For John...

Press "Play."

"Wise men say, only fools rush in......... But I can't help falling in love with you. Shall I stay? Would it be a sin if I can't help falling in love with you?"

Dear readers,

This week is a special week and we all know why... Thursday, we will celebrate Thanksgiving. Let's give "thanks" and count our blessings, shall we? Let's reflect on our lives and remember why the day exists for us to celebrate. Don't forget to eat big and remember to leave something for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Watch a parade or two and watch a football game or two. Maybe sing a song that you haven't sung in ages... Give your loved ones a big hug and tell them that you're saving a spot for them at the kid's table.

In the spirit of the holiday, I want to say a few things...

I had to say "goodbye" to John Hughes on the 6th of August and it affected me on a very inspired level. If you knew of him, you know exactly where I am coming from... If you didn't, you lived in a box without windows. Or you just didn't care... And that's cool, too. Just do some research and call me in the morning.

Let me provide some background. By the way, I'm officially dedicating this post to John because he deserves some Benbrook love. Actually, he deserves so much more...

Let's take a look at what the man has produced, written and directed over the years. Not everything, but a strong sampling, if you will... You should note that these aren't Academy Award-worthy, but they won so many kinds of emotional awards in so many hearts around the globe. The genius (that was John) was behind these gems:

- Mr. Mom
- National Lampoon's Vacation and Christmas Vacation
- Sixteen Candles
- The Breakfast Club
- Weird Science
- Pretty in Pink
- Ferris Bueller's Day Off***
- Some Kind of Wonderful
- Planes, Trains & Automobiles
- She's Having a Baby
- The Great Outdoors
- Uncle Buck
- Home Alone 1, 2 & 3
- Career Opportunities
- Dutch
- Curly Sue

Do you have a favorite? I do. But it's a secret. As I typed that, I just realized that there could be a three-way tie working here... I'm a sucker for this kind of stuff, I know.

If you've seen any of these films, I'm betting you've been touched by something you've seen or heard in at least 6 of them... There is a limousine full of movie stars that will always be indebted to John. He made films that sent some important messages that just might hold up today. It was another time, another place, but the stories he told were special. Maybe you laughed, maybe your smirked, maybe you blushed, maybe you cried and maybe you fell into his vision and into his keen ability to identify with real people and their real problems, hopes and dreams. John told the kinds of stories that were never to far from the truth and that meant the world to me in my adolescence. Hell, it means the world to me now.

Take your pick and think back on the dialogue, important and silly. Remember the relevance. Live it again just because it's okay to remember these kinds of things... Embrace what John was trying to do... There are so many memories that can be extracted from his films. I honestly feel like I knew the man behind these movies. Like he was an old friend or a school teacher that re-enforced right from wrong. Like a mentor who appreciated that my heart was probably more reliable than my brain. Like a leader who had my back when she didn't return my call. Like a pen pal who understood that not all tears are bad. Like a wizard who knew how to open the doors to something pretty. I followed his path and, in a way, I'm still following his path. Kind of... In my own way. Limping along, I'm right behind you, John.

** smiling sadly **

I could go on and on about my admiration for John Hughes and if you catch me over the next week or so, I would love to tell you of my plans to teach the next "What would John Hughes do?" class at the local college.

Lastly, I'd like to leave you with this... I'm happy. I'm lucky. I'm thankful. In short, my life as I know it seems insignificant on so many levels, but in many ways, it's as relevant as the next big thing. So is yours... When you strap on your boots and walk your walk, everything is possible. You can turn anything into something and that something can mean everything to at least one person. Make it count. John did...

Am I really a broken record? Perhaps, but the needle may need some work, as well.

"Like a river flows, surely to the sea. Darling, so it goes... Some things are meant to be. Take my hand, take my whole life, too. For I can't help falling in love with you."

Thank you, John, for everything. I'm forever grateful for what you have given me.

Press "Stop."

- Me (Del Griffith)

*** The museum scene in this film (arguably) changed the way I viewed music supervision in a motion picture. The Dream Academy's "Please, Please, Please..." instrumental added something to FBDO that I will never fully be able to explain to the non-dreamers, but I have shared my appreciation with many... And you know exactly who you are... It's perfect.

"all for one economical price... 10."

Ten months. Ten interesting months. Ten months where so much has been explored. Ten months with so many things that have been left out...

In short, over the last 10 months, seasons have changed, moods have swung, hearts have been challenged, minds have probably spun out of control, and I'm betting other cool things happened... This must be what they talk about when the leaves turn colors to be new again. I guess...

