Tag Archives: nostalgia

The Year I Exploded

My Real Memoir Exploded creatively, that is. Although La Mirada High wasn’t an official school of the arts, a growing number of us were essentially “majoring” in music and drama. The previous year, our yearbook had noted that we were … Continue reading

Posted in Humor, Memoir | Tagged , , , , , , , | 37 Comments

Sex 101

My Real Memoir Sex. A friend commented recently about my Leave It to Beaver life. But I’m not The Beav, and I never was. Beaver Cleaver was a fictional character in a sweetly sanitized sitcom. One who never discovered at … Continue reading

Posted in Humor, Memoir | Tagged , , , , , , , | 28 Comments

Rebel Without Applause

Rebel Without a Cause, Eden Cried, James Dean, me (the resemblance is uncanny, right?) My Real Memoir I’d just graduated from 8th Grade. My teacher Mrs. Chamberlain had written in my yearbook, “Dear Mitch, take advantage of your ability and … Continue reading

Posted in Humor, Memoir, Movies | Tagged , , , , , , | 28 Comments

When Life Gives You Compound Fractures

My Real Memoir I’d never been an athlete. While other kids learned how to follow-through with a baseball bat or how to throw a perfect football spiral, my buddy Jeff and I were learning how to be Tom and Huck … Continue reading

Posted in Humor, Memoir | Tagged , , , , , , , | 31 Comments

Snogging, The Beatles, and Me

My Real Memoir I was in love. Not with a girl, but with music. And yet, somehow the two seemed inextricably linked. Music in the 1960s was an explosion of styles: Pop, Soul, R&B were constantly merging and borrowing from … Continue reading

Posted in Humor, Memoir, Popular Culture & Entertainment | Tagged , , , , , , | 57 Comments

The Year I Fell in Love With Music

Me, age 14, rockstar posing at the local music store My Real Memoir I’d had a crush on music from early on, especially after seeing my first musical hero Sam Cooke sing “You Send Me” live at our local bijou. … Continue reading

Posted in Humor, Memoir, Popular Culture & Entertainment | Tagged , , , , , , | 47 Comments

JFK, C.S. Lewis, a PE Coach and Me

Above (L to R): JFK; Drama team holiday show with buddy Rory on the far left, co-star Mike at the podium, and me (center) as a rather skinny department store Santa; Coach Sebbo; C.S. Lewis. My Real Memoir Two Jacks … Continue reading

Posted in For Pastors and Teachers, Humor, Memoir, Religion/Faith | Tagged , , , , , | 38 Comments

The Year I Broke My Teacher

Geeky 7th Grade Me vs. “Smoldery” 8th Grade Me My Real Memoir I was cocky, there’s no denying it. I’d started 7th grade as a self-doubting pre-teen, and finished it with an inflated sense of self-importance. It didn’t help that, … Continue reading

Posted in Humor, Memoir | Tagged , , , , , , , | 35 Comments

How to Do Bad Theatre

My Real Memoir I’d just turned 13, and was mad about acting. So much so that my career as a soon-to-be movie star was beginning to overshadow my career as a beloved bestselling author. After all, I’d been in a … Continue reading

Posted in Humor, Memoir | Tagged , , , , , , , | 22 Comments

How I Almost Became a Man of the World at Age 13

My Real Memoir I longed to be sophisticated, urbane, a celebrated satirist and scribe. I’d already conquered the stage, become known for my caricatures (see above), and was well on my way to winning my first Nobel Prize for Literature, … Continue reading

Posted in Humor, Memoir | Tagged , , , , , , , | 40 Comments