If I had to go back in time and start a brand-new career, what would it be? That’s a fascinating question. And I’m not sure I have only one answer.

Ever since I could remember, I have always wanted a “creative” career, whether that was in art (I always wanted to draw cartoons—or even be a cartoon. More on that later) or music (learning an instrument and playing in a band like The Beatles) or becoming an actor for television and movies.

Perhaps, if I could go back in time, I might have pursued a career as an artist/illustrator or a cartoonist. As a young boy, when everyone went to bed, I would stay up into the early morning hours sitting at the dining room table with pencils, magic markers, and paper, just copying, freehand, the illustrations I saw in all the Mad Magazines I collected. That era of Mad Magazine featured some of the most talented illustrators and cartoonists, like Mort Drucker, whose specialty was caricature, and Don Martin, with unique, stylized characters in zany situations. Many other talented artists were contributing to Mad Magazine during that era, including Paul Coker Jr., Al Jaffee (the back cover fold-ins), Jack Rickard, Dave Berg, and Sergio Aragones’s “Drawn Out Dramas,” —little drawings that filled the margins of pages throughout every Mad issue. I was emulating each artist’s unique style, learning the economy of lines and shapes and how they went together to form an image. For me, it was like my own little master class in cartooning.

And then, I discovered The Beatles. I wanted to play music like The Beatles. If I could go back in time, I would seriously consider a career in music. I was attracted to drumming for some reason, and similar to copying Mad Magazine Illustrators, I copied Ringo Starr’s drumming that I heard on all those Beatles hits. My big sister was a Huge Beatles fan, and would play Beatles 45s for hours up in her attic dorm bedroom. I would sit at the bottom of the stairs and listen and drum with my hands on my knees, perfecting the timing and hand coordination to keep a beat. So, in a way, Ringo and other “British Invasion” musicians provided my masterclass in drumming. My parents couldn’t afford to buy me a drum kit, and I never had formal training except for a few lessons using a rubber pad and drumsticks. Later, as a teen, with the help of my friend, Ron, I learned to play his bass guitar after he started playing rhythm/lead guitar. Eventually, I played well enough to join a garage cover band with Ron and other friends and spent my teen years playing live music. It was during that time that I discovered I could just sit behind a drum kit and play, applying the techniques I learned by listening to Ringo. Of course, I was NOT Ringo by any stretch, and nowhere near as good as our drummer in the band, who is still, to this day, one of the best drummers I’ve ever heard. I have since taken up music as a hobby, teaching myself guitar and even trying my hand at the keyboard, and writing, playing, and recording songs with the help of my computers.

If I could go back in time, I believe, if I applied myself totally to the craft, I would have been a successful full-time actor. I love the craft of acting, the ability to perform and entertain, to create characters for a living, and working with other like-minded, talented people would have been an incredible life. As I mentioned earlier, I either wanted to draw a cartoon or become one. Which meant if I couldn’t draw them, then creating and voicing cartoon characters was always a high goal as an actor. As a kid, I never watched Saturday morning cartoons to be entertained. I was intrigued by the characters. When I found out that Warner Bros. used only one actor, Mel Blanc, to create and perform nearly all of those lovable characters like Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Sylvester the cat, Tweety Bird, Foghorn Leghorn, and many more. Daws Butler was an actor who did the same for Hanna Barbera, giving life to Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound, Quickdraw McGraw, Snagglepuss, Dixie and Mr. Jinx, Cap’n Crunch, and on and on. However, I soon learned the full-time job of being an actor requires total commitment to practicing the craft every day, acting classes, seeking employment through auditions, dealing with constant rejection, supplementing an income with other temp jobs (waiting tables, part-time retail jobs, etc) in between acting gigs, in reality, was something I didn’t have the patience for. And besides, as a young actor, I wasn’t particularly good-looking or photogenic, which was a big deterrent at the time.

In my actual career in radio, being a good communicator was mandatory, but being an actor in radio was extremely helpful. And fun! The acting skills and techniques I learned from watching TV, movies, and more specifically, cartoons, have been applied to my job in broadcasting and voice acting for over 45 years. My daily job was on-air DJ or “radio personality,” but I was also able to carve out a rewarding career as a voice actor. Through the years, I was also able to perform in lots of community theater productions to hone my skills as an actor and have the joy of entertaining a live audience. Today, although retired from the daily radio broadcasting world, I continue my career behind the microphone as a voice actor, with a few acting jobs in short films and TV commercials along the way. I have spent 45 years voicing local and national radio and TV commercials, industrial narrations, promos for national TV stations, satellite and internet radio, and yeah, even a few animations. It’s been a rewarding career that I am so grateful for. No fame or fortune, just a fulfilling experience using all the self-taught skills and techniques I learned in a lifetime of art, music, and creating characters, in a full-time career that I would go back in time and do all over again.

