To be 9 is to cheer all night for a W *and* to hope at every TO that your sign might make the Jumbotron. Neither came to pass—the @celticsnba.bsky.social lost on a putback—but the sign’s a keeper, and he woke on such a high this morning. (He may also have still been buzzing from the whoopie pie)

One of the quieter casualties of the shutdown: no park rangers handing out NPS trading cards this year at the JFK National Historic Site, on the busiest trick or treating street in North Brookline

Successfully dismantling one of those mini IKEA bunk beds, building two twin beds, and relocating two kids who fell asleep in our bed into their new beds without waking them, all before midnight, calls for an egg cream (after a ‘Gansett)

Loved this Curiosity Desk tour with @joshgondelman.bsky.social. I made several research trips to Stoneham—in addition to Detroit, Seattle & NYC—while working on my book, and made sure to stop for a different North Shore 3-way each time! (Always on the way home, so I didn't show up covered in sauce)

So great to see @garygulman.bsky.social at the hometown Shubert Theatre last night. His mom might’ve said “genug, Gar,” but I could’ve stayed twice as long

Not above a free apple cider and a promotional box of cough drops, especially when it comes from someone in a waistcoat and tricorne

So much fun last night to see @stefanfatsis.bsky.social discuss UNABRIDGED with @louisathomas.bsky.social at @harvardbookstore.bsky.social—part state of the dictionary, part participatory journalism romp in which he embeds at M-W, defines several words, voices “Meyer lemon” & accidentally goes viral

As someone who’s spent many solo hours soaking up the details of old maps — for stories, for my book, and for fun — what a treat it was on a rainy day to chaperone a fourth-grade field trip to @bplmaps.bsky.social and see some of the Leventhal collection through their eyes

Be kind Be useful Words to live by from Lloyd Young (1968-2025) of @bostonglobe.com, struck by a car while cycling in his native Illinois.

Hard to get much more peak New England than stopping for lobster and steamers by the water — then spotting a signed photo of the Steamer himself on the way out of the restaurant

Just biked to @brooklinebooksmith.bsky.social to preorder LAUNCHING LIBERTY, with a requisite stop at JP Licks along the way @dougmost.bsky.social

Fantastic Four, by the numbers, with a 6-year-old: — 3 bathroom breaks — 4.5 superheroes — 7 seats sampled — 115 minutes of stage-whispered commentary and questions for his 9-year-old brother

“Dad, what are you taking a picture of?” “Us biking!” “A Viking?! Where?” “No, us biking, because it’s so much fun!”

I mainly collect postcards from the early 1900s, but this Boston “Public Gardens” (sic) card from the swinging sixties was too good to pass up

Encountered this the other day at the Edward Gorey House on the Cape and felt especially seen

Big day in the life of a (nearly) 9-year-old biker: when you get your first brand-new bike — and your first bike with gears! — you don’t wait to go for a ride, even if it’s 90F when you roll out of the shop. *not shown: a stop at JP Lick’s, followed by a viewing of Pee Wee’s Big Adventure

Lighting up the gun at a blistering — and lucky — 13 mph

Incredible. There is a 101-year-old D-Day veteran here in 90-degree heat at the WooSox game, on his feat no less. Just got a standing ovation.

Well the Finals may not have worked out the way I hoped, but my 8yo just gasped audibly watching Havlicek steal the ball in “Celtics City” — nervous for the Cs; edge of his seat; no idea one of the most famous plays in history was coming — and his surprise caught me by surprise, which was wonderful

“Dad, are most people who have secret lairs underground good or bad?” —Izzy, age 5, on the way to the supermarket

Nice to see such a great crowd last night for @yappelbaum.bsky.social — journalist, scholar, storyteller, native son, and all-around mensch — talking about STUCK @portersqbooks.bsky.social

Honored that the @bostonglobe.com reposted this one www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2016/1...

Whatever remaining shreds of credibility I had as a former Globe transportation reporter went out the window when I just failed to stop for … the one and only Fred Salvucci waiting at a crosswalk

Just clarified that my 5yo has been working all along with the understanding that the parts he needs to make sure to wash in the bath are called “pirate parts” 🏴‍☠️🛁

Question from a 5yo on a moonlit bike ride home: “Dad, how many moons are there?” Me: “Just one for earth.” Him: “What about the moon you see in New York?” Me: “It’s the same moon. The sky is really big, and you can see the same moon from all over.” Him: “So … the moon can teleport?”

Chag sameach to everyone eating Chinese food tonight

Anyone have early 1900s medical expertise? How would you describe the particular examining chair in this doctor's office ca 1909? (In my book-in-progress on a cross-country auto race, one of the characters had to drop out for illness in Baker City, OR, where he saw this doc; photo via BC Library)

“Is it Rosh Hashanah?” my 5yo asked, presented with a collared shirt for Thanksgiving — the same one who asks every single morning “is it a school day?!”, wondering even on Tuesdays if it might be the weekend, the rhythms of the calendar still an utter mystery.