Teaching Formal Dining Etiquette to 8th Grade Guys: Mission Impossible

May 24, 2003 by Steve Peifer

It’s been a month since my last email to you all. To my college roommate who inquired, I will tell him that the combination of changing software and computer systems took much longer than expected, with more bugs than a reasonable person might expect. To the rest of you who enjoyed the break, it’s over.  Anyone who is interested in how I handled it might get an idea from watching the Hulk in theaters next month.
I knew there would be...

In Africa, do NOT touch the white man’s radio

April 25, 2003 by Steve Peifer

Last week, I was pretty impassioned about one of the RVA kids getting into Harvard, and loudly proclaiming that he was the first kid at RVA to get into the Ivy League. I checked this with the former superintendent, the present superintendent, the guidance director and the principal.
However, I did not check this with the coolest person on the planet, the person who did this job before me. She informs me that lo, not even two years ago, a student...

It is a two-stroke penalty if you hit the warthog

April 7, 2003 by Steve Peifer

We are having an identify crisis of sorts in our home.
Every Peifer male has gone through being called Bubba. It’s a Texas thing, and Ben really is a Bubba; just a big old sweet guy. Although most of us call him Bubba from time to time, that is how Katie always refers to him.
The problem is this:  that is how Ben refers to KATIE. He calls her Bubba all the time. I’ve told him that if this continues, we would...

The power of one good man

March 30, 2003 by Steve Peifer

Ever since I wrote my first philosophy of life – “Always Follow a Schmuck” – dozens have asked me if I would continue because the first was so helpful. Actually, no one has asked, but it seemed like a cheap and easy opening for the topic of “What I have learned being a dorm dad to eighth grade boys”:

We had a progressive dinner for the eighth grade class.
My first philosophy of life is this:  If you live in a house...

They Pled Their Own Case

March 11, 2003 by Steve Peifer

The paralegal told us to show up promptly at 9am to court. We had heard horror stories of how long this could take, so we drove two hours to the court with food, drinks, magazines and a nervous feeling.
Our first surprise was that our paralegal had become our lawyer. It was such a long process that our paralegal graduated from law school and became our attorney. We didn’t know this until that morning.
We also didn’t know that she had only...

In Their Eyes and Feet

March 2, 2003 by Steve Peifer

Nancy went to the woman’s retreat this weekend, and so it was the older boys and I managing the care of the Dynamic Duo. It is so interesting how twins look at life differently. When we read Lyle the Crocodile, Ben points out every red car in the story. Katie shows me all the shoes that the characters wear.
This takes on huge significance, because Katie carries shoes around with her all the time, and they end up in interesting places....

I’m more afraid of the chocolate milk

February 18, 2003 by Steve Peifer

Urban legend on the RVA campus is that whenever the milk goes south, they announce a special treat and give the children chocolate milk to mask the south-ness. I don’t know if it is true, but it is as prevalent as the man with the hook in these parts.
Because of the attack on a boarding school similar to RVA in Pakistan, we are considered a “soft” target and have begun lots of drills in case of attack. We are in...

The Greatest Fear

February 8, 2003 by Steve Peifer

There are always interesting parts of living in a dorm, but perhaps the most highly anticipated is Korean food day, or as it is always referred to, “delicious Korean food day.” All of the Korean parents come to campus and cook tremendous amounts of Korean food.
Before I go on, let me point out that I really like Korean food. When Nancy went back to the States last summer and asked what I wanted brought back, the first thing I thought...