For my 70th birthday this year, my daughters gave me a Storyworth subscription. On this website, the “storyteller” (the person telling their story) receives an email with a question (writing prompt) to answer. Storyworth Memoirs are designed to make it easy to turn your memories into a memoir your loved ones can cherish forever. I think it’s a great gift and I’ve started the memoir ball rolling with the first question: What’s your favorite holiday tradition? Where does it come from?

What’s my favorite holiday tradition? Well…that’s a tough one as there have been many holiday “traditions” through the years, with new ones being adopted as our children grew into adults and we welcomed grandchildren into the mix.

For me, Christmas was always a special time. My birthday lands exactly a week before Christmas, and the holiday decorations and twinkling lights always make my birthday feel unique and extraordinary. And there’s music! All the Christmas tunes, both old and new, invigorate and brighten the mood for that oh-so-limited amount of time before the “big day”… although my wife believes the limited time for Christmas music isn’t limited enough. When I was a kid, there were several times I received just one gift from family or friends that covered both occasions and, even though I was grateful for the gift, it was kind of a bummer. Still, it never dampened my spirit and love of this magical time of year. As I grew up, the memory of sometimes receiving just one gift for my birthday and Christmas lingered and influenced how we celebrate the birthdays of two of our children who were also born during the holiday season. My wife and I make sure to celebrate their birthdays and Christmas as two special, separate events…as if their birthdays occurred in July.

As a boy, my extended Sicilian family of aunts, uncles, and cousins always gathered on Christmas Eve at my Nana and Nanu’s house. It was a large and loud party where I would get to hang out all night with my cousins. A delicious evening filled with comforting Italian food like sausage and peppers with onions, pasta with meatballs and sauce, and shrimp and charcuterie plates. Desert featured all kinds of traditional Italian Christmas cookies that you only got once a year. It was a night filled with excited anticipation for a visit from Santa, who made a special stop on his long journey around the world to hand out presents to the “cugine” and then be back on his way. It took us cousins quite a few years to figure out that our Uncle Joe was the one who facilitated Santa’s appearance at Nana’s house every year, which was always extra special and has remained the one-holiday tradition that continues to this day.

Over the years I inherited the hosting of our family Christmas Eve celebration, which is truly a blessing, wherever our home may be. Since we moved to California eight years ago, our celebration has been scaled down to our immediate but growing family. The traditional Italian food is still served, as are the traditional Italian cookies, which these days are store-bought instead of homemade. And it seems I have inherited more than just hosting duties each year, as Santa, in his bright red and white suit and sack of presents on his back, still makes a special visit to our Christmas party to hand out presents to the kids.

So, my favorite holiday tradition? The Christmas Eve celebration with my family, holiday lights and decorations all over the house, separate and special birthday parties, and that much-anticipated visit from Santa dropping by!

A Facebook friend posted an article on Corporate Price Gouging and how it isn’t true….corporations are NOT price gouging. S0, as suggested in the article, I looked it up and found a minimum of a dozen articles on the causes of inflation, price gouging, etc… written by sources or “experts” that spout facts and opinions that lean toward their particular ideology on either side of the political aisle! And then there’s this CNBC article:

It posits neither the Trump nor Biden administrations are responsible for inflation. So…who’s right? Look, I learned a long time ago that posting this political crap on a platform like Facebook or Threads or Twitter (I refuse to call it what Elon Musk named it) changes NOTHING! It only tends to further the division of friends and family on the platform. I ain’t voting differently because of reading a right-leaning, Trumpion ideological post. And if I post left-leaning articles stating the current economic conditions under Biden/Harris created more jobs, lowered unemployment, posted record-high stock markets, (Trump’s favorite metric), created infrastructure movement, and blah, blah, blah… making the USA economy the best it’s been in years and the best in the world (look it up)…you AIN’T voting for Harris. All these ideological Facebook posts only serve to earn us a virtual pat on the back and an “Atta Boy” from people who believe as we do. Or condemnation and mean-spirited, derogatory comments from people who disagree. But It doesn’t have to be this way.

