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Doug French

Ann Arbor, MI

Single fathering from a vocational itinerant.

Recent Activity

We're not big stuff-buyers, but we do make a point of talking to the kids when either of us has a giftworthy milestone coming up. The gifts are usually handmade, although I scored a pretty sweet crockpot on my birthday last fall.

Commented May 13, 2013 on With many cheerful facts about the square of the hypotenuse at Laid-Off Dad

With many cheerful facts about the square of the hypotenuse

Today is 5/12/13, so to all those moms out there, happy Pythagoras Day! And I know what you're thinking. It's a shame that a cruel twist of the calendar would cause Mother's Day to be overshadowed by our culture's universal... Continue reading

Posted May 12, 2013 at Laid-Off Dad

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The kindness of strangers

This week, in spiteful defiance of a winter that outlived its welcome months ago, we held our Cub Scout meeting outdoors at a nearby playground. The boys were learning the very important Life Lessons that: picking up litter is a... Continue reading

Posted Apr 26, 2013 at Laid-Off Dad

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For a while now, I've been thinking about why I haven't been writing. And a while is about as benign a term as I can conjure, because a while is of such indeterminate length. A while can be half an... Continue reading

Posted Apr 17, 2013 at Laid-Off Dad

3

Several people have asked me this, and I'm happy to say I'm still an optimist. A big part of me wants another shot at a long-term commitment, so I can put to use what my divorce taught me, but a bigger part wants to model a healthy couple for my sons.

Commented Mar 8, 2013 on Justice is balance at Laid-Off Dad

Several people have asked me this, and I'm happy to say I still think I'm an optimist. It's still possible (thought unlikely) to get this right. A big part of me wants another shot, not least so I can apply what my divorce taught me. But a much bigger part wants to model healthy couplehood for my sons.

Commented Mar 7, 2013 on Justice is balance at Laid-Off Dad

You never know. It's easy to sit here and loftily assume there's no room in my life for another person, but I'd sure as hell make room if I thought she was worth it. Even if it's a big mistake, I'd rather screw up than sit on the sidelines.

Commented Mar 7, 2013 on Justice is balance at Laid-Off Dad

Justice is balance

It's Wednesday, which means 1) the boys will arrive later today for the dadportion of their week, and 2) I've spent most of my morning eradicating all the evidence of my debauched, kid-free bachelorhood. I may raise some eyebrows when... Continue reading

Posted Mar 6, 2013 at Laid-Off Dad

12

The coolest beans

Dad 2.013 ended almost three weeks ago, and since then, I've been indulging myself in ways some might not describe as all that indulgent. In between the post-mortem calls with sponsors and the reading of the many gratifyingly recaps, I've... Continue reading

Posted Feb 21, 2013 at Laid-Off Dad

3

Sticking to our guns

I've held off writing about the Newtown murders because I've been way too paralyzed with impotent rage about them. I wanted to calm down and process everything with a level-ish head. It's not just how any subhumanoid with a face... Continue reading

Posted Dec 19, 2012 at Laid-Off Dad

5

Presents of mind

This morning, on my way to brunch, I listened to A Prairie Home Companion in the car. And the skit I heard was of two Christmas trees confronting their imminent mortality and resolving to live for now. They could feel... Continue reading

Posted Dec 9, 2012 at Laid-Off Dad

5

A month of growth

I'd like to say that NaBloPoMovember 2012 served as a watershed moment in my development as a man, father, writer, and pickle enthusiast. At the least, it was eventful--more so than I anticipated, anyway. November re-elected a president, washed away... Continue reading

Posted Nov 30, 2012 at Laid-Off Dad

2

I hear you. If it were enough for his mother and me to testify to that fact for the school he's applying to, we'd have done it.

Commented Nov 30, 2012 on Seven Five Oh at Laid-Off Dad

One day more! Another day, another destiny!

You know how proud Jerry Seinfeld was of his non-vomit streak? And how devastated he was when it came to an end? My mind was with him this morning as I, too, contemplated the end of a streak I hold... Continue reading

Posted Nov 29, 2012 at Laid-Off Dad

2

Yes. Delayed gratification. The white whale of parenting.

Commented Nov 29, 2012 on Seven Five Oh at Laid-Off Dad

Typepad tells me this is Laid-Off Dad's 750th post. Which can mean only one thing: I'm zoning in on Barry Bonds's record and will one day be voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. And I've done it all steroid-free,... Continue reading

Posted Nov 28, 2012 at Laid-Off Dad

5

They don't make insults the way they used to

Tonight was the first official event of the Virginia Club of Michigan, and I am its Communications Director (because I'm the one who knows how to work the Twitter). Our guest was Gordon Burris, who's been with the University for... Continue reading

Posted Nov 27, 2012 at Laid-Off Dad

0

I choose to believe that I did. Thanks!

Commented Nov 27, 2012 on #OccupySandy at Laid-Off Dad

Mo money, Mo Giving

It's the final week of NaBloPoMovember, and now that we've spent the majority of it NaBloPo-ing, it's time to shift attention to the Movember-ing. And the good news is, there's a lot of Movember-ing going around. There are a lot... Continue reading

Posted Nov 26, 2012 at Laid-Off Dad

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Our (sort-of) recipe for Chock-Fulla Burgers

Since a smattering of home chefs reacted positively to an earlier Instagram about Chock-Fulla Burgers, I figured now would be as good a time as any to publish the recipe. Like all good recipes that parents can make for their... Continue reading

Posted Nov 25, 2012 at Laid-Off Dad

1

I'm not sure why, but it disquiets me to see people already decorating their Christmas trees. It seems like such a big rush, you know? Can't the Thanksgiving carcass be cold for a few days, at least until it's actually... Continue reading

Posted Nov 24, 2012 at Laid-Off Dad

1

We knew the risks

Steely Dan's "Black Friday" references the small town of Muswellbrook in New South Wales, Australia. Donald Fagen says he chose that lyric because the town looked to be at the exact antipodal point from where they were at the time.... Continue reading

Posted Nov 23, 2012 at Laid-Off Dad

1

Ten miles and a world away

In this, the week of the Opposite, it's been a joyfully disorienting couple of days at the extremes. Yesterday, we were stocking canned goods in a ruined church gymnasium and handing blankets to people who won't have heat or electricity... Continue reading

Posted Nov 22, 2012 at Laid-Off Dad

1

This will be a quick one, because I'm currently in the back of a van full of diapers headed for the Rockaways. I hooked up with an Occupy Sandy crew that will drop off these supplies and work the rest... Continue reading

Posted Nov 21, 2012 at Laid-Off Dad

2

Other than else

Have you ever had a stretch when you started doubting your instincts? It's tough enough to work for someone and be subject to decisions that you don't trust or believe. And it's more maddening when that boss is also you,... Continue reading

Posted Nov 20, 2012 at Laid-Off Dad

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