http://wanderingbarque.com/everfixedmark Ever-Fixed Mark is an unsentimental look at the adoptive process and adoptive parenting. Mon, 05 Dec 2011 23:52:35 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Dog and I were walking in the high-rent cemetery yesterday — it's one of our favorite (pardon the expression) haunts — when we came across a human body sprawled prone on the ground in front of one of the headstones. This is it, I thought. After ten years ... http://wanderingbarque.com/everfixedmark/2011/12/05/the-body-on-top-of-the-grave/ The academic year is four weeks young, and already we have received two notes home, a call from the principal, and an invitation from the school psychologist to participate in a "social skills" group which is, I gather, a sort of finishing school for kindergartners. But! He is awfully cute, ... http://wanderingbarque.com/everfixedmark/2011/10/01/blots-on-the-permanent-record/ Minor: My school has a secret code! Me: Really? Minor: It's nine dash nineteen dash eleven. Me: What's the secret code for? Minor: They changed it. It used to be nine dash sixteen dash eleven. Me: I don't understand. Why is there a secret code? Husband: I ... http://wanderingbarque.com/everfixedmark/2011/09/20/kindergarten-arcana/ Aitch's latest obsession is the size of his shoes, a topic he pursues relentlessly: How big they were last year vs. this year. How big they'll be next year. How they compare to Eamonn's shoe size, and Timmy's shoe size, and the kid who is only in third ... http://wanderingbarque.com/everfixedmark/2011/09/12/you-know-what-they-say-big-shoes/ Tropical storm? Meh. We activated the Catastrophic Emergency Disaster Preparedness Plan for this? http://wanderingbarque.com/everfixedmark/2011/08/28/hurricant/ It's hard to prepare for a hurricane when the beach is this inviting. I think we'll wait to start battening down the hatches until the first raindrops hit. You'll be relieved to know that this fine driftwood edifice withstood our recent earthquake. Actually, I was parked right in front ... http://wanderingbarque.com/everfixedmark/2011/08/26/the-calm-before-the-storm/ A few weeks ago, I was buying cheese at one of Port City's two cheese emporia, and the proprietor (the better to assist me with my selection) asked, "What's the occasion?" "A few friends of mine get together every week to watch Masterpiece Theatre-type shows on TV," I said, "and we ... http://wanderingbarque.com/everfixedmark/2011/08/22/and-the-ladies-of-the-club/ Do you think maybe it's time for me to go back to work? http://wanderingbarque.com/everfixedmark/2011/08/19/birthday-cupcakes/ I took the boys to see the Glee 3D movie. No, I'm not particularly proud. In my defense, it was a rainy Sunday; we were coming down from an activity high after a week spent at the Tyler Place; and it was the only film appropriate for all ... http://wanderingbarque.com/everfixedmark/2011/08/18/similar-titular-sentiments-to-you-too/ Three topics frequently covered in this space aligned in today's Daily News coverage: John Updike's grandson won this week's final Newburyport road race, the High Street mile, barefoot. Per the article, he's not a proponent of barefoot running, but he had wounded his foot and couldn't bear the pressure of ... http://wanderingbarque.com/everfixedmark/2011/08/08/rabbit-run/