1 of My Stories

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I have been a fan of the Karate Kid movie franchise since it was released in 1984. The first three films were frequently viewed and quoted by my entire family all through my childhood. And still, to this day, I don't think a family visit goes by without my hearing a Daniel-san or "wax on; was off" reference thrown in for good measure, no matter the context.

The New Karate Kid and the Jackie Chan reboot didn't make much of an impression. Let's face it -- "put on your jacket; take off your jacket" just doesn't have the same ring to it as "wax on; wax off." So when I heard a TV show called Cobra Kai would be released on Youtube, with both Ralph Macchio and William Zabka in the cast, I was tickled but fairly positive it would be stupid. After all, how can you hope to make any successful Karate Kid picture without Pat Morita as Mr. Miyagi?

To my dismay and delight, the show is amazing. It simultaneously pays homage to the original and…

This is part of my Solo Living: Yes You Can series. Click here to find the intro and all the topics.

Who doesn't love a good live music event? There's nothing quite like sitting on a grassy knoll on a blanket or lawn chair enjoying a perfect summer evening while indulging your ears in music that speaks to you. Well, let's face it, although outdoor summer concerts are great under the stars, indoor ones can be just as enjoyable with the right seats.

Experiencing a concert with one of your music soulmates, whether friend, shallow acquaintance, or romantic partner can be sweet. But what if you desperately want to grab tickets for an upcoming concert and you can't find a music buddy? For folks in a romantic relationship, more than likely, your special boo will go just to please you. As I have grown older, and my musical tastes have changed again, I find myself interested in seeing performers none of my friends are familiar with. Some of the things I have tried to avoid goin…

The Public, a new independent film directed by, written by, and starring Emilio Estevez, came out in select theaters in early April 2019. The film takes place in a public library in Cincinnati where many itinerant city dwellers spend their days making use of the facilities. On a particularly cold night, Cincinnati residents without homes decide to stage a peaceful protest by choosing not to leave the library at closing time, leaving city officials at a loss as to what to do.

Excited at the prospect of seeing a film set in a public library, I attended a screening of the film. Although the film contained some groan-worthy elements and perpetuated some librarian stereotypes, here's a list of things the movie The Public got right.

Crowds waiting for the doors to open. Although it didn't happen every day, many times I would look out the window before opening time and see a crowd of eager faces, ready to access all the library has to offer. It sometimes struck me as funny, seeing w…

This is part of my Solo Living: Yes You Can series. Click here to find the intro and all the topics.

My journey to buying my first house alone is a long meandering one, but it's worth telling and makes me proud that I was finally able to take the jump. Buying a house is one of those things that can seem daunting and impossible. The first step you have to overcome is just overcoming the negative thought in your mind that it's impossible. Once that bridge is crossed, it's really just a matter of putting the pieces into place. Often to reach this place, you have to reach a pain point where your current situation is so heinous and unbearable that the pain and struggle of buying a house seems the lesser of the two evils. You might think of this as the tipping point, or the point of no return. It's the point where going back is harder than moving forward.

When I became an adult, I moved to North Carolina alone with no previous connections to teach at a private school. I was…

This is part of my Solo Living: Yes You Can series. Click here to find the intro and all the topics.

Continued from part 1. Although I was nervous to think about buying a home alone, the thought of continuing on my present track was unbearable. My thought track went something like this: I am turning 40 years old. I'm a working professional. I can't keep living like this. I had managed to pay off all of my school loans, and I knew plenty of other people who were now home owners and somehow managed, even though they made less money than me. But much of my block was mental. I always thought of buying a home as something you do when you are married and ready to settle down. I had heard you should not even think of buying a house if you weren't prepared to stay in it at least 5 years. I had never lived anywhere longer than 2 1/2 years.

At this point, a friend of mine gave me the name of a realtor. I called him and started asking questions, and the impossible began to seem possi…

Whether you call it Nordic Noir or a Scandinavian thriller, After She's Gone by Camilla Grebe does the job of creating that icy, chilly, somber mood that fans of this region's fiction love.

Ever since Stieg Larsson's iconic Millenium series came onto the scene, I have been fascinated with Scandinavian thrillers and books by non-Scandinavian authors that provide the same experience. After reading all of the Millenium books, I next read Tom Smith's brilliant novel, The Farm, where an adult son has to figure out which of his parents is lying to him about the other's intentions. It's a riveting novel that continues to linger in my mind as one of my most memorable reads.

Although I enjoy American thrillers such as Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn and The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn and British thrillers like The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins and anything by Clare Mackintosh, there's something about thrillers set in Sweden. Maybe it's the setting itself,…