Our parental anxiety was at its peak last week as we stepped into Cheeky's pre-school classroom.  It was our first "parent-teacher conference," our preliminary exposure to the outside world's view of our child.  Having forcefully removed a wailing Cheeky from my leg …

For a couple with virtually no friends save three plants and
a remote control, we've had a pretty nice run of social activities lately.

Instead of the usual
evening ritual--two hours of disappointing television
and ineffective attempts to use the Jedi mind trick to …

It's a brand new day, and I'm dancing like the Ewoks at the end of Jedi.

So NOW what the hell are we supposed to talk about?

Some event or something important I'm supposed to take care of...can't seem to remember....

Oh yeah!

I don't care who you vote for as long as you vote. 

Just don't be an idiot and vote for the wrong guy.  Again.

Also, don't forget that we have a robust …

It's hard to believe that this is the fourth year we've forced Cheeky to mimic some anthropomorphic character for a night of loud noises, fake blood, and sucrose-induced hysteria.  It seems like just yesterday when she was a baby duck shoved helplessly into her …

We thought we could have them both.

For three years we've bathed them, fed them, and cared for them.  They've been part of the family.

But we feared that someday we couldn't afford them both.

We debated.  We discussed.  Must we choose?  Is there another way?  But in …

I've been a bad poster again this week...I've got as much focus as Mr. Magoo in the Batcave.  But since you bothered to click a link to come here take a moment to enjoy a peak through a keyhole into our social life.

Dear Cheeky,

Remember how we went to the zoo this weekend?  You took my hand and said, "You're my buddy, Daddy!  Come with me, Buddy!"  We looked at the giraffes, fed the goats, rode on the slide, and "flew" in the gondola.  You were adorable, and it made me want to …

If you're a thoughtful, rational liberal you can be excused for being a little emotional and confused right now.  You're used to having your candidate lose to people with different beliefs or questionable values.  Things that seem logical and obvious to you are …

Just before my freshman year in college I panicked.  I had an engineering scholarship to Gonzaga, and started to freak out about the possibility of doing math for the rest of my life.  I went back and forth with my adviser and parents on the topic, and eventually …

My brother Michael has long suffered from a series of unfortunate events.  He's been burned by fireworks, hit by cars, laid off, and even targeted by Iraqi militants.  It should be no surprise, then, that when I found out he was getting married I started checking the …