Tag: True Story

When We Were Kids Together

Posted under NOTEBOOK

My son launches into a cackling spell befitting a dictator watching an enemy fall. Or, at the very least, bellowing as any genius villain would in a James Bond flick. Finn has a great laugh. Even when it’s forced, the wind flies from his lungs and I get the impression he’s letting the whole world […]



Way Way Back in the Day

Posted under NOTEBOOK

With a cast that thrives when charged with carrying a story without the aid of giant robots or zombies, “The Way Way Back” acts as a salve for those feeling bludgeoned by mid-air battles and fart jokes. It seems tailored for the indie film crowd. But, it also offers something else, something not seen in […]



The Charlie Brown Question

Posted under NOTEBOOK

“I going kill myself.” No sooner did it leave his lips than I pounced on his statement with a question. “Where did you hear that?” His little formative 3-year-old mind had already moved on to more fertile pastures, a grouping of Lego blocks for the moment. “Where did you hear that, Finn?” I didn’t want […]



Top 5 Fatherhood Songs of the 90’s

Posted under NOTEBOOK

I’m something of an audiophile. My father loved music. My mother loved it equally, but in more sentimental ways. So it’s no wonder I slowly gained the ability to listen to an album and know which three songs would be the band’s first, second and third singles. It became a parlor trick I used to […]



I Turn My Head for Just One Week

Posted under NOTEBOOK

I’ll never forgive myself. Or the Universe. I was gone for a week. Just one week! I’m in his room playing and he just said “those” instead of “dozes.” One Day Earlier Lugging my bags to the curb, I met my family with a mountain range of a smile set against the gray sky of […]



Where Do Callouses Come From?

Posted under NOTEBOOK

Finn and I walked through the park holding hands, like manly men often do, and spoke of the world. “Ambling” is probably a better description of how we proceeded but I’m in no mood to be poetic. I’ll leave that to the lonely, crying men. Having barely walked the long expanse of a trail leading […]



Living Man Declared Dead

Posted under NOTEBOOK

Lately, I’ve been trying to find humor in a world on the brink seriousness overload. So, I’m (re-)reading a lot of Kurt Vonnegut. I guess I’m busy trying to bury my head up to my neck like an ostrich, in books. They don’t actually do this. At all. You know you can trust someone who […]



He never let go of my thumb…

Posted under NOTEBOOK

The Noobie He’s only three years old. He’d never been trick-or-treating. So, it was excusable that Lucas was supremely deficient in the Clue Department when it came to Halloween. When I asked him what he was going to be, he put on his low, gruff serious voice and laughed, saying, “Ho ho nooooo, Daddy!” as […]



How To Announce Your Pregnancy & Keep Them Guessing

Posted under SNAPSHOTS

You should all know by now that taking us seriously can lead to disastrous results. You’ve already seen my birth announcement, right? Well, today I want to show you how I announced that my wife Avara was pregnant… and teach you how you too can create foolproof plan to trick everyone. It was April 1st, […]



Fear of Falling

Posted under NOTEBOOK

Sometimes, we don’t realize what we’re ACTUALLY afraid of until we experience that which scares us, like the fear of falling when you’re waking from a dream. As a younger man, I remember the first time someone asked me to hold their baby. I was so nervous and uncomfortable. Why did they ask me? I […]