Author Archives: Rob

Top 10 Second-Banana Siblings

Posted on January 8, 2013

As someone blessed (ahem) to have not one, not two, but three children, I spend a lot of time thinking about their relationships as siblings. I’m fascinated by birth order theories used to explain personality traits. I’m intrigued by their … Continue reading →

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So

Posted on December 10, 2012

In the fall of 1986, on my way back to school from a doctor’s appointment, my mom made an unplanned detour. The detour took us to Capitol Centre, where — I had heard moments before on DC 101, my favorite … Continue reading →

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Fan, short for Fanatic

Posted on September 13, 2012

And so the Red Sox are to be only mildly tolerated (I have ties to the Olde Towne so I can’t profess outright hatred for the team, though their bandwagon-jumping fans are another story). The New York Yankees, meanwhile, are to be loathed. The Boston Celtics are to be worshipped. The Los Angeles Lakers are to be despised. The Baltimore Ravens, loved. The Pittsburgh Steelers, dismissed outright. The Maryland basketball Terrapins, supported unconditionally. The Duke Blue Devils and North Carolina Tar Heels, mildly respected but ultimately disdained. These truths we hold to be self evident. Continue reading →

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Hanging, haunting quiet desperation is the English way

Posted on August 11, 2012

The Olympics’ Opening Ceremony got me to thinking about England’s 10 most important musical exports. Not the “best,” or the most popular, but the 10 with the most profound influence on popular music. Here goes: Continue reading →

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Oops: A Father’s Day confession

Posted on June 15, 2012

My wife and I pretty much agreed on the big decisions. We would live together before we got married. We’d have children. We’d have our first before she turned 30. We would have two. Continue reading →

Posted in Daughters, Family, Holidays, Moms, Rob, Sons | 2 Comments

And the cradle will rock

Posted on April 22, 2012

“Before we went on tour a lot of people were saying that Wolfgang got the gig just because he’s my son. But after that first gig, forget it. It’s just hands down, hands up, hands sideways: he’s a musician and … Continue reading →

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Son, you’re not using those air quotes ‘correctly’

Posted on March 5, 2012

The almost-6-year-old and his 8-year-old sister cleaned their plates of the last of the fish filets, pasta and broccoli they’d been served when he fixed those giant blue saucers for eyes on me and smiled that impish grin. His hands … Continue reading →

Posted in food, Health, Movies and Television, Rob, Sons | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

A guy w-a-l-k-s into a bar …

Posted on February 19, 2012

While waiting on our breakfast order at a local Bob Evans, my 5-year-old spotted the jokes printed on the kids menus along with the puzzles and pictures to color. What follows is a verbatim exchange: Him: Hey Dad. Me: Yes? … Continue reading →

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2011 in review

Posted on January 5, 2012

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog. [Editor's Note: Look for these numbers to go way up in 2012. Thanks for reading.] Here’s an excerpt: A New York City subway train holds 1,200 people. … Continue reading →

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Words With Friends

Posted on December 28, 2011

Now’s the time for wordsmiths and thought leaders to pick the word of the year. The choice is typically packaged with an analysis of the cultural/political/social zeitgeist and the word’s context therein. I’m no grammarian nor am I a cultural … Continue reading →

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