Ten months ago today, "On My Sleeve" began its trek through the year and opened up an avenue for me to... Well, you know what happened...

So, a short 10 months ago, I started something that I really have enjoyed... While personal, yet somewhat open, I hope that you have found something to think about... Something to laugh about... Something to talk about... Something to ignore... Something to possibly question something, anything, someone, anyone.
I trust that you know me now. If you knew me then, you know why something like this exists. It could not exist without you. In reality, it could, but you and I both know that it just wouldn't be the same.

So, together, tonight, let's celebrate the number "10." Let us raise our glasses. Here's to time together. To time with full moon glow on our minds (just go w/ it). Here's to water falling, washing slowly on our memories making room for new ones. To reaching for the brightest star (again, just go w/ it). Protecting each sparkle and kissing the time goodbye. Here's to growing up and growing young. Here's to us. We deserve something big... Let it shine for us tonight. Here, here! Clink, clink.

Sip with style.

Don't forget to think about horned frogs tomorrow. I still think about the one that ran away from me when I was ten.

So long for now. See you at the top...

- me

Play with what's left, will you?

First things, first.

On this very important Veterans Day, I'd like to welcome first time readers.

I'd also like to say that I am continuing to be amazed by the rate at which time flies when you're just trying to live the best life you can... So much transpires on any given day... These things expedite life on many levels. It can be all-consuming taking you away from the big picture. Of course, many of us spend the entirety of our professional days trying to figure out what that BIG PICTURE looks like, but I trust that you get my point. And when we get a glimpse of what color the soul of the picture is, it all disappears leaving you wanting more... A leftover for tomorrow to get on with it and just live... Time is truly flying and we're approaching 2010 like a comet without a name.

I rarely read what I write, but I just read the passage above... I'm sorry, but it does make "some" sense to me. I'm allowed to be "that guy" from time to time. I assure you that every aspect of OMS means something, even if it's just for me. Thanks for scrolling my way, friend. You, too, my dearest friend.

Next up: This is the part where I will date myself and make myself seem older than I am... According to a manufacturer's sticker on a bicycle I recently spied, I learned these 4 things...

1) Always wear a helmet.
2) Check brakes before riding the bicycle.
3) Do not ride at night.
4) Read Owner's Manual.

Okay, here we go... I must treat this topic with gentle gloves. The reasons are obvious to anyone raising a family. Or to anyone who has dropped some coin on a bicycle for someone under the age of 18 over the last several years... Keep in mind that I am not talking about 10 or 12 speeds or any other incarnations of a bikes with speeds. I'm talking about a good old fashioned bike that is meant to speed up and down dirt trails.

Let's look at #1. I know, I know... Before you say it, I'll shout it.

(cut to me shouting at a group of Benbrook residents in front of the Fire Station on Mercedes with a red dry-erase marker in my right hand with a salty tall boy in my left hand)

"Where have you been? This is the law and we have to live by it because if we don't, we'll get into trouble and we might even be sent to Time Out by someone in a uniform. They said that we might pay a price, too, because they need more security personnel at the Arts Festival in May. Listen up, it's not about how well they ride, it's what they're wearing to protect themselves from getting hurt. That's what counts. Expect the crash, but soften the blow. It's a safety thing because common sense now has a price. Tighten up your chin straps and quit complaining, okay?"

Let me just say that I appreciate rules and I respect things that turn into laws... And, for our purposes tonight, everything from this point on is me reading these 4 rules as the 6 to 12 year old that I was when I was 6 to 12 years old, but with my modern day spin.

I will say this about #1... As a little dude, helmets were not a thing you pimped while you popped wheelies and jumped mounds with your buddies. If I showed up to the scene donning a protective helmet, I would have been exiled to the other side of 377 where Stum's used to be... (this will only make sense to the ones who lived in my neighborhood) Or I would have been asked, "Is everything okay, man? Are you in trouble?" It was our time and it was our place. Our stupid makeshift haircuts were meant to blow in the wind. The feeling still rocks, by the way. Harnessing your mullet in by styrofoam covered in plastic? Whatever. As a kid, if you had hard plastic on your head, you must have been hitting baseballs on a baseball field. That was the ONLY excuse that counted...

Here's a related, but unrelated secret... I'm 87% certain that if I were told I had to wear a helmet to ride my bike to the Qwik Sak up the street as an 8 year old, my confidence rate with Lesli Thompson would have shriveled up before I even hit the 5th grade. And asking Jessica Smith to hold my hand would have not even been on the table as I would have been less than who I was meant to be. I needed that confidence, y'know? It mattered then... I suppose it doesn't matter now, but I wasn't afraid of the fall and the scuffed up knees. As dudes, bruises were our tattoos. Some people might even say that a little crash and burn can make you feel more alive than ever... I'm getting off topic here...

