I rarely pay attention to childhood safety guidelines and recall notices. In our house, The Wife ensures we are compliant with the latest OSHA standards. So, I was surprised to find all of our baby bottles in the trash last […]
The 2008 Olympics: Supporting their Progress
I must admit, I probably will not watch a lot of the Summer Olympics this August. I enjoy the games, and will usually stop to watch an event if I pass by it on the dial, but I am not […]
Into the Dawn: HSM
Everything we know we learned from High School Musical. My four year old daughter Sabrina loves Troy’s girlfriend Gabriella. If you know who I’m talking about, you feel my pain. Sabrina is so much in love with Gabriella that on […]
Osburn on Tap: Beer and baseball in enemy territory
“The one constant through all the years has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: […]
From the Editor’s Long, Long Weekend
You ever have one of those weekends that never seems to end? Why is it that those are never the good weekends? Don’t get me wrong… it wasn’t a bad weekend, per se. I did get a lot done. The […]
The Road to the White House runs through Pennsylvania (and 49 other states)
And so the Hill/O – Drama Continues. The Penn Primary. While I was watching the Hillary’s win margin counter bounce between one and two digits all night, I wondered how much of a difference this primary would make, and hoped […]
Regarding Bad Music Criticism
I recently revisited a review on pitchforkmedia.com, the preeminent source of music criticism for the enlightened man, that consisted simply of a YouTube video depicting a monkey drinking its own urine (the subject, of course, was Jet’s 2006 release Shine […]
The Art of Cooking: Chicken Stir-Fry
Cooking has far outgrown its role as a basic means of survival and, over the centuries, has transformed itself into an art, a way to express imagination and creativity as well as to satisfy an appetite. Nevertheless, food preparation does […]
A Father’s Voice: Second Fiddle

My twin two-year olds don’t seem to like me – at least not at night. Every evening before we put them to bed, my wife and I read them four books in Spanish and English. This is all part of […]
From the Editor’s… Sunday Afternoon
There is one purpose for which Sunday afternoons were created, and one purpose only: the Sunday afternoon nap. I’m freshly awakened from one such nap and must say that I can think of no other way that the time could […]
R.E.M. Accelerates Back into Mainstream
R.E.M’s latest studio effort, Accelerate, will make listeners remember why the group is revered in the hearts of millions of music fans worldwide. Easily the best work they’ve recorded since 1994’s multi-platinum Monster, this disc represents R.E.M.’s thunderous return to […]
Recipe: Dad’s Meatloaf
I don’t know what binds me to my family, or, especially, my father. I have always been a Daddy’s Girl, though not in the “he buys me everything” sort of way. I am not his little princess either. I’m the […]
NHL Playoffs
To hockey fans, there is nothing in the sports world to compare to playoff hockey. Granted this is the same demographic that popularized the “mullet” as an acceptable hair style. But hockey fans also have a peculiar level of arrogance […]
Review: Snapple Antioxidant Water
My family is many things, but experienced product testers we are not. Nevertheless, when given the chance to try out the new Snapple Antioxidant Water, we couldn’t resist. Soon we were the proud recipients of a rare treat: an overnight […]
From the Editor’s… Futon
Inspired by Howard Ludwig’s lead (see “May the Force Be With You”), we decided to introduce the kids to Star Wars this weekend. We’re pretty picky about what our kids watch, and we’ve managed to go nine years without any […]