Thunderbolt

Easter weekend and it still isn't getting any easier with our issues of breather anxiety. There has been so much resistance and anger recently. Julie takes the brunt of it, which I'm sure accounts for the tension she's feeling in her neck and shoulders. I've tried reasoning and keeping my anger in check. I hate when she gets yelled at. But what is J to do? He's nine. He's acting out and voicing his feelings in the only way he knows how to. Afterward he feels so guilty and there are so many tears. Lost a of tears, lately. I feel the tension, too. Last night I felt like I'd been hit by a f'n truck and was ready for bed by 10:30. Maybe I'm just getting old. Still, it's been a long time since I've gone to bed before 12:00 on a Saturday night when I didn't have a run the next morning. We went to church this morning and I felt a sense of relief during the service. I can't say that I'm a religious man, but I am spiritual and this morning...

I've had a difficult time writing these past few weeks. It seems that every time I click on Facebook or check out one of hte posts my colleagues have written for Popdose I find myself sinking. So much of what I read sounds so much more interesting that what I have to say. All of these friends of mine on Facebook. I check in on their little blurbs of life and feel like I have nothing to contribute. It doesn't help that my body is fighting me and I can't get up and run in the morning. Without that extra jolt of adrenaline in the a.m., I feel thinks slipping away into a haze. I'm working on it, thought. I just have to push through this malaise. I've been in this situation before and it became a very dark time in my life. Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming.

So far its been a pretty good week in Malchusville. First of, an interview I did with the BBC has gone live on their website for a week. The link is here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/ programmes/b008mj7p Last winter, after I wrote a Basement Songs column for Popdose about Aaron Copland's Appalachian Spring , (the link: http://popdose.com/basement-songs-aaron-copland-appalachian-spring/) I was contacted by Rosie Burton, a producer for BBC Radio, who was doing a piece on the tune, "Simple Gifts." Having read my column, she asked for my participation in her project and in January I was interviewed. I don't know how I wound up on a program featuring Woody Guthrie's daughter reflecting on how her parents met, but it was quite an honor. I hope people check it out. I listened to it this afternoon and I thought I sounded awkward and stilted. You be the judge. Other news down the pipeline is that Wendover, the comic I co-wrote with Jeff Marsick (the link: http://www.wendoverproj...

It wasn't my intention to watch the last two Best Pictures within a span of three days, but it happened. The King's Speech , which I saw on Saturday night, is a superb film that has two wonderful messages of perseverance and hope. Colin Firth well deserved his awards. Geoffrey Rush was also deserving of his accolades. His role was less flashy, but it was essential to the film and essentially a second lead part. Unfortunately, awards this time of year are rarely handed out to performances that are just good acting. There has to be flash or starvation or wigs and heavy makeup. I like Rush and shouldn't complain, though. Would he have even been in this role if he hadn't won his own Academy Award? And what did he win the award for? Well, for playing a mentally ill piano player which was all... flash. I haven't seen The Social Network, so I can't be a judge as to which film is the "best" picture. But I've reached a point that I don't care. Any mov...

Hello again, It’s that time of the year when we once again reach out to our friends and family to help support us in our quest to find an end to cystic fibrosis. Each year, our family walks in Great Strides, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s 5K Walk-A Thon, in support of our son, Jacob, now nine-years-old, and all people who suffer from this life threatening illness. As you may know, Cystic fibrosis is an inherited chronic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system of about 30,000 children and adults in the United States (70,000 worldwide). A defective gene and its protein product cause the body to produce unusually thick, sticky mucus that clogs the lungs and leads to life-threatening lung infections. It also obstructs the pancreas and stops natural enzymes from helping the body break down and absorb food. Because of the illness Jacob, must sit through at least two daily breathing treatments and take an assortment of oral medications, including enzyme pills with each meal. We’...

It's been quite some time since I've written a blog entry here at thunderbolt, I fear that I've questioned what worth I have in adding my voice to the blogosphere. Anything I wanted to get out of me usually wound up in the Basement Songs posts over at Popdose, so what else could I really say? Today I have wonderful news I want to share. This week the Cf Foundation made a reamrkable announcement that has spiked the hope of every CF parent. I'd rather give you a link to the NY Times article than to try and explain it myself. So here it is: http://prescriptions.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/23/vertex-says-cystic-fibrosis-drug-helped-patients-breathe-easier/ Pretty exciting! Another reason I haven't written much has been my efforts to get my first novel complete. After two years of writing, though, I sent it off to NY in hopes that it will get read by a publishing company and stir up some interest in my skills as writer. With the manuscript out in the world, it seems like ...

One of the reasons I've been so reluctant to add new posts is the spam comments I've been receiving on thunderbolt. I haven't figured out how to delete them, so I guess I'm doing a service for any of my ten readers who are into Asian porn. Enjoy! Yesterday I decided to run 6.5 miles to determine whether I might be able to handle a half marathon in November. I have been thinking about running the Santa Clarita half for a couple of weeks. I need some sort of goal. Lately I've been feeling kind of down about myself and the lack of things happening in my professional career. Suddenly it hit me that maybe what's missing is that physical drive that keeps me motivated to get up every morning to run. Thus, entering a race came to mind. For over a year, now, I have wanted to challenge myself to run a half marathon, and by run I mean not doing a run/walk method. I mean I want to see if I can run without stopping. That's my goal and yesterday when I finished 6.5, which...