Hard decisions and tough love...oh yeah and how it relates to guacamole

Greetings everyone! I apologize for the silence but life has indeed been busy but I am sure you understand....right? Thought so....

Well, for starters, I am writing this post with the utmost joy in my heart. About a year ago, I made a very hard decision that impacted me on many levels. I'll simplify it but just saying that a negative situation arose out of a hard decision that in the end made everyone involve grow as people and reinforced a bond that was made the moment I was knighted the title "Dad."

A year ago my son came up to me and said that he wanted to connect more with his mom and move in with her. At this point in time, he had been with me full time since he was 4. My son and I went through many situations together. Its not easy being a single parent and sometimes when things happen you get judged for it wrongly. There was a time when my son and I had to move three times in a month because a landlord couldn't provide a safe place for us to live. My son, who was 5 at the time, never once complained. We had to stay in an old Jewish funeral home, a house that had broken windows in it and no hot water. I had to boil water on the stove for over an hour just to make sure there was enough warm water in the tub for a bath. After finally getting into a new place and away from this landlord, the boyfriend of my ex started making comments on how I was such a bad parent because of how much I moved around. I mean come on! It was a character builder and we grew even closer as father and son because of the adversity.

Anyways, my son decided to move 2 hours away.....and after hearing his reasons behind it I finally said ok.

So lets rewind this a bit because there is a huge parallel that really drove home a "dad" lesson. We are not perfect creatures, but our flaws make us the men we are. My dad and I get along very well. He lives on the other side of the country so it has been very hard for me to get back for visits. A few years ago, while I was living the role of a struggling single parent, I was getting emails from him about his travels throughout the US in his Airstream motor home. It upset me because I was a struggling single parent. Just to put this into perspective, when I saw the movie Pursuit of Happiness with Will Smith, it brought tears to my eyes because I too have lived that struggle of having my son with me while going through a housing and job crisis. I too had to make due with what I had around me.....I know the struggle. It made me a very strong man when it comes to matters of the heart. And, like what eventually happened between my dad and I, my son and I all of a sudden were not on speaking terms. I felt devastated when talking to him because as he was reacting to me negatively.  All the struggles we persevered through were flashing before me and  I couldn't remind him of this stuff because then I would be trying to guilt him and that is a line I would never cross. I don't guilt anyone into loving me.

Its really funny how fate reconnects you with people that have always been important to you. Right after this all happened I went on a trip to where I graduated high school. My dear friend Red Bird (read her blog Am I lost) and I spent some time talking during this trip and what she said really molded my thinking about what to do.  Red Bird and I went to high school together and were, and still are, the best of friends. She really understood what I was going through. After explaining my confusion about this struggle, she said to me to just be there for him. It was an extremely profound yet simple answer really. And it said a lot to me. It suddenly dawned on me that what was happening to my son and I had also happened to my dad and I. The lesson he taught suddenly slapped me in the face. What I just learned from my dad now was exactly what Red Bird had told me. My dad was just there for me. My dad endured the silence. My dad sometimes sent me a message just to let me know he was thinking about me. He did this until I just...came around. Well, to make a very long story short, my son is now here for a month with his 5 old month lab cross puppy. You see I too did the same thing for my son as my dad did for me. I endured the silence...I sent messages to him just to let him know I was there. And, just as my dad did for me, picked up where I left off and just became dad. Hearing him call me "dad" after not seeing him for almost a year....absolutely priceless.

Oh yeah, almost forgot the guacamole part. My son still trusts my judgment on food (I love to cook) and so I introduced him to guacamole for the first time and he really liked it. So guacamole really pointed out that we were still two peas in a pod.

Now for other news. Just a really quick note that in about 2 1/2 months, I will be filming a pitching trailer for a feature movie I wrote called Oblivious. I have put together a crew and negotiated some locations and will be shooting around the middle of Sept. Stay tuned for more news as this experience progresses.

Have a great week everyone!! 

G.

Hey Fox news! Whats that over there?

Hello everyone. I just want to start off by saying how totally glad I am for the three women and little girl that gained their freedom this week after being deprived of it for so long. That sick SOB really does need to pay! I can only imagine what those poor parents had to go through with their babies going missing like that. Imagine how surreal it would have been to get that call saying your child was found after 10 years? My goodness...words cannot even begin to describe how that would feel. To infinite plus one I tell you!

Now,  I'm a parent too. And when I heard those moms and dads publicly talk about how they knew, deep down inside all those years, that their child was still alive.... lets just say it really struck a huge chord in me. And when I say struck a huge chord, its definitely an understatement. You see, I am a thinker. I totally see that in my abilities to conceive and write stories. I am also a thinker as a parent. And as any caring parent can attest, we sometimes test our emotional compass just to see what our feeling and response to something like would be. We think of it as a test of the "Emergency Reaction" system we have.  Believe me, its not a hard test and it doesn't take long to complete (milliseconds). I totally feel that it would be very scary to experience that kind tragedy and I really do feel for parents that have had to go through this. Its a more than extreme event that rips your heart right out of your chest. Honestly, I would be in the same frame of mind as those parents. I would always want to hang on to that hope that my baby was going to be home soon. What caring parent wouldn't think that? And after 10 years I'd still be there holding onto hope.

