Link-apalooza #4

What did we learn last week? To a 3-year old, adult birthdays are a huge disappointment. Jacob was quite depressed that there were no balloons or big presents or bounce houses or even piñatas. I can’t blame him, really. He pretty much caught a glimpse of his future and it made him say, “No thanks. I’ll keep my balloons.” In an attempt to cheer him up, we took him for putt-putt to celebrate because that’s what adults really do on their birthdays. Well, at least that’s what Explorations does (not the blog, the puppet master behind the curtain). 

How did putt-putt with a 3-year-old go? Awesome. This picture and video are indicative of some of Jacob’s better moments. That’s not a joke: these were actually the highlights. 

Perfect technique

Of course, it wasn’t all about the kids. I did take some time to engage in every adult’s real favorite birthday activity: checking one’s Facebook to count the number of birthday greetings. I was excited to learn that Facebook has made it much easier to measure your worth as a human being by telling you the number of friends who have wished you a happy birthday. I like this new (to me at least) feature. It gets straight to the point. No one cares about the individual messages; it’s the total number that counts. 35 greetings this year and just 24 last year? Yes! I improved my net worth by 46%.

Anyway, now for the stuff no one cares about but me: the links. 

Reply All (Episodes #23 and #24)  
This American Life (Episode #557) 

A couple of podcasts crashing the print journalism party this week. Reply All is a show about the internet and This American Life is a show about this American life. These consistently solid shows produced stellar episodes last week and both featured topics related to family and children. Reply All told the story of a Hasidic Jew who left his ultra-conservative faith and his family after discovering the internet. This American Life focused on kids and the ‘Birds and the Bees.’ The third act about children grieving dead family members is pretty rough emotionally, but outstanding. 

Why I Don’t Limit Screen Time for My Kids 

Preach on, sister! I support this message 100%. If there is one thing I enjoy, it's personal anecdotes with no supporting arguments...as long as they help me feel better about myself. 

Bill Simmons Complete Grantland Column Archive 

Welp…see you guys in a few months. 

Jacob’s Jam

While driving to his grandmother’s house (who he calls Bobo, obviously):

“I’m excited to see Bobo’s iPad……and Bobo.”

A grandson’s love cannot be quantified.