Little Korean Neighbor

Three days ago my kids befriended a cute little Korean boy from down the block. They have been playing with him every possible second since then. He circles the street on his bike waiting for an invitation to come inside the gate of the Compound. When we got home from a soccer clinic today, his bike was lying outside the gate but we found him inside the house playing with hot wheels. 

Nonno's Soccer Practice

On the first nice evening of the year, glorious things happened in the little side yard on the corner of the Compound. Nonno's moves are not to be missed.  

Ricette per Vita

My mother-in-law and her sister, Zia, cook some dishes that still set the bar after 15 years as the most mind blowingly delicious things I have ever eaten.

Natural Treasures

You can take the girl out of Cali, but you can't take the Cali out of the girl.

Network Neighbors

You can tell a bit about your neighbors by the names of their wireless networks. Ours are GreenPanda, LuckyDolphin and HappyPurpleFlower.

The Difference Between Boys and Girls

Our four-year-old told us last week that boys have penises and girls have weenies.

Poverina Zia

The half bath in the back of Zia's house is known as the igloo bathroom. Our daughter named it when she was two because it is frigid in the wintertime. It's always a dilemma whether to freeze your ass off or go all the way upstairs. 


My parents came from California for our son's baptism a couple of years ago. We had a small breakfast party at Zia's house before going to the church. I warned my Mother about the igloo bathroom and told her to go upstairs to the other bathroom. When she got to the top of the stairs, she let out a weird little scream noise. Zia was not quite yet dressed for the party and the door to her bedroom had not yet been replaced from when my husband broke it down the time our son had locked himself in. Poor Zia.  

Nonno's Agenda

A couple of surprising events happened tonight at the Compound. First, my in-laws were home before the kids and I were asleep. Second, my father-in-law suggested an idea for my next blog post. Momentous, I thought, he's getting used to the idea.


I was immediately thrust in the middle of a discussion between my father-in-law and my mother-in-law. Turns out that my father-in-law is ok with my blog as a form of public arbitration. Over the course of the next two hours, my father-in-law said his piece and then my mother-in-law had her turn. It was an über-complex crisscross of careful passive aggression, drawing references from a span of years. I am always amazed when they have an issue with each other because in truth, I rarely recognize one of their fights as a fight. They fight peacefully. 


I felt like they wanted my help, but I didn't dare. I just enjoyed them both near me.