Paul Simon has been on my mind this holiday season.Part of it has to do with his "Getting Ready For Christmas Day," an infectious tune he released in the spring of 2011.The other part of it is because my son Riley gave me a CD copy of Graceland for Christmas....

Many years ago, as our then-four-year-old daughter Taylor took a readiness test for kindergarten at Charlotte Christian School, the admissions counselor said to us, "she's ready to fly."And so she is again.After graduating from college in May and working as a Web...

These five are not exactly "Away In A Manger," but by and large they sure are fun. 1. Paul Simon, Getting Ready For Christmas Day. As I posted back in April, I loved this song from the first time I heard it. Why does a non-observant Jew sample an African-American...

As I was born in 1961, I'm part of the first legitimate "TV Generation." So what are those shows that shaped my childhood and even today fill me with fondness as I traipse down memory lane?Here are the Top Five:1. Leave It To Beaver. Few things make me more nostalgic...

I admit it: I like books better than movies.Not that I don't like movies; just that the movie version of a book is never as rich or as nuanced as what is in print.Nevertheless, as Thanksgiving and Christmas approach, it's time to look to film. Hollywood releases some...

In this era of digital music, iTunes, and downloading individual songs, the craft of making entire albums often gets overlooked.Yet back in the day -- and sometimes even today -- there's nothing quite like an artist who, in a burst of creativity and connection,...

Having spent part of the last weekend in Chapel Hill for Parents' Weekend, I found myself thinking of college fight songs.First, there was "Late Night With Roy," a UNC Basketball kickoff extravaganza complete with dancing, skits, Stuart Scott of ESPN, and, oh yeah, a...

This sad, strange, and very scary story happened within about 300 yards of our house. Check here.

Early on, I didn't like John Mellancamp.First, there was the name. What was it? John Cougar? Johnny Cougar? John Cougar Mellancamp? Johnny Mellancamp? Mellan Johnnycamp? Why couldn't he just settle on one?Then, musically he seemed to me at first blush to be a poor...

In John Irving's novel The Last Night In Twisted River, the narrator makes this observation:But family histories – chiefly, perhaps, the stories we are told as children – invade our most basic instincts and inform our deepest memories, especially in an emergency. I...