Michael Brennan

Election results: I’m a kid again

Today, on the day after, the sun rose. The birds chirped. And so I feel like a kid again! I’m a kid in my almost totally white suburban small hometown. Dad went to work every day, Mom stayed home and kept having kids. In the few hours a week she had…

Chuck Berry is The Man

The man turned 90 this week. THE man. Chuck Berry. Maybelline. Johnny Be Good. Roll Over Beethoven. RocknRoll icon Chuck Berry, the very first man inducted into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame, turned 90 years old without much fanfare, other than to…

Stanford Rape: She won’t forget after just three months

It’s only been a couple of weeks since this one story was all anyone was talking about. Of course, a lot of things have happened since then. In this 24-hour news cycle we live in, breaking news sometimes lasts less than 24 hours in our consciousness,…

Haunted: Halloween with friends

One of the best Halloween nights of my life was also absolutely the worst. I’ve always loved Halloween. Growing up in the Northeast, the seasonal changes meant any costume was probably not going to keep you warm enough. Entire neighborhoods were…

Baseball playoffs: Pick a flag, pick a team

Last week, I took a stand, for what I believe in. I took down one flag, and put up another. I was trying to pledge my allegiance — to a team. And in doing so, I was reminded of the time my sons saved my life. Let me explain. I fly flags — not just…

Tough Break

I can still hear it … It was a tight game, with a lot on the line. And they came at him. Maybe they just picked that play, or maybe they decided to test the kid who had sat out more than half of last season as a result of a knee injury. Either way,…

Questions: Kids don’t know everything

The quintessential American family — the Cleavers from Leave It To Beaver. Hugh Beaumont and Tony Dow as Ward and Wally Cleaver. Photo is screen shot from YouTube video. Kids don’t know everything. Surprise! They have questions. Sometimes, they keep…

Dad I saved the funny lines for you

My teenage sons often point out to me how little I know about their world. Sometimes that makes me smile to myself. Most of the time, I just laugh in their face. But I get it. When I was a teenager, I was pretty sure my dad knew NOTHING about my…

Summertime and the living is easy

Photo above: Screen shot from YouTube video of The Who at the Isle of Wight Music Festival, 1970. Was it last Friday when my bright and precocious five-year-old walked out of his last day of pre-school, wearing a Hawaiian shirt, and a paper crown? He…

Teenage math for Dad: Everything equals fifty-fifty

Hope you had a great Memorial Day weekend. Mine was great, and crappy. My next door neighbors moved out on Friday. Nice couple, kids grown and long-gone. I liked them a lot, but it was a good move for them. They’re going to a smaller place that’s…

Mothers who made a father out of me

According to the 31 emails a day I’ve been receiving from ProFlowers, Teleflorist and Shari’s Berries — and the commercials I’ve seen from Kay Jeweler’s, this Sunday is Mother’s Day — in case you hadn’t heard. By the way, aren’t cards part of the…

Attaboy Dad you lose two points

Have you ever been on the job and something went well? Come on, it could happen … No, I mean, where you did something so right that you wish someone would turn around, see what you just did, and cry out, “Hey, nice job! That was really great!” Or you…

Kid-free for Spring Break: Look out!

On Sunday morning, right after church, a woman I barely know suggested I run naked around my house all week. This is not the church in the story, it’s the Mission San Diego de Alcala, a nice Catholic church nonetheless. (Photo via Wikipedia) We were…

Kurt Cobain: It hurt more for some

Photo above: Kurt Cobain, October 3, 1992 at the Sam Carver Gymnasium, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA Photo by ManWithoutTies via Flickr This week, at a generally raucous but occasionally solemn event in New York, the band Nirvana was…

Saints softball is all about the beer

Can’t see the Dodgers — they’re not on. Thanks again, Dodgers. I can’t stomach the Lakers — I’ve watched, and they’ve barely been on all year. I can’t afford the Kings — everyone is on their bandwagon. No Dodgers, or Lakers or Kings, oh my! Thank God…

Opening Day: beware of the signs

Above: Don Baylor catching the ceremonial first pitch from Vladimir Guerrero at the Home Opener for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (against the Seattle Seahawks) Tuesday, April 1, 2014, when Baylor broke his leg. Video is a screen shot from…

Should I let my kids win?

I am competitive by nature. More so than you, I bet. See what I did there? I’m competitive. Don’t believe me? “The Jesus” Quintana, played by John Turturro, in the film, “The Big Lebowski.” (Photo is screen shot from YouTube clip) If I’m going to the…

Shamrock aftershocks: Shaking St. Patrick’s Day

(Above photo: YouTube screen shot of KTLA broadcast at moment earthquake hit in Hollywood) There have been times that I started St. Patrick’s Day with a shot. The original Mike and Molly, the author’s grandparents. (Photo by Mike Brennan This time,…

Car talk: luxury ride or lunar module?

My oldest son is legally old enough to drive, but he doesn’t yet, except a little on our block. My youngest son is more than 18 months away from being able to take his permit test, but he wants a job, now, so he can start saving for his vehicle of…

Lessons learned: a shorter list

OSCAR RUMBLINGS AND A SHORT LIST OF RANDOM LESSONS Haven’t watched the Oscars yet … found out I don’t really need to. For one, neither of my unproduced screenplays were nominated, and my unfinished one was completely shut out. Man, it’s hard out here…