Distraction and Amusement

As seen at ArticulateDad:

Five things I do for distraction or amusement (in no particular order):

1. Read and post on the forums at Model Horse Blab. I collected model horses as a child, and now as an adult I'm fascinated by the close-knit but geographically dispersed community of women who collect, customize, show, and--yes--even breed (on paper, guys) their model horses. This community is my next big research topic. Yes, that's me calling dibs. As if anyone else would want it...

2. Read academic blogs. This habit is getting to be a major vortex of my time, especially in the evenings, but it's heartening to see that others feel very much as I do about the life academic.

3. Play with my son. At 4.5 months old, he's endlessly amusing. This month Lucas is learning to laugh, and he has this terrific, belly-deep giggle. Mr. Trillwing gets him to laugh more easily than I do. I guess I just don't understand the little guy's sense of humor. Early this morning I just had to say "dah dah dah dah dah dah dah" and he was in stitches.

4. Read the newspaper. And no, I'm not talking about the New York Times or any such high-falutin' journalism. I mean the local papers. As a graphic artist and all-around old-timey "newspaperman," Mr. Trillwing publishes a number of papers for a newspaper company, and I met him while we were both working at a community newspaper named, as my friend Heather is fond of pointing out, after a smelt. Newsprint therefore holds a special place in my heart. Today Lucas, who is normally wary of the crinkling of newspaper pages, reached out and grabbed the Scene section in hopes, I believe, of drooling on "Dear Abby." And so the legacy lives on...

5. Call my parents and sister. I'm a mama's and papa's girl, bigtime. But then again, I come from a remarkably functional and cohesive (extended) family, and pretty much everyone in it has a terrific sense of humor. So why not keep in touch?