Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Sean the Leprechaun came to our house last night and brought shoes and candy for Annie and James. I don’t know how much longer Annie is going to believe in all of this stuff, but she was thrilled this morning when she discovered her treats. James immediately put on his new shoes and went to town on his chocolate coins (some things never change). I’m going to enjoy these little magical traditions for as long as I can.

Around The ‘Net

~New Zealand Prime Minister Promises to Change Gun Laws

~H.I.V. is reported cured in a second patient, a milestone in the global AIDS epidemic

~‘What Does It Take?’: Admissions Scandal Is a Harsh Lesson in Racial Disparities

~What it’s like to raise children in the world’s most polluted capital

~The only metric of success that really matters is the one we ignore

~The State of American Trade Schools

~DeepMind and Google: the battle to control artificial intelligence

~Your Environment Is Cleaner. Your Immune System Has Never Been So Unprepared.

~How the Gupta brothers hijacked South Africa using bribes instead of bullets

~The epic hunt for a lost World War II aircraft carrier

~Want to grow plants in space? Go to the coldest place on Earth.

~Japan’s Enchanting Ice Monsters, Claimed by Climate Change

~The most colorful places in the world

New Idols

Yesterday, Annie went to a softball game at our local university, Cal Lutheran. After the game she got to go down on the field to get players’ autographs. I thought she’d just want to get autographs and be done, but she asked the players so many questions. She wanted to know how long they’d been playing, why they liked softball, and if they had any advice for her. She spent a lot of time with CLU’s two catchers. Annie has been the catcher on our team this year and she love love loooooves it. She’s found her spot and her passion, and it was so cool to see her asking those college students how to do certain things behind the plate. But the best part was how incredible the college kids were. They answered each and every question thoughtfully and with endless patience. I could tell they remembered being a nine-year-old softball player, and they knew how important it was to be kind and positive role models. Annie said it was the best day ever, but there’s no way she enjoyed the experience as much as I did.

Fun Finds

~Annie is into wearing jewelry lately, but since she’s nine I only get her cheap items. She loves this zodiac necklace I got for her. It’s cheap but it’s lasted for several weeks now, which might be a new record for Annie.
~These shoe deodorizers are magical.
~James has an “energy stick” very similar to this one and he thinks it’s the coolest thing EVER.

Happy St. Paddy’s Day and happy Sunday, everyone!