No Capes!

For years, holidays didn't mean much more to me than the possibility of a day off, a couple of beers with some buddies, and a September to December sensory assault by the retail sector: costumes, candy, tinsel, and tryptophan.

Then I became a dad.

This happens to people every day, of course, but it often changes people's lives so quickly that they don't even have time to stop and take stock of the ways that their lives are changing.

Well, future parents, take note: Side effects of having a child may include drowsiness, weight gain, and seeing the holiday season with a fresh pair of eyes.


We spent Aki's first real Halloween (he was an eensy-weensy three-weeks old last Halloween) at a couple of Halloween parties. The first was Aki's girlfriend Sonoma's first birthday party, which was at her parents' house in the Glendale hills, complete with games, Hawaiian food, and "round" costumes.



The second party was at Aki's auntie's house in San Marino, where we even rediscovered the fun of door-to-door trick-or-treating. For both Yuri and I, it was the first time we'd gone trick-or-treating in almost 20 years!

When we first started feeding Aki solids, we were surprised at how emotionally satisfying it was to just see your child eat. In the same way, it's incredibly satisfying just to see your child experience the world.