I Have to Sit Down
Having been on both sides of the well-intentioned, badly-executed charitable gift, I offer ten tips for how to do it better. Read more
Having been on both sides of the well-intentioned, badly-executed charitable gift, I offer ten tips for how to do it better. Read more
Back to books tomorrow, but I couldn’t resist adding in one non-book item: Perhaps you have found yourself sitting in the waiting room of a doctor’s office, and the wall-mounted TV is on, and you aren’t quite up to answering the question, “Momeeeeee, what is a ‘twanssexual wuv twiangle?'” Or you’re sitting in a restaurant for your biennial date with your husband, waiting for your bloomin’ onion to arrive, and you realize that your precious evening is being devoured... Read more
I didn’t get to see Minor Revisions last night! Jen Fulwiler gave us ten extremely persuasive reasons why, despite the grievous lack of any husbands wearing banana suits, we would want to watch her reality show miniseries. Did you see it? How was it? It’s a three-part series, and the next episodes will air Dec. 20 and Jan. 10. You can also watch it live online (IF all five internet-enabled devices don’t crap out on you simultaneously, like ours did; in... Read more
Today’s guest post is written by my ever-enthusiastic 13-year-old daughter, Dora (who was born and named approximately six months before Dora the Usurper Explorer made her irritating debut). Standard disclaimer: I have read some, but not all of these books, neglectful mother, ideas have consequences, corrupting the youth, blah blah blah. I have read Shooting Kabul and it was fine, and I loved The Star of Kazan — thought it was really sweet and imaginative, and just altogether much more... Read more
I’m bowled over by this beautiful array of specialized help that people are offering to each other. (And please note: there are exactly zero charities whose mission statement is, “All we care about is fetuses.”) Read more
Back to the books! Today’s pick is a collection of very short stories for older elementary school kids to adults: Angels and Other Strangers: Family Christmas Stories by Katherine Paterson These stories all center around Christmas, and they all seem like they’re going to cross the line and get maudlin . . . but they don’t. This is one of Paterson’s earlier works, and she’s clearly still gathering her powers; but even when she’s not so subtle,... Read more
Isn’t there a rule against writing about writing? There ought to be. Oh, well. Okay, apparently WordPress isn’t letting me build links today, so here is today’s post: http://www.ncregister.com/blog/simcha-fisher/editing-the-soul Read more
Remember Kate Essenberg, the immensely talented baker who sent my family a large and gorgeous selection of edible art? It turns out that this sweet woman’s generosity and talent extend even further: she’s just come out with a CD of Christmas music, and it is lovely. You can check out some samples of the music on this album here. Kate is the lucid and heartfelt soprano voice you will hear, accompanied by piano, harp, and violin. There are... Read more
How we found ourselves celebrating Hanukkah this year. Read more
From the Weekly Standard: President Obama declares Hanukkah “an opportunity for people of all faiths to recognize the common aspirations we share.” He made this comment in his statement on the Jewish holiday emailed to the press: Michelle and I send our warmest wishes to all those celebrating Hanukkah around the world. This Hanukkah season we remember the powerful story of the Maccabees who rose up to liberate their people from oppression. Upon discovering the desecration of their Temple, the... Read more
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