When my son lays out his shirt, pants, socks, and underwear before he goes to bed, I know he’s excited for what the next day is going to bring. He did it last Saturday night, and to be honest I was so excited for the next morning that I almost did the same. Sunday morning […]
Column
Column: New CSULB Shark Mascot Not That Big A Deal
How did you react when the United States Government admitted that it’s in possession of “off-world vehicles not made on this earth” last month? They chose a time of global pandemic to flip-flop on a hotly debated topic, and I doubt it changed your mind about the existence of intelligent life outside this planet. Last […]
COLUMN: Back on the Couch Again
The last four months have been a long, strange odyssey for our family, and for so many others in America. Whenever anyone asks how my wife and I are doing, we always say something along the lines of, “Can’t complain.” We’re both still employed and our family is healthy–that puts us ahead of millions of […]
COLUMN: Can We Keep the Drive Through Graduations?
Like most people in Long Beach, I cannot wait for the COVID-19 clouds to pass us by, and to resume something resembling normal life. I’m craving an absent-minded trip to Target or a an anxiety-free date night down in the center of my bones. But even as we continue to muddle through this strange new […]
COLUMN: Long Beach Shows Its Heart, Pride
Ask anyone from Long Beach, and they’ll tell you they’re proud to be from Long Beach. Sometimes they’ll say it without you even asking. That’s certainly been true of me for most of my adult life—but I’ve never been prouder to be from my city than I was last Monday. The night before my wife […]
COLUMN: Understanding Through Protest Participation
I’ve participated in my fair share of protests, but none of them were as passionately thought-provoking as the one that took in downtown Long Beach on Sunday. The reaction to another senseless killing of an unarmed black citizen by the police officers who swore to protect him has been a wide range of emotions. As […]
COLUMN: Missing The Long Beach Grand Prix
This is where 2020 Acura Grand Prix Of Long Beach coverage should’ve been. I should still be nursing a sunburn and wiping tire smoke from my eyes after a weekend on the downtown street course. Now I’m not even supposed to touch my face and desperately need a day out in the sun. I had […]
COLUMN: Pettway Family Getting By With Positivity
“Oh, what could’ve been,” has been repeating in my head. The flow of constant uplifting stories from Long Beach sports is cut off like a faucet spun tight, and it’s left me wondering. Two months ago, one of the stories on my radar revolved around the Pettway family and what could’ve been a sensational start […]
TEACHING FROM HOME: An Unexpected Expected Change In Life
Years from now, when I am telling the story of the COVID-19 shutdown to my future students, I will struggle to capture the way in which the news was both incremental and sudden, both inevitable and completely unexpected. My students — 10th, 11th, and 12th graders at Jordan High in North Long Beach — had […]
COLUMN: Our Hearts Break For Long Beach Seniors
Meetings of the Long Beach Unified School District’s Board of Education are usually pretty…well, boring. Absent of any fireworks or major disagreements, they’re almost always about an hour of cordial agreement and unanimous votes. Last week’s meeting was about as far from “usual” as the Board has probably ever gotten. Superintendent Chris Steinhauser announced that […]