I moved a lot in my career and made friends in different cities and states. Facebook helps us keep in touch with these now life-long friends. The person who posted the price gouging article I mentioned is a friend that I worked with for over 12 years and we kinda became a family during that time. I will always be interested in his family’s growth and all the info about their lives thathe shares. I was extremely concerned that he nearly lost his life due to accidental carbon monoxide poisoning…and so very happy he didn’t. And because of his experience, I agreed wholeheartedly with his campaign to urge folks to get carbon monoxide detectors (I have two.) After life took us in different directions, I was happy to learn on Facebook that he did stand-up comedy, and continued his career in radio—an industry that we loved, but didn’t love us back. I will always respect his beliefs in life, love, and yes, politics. But I learned through experience, that while it may feel cathartic to vent your political beliefs on Facebook, posting these political views on that platform—or any social media platform—won’t change a thing. It just creates more division in an already extremely divided country. A country that should be united no matter what! Hell, it’s even in our name: UNITED States of America!!

People will vote for their beliefs—as they should—no matter what political stuff I post here or on Facebook. But please know, your posts spouting political ideology won’t change people’s minds.

After 3 1/2 years of dodging it, “The VID” finally got me and my wife. Now, I have some comorbidities (gawd I hate that term) that made me at a higher risk for more severe symptoms of COVID, so when the vaccines came out, I did the smart thing and asked my doctor if it was right for me and also did my homework on the vaccines. I came to the conclusion to get the vaccine and all the boosters thereafter, knowing that it was safe for me to take. And I will definitely be getting the new booster that is coming out later this month as well. And I am SO glad we were vaccinated.

I had the distinct pleasure to not only have COVID but I was also diagnosed with pneumonia about a week before my positive COVID test. So, yes, I had pneumonia AND COVID at the same time. Sweet. However, I DID NOT have any of the symptoms associated with either disease; no fever, no chills, no body aches. Just a bad ass, very annoying cough that strained my stomach muscles, or what could be called my abs, which I didn’t know I had underneath all this belly flab.

A few years ago, I had a severe case of pneumonia that stemmed from the flu. At that time, the pneumonia knocked me on my ass! I had all of the symptoms; fever, chills, body aches, night sweats. It was so bad I had to have fluid drained from around one of my lungs…about two liters worth. So when the annoying cough started this time it was very reminiscent of that previous case of pneumonia, and not wanting to go through THAT again, I was proactive and had a chest X-ray which confirmed pneumonia. I was prescribed antibiotics and was good to go to fight it off. Then within the same week, I noticed I couldn’t smell–or taste–my morning coffee. And as Scooby Do would say: “Ruh-Ro!” So I took the home COVID test and there it was! I was pregnant! Uhhmmm…I mean…positive!

So my wife and I quarantined for 10 days and everything is getting back to normal. We were both amazed that my pneumonia and COVID were not as bad as they could have been. We are convinced that the vaccines kept us symptom-free for the most part. And I can’t be sure but they might have kept us out of the hospital as well.

Please beware of what Ron DeSantis or any of the outright lies those idiot MAGA republican cult members tell you about not getting a vaccine. THEY ARE POLITICAL ANIMALS, NOT MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS, only telling you what is in their political benefit. NO, there is no truth backed by science and common sense to what they are saying on social media, or FOX News for that matter, that the COVID vaccine, or any vaccine will harm you. NO, there are no “electrical nano micro-bots” embedded in the vaccine so the deep state government can track your every move! YES, you can get COVID even after being vaccinated. It was never meant to absolutely prevent infection, but as in my case, the infection isn’t as severe. YES, “it hasn’t been around long enough.” Scientists did develop the COVID vaccine in an incredibly short amount of time which Trump, the twice-impeached, 4-time indicted with 91 felonies, former “president” initially took credit for but has since reluctantly debunked because it was the political thing to do in both instances. However, it turns out scientists had a running start with viral technology and research that has been known and available for years According to a September 2021 story at AARP.org YES, side effects can occur in some patients but are only around for a day or maybe two (I was lucky and just had a sore arm from the injection.)

