True Art

Therage has subsided. Disneyland was delightful. It's amazing how little it's really changed over the years. (I miss the Journey Through Inner Space, though, but who doesn't?) We finished the day and then drove three and a half hours north up to my other sister's house. I don't intend to do any property damage up ... Read more

LA Traffic Makes Me Violent

Afterabout fifteen minutes on a Los Angeles freeway, I'm about ready to pound a paperweight into the side of my skull. I grew up in this stinking city, for the love of Imelda Marcos. Every time I come back, I expect to be awash in nostalgia, reflecting on the renewed promise of the City of ... Read more

How I Killed Howard Hughes

Myblogging may be a bit more inconsistent over the next few days, as we’re traveling as a family. The young’uns have no school next Monday and Tuesday, so we’re yanking ‘em out early to get in a mini-vacation. If you haven’t spent twelve hours in a car with five young children, then you haven’t lived! ... Read more

A VERY MANLY POST

All right, wusses. Nothing sissified today. Behold! Today is a celebration of all things MANLY. And I am a MANLY MAN. How manly? Let me count the ways. (Although this is, by no means, a comprehensive list.) I WENT BUNGEE JUMPING ONCE. Actually, I jumped three times in succession, and the third time was the ... Read more

Explaining Vouchers to an Eight-Year-Old

SoI’m driving my daughters to school, and my eight-year-old notices our next-door neighbor’s lawn sign urging a “no” vote on the upcoming voucher initiative. (It’s a bit silly for our neighbors to put up lawn signs, because we live on a cul-de-sac. But I digress.) My daughter then announces she’s opposed to vouchers, too. So ... Read more

Of Bach and Beavis

Youmight say my mother has a thing for classical music. All the time growing up, she taught private flute lessons out of our home. All her kids are gone now, but she still teaches. In fact, she has more students now than she’s ever had. Of both my parents, neither of whom is retired despite ... Read more

Defining Christianity

AreMormons Christians? With Mitt Romney’s presidential candidacy gaining steam, that’s a question that more and more people are asking. To many members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the question seems absurd on its face. Look at the name of the church, for crying out loud! Read the Book of Mormon, which ... Read more

Ever Been Stabbed?

Forthe past two years, I’ve been part of a non-profit company called Real Victory, which provides training in a cognitive behavioral model to probationers and parolees in the hopes of getting them to change their ways. I teach a series of six hour-and-a-half-long lessons over the course of six weeks that help people identify the ... Read more

Blind Dates and Beaches

An anonymous “Super Gay” commentator on yesterday’s entry insists you have to be “Mega Gay” to watch the movie Beaches all the way through. He’s only seen the first fifteen minutes, apparently. He’s “Super Gay,” but not “Mega Gay.” He is also wrong. I have, in fact, seen Beaches, and I remain decidedly heterosexual. ... Read more