Thunderbolt

I always enjoyed Memorial Day when I was in high school. The North Olmsted marching band would participate in a morning parade that commemorated the local veterans and featured a ceremony at the city park, located right around the corner from our house. While many of those Monday mornings from my teenage years were spent with bleary eyes, I took special pride in being a part of this parade. My Boy Scout troop also participated in the parade. Before high school, I marched with the troop, as well. During those years, even though I wanted nothing to do with the armed forces (I'm very anti-war), I still appreciated and respected the men and women who place(ed) themselves in harm's way to protect our country and our freedoms. I know it sounds corny to write sentiments like this, especially when Facebook was filled with the same kind of statements all day yesterday. But I want to add my voice to the masses. And if it's a day late, that's even better. We shouldn't have jus...

In case you missed it, I posted a review of the Gaslight Anthem/ Matt Mays I concert I attended back in April.  It appeared on Popdose and I don't want to repost it here because I'd rather people return to Popdose for material that is less than a year old.  I love Popdose so much and I want to see it continue to grow. Anyway, here's a link to the review. I haven't been to many non-Springsteen shows in the past 14 years. This one was exceptional. http://popdose.com/concert-review-the-gaslight-anthem-matt-mays-ventura-ca-42013/

I feel like this was a great Mother’s Day, but I’ll have to let Julie tell you that. Both of the kids sang in church this morning, and afterward Sophie made the family brunch. She’s becoming quite the cook.   She prepared biscuits (a favorite of hers to cook) and scrambled eggs. At her age I could barely make peanut butter and jelly for myself (occasionally with a slice of American cheese in the middle). I’m so impressed with the young lady she is becoming and the confidence she has in herself. Do I fret over her entering high school next year? Hell yes. It’s not her I’m concerned about, it’s the boys. I was a stupid teenage boy at one time. Hopefully the young male population has progressed in the thirty years since I was a freshman in high school. God, I hope so. We spent most of the day lounging around, watching TV. The temperature outside was 103 degrees! I’ve lived in L.A. nearly twenty years and I can’t recall a May when it was this hot. 103? That’s insanity. We went to an ea...

Today is Free Comic Book Day, which has become a tradition in our house. In honor of getting up early with my son and heading to our favorite local comic store, here is Basement Song post I wrote for Popdose in 2010.   Each year the movie industry tries to push up the start of summer by opening their big event movies earlier in the year.  Used to be that Memorial Day was the weekend that kicked off the season. Now it feels like mid-April is when the studios begin pushing their big blockbusters. Pretty soon it’ll be summer year round and the only way to see small indie films will be through video on demand or Netflix. For me, the summer officially begins the first Saturday of May. Throughout the country that day is Free Comic Book Day at the local comic shops. This Saturday, May 1 st , Jacob and I will head on over to Brave New World, the excellent comic store we frequent, getting caught up in the  zaniness the proprietors will serve up that day. Raffles, baked goods...

Last week was stressful, as the build up to Great Strides always is for me. The pressure of trying to make that fundraising goal, along with the preparations and the anticipation of friends and family coming together to find a cure for cystic fibrosis can become overwhelming. There were numerous times when I felt the spark to write. Each time this spark occurred something would come up. This is one week when I don't beat myself up over not being diligent about writing. This is one week when the only thing that matters is Great Strides. The walk was a great success. Our Valencia Great Strides had over 400 people in attendance and together we raised over $67,000 for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Team Jacob raised close to $7000 and our family surpassed our goal of $5000! The walk day is always emotional for the families. You are quickly reminded at how large your support group is and how many people care about your family and your child. I always appreciate that my parents drive in...