Look, I could go on and I’m sure those that oppose the vaccine could too. I am definitely NOT a medical professional (although I have played one on TV) but in my OPINION, based on my personal experience, I believe that the pneumococcal, flu and COVID vaccines kept me…and my wife…upright and out of the hospital. I just ask that you won’t be swayed, one way or the other, by social media hearsay on Twitter, Facebook, TikTok — or even a blog like this one. Now, that said, here’s the disclaimer:

Ask your doctor if any vaccine is right for you. Don’t take them if you are known to be allergic to any ingredients in the vaccines, or if you have legitimate questions about their safety. Be proactive and do your research with your own medical professionals and reputable medical resources to determine if vaccines are right for YOU.

And my time on the soap box is done!

This month, my 50th High School Reunion takes place back home in Cleveland. I really wanted to go but, unfortunately, had to make a choice financially. Now that I’m retired and living on a fixed income, I had to decide if I wanted to “vacation” in Cleveland for a week or go somewhere on an actual vacation. My wife and I have been back and forth from LA to Cleveland for the last couple of years dealing with the passing of my mother-in-law and cleaning out her home and getting it ready for sale.

This year, we decided to have a mini vacation in Chicago and visit our daughter and meet her new forever friend, her rescue dog, Glinda. We had a great time and lucked out with a terrific weather weekend in Chi-Town which can be very iffy in the spring. We got to take our grandboys to a White Sox game, with VIP tickets and treatment, thanks to my daughter’s wonderful friends.

We also decided another trip to Disneyland with the grandboys would be in order this summer, and we will welcome cousins from South Africa, whom I have never met before, for a visit to LA. All of these events cost some bucks, so we had to make choices about how we will spend our vacation funds this year.

I really will miss reconnecting with old high school friends. I mean, it’s been 50 years since I’ve seen many of them. It would be great to learn how their lives have turned out and what they’re doing today.

BUT 50 YEARS!!! Good-Googlie-Mooglie!! When you’re young, the thought of what life might be like when you’re 65 (or over) may cross your mind but, “Nah…that’s such a long way away, I’ll worry about that when I’m 50 or something.” But then, BINGO! Sixty-five and retirement gets here sooner than you thought it ever would. Every day, in my head, I’m still 25 years old….only with a lot more experience. And every day, in my mirror, I see a reflection that belies all those thoughts in my head.

I still choose to believe in what’s in my head because thinking young keeps me young….and active. The alternative is to give in to the reflection and give up on living life for as long as I can. There are so many things my 25-year-old mind thinks I can still do, but my over sixty-five-year-old body just can’t comply anymore. I will never “wear a rug”, hold in my gut with a girdle, or elect plastic surgery to try to look younger. So, I do what I can—try to eat right, exercise where and when I can, push the boundaries where and while I can, know my limitations, and refuse to let my age define me.

Holy Moley!  

Things are moving along REALLY fast. My wife and I decided to finally retire from the work-a-day world and, if that wasn’t stressful enough, we are also…moving to the LA area from the Bay Area…all at the same time!!!

Retirement comes officially at the end of July and moving in the first week of August. We have spent this entire month of July buying boxes and packing supplies…packing…downsizing (yet again) …and packing some more. This move is all out of pocket for us. The other moves were paid for by companies relocating us. But this one…all on us. YIKES!!!

We initially wanted to stay in the Bay Area for a while to enjoy all this beautiful area has to offer a little longer.  However, we realized we just wanted to get on with this next chapter of life and get the show on the road. So…a lot of stuff goin’ on here. The next chapter of life seems to be shaping up initially as a very quick read, that’s for sure.

I went to our favorite car wash early this morning to have my wife’s car washed and detailed to get rid of the tree sap accumulated on it. Tree sap on your car is one of the hazards of parking outside because you’re using your garage as a storage facility (it’s a California thing.) I’ve been promising her for weeks now, and today I was determined to get it done. I was told it would take about an hour and a half so, with Kindle in hand, I walked over to a nearby plaza to grab a coffee at a bagel shop and read my Jonathan Kellerman “Alex Delaware” novel while I waited. Standing in line at the bagel counter, there was a young Asian woman in front of me and when her order was complete she left and I ordered my coffee. I handed the cash to the server but she said it was already paid for…by that young woman ahead of me. I was kinda flabbergasted but truly appreciated that totally unexpected random act of kindness. Her kindness motivated me to pay it forward to someone else with my next opportunity.THAT random gesture of benevolence from one person to another is truly what America is and who we are as citizens. In this world of political divisiveness and irrational hatred of “the other side,” we’ve forgotten our self-effacing propensity to help others. I’m so very grateful for that reminder and hope that we can once again find kindness and courtesy, and treat one another with respect …and peace.

