Enjoying Life from the Best Seats in the House
My first exposure to Robin Williams was his big break – Mork & Mindy. I remember laughing because of the physical humor. I remember laughing because he made funny voices. I remember wanting rainbow suspenders. I remember identifying with Mork who always seemed out of place, and slightly out of touch, because he was an … Read moreTears of a Clown: My Thoughts on Robin Williams
It’s 3:23 in the morning. My family and I are making our way home from the airport. A few short hours ago, we were all in California saying goodbye to our close relatives after an extended visit; now, we’re back in Indianapolis. A light rain, just enough to make me turn on the wipers, is … Read moreA Long Ride Home
If I discover something that someone else already discovered, but that I had no knowledge of before, shouldn’t I be considered as equally intelligent as the person who saw it first? For example, I was looking out my classroom window, and I observed two large Canadian geese foraging for food on the school’s lawn. As … Read more7 Thoughts Too Big to Tweet and Too Small to Blog 2.9
So there I was… faced with the most primal of natural dangers: the highly-annoyed Western Diamond rattlesnake. My escape options were limited; I couldn’t back-up because of my hiking partner, to my left was a wall of scrub-brush and to my right was a steep cliff of several hundred feet. All I could do was … Read moreSnakes Alive!
Recently, the family, and I, spent some extra time in the airport. About 7 hours to be exact. Not the longest amount of time someone has spent in the airport, but it was challenging to say the least. And out of that experience, a list was born. I give you: 50 things you can do … Read more50 Activities for Delayed Flights
Tuesday was one of those days. My smile was a facade, it was there, but wasn’t as wide, or bright, or authentic, as it usually is. At one point my daughter even asked me why I wasn’t goofing around as much as I usually do. I was grumpy. I had a bad case of the … Read moreNever Leave Neverland
Almost 7 years ago I became a father. I still remember the swelling mix of feelings – love, pride, exhaustion and fear amongst others. I remember, vaguely, getting the car to pick up my daughter and my wife. My daughter. I was a father. Oh boy. The hospital stay was nice. Cozy. It was like … Read moreA Quantum Leap into Fatherhood
Now that I’m firmly entrenched in my middle-age years, I often reflect back upon my relationship with my dad when I was a young lad. As previously reported, my father, AKA Coach, was raised in a Midwest farming family and served in the marine corps, both as a combat soldier during the Korean War and … Read moreBrushing Up an Old Joke
Good books are more than stories. The lessons are like sage advice, and the characters become lifelong friends. I have taught The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (by Mark Twain) for many years now. Unfortunately, for me, we have a new book adoption next year and Mr. Twain’s humorous tale of a young boy’s adventure has … Read more7 Lessons for Life – From an Old Friend
So there I was… in a leaky rowboat up an ice-clogged river without a paddle. My sneakers were getting damp from the newly-discovered leak, but the amount of water that truly affected the rest of my life wouldn’t have filled an eye dropper. It all started as a normal day for a couple of twelve-year-olds … Read moreHow My Mom Drove Me Not to Drink