Author: brian
Danger on the Streets
I often poke fun at people who try to portray Hanover as a dangerous community. I mean, it’s not Mayberry, but the reality is that as long as you don’t look for trouble, you usually won’t find it. I often…
A Different Dream
Seventeen years ago, I daydreamed about what my daughter’s life would be like. As we anticipated her birth, I would think about what she would accomplish in life. I generally focused on what sport she would pick and how she…
Random Thoughts on “Hairspray Live”
Random thoughts on Hairspray Live: I have never seen the show or the movies – only listened to the music — so it was cool to actually see a production The interludes and commercials are annoying, but I imagine if…
Book Review: The Boys Are Back
Growing up a sports-obsessed teen in the early 1980s, I have distinct memories of the Dunbar basketball team. I never saw them play in person, but I read dozens of stories about them (Baltimore had three daily papers back then,…
No Turning Back
I have spent years with one philosophy – cable TV is not the devil. Some people I knew would brag about how few channels they had, and I would point out all that they had missed. I defended cable prices…
Closing the Loop
I don’t know why I did it. Several years ago, I started to watch Friday Night Lights on Netflix. I wanted to understand the inside jokes I heard from family and pop culture. I wanted to feel the power of Coach Taylor. I…
Part of the Club
I love The Breakfast Club. The movie came out during my junior year of high school. I was a wrestler (and can dissect the strengths and weaknesses of the portrayal of a high school wrestler ad infinitum). I could identify in…
You Get a Trophy! You Get a Trophy! You Get a Trophy!
I tried to resist, but I had want to weigh in with an alternate view on the kerfuffle about participation trophies for young athletes, sparked by NFL player James Harrison taking these kinds of trophies away from his 8 and…
A Fable Worth Re-Telling
Thirty years ago, R.E.M. released Fables of the Reconstruction. The album has taken almost mythic qualities among the band’s canon over time, mainly because no discussion can avoid the problems the band had during the recording process. In short, they were…
Goodbye, Gulfhaven
I will lose a friend tonight. Actually a bunch of friends as Cougar Town broadcasts its last episode. Go ahead and make fun. I have heard all the jokes. The ones about the bad name. The ones about the quality…