Soul Surfer

In April 2005, my wife and I were bodysurfing on a beach in Kauai when a bunch of kids paddled out on their boards. The water was clear, clean, aquamarine, and the wind was down, so the surface was glassy and smooth. I was jealous, not having a surfboard with me, and thinking about the fact that these kids probably just got out of school and ran straight to the beach for a surf. Not a bad life. Anyway, there were girls and boys out on their boards, and one of them was paddling a little strangely. Something just didn't seem right about the way she was pulling through the water. It hardly stopped her, though: A nice, waist-high wave rolled in, she turned, jumped to her feet, and coasted our way.

That's when we saw the stump and realized this was the famous local girl, Bethany Hamilton. A year earlier, she'd been surfing at this very beach when a shark attacked her, biting off her arm. Now she was back, playing in the surf with her friends, clearly fearless. Needless to say, watching her surf was an incredible experience. Even with one arm, she was probably the best one out there.

She also has a book out now, and a movie coming out this weekend. Scholastic Book Talk posted an interview with her the other day. It's a good one, but this quote stood out above the rest:

BT: If you could go back to that day and choose not to go surfing, would you?

BH: No. If I could go back to that day, I would go surfing. It may seem like such a terrible thing that happened, but I can see now that there has been so much good that has come out of it. And I wouldn’t change that. Losing my arm was not the end of the world.

Michael Jackson Likes Zombies

A conversation in my house today between the daughters, aged three and five.

5: Michael Jackson had rides at his house and a real tiger. He LOVES kids.

3: No he doesn't. He likes Zombies. Taylor Swift loves kids.

5: No! Michael Jackson loves kids.

3: Well, so does Taylor Swift.

5: Maybe they both like kids.

They worked it out; I neglected to intervene.

I don't want a massage from you...

Normally I try to avoid basing characters on people very close to me, since that could get me into all kinds of personal trouble, but I do love turning random everyday interactions into fiction. Yesterday I had a run-in with a fit-looking, tall octogenarian with hearing aids, an Irish tweed cap, and a big pair of white sneakers he was probably only wearing because he had to. He was looking for the massage therapist down the hall from my office and I offered to help.

-I'm looking for Jennifer.
-I don't think she's in today.
-Do you work here?
-Right there, around the corner.
(This is mostly true; I mainly work at home, in the basement.)
-What do you do?
-I don't give massages.
-I don't want a massage from you. What do you do?
-I'm a writer.
-Yeah? What do you write?
-Books.
-Why do you need an office to write books?

This is a question I often ask myself. I gave my standard answer, though I don't really know if it's a truthful answer.

-I have kids at home and they're loud.
-OK. What kind of books do you write? Mysteries?
-No. A little bit of everything. Science, kids novels.
-Ah, good!

And with that he turned his big white sneakers down the stairs and left.

You Built What?!

Popular Science has a great recurring series called You Built What?! - I've been contributing for years, meeting some incredibly ingenious, creative people. Mostly over the phone, unfortunately.

A few recent highlights include the world's fastest dining room table, a hot rod powered by saws, and a radio flyer wagon that seats two, and is highway-legal. Check them out here.

The Truth About Santa is Spreading

The Truth About Santa is spreading! The book is out in the U.K. this year, and The Guardian just picked it as one of their top gift books for Dads this holiday season.

And here's a fun article I wrote for the SUNDAY EXPRESS that runs through the basic of Santa's operation. I've also written one about Santa and the future of education that should be published on December 24th.

Finally, Thane Burnett, a columnist at the Toronto Sun, wrote a great piece gathering a few different scientist's thoughts on Mr. Kringle. He also gathered a few bits from my own reporting on the issue, collected here as a list of Santa's top technological tricks.