Too bad

Frankie's very first playmate, Benjamin (and his parents) are back in town! Frankie is ecstatic. She even attended Benjamin's bris.

Last night we decided to all go out with the kids to dinner. We chose Columbus Fish Market because the food's consistently good, it's moderately priced and it's damn loud. That means it's kid friendly. So, us and our wound-up 3 year olds packed up and went. The food took quite a while to hit the table and the kids were getting bored. After several trips to the lobster container they were becoming even more bored and a bit louder. At one point they were banging on the table with their crayons.

Then, someone got up from across the room, walked over to our table, kneeled down to my ear level and told me gently, "that banging is echoing all the way over there" as she pointed to her table. Before I tell you my response to her, let me remind you Columbus is FULL of equivalently-priced places to dine that are MUCH quieter than the Fish Market. I, without flinching, told her "too bad". She abruptly got up and walked away. I still don't regret it. So, if you see us and our girl and she's a bit loud, we pick our restaurants and dining times to minimize discomfort to others and don't even think about telling me to keep her quiet. I'm just not waiting until she's 12 before going out to eat.

The Chair

One of the best things I learned from my wife is preservation; an appreciation of things not new. If something can be recycled, within reason, it's better than buying new. About 7 years ago, a friend gave us this chair when she moved away. We were living in Baltimore at the time. It was a bit rough and we continued to use it, vigorously. Until, one day, we finally realized it was in tatters, the stuffing was falling out and some action had to be taken. We took it to Begley Upholstering (3293 N. High Street). They too appreciated things old; they sat and marveled at it - tattered and all. They went to work on it and delivered a chair 99% as good as new (well it isn't the original). It's awesome and will likely be with us the better part of our lives. It holds with it memories of a friend, places we've lived and things old and cherished.

And, boy is it comfy.