Blowing & Drifting

The second “30 Days of Biking” event kicks off tomorrow, on September 1. As the website says, The only rule for 30 Days of Biking is that you bike every day for 30 days—around the block, 20 miles to work, whatever suits you—then share your adventures online. We believe biking enriches life, builds community, and [...]

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It’s been a while since I posted some good kid quotes, and since I’m going to miss the girls a lot while I’m attending my grandfather’s funeral in the U.P., I thought I’d post a few from the last couple weeks: Genevieve, disagreeing with me: “You don’t know the truth, big man.” Julia: “Tomorrow for [...]

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This is a video camera: This is a video camera in the hands of a four-year-old. Genevieve calls this “My Laughter Box is Full.” My Laughter Box is Full from Christopher Tassava on Vimeo.

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Today, I submitted the final grades for the online course I taught this summer for Metro State University in St. Paul, “World War II – A Global History.” This is the twelfth time I’ve taught for Metro State since fall 2003, and the third time I’ve taught this particular course, always online. I felt like [...]

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Three moments made me glow with happiness today: At the coffeeshop for breakfast with the girls, several people stopped to compliment the girls on the art they were doing – Vivi’s “scawwy monsters” and Julia’s detailed depiction of the coffeeshop itself. I had a good fifteen minutes of playing catch with Julia, helping her get [...]

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That’s the famous demand that Jens Voigt, a superlatively tough pro cyclist, makes during especially hard rides. My ride today was hardly a Tour de France stage, but it was both the longest ride and the longest workout I’ve ever done. The ride took me further away from Northfield than any ride I’ve done, into [...]

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Something about Thursday called for haiku. Morning Days without meetings Are easy to get up for Time to get stuff done Noon A baby swallow Grounded on the hot sidewalk Parents swoop madly Afternoon The roofing tar stench Displeases, causes sneezes, And inspires queases Evening The girls think “Heigh Ho” By the silly Seven Dwarfs [...]

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I know I already posted another version of this photo on my blog and on Flickr, but I like it so much I have tweaked it a bit so I can put it up again. It’s pretty much worth any 10,000 words you might use to describe high summer on the prairie.

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Summer is a great season for running, along with the other three. There’s something to be said for running in the heat of a summer afternoon (namely, “Holy shit it’s hot,” and “I wish I didn’t have to run during the girls’ naps/the lunch hour”), and I’ll bet there’s also something to be said for [...]

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I try, you know, but I just can’t make the girls stop reading in order to do some mundane task like brushing their teeth. Thus, this view from the steps this evening: they’d finished dinner, cleaned up their spots, and headed straight for the bookshelves, where they read for a good half hour. There’s no [...]

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Without really realizing it, I’ve created a habit of going for long rides on Friday afternoons. It’s not a bad way to spend a few hours, especially if work has been squared away, and it’s sure a good way to kick off the weekend. This Friday, I ventured south and west of town, toward Shieldsville, [...]

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A partial list of activities which Julia has forgotten about, put off, or skipped because she was caught up in reading a book – any book: Come down for breakfast Get dressed after breakfast Go outside to play Go to the bathroom Watch a video Put her shoes on Go out to the car Get [...]

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I love that I played a (small) part in this: Carleton College Announces Completion of $300 Million Fundraising Campaign (July 1, 2010) Northfield, Minn. — Carleton College has announced the successful completion of its largest-ever fundraising campaign. Breaking Barriers, Creating Connections: The Campaign for Carleton has exceeded its goal, raising more than $300 million from [...]

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Vivi’s first picture of people in motion: the bent legs mean that we (from left: me, Julia, Shannon, Genevieve) are running. No word on why they have hooves.

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With the weather promising to be decent and my body hankering for a tough workout, I decided to do a long ride today, one based on this route. The weather actually varied from cool overcast to light rain to cloudless sunshine, but the ride would have taken a long time in any conditions, and it [...]

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