My World & Welcome To It

My World & Welcome To It

Hello, Everyone!  Thanks for stopping by for the grand opening of my new website.  Come on in and make yourself at home.  You’re probably wondering about the title of my inaugural column.

Let me tell you a story: back in 1969 there was a short-lived TV sitcom called MY WORLD & WELCOME TO IT.  I don’t really remember too much about the series.  I remember the opening credit sequence with the dog (they used to have those back then – opening credit sequences, I mean.  We still have dogs).

I remember it starred William Windom, one of my favorite character actors.  He could play anything from the sweet loveable dad in this show to the mad Commodore Decker in a classic episode of STAR TREK to the racist district attorney in TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (1962). 

I remember the series moved back and forth between reality and fantasy, much like the writings of James Thurber that it was based on.

But what I most remember about the series is that it featured Lisa Gerritsen playing Windom’s daughter. 

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Back then, Gerritsen was sort of the Abigail Breslin…um…I mean the Chloe Grace Moretz of the moment: the teenage actress who seems to be everywhere for a few years and then mysteriously vanishes after they become adults.    The thing I remember about her is that she was cute (to my 8 year old eyes) but also that she wore braces (like me).  All the time.  Throughout the entire series.  

Not like Marcia Brady (Maureen McCormick) on THE BRADY BUNCH who had to endure her braces for ONE entire episode before the dentist decided she could magically get by with just a night brace (bye bye braces!).

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No, Lisa wore them the whole run of the series.  And it helped me to know that if she could wear them, I could wear them.  And to heck with the teasing from other kids.

But I digress, something any ex-students of mine reading this are very familiar with.  My world and welcome to it.

So why a website?  Why right now?

Maybe because for as long as I can remember, I have been in love with:
Writing
Books
Movies
History
Auto Racing
(Not necessarily in that order)

They have influenced my life and guided my writing and I feel a need to start sharing all of that now.  How they shaped both me and the world we live in.

Maybe because I turned 50 last year and I now look more like William Windom than Lance Kerwin (look him up). 

Maybe because my close friends are far and wide these days and we rarely all end up in the same room together anymore.  Some of them I can still see every day and some I can’t see anymore at all.

When I was young and in college, we all used to hang out in each other’s apartments chatting for hours on all kinds of subjects, taking for granted that life would be like this forever.  That’s what I am hoping this website will be.  A stopping place for old friends and relatives that I go way back with.  And a place for new friends that I haven’t met yet to stop in and say Hi. 

Come on in.  Sit yourself down.  And stay awhile.

Because this is my world.  And welcome to it!

Catch an episode of MY WORLD & WELCOME TO IT here:

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Why this Song of the Day? 
Because I love the sentiment in the song.  Because I am a big fan of JUNO (both the character & the movie).  Because I still love orange tic tacs.