Photo by: Markus Winkler on Unsplash I realize saying “good riddance” to 2020 became cliche around midsummer of that turd of year, but right now, as I sit aiming to accomplish my first SMART goal 2021, I can’t help but hope a decade from now I can see last year as the nadir from whichContinue reading “Happy New Year: Once Upon a Time … Rebooting a Decade With Year 1”
Category Archives: Personal
Four Years Gone: Stephen Mark Dobbs (June 5, 1943-October 25, 2016)
Four years ago today, in the wee hours of the morning, my dad died. Considering how little time I’ve spent in this tiny speck the Interwebs, the fact that I've actually mentioned his passing once is notable. It was nearly 17 months ago, on what would have been his 76th birthday, and before I clickedContinue reading “Four Years Gone: Stephen Mark Dobbs (June 5, 1943-October 25, 2016)”
New Year, New Decade, New(ish) Focus: Beating Spider-Man to the Reboot Championship
courtesy Nina Matthews Photography I’ve lost count, but math doesn’t lie. Over the past four weeks, I’ve drafted this post at least a dozen times. It doesn’t feel like four weeks, but I began on New Year’s Day. It doesn’t feel like my fingers have crawled over this keyboard for 20 hours (or more), andContinue reading “New Year, New Decade, New(ish) Focus: Beating Spider-Man to the Reboot Championship”
(Wishing I could wish) Happy birthday Dad: An overdue memorial, first in a series?
Seventy-six years ago today, Stephen Mark Dobbs was born in San Francisco. I write “Stephen Mark Dobbs” because my dad was a fan of using full names. If he mailed something to me, he inevitably addressed the envelope to “Aaron Marc Dobbs.” (Let’s not discuss the weird middle name thing right now, OK?) My dadContinue reading “(Wishing I could wish) Happy birthday Dad: An overdue memorial, first in a series?”
Writing Remains Hard: The All-in-One Sequel, Remake, and Reboot
Hello. Anyone there? I’m back. Or, am I? Hard to know. I’d like to think so, even though I’m not sure what being back means; what I’m back to; what the results might be. Hell, I started this post two weeks ago. I spent a lot of time away from it, thought I’d finished it,Continue reading “Writing Remains Hard: The All-in-One Sequel, Remake, and Reboot”
One-year married, and one wedding announcement revised
I probably spend too much time marking milestones. I often attribute significance to dates, especially when I'm able to choose both the event and the date. For instance: Jan. 1, 1995: Quit smoking once and for all. Oct. 23, 1996: Left L.A. and moved to New York. Feb. 26, 2004: First post on this blog.Continue reading “One-year married, and one wedding announcement revised”
The Ninth Annual Birthday Post: Another first (on my third Jack Benny Birthday)
If a blog sits dormant, seemingly abandoned, without a new post, is it still a blog? I’ve had a few big firsts since I last officially visited this space one year ago today. I’ve had several drive-bys here, but until now, have not stopped and left anything behind. Maybe not as important as some ofContinue reading “The Ninth Annual Birthday Post: Another first (on my third Jack Benny Birthday)”
The Eighth Annual Birthday Post: I’m turning 4! (My second Jack Benny Birthday!)
I have never been one to celebrate my birthday, at least not since my teens. I don’t precisely remember when I stopped regularly having birthday parties, but I do remember my last one: I had a party when I turned 30, precisely 10 years ago today; 10 days after the terrorist attacks of 9/11. IContinue reading “The Eighth Annual Birthday Post: I’m turning 4! (My second Jack Benny Birthday!)”
The seventh annual birthday post (and my first Jack Benny Birthday!): Happy World Peace Day!
Over the past six-and-a-half years, I have filled this space with plenty of thoughts, rants and ramblings, and over those same six-and-a-half years, I have also allowed this corner of the interwebs to sit dormant for extended periods of time. However, I’ve remained (somewhat ironically) consistent with one feature: I have never missed a birthdayContinue reading “The seventh annual birthday post (and my first Jack Benny Birthday!): Happy World Peace Day!”
Shana Tova — New Year’s revisited; Back in focus (yet again, for reals, etc)
Late last year, amidst all the media attention on the concluding decade coupled with the annual exercise in breaking the best-and-worst of life and culture into 365-day chapters, I wrote about the camel-back-breaking-straw to my 2009 and Aughts. Over the ensuing three weeks, I patiently waited for the new year and decade to arrive. InContinue reading “Shana Tova — New Year’s revisited; Back in focus (yet again, for reals, etc)”
Out of Focus 