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Beyond Spacesuits: How Genetic Engineering Could Make Us Martian
When we think about colonizing Mars, we usually imagine advanced spacesuits, dome cities, and massive terraforming projects. Beyond Spacesuits: How Genetic Engineering Could Make Us Martian Wish I had seen this writing prompt this past June! I could have written… Well, probably something very similar to this. Only without the obvious use of AI. Just […]
Shadows on the Hudson: The Forgotten Borderland Raids of Saratoga
This is the second of a series of posts introducing the five-part historical fiction novel Unbowed, which will be published in November 2026. All five parts are based on true events and real people – my ancestors. The first post described the outcome of the Battle of Dunbar in 1650 and one of its survivors, […]
Dear Diary — June 12, 2001
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© Matthew Apple and Taking Leave, 2009-2020. Duplication of this material without express and written permission is strictly prohibited. If you would like to post or copy brief excerpts from the blog, please provide a link to the original URL along with an author’s credit.
Category Archives: roles
Leave Starts
It’s official. Today I have become the first male worker ever at a Japanese National College of Technology to take Child Care Leave. I have been granted official leave from April 1, 2010 to March 31, 2011. The term in … Continue reading
Posted in parenting, Paternity leave, roles
Tagged Blair, child care, family leave, family leave laws, Japan, Japanese, Narisawa, parental leave, Paternity leave
2 Comments
Hina Matsuri
Last Wednesday (March 3) was the Hina-matsuri in Japan. Hina-matsuri (usually translated as “Doll’s Festival,” sometimes “Girl’s Festival”) is celebrated by setting up a display of dolls in the house by families that have female children. Since our daughter is … Continue reading
Posted in festivals, parenting, roles
Tagged child care, Doll's Festival, dolls, Girl's Festival, hina matsuri, Japan
1 Comment
Note to self: Never call “parenting,” “babysitting”
Last Friday, my wife went out to dinner in Osaka with a couple friends. This meant that I was home alone with our daughter for the first time. Well, not the first, first time. But I was faced with the … Continue reading
Posted in babysitting, day care, parenting, roles
Tagged at home dad, child care, fatherhood, Japan, parental roles
1 Comment