About #2... Brakes? Huh? What brakes? Oh, you mean halting the pedals and steering to one side kicking up dirt all bad-ass-like? Those brakes? If you're referring to handle brakes (and I feel like you are), I have no idea what you're talking about because those came into play late in the game. If you had them, you had a Mongoose. I didn't... Check your brakes... Right. Roger that.

#3. You're kidding, right? Someone is playing a joke on me, right? I'm being punk'd, right?

Side note: Right now, I hate myself because I just referenced Ashton Kutcher in my beloved blog. I feel dirty. Not good.

Moving on... Riding my bike at night was like eating Neapolitan ice cream right out of the bucket in front of a good "I Love Lucy" episode. I didn't have many opportunities to ride at night, but when I did, I cherished each minute with so much of my spirit. Riding at night was a gift and while it was somewhat dangerous, it was thrilling to be out there under the stars where the car noises sounded so much softer. It was always understood that riding your bike at night was not to be a Best Practice, but to be told not to, would make me want to that much more... That's just the way I feel.

And finally, #4 and the Owner's Manual. Not much to say here because you know where I'm going with this... A manual of any kind for a toy of any kind was not a part of the deal in my neck of the woods. When a bike came onto the scene, like a dog in a pond, you just went for it... You thanked your parents and began the next stage. Don't ask questions, just go. If you needed training wheels, you needed training wheels. So what, who cares? You had a bike! In a matter of minutes, you learned what you could do and what couldn't be done on a bike. An owner's manual would just slow me down. I had asses to kick down the street. I had a bike and I was the captain.
I loved my first bike. A black Huffy with a blue and orange accents. A number plate with a "40" across the handle bars and a million spokes. And the softest banana seat ever... No shit. My second and last "kid" bike was a slight upgrade only because it had a yellow frame with a blue seat. The yellow mags killed and the blue tires turned heads. And as he grew older, every paint chip signified something big. I loved it as it was my best friend for a long, long, long, long time. It made me a champion in my own mind. And I will forever be grateful to my parents for giving those bicycles to me. They started something I'm still finishing... And that, to me, is special.

Hey, look at the time. Time to wrap it up...

I guess I'm behind the times with my rant, but I know what it was like when I was young. You remember in your own way, too. I can only speak for myself, but it was golden. I (sometimes) feel that if we altered that path, it would take something away from our sons, daughters, brothers, sisters. Don't you ever feel that way? That was then, I know, and times have changed. I suppose that our young ones will grow up the same way we did, but I'm not convinced that this is true. But it's not worth arguing because society has changed and the paths we are being asked to take are changing...

Suddenly, I hear a certain drumbeat calling my name. In the background, there it is...

And for all I know, I should have been wearing a helmet on my head when I made my inaugural jump down Devil's Drop in Timbercreek that summer. But I know, deep down, that I'm better off because when I strap on my helmet today, I think about how I had a choice then... Actually, it was freedom. That's it. Maybe that was the choice.

Be kind to the lawmakers. And always look both ways. Right on.

This post is dedicated to the boys who rode by my side. You know who you were... Thank you.

Goodnight.

bsm*

"Look, no hands!"

Thursday's post for him.

So much to get to these days...

The leaves are really starting to fall. And on that note, I seem to think better in these kinds of conditions. Or, rather, I think that I think more clearly during the autumn months. Opinions vary, but I feel good about my place here. People whose first names start with a J, L, & M may have something to say about this "almost" fact. I just made that up. But I do feel confident in my posting abilities these days... We'll see.

Where did the week go? Five days removed from Halloween... I hope that you had a nice Halloween weekend. Did you happen to catch the moon over the last few days, Lucas? Did you go as "Grimace" again this year, Liam? Did you happen to spot the brightest planet, Lori? Did you enjoy the hayride, Lois? Did you make the big score at Old Man McGee's down the street, Lance? Did you save some of the good candy for a rainy day, Larry? Did your costume turn heads, Lana? Did you use that old broom, Lauren? Did "It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" bring back the memory you hoped it would, Lester?

The previous questions were brought to you by the letter "L."

Hi, Charles. Good one.

Okay, gotta run. Many apologies for the brief post. Something might be burning...

bsm*

By the way, I love the word, "peninsula," but will always......