Greetings from Costa Rica!
Author: Shane
Sandal Infidelity
For a large period of my life, I defined myself by my Birkenstocks.
I put them on my feet on the first day of spring, and I put them away on the last day of fall. I wore them everywhere. I hiked in them, I slept in them, I even showered in them. It’s kind of a wonder that they didn’t actually meld into my feet.
After 10 long years, I finally had to get rid of them. The cork was long gone. The soles were misshapen and distended. I literally wore a hole through the leather.
So what did I do? I bought a second, identical pair. That second pair was purchased 10 years ago.
So for 20 years I have had the same sandals. You can see why I felt a little sentimental about them, which is why I have been feeling a little guilty about purchasing a new pair of Keen sandals the other day.
Living in the city, I do have to walk a decent amount, and the Birkenstocks made that a little difficult. There was no strap holding on the back, which meant I had to sort of flex my toes up every time I took a step to keep the sandal from falling off my foot. After any significant time walking, my feet would start to ache from using these obscure muscles. Additionally, they would slip off and try to trip me at the worst possible times, usually when I was trying to walk up stairs (and especially if I was carrying something heavy!)
Because of these difficulties, in more recent years, I found myself wearing my Birkenstocks less and less. Rather than just slipping into my sandals, as I usually would, I would opt for shoes. Even still, any thought of disloyalty towards my Birkenstocks was ruthlessly squashed by my brain. Until one day I kind of thought, “You know, maybe I should just get some new sandals that don’t fall off my foot.”
Besides, after 20 years, I suppose it’s kinda sorta okay to maybe update your style, right?
My new ones were sort of expensive, but when you plan to hold on to a pair of sandals (and I do…oh boy, I do), it’s worth it. So far I love them. They are so unbelievably comfortable. I’m excited for the summer to be able to give them a true workout.
Let’s make a plan right now: meet back here and we shall reevaluate them 20 years from now.
The Age of Pokemon
Recently, Evie’s class has been swept with Pokemon fever.
Yes, that’s the same Pokemon that’s been around since I was a kid (first published in 1996). Apparently, it’s still a thing. The boys at Evie’s school have been talking about it non-stop, trading cards, and quizzing each other about various Pokemon.
I’m not sure why Evie in particular got so excited about it, but I’m happy to encourage it for three reasons:
- I’m so happy that she hasn’t seemed to notice (or at least doesn’t care) that this is apparently a “boy” activity, and she’s the only girl,
- Collecting cards, comics, and things was a particular nerdom of mine, and who isn’t thrilled to have their daughter follow in my footsteps?, and
- As a former, pretty heavy Magic player, Pokemon seems pretty familiar (and fun!)
A few of her classmates had donated cards to her on a charity-case basis, and the cards quickly became her prized possessions.
The other day, I decided to get her a little reward for being so helpful to me on school mornings, so I bought her a package of Pokemon cards.
HUGE parenting win.
She was so. excited. You have no idea. She probably thanked me about 10 times throughout the day. She was so excited to have cards of her own, and to be a part of what everybody else was into for once, and to show everyone at school. I made sure to pick the package with a deer Pokemon on the front (deer are her favorite animal), and the one with the Pikachu coin.
So, of course, what does she pull from the pack? A ultra-rare Mega Charizard EX card, which is worth about $50.
She is NOT interested in selling.
I do hope she sticks with it; I would like to learn how to play with her. I don’t think it would be something Sara would have any interest in, so it would be a special thing between the two of us.
Pokemon. Who knew it could be such a positive familial force?
Ollie’s most delicious day
We used to go to Chinatown now and again to catch some delicious food, but we haven’t done it for years. Both kids were intrigued by the idea, so we decided to pop in for lunch last weekend.
Ollie is pretty much the perfect consumer of dim sum. Even in the worst of circumstances, he wants to try EVERYTHING. When we have cereal in the morning, he insists on a mix of all 4 kinds. When we have dinner, it’s not enough just to have some of everything. “Can I mix these two together? Can I dip it in my milk?” A parade of tiny dishes full of new things to try is his version of heaven. I’m pretty sure he sees this when he closes his eyes to sleep:
So we showed Ollie the dim sum menu with all the little pictures and told him he could pick anything he wanted. Without hesitation, he pointed to one in the middle of the page.
“Ugh, not that one, buddy. That’s chicken feet.”
“Okay, I want chicken feet.”
“No, you have to pick something else.”
“I want the chicken feet.”
Honestly, I’m sure he would have eaten the chicken feet, but my appetite wouldn’t have survived it. I hoped it would forget by the time we sat down (he didn’t), and then I hoped the chicken feet wouldn’t be on the new menu they handed us (they were).
“Ollie, you have to pick something else. I can’t watch you eat chicken feet.”
::Ollie, grumpy::
“Okay, that one instead.”
“That one is ALSO chicken feet.”
At least he’s consistent. And he really wanted those chicken feet.
He couldn’t complain, though; he was in seventh heaven. He ate some of everything, and two of most things, until I was sure he was going to burst. Finally, when the food was gone and the table was cleared, he resorted to eating sriracha with a spoon.
Ah, Ollie. I love our little adventurous eater.
After that was done, we waddled a couple of doors down to a bakery and got little coconut cookies. Ollie said, “This was my most delicious day ever. I want to do it all over again!”
May every day be your most delicious day ever.
Quote Monday’s brain never stops working
::Evie brushing my hair::
Evie: “It’s snowing!”
Me: “Ollie, did you check to see if your pants were backward [for the billionth time in a row]?”
Ollie: “Well, my brain was just wanting me to think about how the world looks like as a globe.”
Ollie: “I’m afraid to go into the living room.”
Me: “Why?”
Ollie: “I don’t want a pig to jump up on me.”
Me: “…”
Me: “When have you ever seen a pig jump up on someone?”
Ollie: “Well, I can imagine it.”
Ollie: “I know how to make fire bombs.”
Sara: “You know how to make fire balls?”
Ollie: “No, fire bombs. I have the tools.”
::5 minutes later::
Ollie: “Can I make a fire bomb when we get home?”
Shane Halbach 