Oh …and having a pretty woman randomly buy you coffee makes you think “yeah, I still got it” …but since I never had it, to begin with, I was very flabbergasted indeed.

I want to make journaling to this blog easier and more frequent, so I’m trying out a third-party app on my Mac called MarsEdit.  It was extremely easy to set up and connect with this blog and, hopefully, I will write more frequently. I know I’m probably very late to this tech party, but I’m trying to put my caveman ways behind me.

I really love writing. It’s a solitary creative activity where I can be in my thoughts and find ways to express them. I hate staring at the blank screen with the damn curser blinking at me. But once I get rolling, I find it hard to stop.  Editing is an important activity in that instance. 

So, anyway…this is just a test post.

It has been a whirlwind over the last three months for me and my family. Lots of travel (and double masking) during this very frustrating pandemic. We started in late October with travel to San Antonio TX for my daughter’s wedding. Then off to L.A. for Thanksgiving. Back to the Bay Area for our traditional family Christmas meats fest. And then, sadly, in the first week of January, we return “home” to Cleveland, OH for the funeral of my wife’s mom. The emotions in those three months ran the gamut from exciting and ecstatic for my daughter’s wedding, to sadness and sorrow for the passing of a great lady. My sweet mother-in-law lived a full life of love and family, achieving her 94th birthday in November, a fact she was very proud of because she lived longer than anyone else in her family. Sadly, her journey on this earth ended on January 2nd. I don’t know what lies ahead in the first quarter of 2022, but I’m hoping it’s much quieter and serene than the last quarter of 2021.

Last weekend, we flew to Texas for my middle daughter’s wedding. When she told us that she and her fiancé wanted to get married on a ranch in South Texas, we were like, “Really…why?” Okay, her fiancé is originally from Houston, but the ranch is near San Antonio which is hours away from Houston. But, okay, we’re in. It’s what they wanted, and where she wanted to start her married life.

Now, I’m not gonna lie, I really was not very fond of Texas. Anything Texas! Not a fan of the politics, the weather (I can’t tolerate humidity anymore), and the whole “Texas Tough” attitude. The thought of spending any amount of time –and money –in Texas was not appealing to me at all. But…our son-in-law to be is an amazing man, a good man, raised in Texas. They both wanted to start their life together at a destination wedding in Texas. So, we decided not to sweat the small stuff–or Texas large stuff– and go with it. They are so worth the dang humidity.

It was a weekend that lasted (it seemed) an entire month! My other two daughters and son-in-law, a few cousins, and of course, my wife and I, worked very hard to make this event meaningful. In that dang Texas heat. So many details had to come together. So much physical setup had to be done. In the dang Texas heat.

However, in the long run, all the work and stress of preparing the venue, securing all the wedding vendors, such as caterers, DJs, tent and dance floor installers, photographers, videographers, a Mariachi Band, and so many other details was worth it. My daughter looked beautiful in her mom’s wedding dress that was made from scratch by her mom in 1977 for our wedding. The venue looked beautiful, especially during the ceremony, right at five o’clock in the afternoon, just when the sun was beginning its descent. Two families came together to celebrate two beautiful young people, both bursting with happiness for the whole, memorable evening.

And let me set the record straight. Everyone we dealt with in Texas, from vendors to retailers, could not have been any nicer, more accomodating, and genuine. The people were so very far from my perceived negative image that the state has earned. Just as you’ll find the national perception of living in Cleveland and Northeast Ohio is totally inaccurate when you spend time there. The Air BnB we stayed at was remarkable and the owners were terrific. We had some fresh food, produce, and wine and beer leftover in the fridge because we totally over-bought, and the Air BnB owners told us to just leave it there and they could possibly donate it all to the military base located nearby. We were so relieved that we didn’t have to throw away good food. Politics (and humidity) aside, there are mighty good people in Texas (and all over this country, really) and I just hope and pray we can eliminate all the negativity on social media, with all the hate and misinformation it brings, and just talk to one another, in person and face-to-face like we used to, so we can once again learn from each other and LIKE each other. We are so glad that we had the chance to do all this in the times of Covid. It was a blessing. I even saw my first Texas armadillo in the front yard of the Airbnb as we were leaving for the airport to return home. And now, I can honestly say, “This isn’t my first armadillo.”