Buttons bursting

The title would be apt for our time in Singapore, the result of grazing at every conceivable opportunity on that city's amazingly diverse, abundant, inexpensive and delicious street food. But, in fact, we did a lot of walking, and it's pretty healthy stuff, so the buttons of our midsections — for the moment, anyway — remain intact.

No, this is not a post about our time in Singapore, nor our first impressions of Malaysia. Those will come. This is a post about family pride.

Tomorrow, after the considerable years of effort that the title always implies, my Mom receives her doctorate from the Department of Educational Policy and Administration at the University of Minnesota.

Congratulations, Dr. Mom!

I cannot fathom is how she managed to squeeze time for her research and writing between her way-more-than-full-time gig as an elementary school principal, her role as family matriarch, her primary care-giving for my sister, her avid grandmotherhood, her support for the whole damn clan and all the gazillion other interests calling to her — but I have evidence that most of it took place between the hours of 4 and 6 a.m.. No, I'm not kidding.

Mom, you're an inspiration for your persistence and dedication, and also for your ability to balance all of the many demands pulling at your attention. Kudos for hanging in there through the inevitable set-backs, changing priorities and plain ol' passage of time, and crossing the finish line with such style! Hooray!


On the list of buffo family accomplishments, my Mom is sharing the stage right now with my amazingly talented sister-in-law, whose well-loved writing has appeared, for the first time, in book form!



Drink This: Wine Made Simple, Dara's guide to wine, hinges on the dramatic, democratic premise that the most important thing about your experience of wine is — BEHOLD! — your experience of wine! Rather than sending you rushing for a thesaurus or fumbling for obscure imagery ("ah, this one has hints of reading Rilke during summer rains"), her radical idea is to help you get to know your own tastes and preferences better. Wicked! The experience of wine, expressed in the most important tongue of all: yours!

The book has been getting rave reviews (turns out those James Beard awards weren't for nuthin'!) here and here and here and lots of other places. Check it out!

So, hats off, Mom and Dara! These are big milestones, worthy of much celebration. A toast, a toast! To you!