Here's the one important difference between being a teacher and being a parent (and the one that makes parenting better):  you can drink a beer and then go be a parent.

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“So what do you do here in Shanghai?  English teacher?”

“Nope.  Actually, I’ve just started teaching a falconry class.”

“No kidding?  Wow!  So how’s it going?”

“Well, not great.  I don’t have a falcon yet, so I can’t really do much in class.”

“Why did you start a falconry class with no falcon?”

“I thought I could catch one once the class got ( Read more... )

Dear Mr. or Mrs. Planet Money,

I started writing this as a somewhat serious letter, then decided to try and be funny.  I'm sorry if it's disjointed.

While listening to the podcast I thought of a t-shirt with a pie-chart on the back.  This pie-chart would be a breakdown of where the money went for the purchase price of the shirt.  Say, if it ( Read more... )

I just got back from five days in Hong Kong with my roommate and another friend, and my mind is still reeling from the great city. I miss it. It wasn't the nightlife or entertainment opportunities that impressed me so much (though they appear great), but it's resemblance to a city in the Western world. And not just any city, but a fantastic city ( Read more... )

That's the name of the volcano in Iceland causing all the air traffic problems in Europe. As I read the name just now, I suddenly realized that I've never heard the name pronounced and that all the television, radio, and word of mouth discussion refers to it as, "the volcano in Iceland." Eyjafjallajökull. No one can pronounce that. I bet even ( Read more... )

Can a cat tell the difference between me chasing it, and me chasing it with a knife?

Do I need this camera? I have a great digital compact, and I haven't printed off photos. Ever. But this camera be so pretty and cool. Leave a comment  1 

What am I going to do with this ( Read more... )

The saying goes that even a broken clock is right twice a day. But what if it's broken because it was thrown out of a car window and ran over by an SUV and there aren't even hands on the clock anymore?