Thunderbolt

On Tuesday night I attended the Patty Griffin concert at the Wiltern Theater. One of the songs she performed that night was "Be Careful," a song that I featured in the Basement Songs column back in 2009. I love this song and it always reminds me of Sophie.   When I wrote this piece Sophie was still a little girl. Now she's entering high school and I couldn't be prouder. It's a bittersweet feeling, though. She's growing up, and soon, oh so very soon, she won't need her dad any more.  Since the day we moved into our house, I have regularly snuggled my daughter Sophie for about 10 minutes before she goes to sleep at night. When she was younger, it was to help ease her fears over the creaks and rattles of her room when the lights were off. As she got older, this routine turned into an opportunity for the two of us to catch up on our days. I found out about how school was for her, and Sophie asked me questions about my job.  For the past year I have tried to en...

One of the downfalls of my writing nature is that the moment I get caught up in a project something else gets neglected. I began writing two new scripts in the past month and the blog took the hit. Sorry! However, I left with a strong post for people to mull over. Great Strides is less than a months away and I hope those of you reading this book blog will take the time to consider donating. Exactly what have I been up to? Glad you asked. First of all, on the book front, I've entered Basement Songs into a couple of indie book contests. Not sure how it will do, but I hope that those who read it might pass it along to a friend. I also continue to query about reviews for music magazines and blogs. Elsewhere, I've started the work on a new series for Popdose. It doesn't have anything to do with basements, but there is music involved. When it gets closer to the premiere I'll let everyone know. The scripts I'm working on have nothing to do with each other. One is a teen d...

It's difficult to put into words how I feel about Friday's tragedy. I was at work when the news broke in Los Angeles, and the busy events of that work day suppressed any anger, sadness and fear that I had. It wasn't until just a few minutes ago, with Sunday winding down, that it all came out. I just want to cry and punch something at the same time. When something of this magnitude happens, all I want to do is grab my children and wrap them in my arms. To have either Sophie or Jake ripped from my life would devastate me, as I'm sure it would do any parent. My thoughts and prayers go out to those grieving families in Connecticut. The world is with you, not that that will bring you any comfort anytime soon.

After the degree of rancor we've lived through these past six months, I think it's time to take a deep breath and remind ourselves that we live in a country that allows people to express their opinions and practice democracy. No matter which way you voted, I think we all must agree that Patty Griffin has one of the most heavenly voices in music. Here's a song to get you through the day. BTW- in this video, she's singing with Emmylou Harris, Buddy Miller and Shawn Colvin. Man, I wish I could have seen that tour! Aloha