Joel Brigham – Where Curiosity Meets Comedy

And just like that, the summer is over.

I know, I know… The overwhelming majority of adults in this world don’t even get summers off and I shouldn’t be complaining, but no matter how great summer vacations may be, it always sucks when they do finally end.

No more pool. No more naps. No more quality time with Wifey and The Squirt seven days a week (I’ll have to settle for two plus evenings for the next nine months). No more going for wonderful sunset runs after the kiddo goes to bed. And while it’s not the end for cookouts and watermelon and sweet tea and lemonade, none of those things taste quite so heavenly when the weather is cold.

I mean, whether you’ve got a summer vacation or not, I think you can lament the end of all that awesome stuff right along with me, can’t you?

Despite everything, the return of school is a genuinely exciting venture even eight (eight!) years into my teaching career, and with that excitement comes the deliciously rich complexities of autumn—a season that, despite not being quite as amazing as summer, actually doesn’t suck.

So in an attempt to pump myself up for the beginning of autumn, I wanted to delve into my Top 5 Reasons For Looking Forward to Fall. Here they are: (more…)

I love driving into Chicago. As a kid, there were few things more exciting than when the Sears Tower finally came into view fifteen miles out of the city (which, of course, made the last fifteen miles the longest, most grueling of the 60 it took to get to the Windy City from my old hometown).

Since then, I’ve always had a special place in my heart for that particular skyline, but I know that there are many more gorgeous ones in these grand States which are United and named America. Here’s a top-five list of my favorites: (more…)

Who doesn’t love a good donut? Nazis and slave owners, that’s who. As for me, since donuts are such unhealthy, forbidden treats, I find myself occasionally thinking about the enjoyment of these tiny little cakes with holes in the middle.

Here, of course, are my five favorite flavors:

#5 – Apple Cider Donuts – I’ve had these at a couple different places and loved them immensely both times. They’re very rich, autumnal donuts, but there’s no better donut to eat in the months of September and October.

Tastes like Halloween.

#4 – Raspberry Cream Filled – Jelly-filled donuts aren’t everybody’s favorite, and to be perfectly honest I don’t usually have much patience for them myself. But a delicious raspberry jelly is just enough to not only make me stomach the things, but actually rather enjoy them. A lot.

The earth's core is made of raspberry jelly. It's true.

#3 – Entenmann’s Devil Food Crumb Donuts – My wife hates cake donuts (how you can “hate” any donut is beyond me), but they’re a little more filling than the normal, poofy donuts you get at most places. And this particular devil’s food cake donut, made by Entenmann’s, is topped with delicious crumb pieces that make it all the better. It’s that deep, chocolaty flavor that’s so good once it hits your lips, and that’s why it’s the top chocolate donut on my list. That’s saying a lot, too, because I love chocolate.

They're even tastier out of the box.

#2 – Glazed Sour Cream Donuts – Sounds gross, doesn’t it? It’s not. These are among the smoothest, creamiest donuts out there, yet not a bit sour. Who knew?

I'm still not 100% sure how the sour cream comes into play.

#1 – Krispy Kreme Glazed – What beats it? Walking into a Krispy Kreme store and having them pass over a piping hot, fresh off the track super-sweet glazed donut? Those things are so moist it’s like drinking donut juice. There’s simply no way to argue that a different holed pastry should be at the top of this list.

Where carbs die and go to heaven.

Honorable Mention:

Vanilla Long John, Blueberry Cake Donuts, Anything with Sprinkles, Mini Chocolate Dipped Donuts

It’s September, and that means all my favorite shows are starting to come back to life (or in the case of “True Blood,” are crawling back into the coffin). I’m allowing myself to get excited over new episodes of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” “Parenthood,” and of course all the Thursday night NBC stuff, but with “Lost” and “24” both done for good, I’m going to have to start pointing those extra two hours of valuable TV-watching time in new directions.

So here’s a look at the most promising new shows for the Fall TV season. If two of these are actually good and don’t get cancelled after one or two seasons, I’ll be happy. (more…)

I love my dad. He’s an intelligent, sensitive, thoughtful man who always has done what he thought was best for his kids. If somebody gave me the opportunity to trade him out for another dad, I wouldn’t even consider it. He’s a huge part of who I am, and I like who I am. So there ya go.

That said, today’s top five is a list of TV dads that, should my father get sucked into a black hole or something, I’d most like to have as surrogate fathers. This is a tough list to compile, but I think I’ve got a good one. Let’s have a look, shall we? (more…)