I See What You Meme

Me playing with Thomas in one of his last shows. Today I awoke to unimaginable news.  Thomas George, one of my fellow ComedySportz players and friends, died in his sleep last night.  Thomas was just a little bit younger than me.  I played in his last ComedySportz show on Friday night.  We were supposed to play together last night as well.  He never showed up at the theater.  I am shocked and sad.  Although I have mentioned ComedySportz (CSZ) a few times on my blog , I have never really talked about the impact it has had on my life in just one short year.  Roger and I stumbled upon CSZ through a Richmond Mom fundraiser.  We were invited by Kate Hall to participate as "guest performers" in November 2011.  We had such a good time with the two-day event, we decided to audition for the major league troupe last January.   I had no idea that we would make it into the troupe.  We really went to the auditions on a lark. ...

The terrible tragedy of Newtown Connecticut rocked our world on Friday.  Other than the initial headlines and President Obama's eloquent and moving address to the nation, I have avoided the mass media coverage.  I haven't even listened to NPR.   All I do is leak . I am sure it has probably already started. It probably started even before the final body counts and the identity of the shooter were known.   The question of WHY.   Here's the thing: we can ask all the questions we want. Journalists and pundits can debate these issues, dissect the facts, and hypothesize until they turn blue in the face. The simple truth is that there is no WHY.  We can question whether mental illness played a role in Adam Lanza's crime but there is no reason to do so.  Show me a similar incident in history when mental illness was not a factor.  People living in stability don't kill other people.  We can question whether more security at the school ...

The year is waning and yet everything seems to be ramping up, doesn't it? We always try to pack so much into a few weeks out of the year.  Sometimes I have to remember to slow down. This weekend, Roger and I had an opportunity for a road trip to Tiffin, Ohio. Never heard of it, you say? It's a small town in Northern Ohio, home to two private universities and a community of some amazing individuals.  Because of some of Roger's music connections, CJSTUF was selected as the beneficiary of Tiffin University's annual Holiday Concert at the Ritz Theater .  Roger also had a chance to perform as the "special guest" with the Jazz Vocal ensemble, singing, "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year".  ( Editor's note: he rocked!) Hey! Who's that famous author in the coffee shop ? During our visit, we had a chance to meet many people. We had a book signing at a local coffee shop on Saturday with front row seats for the Christmas Parade!  Eve...

Photo by Britt Reints We often hear the phrase love is blind . One interpretation of the phrase is that when we are in love, we see past the other person's weaknesses.  We overlook their iniquities, usually to a fault.  This does not last. We can ignore and avoid those silly annoyances for a time, but if left out there in the open, resentment of some sort usually sets in. We want the other person to change.  The truth in science suggests that there is a certain amount of blindness in the euphoria of a new relationship but that finding our perfect match involves all of the senses and quite a bit of discrimination.  We are biologically built to find a mate who will meet our needs, physically, emotionally, and socially.  Here is yet another view: when we find ourselves blinded by any challenge, we rely on our loved ones to support us and guide us through the darkness.  Although the blindness can be disabling, forcing one of our senses into isol...

This post is not about politics. But it is about Election Day. This was quite a week. We voted. Candidates won. Candidates lost. We said goodbye to political ads for another year or so.  It was a lot to take in.   Charlotte: Election Day 2008 With all the events of the week, my thoughts continued to return to Charlotte.  I thought about how she always went with us to the polls.  Four years ago, she braved the lines and the rain to vote TWICE; once with me and once with her dad.  On election night, Charlotte had long since gone to sleep but Roger and I stayed up till after midnight, watching history unfold.  In the morning, we told her that Barack Obama was our new President.  She could recognize his face in magazines and on television and would say, "That's Barack Obama. He's our new president." Who could have guessed that barely two months from that date, as the President took the oath of office, we faced a whole new world that we never ex...

This has been a heck of a week.  Lots of craziness ensued with the anticipation and aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, the monster storm/perfect storm/weather event that could not be stopped.  Schedules have been disrupted, property has been damaged, and lives have been changed.  The recovery begins. My Mountains In between the madness, I took a scheduled trip to Boone, NC.  The primary purpose was a guest lecture opportunity at my former alma mater, Appalachian State University .  One of my former professors is teaching a class on syndromes and wanted some assistance with the autism portion of the class.  When I agreed to do this back in June, I had no idea what this weekend would have in store.  Originally, the weekend was going to be a road trip with my mom.  Friday morning, she woke up with a head cold.  Given the potential for nasty weather as well as my mom's intolerance for cold, we thought it best for me to make the trip on my own....

It's been a crazy few weeks, as you might have guessed by my unintended hiatus.  The biggest news is that I was selected by Style Weekly, a local Richmond publication, as one of the 2012 Forty Under 40 .  It is quite the local honor and I am humbled to be a part of such an incredible group of men and women.  It has been very interesting, though, to be "recognized" by not just friends and family but seemingly random people who I barely know.  As Roger has said, I'm "fa-moose".  I guess that's better than notorious. I have still been writing. I attended a writing workshop led by Carol Henderson for the second year in a row. It was an inspirational and therapeutic experience. At some point, I will probably share a few of my musings as soon as I can "flesh them out" a bit.  There are also tons of thoughts in my little brain. If only I could get them out all at once! The speaking and signing events have been a little slow as of late; how...