Iron Men Too!
Dear Claire,
It wouldn't be fair to simply review the new Iron Man 2 film - I mean, what is there really to say about a really fun Hollywood popcorn movie other than it was a really fun popcorn movie? Does it matter? Will it change anyone's lives or influence any human being towards a deeper insight into their true being and truly inspire change? ... Well, sadly, in my case, the answer to that could be a resounding yes.. read more>>>

New York, New York
Part One – to you now
I’ve looked for you everywhere. I know that you aren’t here, I know that, but I can’t help looking everywhere for you. I look for you inside the empty “I Love NY” t-shirts I hold up, trying to gauge if I’m getting the right size. I look for you when I take a rest, sitting on... read more>>>

Via Dolorosa (Latin for "painful path")
Dear Claire
Reading the title of this entry you may well assume that we’re talking about Your Mother’s (YM) birth cannel. Or perhaps your personal perception of what life growing up is going to be considering who your parents are. But now, surprise, surprise, I’m talking about myself here - this is... read more>>>

Hope Realized
Dear Claire, I got some news for you, something I don’t think we get to say too often, “We won!” ... People who know me well know that I’m over the top. They know that I can get into things way too much and go too far with them and lose all perspective in wild excitement and enthusiasm. Not manic, but... read more>>>

From Three Blocks Away
There’s a funny thing about Your Mother (YM) and I, there truly is. As we probably told you already, YM and I met at a party. When I was sitting next to her there was another girl sitting on my other side. I was waxing it pretty well that night about true love and how it’s a journey. I was... read more>>>

We're a Family of Climbers!
Dear Claire, this is a day one report from the front lines of stay-at-home Daddy daycare: I just signed you up for daycare. That’s right, with not even 20 minutes of Daddy Daycare time, solo I might add, I walked you over to a daycare centre and signed you up! That is, in a nutshell, my commitment... read more>>>

Wanting Energy is No Friend of Mine
Dear Claire, I have a confession to make: you are making me more vain than I have ever been before. In the past I've taken a moment or two to indulge in my own vanity, but it'd always backfire. Maybe I'd buy a new pair of slacks for myself, but the slacks I'd buy wouldn't be in fashion any more .... read more>>>

Oh California, You Tart
Flew in last night, came to the house, had something to eat, sat on a sofa, and eventually fell asleep ... LA is FUCKING HUGE city. Toronto pop is 2.5 million in the "core" and the surrounding areas totally a little over 5 million. Los Angeles city is over 3.3 million, but really, LA is known for is sprawling little connected cities, it's "county" and by that it's "GTA", and that totals over 10 million.... read more>>>

What Is Your Dad Smiling About?
Well, my dear Claire, your father is en route to Los Angeles to attend an area film festival, just the second screening of the feature we made over the summer of your belly-growth. It’s exciting to say you’re going to LA, no question. It’s a dream for me, albeit, I’m like a fossil so it doesn’t seem as sexy as it would if I were “just going down with a backpack and sleeping on sofas.... read more>>>

What Time Is It?
Dear C, one day you’re going to start grappling with the notion of time. Right now to you it doesn’t matter, there is only now. But later we’ll give you the concept of before, later, and after. In that regard ... Just watching the Ric Burns New York City (8 part) doc and what struck me today with great interest is the time one enters into the story of NYC. You can come into NYC ... read more>>>

Thing About Luck Is, You Never Know
Baby Claire, you’re four months now and you’re cute as hell. You’re jumping around in your jolly-jumper laughing your guts off is enough for me to think to myself that I’m the luckiest guy on the planet. The sound of your freaking out in impatience with not being able to get the toy in your mouth in a nano second reminds me that you are indeed my daughter ... read more>>>

The New Year's Resolution: It's Time!
Since my birthday falls a day before new years I kind of take the new years resolution thing pretty seriously. It’s an “okay, year older, just what do we want to accomplish and experience in the year ahead?” right when I turn a new age for that year. This year we’re hitting the big 3-5 mark. And when you put it that way I guess you could say I am 2 games under .500 ... read more>>>

Your Self-Employed Little Woman!
The joke around our house is that your dad here fancies himself as the western hero he was named after, “Shane”, the movie icon. A loner, an outsider, a tough guy with a gun, a man’s man who’ll save the town if he has to. Your Mother (YM) sees me as her little house wife “writing” all day from home as she goes to work, leaving me to talk on the phone ... read more>>>

It's Not Your Fault, It's Not Your Fault
A friend sent me a link to this website today. He’s a top-notch stand-up comedian so I was expecting a few real zingers and a laugh while I dropped muffin crumbs into my keyboard, as they sprayed from my mouth and bounced off the monitor. Turns out, not so funny, but important all the same. This may sound strange, but it made me want to spend more quality time with you ... read more>>>

I Hope She's Still With Us
Claire let me first start off by saying that you are without a doubt the going concern when it comes to your mother and I, no question. We’re charged with your safety, happiness, and well-being and it’s something we take very seriously. However from time to time your mother and I... read more>>>

What's a Mother To Say?
Claire, I know one day many years from now you’re going to be into men in some fashion ... either as friends or lovers (if you go the hetero route, up to you). If you do, your mother and I have one request: PANTS THAT FIT... read more>>>

On Screening a Feature Film
Yer Dad made a film and then he wrote a big thing about it. You may find it of interest ... I want to say that the premiere screening was the most fun I've ever had in my life, that afterward me and crew partied until dawn and woke up in small boarder town the other side of Mexico. It was however, agonizing, painful, and though an insane success, almost impossible to bare... read more>>>

Welcome to the World, We're Sorry
Hello, by now you can read and are at an age where reading something your father wrote would be of interest. No doubt then, you're in your thirties now too, about to maybe have your first child and are looking for support or advice and you're now turning to these notes written ages ago, when your Dad here was actually cool and vital and interesting.... read more>>>