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Tagged With: Family

A Very Harry Potter Christmas (Accio Holidays!)

This year we hosted my parents for Christmas dinner. My mom is a Harry Potter nut, I’m quite fond of the books, and my dad has read them all and knows them pretty well, so I decided to have a Harry Potter-themed Christmas this year. (Gene had never read any of them but I was … Continue reading »

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On the phone with my mom

Me: “Hello?” My mom: “Hi, it’s me.” Me: “Hey, what’s up?” My mom: “My earrings and my shirt and my socks all have the same shade of blue in them!” Me: “That’s awesome! Nice job.” My mom: “Thanks!” Me: “So…what else is going on?” My mom: “Nothing, I just wanted to call about that.” Me: … Continue reading »

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The Great Re-Reading: Richard Adams

Watership Down by Richard Adams is making me think about the importance of Trickster tales. First, a brief summary: Watership is about a group of rabbits who escape from their doomed warren and set off into a terrifying (from a rabbit’s perspective) countryside to form their own new warren. It’s a fantastic adventure tale, highly … Continue reading »

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Memories from my childhood, #2

I was at a dinner party with my parents once when I was 14. The couple hosting us had just had a baby, and my dad was talking about the trusting nature of babies. “They don’t so much as flinch when you do something like this,” he said, turning to me and quickly moving his … Continue reading »

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Dad comes to lunch

Dad: “Something’s amiss with your fence, here.” Kris: “You think?” Dad: “Well, I am a skilled woodworker.” I guess I should add that it doesn’t actually look like this now. It’s still all broken and propped up haphazardly but it’s not actually flat on its face.

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One reason to have a kid

I was thinking yesterday about family dinners. I grew up sitting down to dinner every night with my parents: no TV, no books, just conversation. This sometimes led to screaming matches and slammed doors (me), but more often led to shared jokes and silly voices and making fun of the dog (also me). We always … Continue reading »

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2011

2011 was in some ways tough. My grandfather died at the beginning of the year, which was kind of an ugly, protracted process. And then near the end of the year, my mom’s brother Terry also passed away. Terry and I were friends. When I was a kid I just had this impression of him … Continue reading »

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Fa la la la la

Gene and I got an eight foot Christmas tree this year. It’s a beast. Every time I walk into the living room, it’s like the spirit of Christmas grabs me by the throat and shakes me until my brain rattles in my skull. You guys, it is so festive and great! (Ow, my brain.) I … Continue reading »

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A story about a chicken

Every now and then I am moved to buy my parents something so hideous that their only possible reaction on opening the gift will be laughter. Or tears. Or therapy. But usually laughter, because we are pretty well-adjusted. My crown jewel of this trend was a glass paperweight I got my mom for her birthday … Continue reading »

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Just me and my dad

I’ve had a great couple of days with my dad this week. On the first day we went to lunch and he remarked on how nice it is to be able to have lunch with an adult child whose nose he didn’t have to wipe. He was pretty emphatic about that part. I’m not sure, … Continue reading »

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