECKING OUT
(In order or worth-checking-out worthyness)
A Framework for Understanding Poverty - Ruby Payne
Leviathan Wakes - James Corey
Holidays on Ice - (Reread) David Sedaris
Getting Even - Woody Allen
Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance - Angela Duckworth
The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing - Alan Ries & Jack Trout
Smartbomb: The Quest for Art, Entertainment, and Big Bucks in the Videogame Revolution - Heather Chaplin & Aaron Ruby
The Pleasure of My Company - Steve Martin
DID NOT FINISH EVEN THOUGH I TRIED REALLY HARD
MAYBE YOU WILL HAVE BETTER LUCK
The Sellout - Paul Beatty
How to Dad - Boswell and Barrett
The Bin Ladens - Steve Coll
Boundaries with Kids - Cloud / Tounsand
The Problems of Philosophy - Bertrand Russell
Fluke - Christopher Moore
And...that's it.
Currently accepting/soliciting recommendations for 2017. Any books blow your mind recently?
Because so far in 2017, I've read....nothing.
But, I started another Bunmi Laditan book, so things are looking up.
Seriously. She is funny as hell.
-ND
As the boy gets older, I'm trying to get back that old habit of reading books. Here's a brief rundown of the 23 books I read - or at least partially read - this year.
The whole list, followed by brief descriptions of the best ones. (And why you should read them NOW)
1 The Life You Can Save - Peter Singer
2 Toddlers are A**Holes: It's Not Your Fault - Bunmi Laditan
3 Between Parent and Child - Haim Genott
4 365 Thank Yous - John Kralik
5 Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk - Ben Fountain
6 A Million Miles in a Thousand Years - Donald Miller
7 The Killing Season - Miles Corwin
8 Attempting Normal - Mark Maron
9 The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up - Marie Kondo
10 A Framework for Understanding Poverty - Ruby Payne
11 Leviathan Wakes - James Corey
12 Holidays on Ice (Reread) - David Sedaris
13 Getting Even - Woody Allen
14 Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance - Angela Duckworth
15 The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing - Alan Ries & Jack Trout
16 Smartbomb: The Quest for Art, Entertainment, and Big Bucks in the Videogame Revolution Heather Chaplin & Aaron Ruby
17 The Pleasure of My Company - Steve Martin
18 The Sellout - Paul Beatty
19 How to Dad - Boswell and Barrett
20 The Bin Ladens - Steve Coll
21 Boundaries with Kids - Cloud / Tounsand
22 The Problems of Philosophy - Bertrand Russell
23 Fluke - Christopher Moore
WORTH EVERY SECOND
Read These 5 Books RIGHT NOW
The Life You Can Save - Peter Singer
If you were walking by a lake and saw someone drowning, would you save them, even if it inconvenienced you? That's the issue with global poverty, argues Singer. He's right - we need to get off our duffs. Donate to Oxfam, and others. Check out www.thelifeyoucansave.org. Oh, and read this book.
Toddlers are A**Holes: It's Not Your Fault - Bunmi Laditan
One of the best-written, and funniest books I have ever read - but really hits home if you're a parent. It's the book I wish I would have written, but so glad she wrote it because I would have never been this funny. But not just funny, it makes us as parents feel a lot less alone and dysfunctional. Turns out, a lot of people are thinking the same things - ie: Is it too early to drink? What did I do with all my time when I wasn't a parent?
Between Parent and Child - Haim Genott
Picked up this book at a used book store on a whim, and it has changed the way I think about parenting and talk to children. Specifically, my children. Specifically, my son.
Another used book store random find. (Shout out to HALF OFF BOOKS in Whittier - the best used book store in the San Gabriel Valley - and dare I say, LA County?) Not well written, but Kralik's a Pasadena attorney, so it feels local, and the effect of writing a Thank You card every day feel real. Definitely inspired me to start writing Thank You cards. So inspired, I wrote all of four cards in 2016. I plan to do better in 2017 - THANK YOU, John Kralik, for reminding me.
Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk - Ben Fountain
It turns out real literature is still being written. This take on American excess and emptiness told through the eyes of a soldier being honored during a Dallas Cowboys football game is both strange and phenomenal.
REALLY REALLY GOOD
A Million Miles in a Thousand Years - Donald Miller
My sister gave me this book because it's about screenwriting, but it works simply as honest writing about trying to figure out life in your 30s.
LA Times reporter follows a homicide crew through a bloody summer in South Central Los Angeles in the 90s. It's like reading The Wire, but in LA.
As a fan of his podcast (WTF), I was destined to like this book. What I didn't expect was the high quality of the writing. Maron can write, and not just funny stuff, but actually write. Only negative: discusses sex far too much. (He rarely talks about sex on his podcast, so it's just odd and a little disturbing.)
Almost a spiritual guide to cleanliness that has made me 10% cleaner, but has made it a whole lot easier to throw things out. Turns out, if you take the thing you're going to throw out and stay OUT LOUD: "Thank you for all you've done for me" to the thing, then throw it away, then you don't feel bad about it. It's like closure. It works. Strangely. And I don't know why.
WORTH CHECKING OUT
(In order or worth-checking-out worthyness)
Leviathan Wakes - James Corey
Holidays on Ice - (Reread) David Sedaris
Getting Even - Woody Allen
Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance - Angela Duckworth
The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing - Alan Ries & Jack Trout
Smartbomb: The Quest for Art, Entertainment, and Big Bucks in the Videogame Revolution - Heather Chaplin & Aaron Ruby
The Pleasure of My Company - Steve Martin
DID NOT FINISH EVEN THOUGH I TRIED REALLY HARD
MAYBE YOU WILL HAVE BETTER LUCK
The Sellout - Paul Beatty
How to Dad - Boswell and Barrett
The Bin Ladens - Steve Coll
Boundaries with Kids - Cloud / Tounsand
The Problems of Philosophy - Bertrand Russell
Fluke - Christopher Moore
And...that's it.
Currently accepting/soliciting recommendations for 2017. Any books blow your mind recently?
Because so far in 2017, I've read....nothing.
But, I started another Bunmi Laditan book, so things are looking up.
Seriously. She is funny as hell.
-ND
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