now more than ever
My girlfriend Angie and I recently purchased annual passes to Disneyland, so these last few weeks we’ve probably spent more time in the park than in all my previous visits combined. Each time we go I’m amazed at how many people there are–crowds and crowds of people spilling over every walkway and through every threshold. … Continue reading People-Watching on the Disneyland Railroad
It's been a few weeks since MauiTime published what's probably the most surreal story I've ever written. Written to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the mysterious, still officially unsolved crash of Pan Am Flight 7, it also revealed unexpected connections between me and the aircraft's then-26-year-old Flight Engineer, Albert Pinataro (my first cousin once removed). … Continue reading My story’s done, but the ‘Romance of the Skies’ is still giving up a few secrets
It didn't surprise to me to see that Playboy announced that Hugh Hefner, its founder, longtime publisher and self-appointed icon of modern maleness, died of "natural causes" at the age of 91 (click here for his obituary in the Los Angeles Times). The phrase brought back bitter memories from 15 years ago, when I criticized … Continue reading Remembering the only time I ever partied with Hugh Hefner
So last month I wrote a short film. Okay, a short custom video. It's a comedy about, well, custom videos. Let me back up. Recently I listened to journalist Jon Ronson's excellent podcast The Butterfly Effect, which explores the ramifications of websites like Pornhub inundating the internet with free (i.e. stolen) porn films. The podcast … Continue reading Here’s what happened when I decided to write one of those custom adult videos
I don't often write about my parents, who died many years ago (my mom in 1994, my dad in 2007), but given that I just turned 45, I find myself thinking of them more than usual. I got rid of A LOT of old stuff after my dad died (my sister, thankfully, saved a bit … Continue reading That time my mom tried to make me a Gerber baby
It's finally happened: Event Horizon Press has published my third novel, titled Pau Hana Time. You can find it right now in paperback at Amazon (click here to buy it). An e-book version is coming soon, which will also be available at Amazon. This was a far more difficult novel to write than I originally … Continue reading Why I dedicated my new Maui novel ‘Pau Hana Time’ to my friend Chris
The enslavement of Africans and African-Americans. The Pequot War. The Olowalu Massacre. The Trail of Tears. The Mexican War. The Civil War. The Sand Creek Massacre. Wounded Knee. I've seen this Feb. 9 Vox.com post from Ezra Klein, titled "The rise of Donald Trump is a terrifying moment in American politics," a few times already in my … Continue reading Donald Trump is scary because America is scary
It's hard for me to believe that the Space Shuttle Challenger blew up 30 years ago today, killing all seven astronauts aboard. I was in the 8th grade when it happened–at Katherine Edwards Middle School in Whittier, California–and my first reaction upon hearing other kids talking about it was that it was BS. But when I walked into … Continue reading UPDATED: Remembering the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger disaster
For me, remembering the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist hijackings and attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon means remembering my friend Chris Atencio. My Newport Beach, California neighbor and close friend at the time, it was he who woke me up that morning to tell me what was happening (he didn't own a television, but … Continue reading Remembering when I first remembered the 9/11 terrorist attacks
I usually reserve this space for something pithy or maybe an update on my novels, but right now it seems more fitting, more necessary, that I just write out some feelings. The massacre at the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston on Wednesday night has been on my mind a lot, and I just feel the need to get … Continue reading Why would anyone love America?
