The day before Halloween, I picked up my son and one of his friends from the last outdoor soccer practice. Soon, the clock would go back to standard time, and we’d lose an hour of sunlight in the evening. Driving west-ward, I saw the pumpkin colored sunset change to gray. And then I could no … More High-five or not high-five?
September 11, 2001 drew a clear line in my sky watching habit: before then I’d always hope for blue skies without any clouds; after 9.11 though, I’ve always looked for clouds in the sky. I can’t forget that blue sky without a spec of a cloud that looked serene and ominous. So delirious, deceptive, and … More Cloud watching
About fifteen years ago, I met an executive who was deeply concerned about the future. “I think younger generations will become less patient, as they get used to the Internet search engines. They crave instant gratification, and they get frustrated when they can’t get what they want immediately.” I chuckled in my head, as he … More Giving our two cents
As soon as I picked up my son from school, he said, “Mom, it’s going to be a snow day tomorrow. There’s a 68% possibility of one!” Kids use an app, a snow day calculator, and spice it up with their wishful thinking. They act as if snow days were their earned right. In America, … More Snow Day
“I won’t make any resolutions for the New Year!” my daughter declared, “because having a resolution could be defeating, discouraging and depressing!” “How dramatic!” I thought, but I did have to admit that she had a point. Come to think of it, I can’t recall a single resolution that I’ve successfully kept throughout a year. … More A New Year’s resolution
My eyes get tired fairly quickly when I read books. So, I watch TV programs more often these days. One of my favorite programs is NOVA. I love learning about nature, outer space and engineering feats. And I want to watch it with my kids. But when I suggest watching an episode of NOVA, they’ll … More Cultures at home
Looking at heart-shaped leaves amongst the grass on July Fourth, my husband and I stood silently sharing an enormous sense of defeat. We spent a few thousand dollars to deal with them the previous summer. I didn’t even know the weed’s name, although I’d dealt with it since 2002 in my flower beds. What I … More Wild violet and surrendering
One of my New Year’s resolutions was to clean my office. Six months later, files and books are still all over the place, sometimes lying on the floor. I miss seeing the surfaces of my cabinet and book shelves and desk. Even the top of the shredder is used as a place to hold documents. … More Books, chicken and eggs
Neil deGrasse Tyson, an American astrophysicist, is worried. The universe is expanding, and the rate of expansion is accelerating. So much so that he worries that the future generations of scientists can’t learn from what we see now, as many galaxies will be beyond their horizon. He also wonders if some previous chapters of the … More Dream to sleep
I can enjoy the same movies over and over like it were the first time to see them. My kids roll their eyes at this. Well, many unimaginable things happen as you become a certain age, and you tend to learn to accept those things graciously as gift. But I remember the movie “The Blind … More Sleep out at Covenant House