Categories
Dad Bloggers
Credits: TheTalkingDad.com & FeedWind.comRecent Posts: M Thomas Apple Author Page
It’s life, Jim, but not as we know it. Maybe.
The pattern remains a mystery, but researchers are beginning to narrow the possibilities. While the changes are most likely…geological in nature, planetary scientists can’t completely rule out an explanation involving microbial life. Just as the Viking landers claimed? Uh-oh. Or is it just chemicals (perchlorate, bleach-like substances) in the soil, releasing oxygen and methane depending […]
Exoskeletons in the house! Sorry, no mechas (yet)
The “Every Muscle Suit” has a lot going for it. Weighing just 3.8 kilograms (2.2 pounds), the pneumatic artificial muscle suit is powerful enough to generate up to 25.5 kilogram-force and effectively relieves pressure on users’ backs when performing activities like heavy lifting. And no batteries. That’s right: it uses air pressure only. Sells for the low […]
Here There Be Witches — i.e., Strong Women
The Witching Hour and Hallowe’en have come and passed, but there’s still time to think about family history…since, of course, it does involve witches. And ghosts. We have two witches and one ghost in the family tree, on my mother’s side (my father’s side has pirates, kidnapped settlers, and Captains who start intercontinental wars, but […]
-
Top Posts & Pages
copyright disclaimer
© Matthew Apple and Taking Leave, 2009-2017. 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.
Tag Archives: child care
End of an Era: Goodbye, Nursery School
And so it begins. The end of the start of the rest of my children’s childhood. By which I mean our youngest daughter graduated from nursery school / kindergarten. Thinking back, we’ve been coming to our local nursery school every … Continue reading
Come out, damned spot!
One aspect of bathrooms in Japan that surprised me at first was the water everywhere around the sink. I mean, everywhere. Not having a habit of waiting for people to wash their hands in public lavatories, I found it a … Continue reading
Taking Leave: 2015 in review
Taking Leave: 2015 in Review! Continue reading
Taking Leave: the Book!
UPDATED. Published through Perceptia Press (Nagoya), Taking Leave: An American on Paternity Leave in Japan is currently available through englishbooks.jp in paperback/soft cover format (retail price: 1500 yen plus tax). I’d love to say the book is available through Amazon; … Continue reading
Summer Festival: Beat your own drum!
Four months ago, we gave away our long-used/abused baby barriers. Yesterday, we helped our children celebrate their nursery school’s summer festival. Time flies… Once again, my wife volunteered to be a member of the Ai-go-kai (愛護会, literally “love protection association,” … Continue reading
The barriers go down…with the past…
The smiling bear stickers that adorned the walls of the barricade are long gone, sacrificial victims to an eager child’s exploring hands. But my kids loved these things. Continue reading
The Joy of Reading
We were eager to have books readily available for our kids…and not just available, but in a location where the kids could choose the books they wanted, when they wanted. So we arranged for the cubbyhole built into the staircase in the living room, and we had two small bookcases put into the kids’ play room.
It was up to us to provide the materials… Continue reading
