What My Kids Taught Me About Parenting

My boys from 2009. There is no manual on how to be a parent. So most of us wing it by using what we learned from our own parents growing up. My parents were very traditional - Mom was the homemaker and caretaker, Dad was the breadwinner and disciplinarian. So basically, Mom was good cop,...

Hiding in Plain Site

Power Poles. We see them every day and yet we don’t. They are an invisible zipper along the highway as if holding the two halves of the world together. Some days I try to follow them to see if they ever end… but they never do. And as I watch them stretch to the horizon,...

How I found my place in music

I've been around music all my life. My dad was a jazz guitar player and all my older brothers play instruments too, so it's no surprise I got into it. Growing up I learned piano, guitar, drums and bass. I played in several bands and even wrote my own songs. My dad also had a...

Everything happens for a reason

Many things in life seem unexplainable. Like this, for example. The city just spent a bunch of money putting these in and I'm not sure why. I mean, there's probably a valid reason - at least I hope so. But then again, maybe not. Maybe some things happen completely at random with no reason at...

I Did Not Cry When My Dad Died.

The last picture of Dad before he died, dropping me off at the airport, December 4, 2006 My Dad died in 2006 and I wrote this shortly that. This is the abridged version. My goal with this was to capture the story so I would never forget as my memory fades. The Story of Dad’s...

So what have I learned?

A little while ago, I decided to change the pace of my blog. Instead of posting short vignettes about the world, I thought I'd try something different. After all, I have thoughts and opinions and that's what a blog is for, right? So I decided to branch out and try some new things, like some...

The truth is we no longer know the truth

I can’t look at the news anymore. Even the local news is getting bad. I used to read the paper and watch the nightly news regularly. I used to chuckle at the antics of those we've elected to govern us. I used to smirk at the propaganda, and the yelling, and the grandstanding, and the...

Everyday people are the real heroes.

By now everyone has heard about the feud going on in Florida between Disney and the Government right? If you haven’t heard about it, then I think I can rightly say: What planet have you been on? Now, I am not writing this to weigh in on who is right (Disney) and who is wrong...

How I became the hero of my own movie

We've all watched those 'zero-to-hero' movies.  You know, the ones that start out with some kid who's a total loser. He's ugly, or a dork, or a nerd, or clumsy, or shy, or all of the above. He gets picked on a lot, is terrible in sports and overall just a waste of space. And...

Everyone is yelling but no one is listening

When it comes to personal beliefs, I have a live-and-let-live mentality. As long as people are good citizens and don’t hurt each other, they can believe whatever they want. I accept that others do not have the same beliefs as me. In fact, sometimes I appreciate it. I like having discussions with people who think...