Trump pushed to have the guy pictured here, David Pecker, at the helm at Time magazine: “David Pecker would be a brilliant choice as CEO of time Magazine—nobody could bring it back like David!” Trump wrote. “He’d make it exciting and win awards!” Currently, Pecker is the chief executive of American Media, Inc., which owns the …
When I was a kid, orchards, ranches, and barren land were within walking distance from our house. Nowadays, it’s hard to find any of these things in my hometown of San Jose. In those days, signs like the one you see here were all over the place, and the message was pretty clear: Stay off …
It was often horrifying to visit my grandma’s house. Not in the sense that I didn’t want to be there. I enjoyed visiting very much. It’s where I got to see and play outside with my cousins, eat tasty food — including homemade tortillas, and learn a little Spanish. My parents, and the other adults …
About a day ago, I ran into an old friend. He’s pictured on the right. He, and the other person pictured here, don’t have much in common. The person on the left is short. My friend on the right is tall. The person on the left is a former actor. My friend on the right …
If the numbers 22, 70, 71, 81, or 63 don’t mean anything to you, my guess is that you probably haven’t spent any, or much time on our local buses, like I have. Today I rode the 27, 64, and 81. When I was 15 years old, I caught bus 63 at 6:45 a.m., and …
When someone says, “They don’t make shows like that anymore,” believe them. If I had to choose one show — in my entire life — that was unlike any other, Creature Features was it. A few weeks before my fourth birthday, Creature Features debuted with the 1964 horror film, The Horror of Party Beach, on …
Young people today repeat what prior generations often said: “It was different back then. Times have changed.” I’m certainly guilty of saying this to my parents, and I’ve often been on the receiving end of this statement — especially over the course of this year. (I guess that’s what happens when you turn 50.) Sometimes …
In the summer of 1977, I met a boy named Vick at the grand opening of the original Chuck E. Cheese’s in the Town & Country shopping center in San Jose. We, and other kids, were there with our parents for some pizza, soda, and fun. Back to Vick in a moment. Pizza Time Theater, …
Life is such that we cross paths with people just about every day whom we’ll never see again. Imagine how many missed friendships, missed relationships, and missed connections occur on a daily basis. If you subscribe to the belief that everything happens for a reason, then perhaps missed connections don’t matter. The second smallest child …
The most influential and rewarding educational experience of my childhood followed an extremely tumultuous time in my life. When I was in the fourth grade, my parents decided to make the painful decision to separate. While I didn’t know it at the time, as I look back, I believe that my less than stellar performance …