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Saw Horton Hears A Who! last week, I thought it was pretty good, not 4 stars good though. The rest of the clan liked it more. We saw it at AMC Tyson’s Corner. TC is our favorite place to see a family movie. (Otherwise it’s the AFI in Silver Spring, hands down.) Tip: buy tickets from the kiosks and skip the ticket lines. In theater #3 where we saw HHaW! there is a large landing halfway up where you have about 8 feet of leg room in front of you, sweet. It’s a comfortable place to eat $40 worth of movie house shit. Read more »

Another Holy Grail has been secured, perfect roast chicken. This recipe comes from none other than Ina Garten. We’ve made this gem about a dozen times and it is flawless every single time. The chicken comes out so moist and flavorful it is incredible. Lisa, who has taken over the mantle of “gravy queen” from my dear departed mother, makes gravy from the pan drippings . . . ooohhhh channeling Homer Simpson . . . Within seconds of the platter hitting the table, it’s all over. We generally make it with mashed potatoes and green beans. BTW, if you’re making green beans from a can, throw in one strip of bacon (per can) and then stand back. The recipe calls for four lemons, we use two. We also substitute chicken stock for the white wine. Ina’s roast chicken recipe will become a favorite, guaranteed.

This is an absolute must do event for kids. It is the 10th University of Maryland, Maryland Day on April 26th, 10-4. We’ve probably been to 8 of them. Bug zoo, free ice cream, art, animals, science . . . way too much to mention here. Check back about 1 week before the event and I’ll post some of our favorite places and things to do and see. Oh yeah, they’re giving out 50,000 cupcakes.

WTF? I read Omnivore’s Dilemma, I know what’s in the hamburgers and nuggets they serve at “The Unmentionable,” as Lisa and I have dubbed McDonalds. Yet, here I am worshiping at the altar of the fried, swilling the nectar of the Gods: Diet Coke. I love it so. I’m weak and defenseless against it I admit. But, the pull of the fries is strong, unearthly strong. Oh how they call to me with their sweet siren song . . . “come to me . . . my hot golden goodness awaits you . . . my saltiness know no bounds . . .” Even Ulysses has to answer that call. In fact, he was in the drive-in in front of me.

As soon as I eat there, and I mean a second later I feel McGross. Nice. I usually pound down “The Unmentionable” in my car in a manner not unlike The Simpsons. Then I drive around for a while to get the McSmell out.

“Oh Ed this is so wrong . . . ” Yes McTemptress I know . . . just this once then we’ll stop, we’ll never do this again, I promise.

We’ve been fooling around with recipes to try to get that authentic Chinese food-at-home for years. We’ve gotten sort of close. I am happy to report that our quest has come to and end thanks to fellow blogger Emily at Eat Close To Home. Emily has 3 basic sauce recipes, Brown Sauce, White Sauce and Spicy Orange Sauce.

We made the Brown Sauce, good God it’s good. Our only suggestion is to make 50% more sauce than the recipe calls for cuz we like lots of sauce.

Dozens of colorful exotic frogs are currently hopping around in Explorer’s Hall in the National Geographic Museum in Washington, DC through May 11th, 2008. The show is called: Frogs! A Chorus of Colors. This is a great exhibit for kids, it is relatively small and compact yet there is a lot to see. Oh yeah, it’s FREE!, we like free. We went on the weekend. (Free parking on the street.)

The small (about 1 inch.) Golden Mantellas were our favorites. There are poison dart frogs, frogs that look like moss and even some tadpoles. Each set of frogs is showcased in terrariums (eye-level for the little ones) that feature their native habits. Some have moving water, others are decorated with foliage, rocks, moss, etc. As soon as you enter the exhibit you hear the sound of frog calls, pretty cool. They were piped in, but hey. Read more »

This is my first post, ever. I simply couldn’t have a blog about being a dad without mentioning my own wonderful father.

He’s been gone for over 10 years now. Sadly, he never got to meet my girls, but somehow I think he’s aware of their glowing humanity. I remember when he was sick and in the hospital I came into his room and sat down in one of those lovely hospital chairs. He was asleep so I just watched him. He started to stir, then sort of raised his hands up in the air and broke into a huge grin. When he woke I asked him was he dreaming? He said, yes he was dreaming of picking up his grandchildren. At that point we didn’t yet have the girls. It was just a few short months later after he died that we found out that Lisa was pregnant with our first. I think he knew something. Read more »