First a Boy and Then a Girl

Survivor: High School

renbo — Tue, 12 May 2026 12:11:00 +0000

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We couldn’t be more proud of Rollie, whose performance in his high school game of “Assassin” — wherein each student is assigned another one to “kill” by sneaking up and squirting them with a water pistol — was recently honored in this Instagram post. The rules of the game have changed somewhat since Ren played it (and won it!) in Kirkland House, in 1992: now, “assassins” must carry around a “safety item” each week, which prevents them from being killed. During the tournament’s first week, the safety item was a spoon; it evolved to a pacifier, a five-pound bag of flour, three raw eggs, a “dribbling basketball,” and now, an open gallon bucket of water. Essentially, if Rollie is caught somewhere outside the school without the item in question, he is vulnerable to assassination. And right now, only six other players are left. Good luck, kiddo!

Year 18, week 44 photos

renbo — Mon, 11 May 2026 03:20:00 +0000

Rara avis

renbo — Wed, 06 May 2026 15:56:00 +0000

Eagle-eyed blog readers may have noticed a recent lack of photos of Poppy. This does not reflect a preference for one child over the other, but rather, the reality of trying to photograph someone who no longer enjoys swanning about in front of the camera. Here are the results of a recent effort, which felt like trying capture the elusive golden-crowned kinglet — small, incredibly fast, and moving constantly in its home habitat.

Year 18, week 43 photos

renbo — Mon, 04 May 2026 03:59:00 +0000

Offside Rules and Own Goals

renbo — Wed, 29 Apr 2026 16:29:11 +0000

If you’d like to get 2026 World Cup tickets for your soccer-obsessed high school senior, possibly as a graduation present, FIFA has provided a set of straightforward guidelines. Simply proceed according to the following:

Ticket availability is subject to availability.

You may submit only one application, unless you’re eligible for a different application, in which case you may submit that one too.

To apply for tickets, first choose which draw to enter. That will depend on which tickets you want, which will depend on which draw you enter.

To prove you’re a fan of your country’s team, you must obtain an official, confidential access code provided by your country’s soccer organization. Stating that you are a fan of that team will also work.

If your association uses an access code, enter the access code where it says to enter the access code, at which point your association — which gave you the code — will appear on screen, confirming you are affiliated with the association from which you received the code.

“Conditional Supporter Tickets” are tickets to games that may not happen, for a team that may not be in the tournament, that may or may not be issued to you at all.

If your team loses, FIFA will kindly refund your money for the games they’re no longer playing in — minus a $10 fee for the inconvenience of giving you your money back.

Year 18, week 42 photos

renbo — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 03:06:00 +0000

Glimpse of the future

renbo — Thu, 23 Apr 2026 15:43:00 +0000

Lurking in the corner of Rollie’s room, still freshly wrapped in plastic and awaiting its first use sometime late this summer: one extra-large duffel bag, suitable for packing a teenager’s clothes when bringing them to college.

With Rollie’s official commitment to Clark University soon to occur, this event looms larger than ever.

Year 18, week 41 photos

renbo — Mon, 20 Apr 2026 21:39:42 +0000

Party favors

renbo — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 14:04:00 +0000

Applying to college makes for an onerous, anxious time for a student and his parents … but just look at the free swag that starts to arrive, once you get in! Flags, pennants, stickers, clothing and coffee mugs, in addition to all the glossy brochures; it almost makes you glad you paid up to $85 for each application.

*Not pictured: a winter hat from Clark and a fleece blanket, promised by Franklin & Marshall.

Year 18, week 40 photos

renbo — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 03:59:00 +0000