This July 4th, I'll be sitting on a beach in Westhampton, NY, looking out at the Atlantic Ocean, and, as I do so, my thoughts will be on those things that represent the holiday to me: America's independence, fireworks, hot dogs, and the movie "Jaws." What? "Jaws" is a July 4th institution? Absolutely. The film is… Continue reading Jaws (1975): A July 4th Celebration
Category: Blog
Pilot Episodes: How I Met Your Mother (And Why The Show Was Better than Friends)
About a month ago, I published a column that looked at the pilot episode of "Friends," a hugely popular show about a group of friends living in New York City. Today, we're looking at the pilot for "How I Met Your Mother" (hereinafter "HIMYM" to save my fingers from typing strain), a hugely popular show… Continue reading Pilot Episodes: How I Met Your Mother (And Why The Show Was Better than Friends)
Spinning and Mindfulness
When I relaunched this blog a few months ago, I had a few intentions: 1) publish a new article each week, 2) cover topics that interest me (and hopefully others), and 3) have fun. I have not always been able to meet the first goal, but I have been pretty consistent with the second and… Continue reading Spinning and Mindfulness
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989): Father’s Day with the Jones Boys
This Father's Day weekend, we're taking a look at a movie classic where a father/son relationship is a key component. There are plenty of great movies from which to choose, movies such as "Kramer vs. Kramer," "Nothing in Common," "Field of Dreams," or "The Road" (if you really, really want to feel bummed out). Today,… Continue reading Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989): Father’s Day with the Jones Boys
Silliness, Meaning, and “The Nearness of You.”
In my last Nerdy Dad article, I confessed to being a life-long geek for sci-fi, fantasy and superhero stories. There are a number of reasons that I love these types of stories. Obviously, I enjoy that each genre story presents a reality that is not our own, by small or large degrees. Whether it's a… Continue reading Silliness, Meaning, and “The Nearness of You.”
Weezer (and Toto) Save My Morning
I awoke this morning feeling a little down and tired. My son Ben had woken me up several times in the night and, by 5 a.m., had made his way into the bed my wife and I share. At 6:45, I roused my eldest daughter Maggie up from bed and shuffled downstairs to make her… Continue reading Weezer (and Toto) Save My Morning
Pilot Episodes: “Friends”
One of the benefits of streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hulu is that you can easily check out early episodes of television shows to recall what the shows were like at their beginnings. The first episode is often a "pilot" created as prototypes for the television series being pitched to networks. Most of… Continue reading Pilot Episodes: “Friends”
Writing: The Creative Loop, Hemingway and Fecal Matter
Five years ago, I came across the following tweet: At that point, I was ony a novice writer (and I probably still am), but I instantly recognized each step of the process, especially steps 3 and 4. I am very familiar with those steps. (Sigh). As you may gather from the tweet, the creative process… Continue reading Writing: The Creative Loop, Hemingway and Fecal Matter
Site Update
I've made some cosmetic changes to the site, such as changing the colors, adding some ads (let's see if I can make some pennies at this) and adding a link to the right to make it easier to follow this site. Click on it, enter the password and you'll get email notifications when I post… Continue reading Site Update
Joyland: A Sentimental Ride with Stephen King
Sentimental [sen-tuh-men-tl]: adjective expressive of or appealing to sentiment, especially the tender emotions and feelings, as love, pity, or nostalgia: characterized by or showing sentiment or refined feeling (Definition, courtesy of dictionary.com). As I’ve grown older, I have learned that, deep down, I am a sentimental guy. Well, at least somewhat. I don't tear up while watching commercials,… Continue reading Joyland: A Sentimental Ride with Stephen King
Making It Up As I Go 