I was raised in a very unconventional family, especially when compared to my friends in middle school (a private school that I attended on financial assistance). It was there where nearly all of my friends were picked up by their mothers or nannies/housekeepers (full-time, live-in, of course). And then, they all went back to their large, suburban, single-family homes.

And then there was me and my brother: our father (not mother) drove up in his slightly rickety van, which frequently had a ladder or two on top - depending on which jobsite he happened to be working that day - and we would go back to our more urban multi-family house (on whose street I was mugged at age 11).

Well, the times they are a changin’… Read the rest of this entry »

Awwww yeah. Here comes the weekend. And likely another Saturday (and possibly Sunday) filled with our daughter’s friend’s birthday parties. And for a sugar-holic like me, I cannot wait for the cake and ice cream. (My mouth is watering just thinking about it.)

Of course, my sweet tooth gets me into serious trouble, especially when the day after the party I have to put on my swimsuit and hit the local lake, shirtless. Yikes. (No pic of that, sorry.)

So what is one to do, exercise self-restraint? Not a chance. Read the rest of this entry »

At my day job, I am so busy working for a large tech company that I am able to devote a solid twenty-seven minutes to writing this blog post, spend serious, productive time surfing the internet, and even watch video online all day and deem it “research.”

Pretty cool, eh?

Well, what’s not so cool is this: when another big tech company decides to give working parents a seriously raw deal on their daycare - click here to read all about it.

The company? Google (maybe you’ve heard of them?) Read the rest of this entry »

So we’re moving. At the end of this month. For the fourth time in the last five years. (Yes, I know, don’t remind me.)

And as we gather ourselves - mentally - and our stuff - physically - I started to think about the last few months and what tasks/responsibilities my wife held down (most) and what I did (whatever was left). And then last night “The Break-Up” was on HBO and that great scene where Aniston wants Vaughn to want to do the dishes, or at least offer to do the dishes.

“Why would I want to do dishes?” he says, so honestly.

And my wife turned to me and said: “Please apologize for your kind.”

It was then that I tried to decide what us men are really good for.

Here’s what I came up with: Read the rest of this entry »