Bad Papa West Origins, A Trilogy – Episode 1

Episode One: Coke Dick, Fetus, and Panic Hey man, how come you treat your woman so bad? That’s not the way you do it. No, no, no… you shouldn’t do it like that. -Pulp “A Little Soul” I didn’t turn into a father the moment…

A Space Mountain of Lies

Parenthood is about letting go. Letting go of power and of control. Control, in the early stages of childhood, can manifest as deceit at times. OK, lies. I’ve turned to Bush Jr. White House tactics. I was lying to my son for his own good:…

Sorry, Kid.

Yes, yes, I know. We’ve been having a blast watching the Mets get to the World Series. Cheering on home runs, outs, calling balls and strikes, yelling “Thor” whenever the camera caught his blonde mane. It’s been a good run. It still is. The Mets…

My Spider Sense is Tingling

It’s up to you to be a superhero. -Cat Power Sebastian spots Spiderman among the costumed characters and caped crusaders. We’re mingling with Elmo, Despicable Me, Woody and Buzz. There’s a grimy Batman who’s making the rounds and then I spot another Elmo. That’s two…

Where’s the Magic?

Yesterday Sebastian turned six. What a ride so far. When he was born we were subjected to a torrent of baby gifts and greeting cards. One of the cards stood out to me at the time. “Have a magical childhood, Sebastian!” it read As I…

Sk8 And Destroy

I’m not the kind of guy who has altruism down and unconditional love in the bag. There are millions of people who have a better grasp on these virtues. I’m working on it, though, but for now I’m a little bit jealous as I’m sitting…

A Losing Proposition – The Games We Play

I hate losing. It consumes my body: diaphragm, clinched teeth, muscles tensing up underneath my flab. My son Sebastian hates losing even more than I do. In fact, losing resembles a small death the way he reacts to it. When he loses a game, any…