UPDATE: At last 50-something Deaf actor/director lands a lead role in mainstream Hollywood film and earns high praise including a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award — I have been following Troy Kotsur's acting career for close to 20 years — since I first interviewed him for a newspaper article when he was directing high schoolers at the California School for the Deaf in Fremont in a play titled “The Three Musketeers, All Swash, No Buckle.”

ALS Took Singer/Songwriter Joe Mersch, But He Left Us His Music When a friend from high school passes away, it’s a shock to the psyche. “Oh, crap, someone my age is gone!” It’s difficult to process, but as with any loss, you accept it and move on while holding on to memories. Today, there’s a celebration of life for my classmate…

A Eulogy for My Mom Thank you for being here today. (July 16, 2023)

US Supreme Court and the Conservatives are about to Father so Many Avoidable Tragedies A long, long time ago when I was first out of college and trying to make some money as a freelance writer, I got wind of a potential feature story via a Sears furniture salesman named Mark. Mark was an older dude who seemed to be longing to get out…

I spent the last week doing all this “stuff” to prepare for an elective medical procedure. I even called my insurance company (that I get through work) to confirm I had coverage on Thursday. I had the procedure on Monday. All went well. However, when I arrived home, still groggy…

And how this writer deals with near-constant rejection The life of a writer is near-constant rejection. Jack London’s Martin Eden — a novel about “writers’ frustration with publishers” — was great for me to read when I was a young writer. (Actually, I still feel like I’m a young writer even though my resume says “senior writer.”) The…

Some worry about the virus or drinking too much, I worry about talking too much As the pandemic restrictions end in the US and many businesses invite/request/demand employees back into office buildings and workplaces, there’s a lot of issues to consider — including how one appropriately and safely greets their coworkers now. Personally, I worried about meeting my new coworkers in person for the first…

When my daughter and son-in-law got married, I had the honor of making a speech and toasting them. Now, on their fourth wedding anniversary, I thought I’d share my words here as a reminder of what a fantastic day it was and what a fantastic couple they are. Hello, I’m…

Obviously, no. Recently, I started working a new job and because America is stupid, I had to give up my long-term association with a health care institution and find a new doctor in a new medical organization to get covered by my new company’s health insurance. Little did I know that the…