I recently finished reading a book by Michael Chabon called: Manhood for Amateurs: The Pleasures and Regrets of a Husband, Father, and Son. This book of essays opened my eyes to what it truly means to be a man, father, and son. I would suggest that every man in your life read this book, it connects on levels from the silly to the profound. Even if the man in your life is not a reader, the chapters are short and Chabon's essays not only show a way to live a life as a man but how to reflect on what it means to be a man in this day and age.
Chabon's essays on being a son showed the steps all boys go through with their parents. His essays on being a Husband gave insight and help into trying to understand the fairer gender, and his essays on being a father absolutely make me excited on the next step in my life.
The book would make an excellent Father's Day or Birthday gift.
http://www.amazon.com/Manhood-Amateurs-Pleasures-Regrets-Husband/dp/0061490180/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1271165673&sr=8-6
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Colors
A recent NPR article spoke about the number of crayola crayons available and how many different colors are found in a pack that began as a pack of 8.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/pictureshow/2010/01/crayons_and_choice_a_headache.html
As a soon to be new father, I had not given much thought to coloring or drawing with my soon to be born daughter. Bur Kirsten and I had a nice conversation recently about crayons and growing up. We talked about getting our first crayon box and how exciting it was every year when you would get a new box of crayons, at least that is what I said. Kirsten told a different story of getting a used kleenex box of her older siblings broken crayons to take to school. I mentioned how universal that really is, since my brother and I also used an old kleenex box to store out old and broken crayolas and shifting other brands of crayons.
I recently read a series of essays in book from by Micheal Chabon called Manhood for Amateurs. He talked about drawing with his kids and how they all have different personalities in their "art." He also wrote about how he and his wife have to throw away much of the "art" that his children bring home, because there is so much of it. He also mentions the use of broken crayons.
I remember rummaging and crunching through that box to find the right color and sometimes never finding it. I remember the Crayola 64 box with the build in shapener as being one of the best gifts I ever received from my parents and then realizing that the sharpener never really worked well no matter how hard I jammed the crayon into the sharpener it never was perfectly sharp so it ended up in the kleenex box.
Now, the Crayola company fixed that problem with the greatest idea ever, the Crayola Crayon Maker. You take your old broken colors and melt them into new and exciting colors or take the same colors and make a bigger new crayon. What a great idea, except for one thing: the sensations. You will lose the crunch of the kleenex box, and the feel of the rough edge against your skin, the frustration when you have to dump all of the crayons out of the box, and the disappointment in not finding the right color. But you will have pretty new looking crayons.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/pictureshow/2010/01/crayons_and_choice_a_headache.html
As a soon to be new father, I had not given much thought to coloring or drawing with my soon to be born daughter. Bur Kirsten and I had a nice conversation recently about crayons and growing up. We talked about getting our first crayon box and how exciting it was every year when you would get a new box of crayons, at least that is what I said. Kirsten told a different story of getting a used kleenex box of her older siblings broken crayons to take to school. I mentioned how universal that really is, since my brother and I also used an old kleenex box to store out old and broken crayolas and shifting other brands of crayons.
I recently read a series of essays in book from by Micheal Chabon called Manhood for Amateurs. He talked about drawing with his kids and how they all have different personalities in their "art." He also wrote about how he and his wife have to throw away much of the "art" that his children bring home, because there is so much of it. He also mentions the use of broken crayons.
I remember rummaging and crunching through that box to find the right color and sometimes never finding it. I remember the Crayola 64 box with the build in shapener as being one of the best gifts I ever received from my parents and then realizing that the sharpener never really worked well no matter how hard I jammed the crayon into the sharpener it never was perfectly sharp so it ended up in the kleenex box.
Now, the Crayola company fixed that problem with the greatest idea ever, the Crayola Crayon Maker. You take your old broken colors and melt them into new and exciting colors or take the same colors and make a bigger new crayon. What a great idea, except for one thing: the sensations. You will lose the crunch of the kleenex box, and the feel of the rough edge against your skin, the frustration when you have to dump all of the crayons out of the box, and the disappointment in not finding the right color. But you will have pretty new looking crayons.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
The Journey Continues
The Amazing Journey moves a steady pace through time and space. As you all know by now, we expect a daughter in the near future. I know nothing about women so thank the good Lord that I married one and she can educate me on the inner workings of the female mind. Granted I do cry at "Chick Flicks," does that make me "Chickish?" I am not so sure. I have thought long and hard about this online journal and I think I will be interesting to chronicle our progressing lives, obviously from a certain point of view, either mine or Kirsten's depending on who writes.
I read "Pregnancy Sucks for Men," and this book will help any man realize what his wife is going through during her pregnancy. The book made me laugh out loud in certain spots and gave me great ideas on how to relate to a pregnant wife. Obviously I will never be pregnant nor would I choose to be if I could, as Kirten put it lat night, "I can't believe there is a person in there, what does she do all day?" Which began a funny conversation on what a fetus does all day.
I talk to the baby, something I never thought I would do, and by baby I mean Kirsten's belly. I use her belly-button as an earphone for Ella Grace. I wonder how she experiences sound and voices? Maybe she hears how we hear while in a pool under water, not very well but we can hear our names and identify that someone is talking to us.
Kirsten is reading "Belly Laughs" by Jenny McCarthy; and Kirsten does laugh while reading the book. I am proud that she started to read in 2010. Reading is such an enjoyable experience for me and I want her to experience that as well. I hope Ella likes to read maybe she hears her Mom read to her.
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