When I was much younger, I met a psychic. It was a very interesting experience, to say the least. I did not intend to get a psychic reading or anything. It just sort of happened. My girlfriend at the time invited the friend of a friend over to my house to give me an acupuncture treatment, as my bad back had been acting up. I was glad to get the free treatment. I was not prepared for what I was to hear. After treating my back, this fellow took me for a walk, and proceeded to tell me everything about myself, things he never could have known, things I barely even admitted to myself....

I would have to say that the first time I decided to run a marathon, I didn’t know what the hell I was doing. First of all, I did it mainly to be supportive of my wife. She wanted to run a marathon and I encouraged her to do it. So I said I would do it with her. Now I like to think I’m a good husband and all, but I have to tell you, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Had I known, I might now have been such a supportive husband. We joined L.A. Roadrunners. Over 98% of everyone who trains with them finishes the race. They’re a great group. We trained for six months....

One day, back in the fourth grade, I was sitting in my seat as calmly as you please, more than likely drawing pictures in my notebook instead of diligently working in my grammar book, when the teacher brought one of the boys up and announced that the young gentleman was going to play guitar for us. I looked up to see Roy (yes, Roy—boys could be named Roy back then) standing at the front of the class with a white Fender Mustang electric guitar plugged into a small amplifier. Roy proceeded to play the surfing classic, “Wipe Out.” And that was it. From that moment on, I knew I was...

About thirty years ago, I performed at an open mic night at a local bar. I got a really good response. The manager of the bar kept motioning for me to do one more song after another. And when I finally finished, I got a good round of applause. Even if I do say so myself, I’ve always been good at putting on a show. Being able to play guitar and sing is one thing, but it doesn’t really matter if you are not entertaining. Let’s face it, the whole point of performing is to entertain. That’s why people come to see you. Anyway, I put on a good show, and after I left the stage,...

This last weekend, we went to a wedding out in Costa Mesa, which is only about 35 miles from our home. We got about 25 miles of the way there, when a little arrow pointing up lit up on our control panel. So my wife Becky asks me what that little arrow pointing up means. I didn’t know, so I started to frantically look through the owner’s manual of our ancient 1997 Volvo V90 wagon. Meanwhile, she pulled off the freeway at Westminster Boulevard and we pulled into a Chevron station. I discovered that the arrow indicated a fault with the transmission. And I suppose it was pointing up...

Like so many people who grew up during the sixties and seventies, I wanted to be a rock star. I wanted to play my music on stage surrounded by adoring fans. I wanted that thunderous applause. But like most folks, I had to let those dreams go. Life got in the way. I had soon had responsibilities. And I always felt a little sad about that, especially when some character in some movie would remind us to “follow our dreams” and to “never give up.” Easier said than done, I’d think. Then, when I got my first good computer and the internet was new and wondrous, I went on line...

There is a lot of controversy regarding bilingual education. We used to have a really good program in Los Angeles, until the voters killed it. Not that it was perfect, mind you. Here is how it worked. You taught the kids who spoke no English in their native language, gradually mixing in English, and gradually increasing the amount of English used until, by the fifth grade, the kids were speaking English all day. This allowed the kids to learn difficult subjects such as Social Studies, Math, Science, etc., in their native language. Imagine going to France and trying to study French...

I remember back when I was a kid. We were in the car on our way home from some place. My dad was driving as was usual. My mom knew how to drive, but she quit driving when I was about four because it made her too nervous. My father was not allowed to drive on the freeways when she was in the car. Anyway, there we were, stopped at an intersection, when a fellow riding a horse started to cross the street. Something must have spooked the horse, because it reared back and the rider fell off. There he lay in the middle of the street writhing in pain. My father immediately jumped out of...

When I was a kid, I used to like puzzle books.  You know the kind.  There would be the puzzle that showed six clowns that looked very much the same and then ask which one was different.  Or there would be the picture in which you were supposed to find various things.  Later on, I would come to love books of brain teasers, seemingly impossible puzzles to reason out, some of which required hours to suss out. I remember one puzzle in particular, regarding some pennies, that drove me nuts.  You have twelve pennies, one of which is counterfeit.  The fake coin is either heavier or lighter than...

I’m getting a little tired of conservatives calling America a “Christian” nation.  There is nothing Christian about it.  Our nation’s government was not founded by Christians, nor was it founded upon Christian principles.  And although the organized church has long held hands with the government, there is precious little in the practice of the organized Christian church that resembles the teachings of Jesus. Thomas Jefferson said in his autobiography concerning the preamble of the constitution, “Where the preamble declares, that coercion is a departure from the plan of the holy author...