A Death In the Family
My brother died recently, just 50 years old. I am saddened for his family – the three kids and the parents he left behind, yet I myself...
The Brave
Whether or not we want to admit it, we as parents have invisible fingers crossed somewhere in the back of our minds as our children grow....
Lucky Stars
I spent the last moments of 2004 outside the Valley, opting instead for the tranquil nothingness of Thousand Oaks, where my family...
Boy Meets Girl
My son, Emmett, was asleep in the backseat. We’d just spent the better part of the morning looking at trains in the sleepy old town of...
Chatsworth: Land of Opportunity
I owe it all to Chatsworth. Really, the main reason I’m here in Valley Glen right now is because of an April morning in 2001, when I was...
Northridge Nosh Addiction
“Eat. Eat.” No thanks. I promised myself I wouldn’t. “You gotta have something.” C’mon. You don’t even know. I’ve got a severe case of...
And That's the Name of That Tune
I was having dinner at Vitello’s in Studio City with my friend Max last week, and since we were practically at the scene of the crime,...
Never Forget
My heart went all aflutter a few weeks back after I read that a Van Nuys neighborhood not far from mine may soon be getting a historic...
Gimme Some Truth
I received an email from a relative after the election. It was the first time we’d spoken since I’d more or less hung up on him a few...
Halloween Horror Night
October 31, 1979 Whee! I wasn't moving, but my insides were twisting and turning like murky, post-shaving sink water tentatively...