While passing through Chicago O’Hare airport late last year, my daughter was deeply disturbed to learn that Chicagoans don’t put ketchup on their hot dogs. What’s wrong with putting ketchup on hot dogs? And what could you possibly use instead?
Daddyo was out on a hike with The Five-Year-Old one day last fall, when suddenly she stopped and squatted in the grass.
If you’re just joining us, on Monday The Five-Year-Old asked her Daddyo what people used to think caused earthquakes back in the olden days. “Like when you were born.” Turns out she meant the really olden days, when instead of seeking scientific explanations, people relied on storytelling to make sense of their world. And that’s a really fun question, because the ancient explanations are all over the map.
As the oldest member of my particular household, I am always relieved when The Five-Year-Old’s my-agile-brain-cannot-comprehend-your-extreme-agedness comments are directed at Daddyo instead of me.
The Five-Year-Old, curiously: “Daddyo, what are earthquakes?”
“The shifting of the earth’s tectonic plates.” The Five-Year-Old, impatiently: “I know that, but what did people think they were in the olden days? Like when you were born.”
It’s been quiet around here lately, but that’s only because I’ve been sidetracked by work on my book. Things will get back to normal next week…
The Five-Year-Old visits her school library every week. And every week she comes home with a simply fabulous book. Meanwhile, I’ve been lugging home dud after…
It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these, but that’s not because I haven’t been reading the news. Well, ok, maybe it’s a little because I haven’t been reading the news. But mostly it’s because I haven’t been reading the news with an eye to blogging about it. But really, how could anyone resist blogging about a predatory desert mouse? And if you’re going to do that, is it really that big a deal to tack on a photo of the universe’s largest spiral galaxy, a cheese recipe, and this week’s edition of Parenting Advice from Facebook?
In which the Five-Year-Old finds a new use for an old baby names book.
Last year, The Five-Year-Old had a chance to cross a major item off her bucket list. She met Sue. For those of you who do not have your own in-house five-year-old dinosaur specialist, Sue is the largest, most complete, and best preserved T. Rex skeleton ever found. When she introduced Sue to Daddyo, he noticed something peculiar. “Hey, I thought T. Rexes only had three toes. What’s that back thing for?”
In case you haven’t seen the story making the rounds on Facebook and other mainstream media outlets, Java 7 has yet another critical security flaw. This one makes it really easy for hackers to take over your browser and steal your identity.
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