Category
parenting
Two weeks ago, we took our first real family adventure since moving to California last August. I am not proud of the fact that it took us eight months to make it happen. Between my son’s school and commitment to… Continue Reading →
I enjoy learning from others and at the same time I enjoy sharing what I learn with others. Most of the time this transaction is asynchronous and simplex in nature. Last night I did some reading, receiving knowledge from another… Continue Reading →
I thoroughly enjoy being the new guy on the team. There are zero expectations that you know anything and there is every expectation that you soon will. There are people to meet, things to learn, and opportunities to grow. I… Continue Reading →
Vacations don’t come often in our house. Sure I take time off from work and, yes, we take trips away from our home, but rarely do we go on vacation in the truest form: an extended period of recreation, especially… Continue Reading →
“Gamers are hermits.” “Gamers do not effectively navigate reality.” “Gaming is a complete waste of time.” I grew up playing video games, but by today’s standards I am far from a gamer. Admittedly, I have thought the three aforementioned statements… Continue Reading →
Last week, my son told me that in his estimation every day is the same. Each day consists of the same activities within the house and every time he steps outside of the house, he does so to execute a… Continue Reading →
This last weekend was the All-City Swim Meet and the culmination of my son’s third year of swimming on the neighborhood team. Three years ago he was unable to muster a legal version of three of the four strokes, this… Continue Reading →
Last weekend was yet another one spent at the swimming pool. I must admit I enjoy weekends like that. My wife and I get to spend time talking with each other and the many other great people supporting those in… Continue Reading →
While driving with my son last week, we were in need of gas. We neared a gas station selling unleaded for $2.39 a gallon. As we drove right by, he asked why we didn’t stop. When I told him that it… Continue Reading →
Anyone who is familiar with the Star Wars movies is likely even more familiar with the little green Jedi master, Yoda. If you’re anything like me, just the mention of the individual who had a hand in training nearly every… Continue Reading →
We’ve all had those moments in life of sudden realization, inspiration, insight, recognition, or comprehension. And most of us aspire to have many more of them. We refer to those moments as “Aha Moments.” I seem to be having quite… Continue Reading →
Last Friday, my wife sent me an e-mail that contained a time, an address, and these words “Guest speaker Megan McArdle will discuss her new book ‘The Up Side of Down: Why Failing Well is the Key to Success.’ She is… Continue Reading →
A military is able to project power through mere presence, the police often maintain order and nearly always alter behavior just by being within our field of view, and odds are our children act a little differently when their parents… Continue Reading →
Though my personal interest in video games disappeared long ago, my son considers the time he spends playing them amongst his favorite. As a means of connecting with him and experiencing this aspect of his world, my wife and I… Continue Reading →
One of the many cool things about being a parent is watching your child experience things for the first time. Odds are most of us went above and beyond to document our child’s first steps, first words, first day of… Continue Reading →
We all live “busy” lives and we make numerous decisions each day about how we choose to spend our most precious resource, time. Some of us even care enough to think about how the choices we make about our time… Continue Reading →
I remember being told this throughout my childhood and continue to hear it today… Practice Makes Perfect! I appreciate the message and make that philosophy a priority, while encouraging my son, and those with whom I serve to do the… Continue Reading →
LTJG Jason Pawlak is an Information Warfare Officer originally from Mason, Ohio. After graduating from the University of Cincinnati with a degree in Computer Science, he commissioned through Officer Candidate School in October of 2010. Jason took orders to NIOC… Continue Reading →
I hear it all too often, but you won’t hear me say it…”Be safe!” We hear parents tell their children before they head out for the day to “Be Safe”, we hear seniors remind Sailors before a long weekend to… Continue Reading →
I have had the pleasure of spending lots of time with my wife and son during this transition period. We’ve played, we’ve worked, we’ve explored, we’ve traveled, we’ve tried new things, and yes we’ve made mistakes. I don’t know that… Continue Reading →
There are two verbal answers to a Yes or No question: Yes and No (Note: For those who migrate to “sure”, please consider showing a little less apathy). It is my experience that over time too many of us are… Continue Reading →
Over the last month, I have been reintroduced to Little League Baseball. My observations of the very same situations from the perspective of a parent, as opposed to that of a child, are so very different! I have no reason… Continue Reading →
Two weeks ago I had the pleasure of attending my second-grade son’s parent-teacher conference. When considering the standards of measure our school has chosen, I left the hour-long session feeling very good about the school, the teacher and my son’s… Continue Reading →
Over the past few weeks, I have had varied involvement in two selection boards considering a large number of applicants desiring to serve in our Navy. In the process, our prime directive has become “The Whole-Person Concept.” That model is… Continue Reading →
It was snowing just about everywhere this week of our visit to Ohio. I know because I watched the weather channel a bit and I could see the snow pile up outside of our hotel. Yes, we had the good… Continue Reading →
It’s Parent-Teacher Conference time again, which means both parties get to share positive and constructive feedback (neither of which is mutually exclusive, mind you). After such a conference earlier today, a friend of mine lauded her friend for telling the… Continue Reading →
When I came home from work today, my 6-year-old son had a friend over and they were making planes out of LEGOs, or as he calls it “Building LEGOs.” By the look on my son’s face, it was clear that… Continue Reading →