Squirrels.

There’s a commercial for DirecTV that keeps me cracking up long after its 30-second duration. The squirrels just aren’t listening to Dave. In a park setting, a man is unsuccessfully trying to shoo a gang of rodents away. They’re not interested in his pleas and shrieks. In fact, they leap onto his legs, torso — […]

Music therapy.

Brian Crain’s “Song for Sienna” is a tune that moved me to tears the first time I heard it. I think I was listening to a Pandora station when it came on, and whatever I was doing was immediately paused. It’s a simple composition that sounds full of hope and sorrow, triumph and loss, patience […]

Glover Charm

My house is not too far from a stadium where local high schools often gather for football games and band competitions. Glover Stadium is where I spent many a chilly night watching Anaheim High School’s Colonists go head to head with rival schools. Touchdown cheering could be heard for miles, I’m sure, the same way it […]

Inspired creations.

I can’t not create something. It seems there’s always something brewing, something in the works. Maybe it’s a batch of biscotti, perhaps it’s one of these blog posts. Sometimes I’ll hear a song on the radio and give it a classical spin on the piano, full of ascending and cascading arpeggios that give a nod […]

The Show

Bruce Hornsby is one of my favorite musicians, and “The Show Goes On” is one of his songs that I adore the most. There’s something about the way the piano slowly, quietly introduces the song, then builds into something that’s both contemplative and sure, confused yet hopeful. It’s a fitting melody and appropriate title for a […]

The Giveaway

Have you ever watched a movie, concert, visited a museum, been in awe of natural beauty, done or even seen something so moving to the point where you’re keenly aware of your heartbeat? At any second, it feels like it might just jump out of your chest. It’s pulsing and pounding, as if to tell you, […]

The Offering Plate

Have you ever seen something, met someone or been in a situation that suddenly seemed to make sense of your life? Occasionally you pause and really think about it — your existence, that is. Its twists and turns seem nonsensical. Its ups and downs feel more exhausting than educational. Its challenges seem anything but character-building. […]