Its very sad how a man like that could even fathom that it was really cool to kidnap 3 young girls and keep them prisoner. And then to rape and torture them and father a child with one of them. And then to go and hang out with one of the victim's parents. Sharing their grief and even joining in the search for the girl all the while knowing exactly where she was. WOW! When I heard that I was just thrown at the thought of  how the human condition could include a monster like that. And then to find out that he drove a school bus. How does that make all the other parents whose lives he inadvertently touched feel? No one even had a clue. None of his family members, neighbors, mail delivery personnel, meter readers, feral cats....get the point? He fooled everyone!

Now to make the point from my blog title. Really, I am somewhat glad that we have the news carriers to bring events like this to our attention. As human beings,  we really need to have that connection  our world. But the thing that really gets my goat is how the common sense stuff is always overlooked by most of the mainstream media outlets. Now I am not going to mention any names like CNN, FOX, NBC, CBS, ABC...did I leave anyone out? If so please leave a comment on my blog and I'll add you. My point is this.....LEAVE THOSE GIRLS AND THEIR FAMILIES ALONE AND GIVE THEM SPACE!!!!  Now that I gotten that off my chest can I please ask that you share this blog with others in the hope that perhaps these media outlets will hear this and get the point? The other day I actually saw Anderson Cooper talking with a couple of the family members of one of the victims. You really don't have to be a rocket scientist to hear that the family members kept on repeating about how the helicopters and media trucks parked outside the house really ruined the chance of one of the young women to go outside, in the back yard of all places, and experience the sun and breeze for the first time in 10 years. There is other news going on folks! Go keep tabs on everything else that is going in the world on as well! Please don't hang out for 24 hours a day near the victim's house before the next big news thing happens. Better yet, why don't you take all the production money you would have spent on the coverage and give it to those girls to help them out regaining their shattered lives? I am sure your sponsors would be ok with that.  How about that? How many millions are being spent on saying the same thing over and over again? Give them space to breathe!

Anyways, I really hope that everyone enjoys this weekend and every other weekend! Parents, please hold your kids tight. Life can really throw us some curveballs.

Cheers everyone!

G.

Insert Blog title here <------- A story about a boy and his puppy....and the name Sarah

Greetings! I want to start out by saying congratulations to my son on acquiring his first puppy! One night he  messaged me on Facebook  telling me that he had bad news and good news....and they both didn't involve me. Now as a parent, you just have to ask "What is the bad news?" Its because, as parents, when we hear the words "Bad News" and it involves our children, it makes us cringe. I mean, I was driving out of a parking lot and had to pull over because I didn't want to miss whatever "controversy bomb" he was about to drop.

Now if anyone reading this blog really knows who I am, the first thought that would pop in your head is that anything that involves me is very possible. My mom still cringes when all the stories come out about what I did as a teen. Lets just say I should write a story about that. Anyways, getting off topic here Glenn....focus...FOCUS! I own a Ford Focus....what? Get on with the story? FINE!

Now when my son threw out the Bad News/Good News scenario, my first thought was "He got a girl pregnant." Now, why that popped in my head I have no idea. Lets just say that the bad news really didn't involve me and it didn't involve him saying "Wanna be a Grandpa?" Being its a private matter involving someone else I'll just leave it at that. Now for the good news.....HE IS GETTING A PUPPY!!

My family is a dog loving family....actually we love animals period. To hear that he was getting his first puppy was a thrill for me. I've had many of those firsts in my life....but the first puppy that was mine will always stick with me. I got a pug and I promptly called her Sarah. She was an awesome dog and my pride and joy. At 14, I figured she was gonna be a chick magnet....and she was. Well, she attracted girls well below the age of 14. I still loved my dog and to this day I still miss her dearly. I could tell you a story about how I sneaked out my bedroom window one night while Sarah was sleeping in my room. Two hours later I came home and was surprised to see the glowing cherry of my mom's cigarette in the dark and then the light of the living room lamp coming on with my mom sitting there with Sarah on her lap, tail wagging because she was happy to see me....sigh....those were the days.

My son's excited Facebook messages to me told me how he was going to buy her a collar and a leash. He even asked me what kind of dog food he should get. It was neat to see that he was taking on the responsibility of taking care of this dog. Its like parenting and I get to see him do this. The fun part is acquiring the puppy.....the hard part is paper training them. Now, being I know he will sooner or later read this blog, I am not going to say anything too embarrassing about the "potty training" era of his life. I mean, he didn't really take to the "rubbing his nose in it" style of training. He never stayed on the paper when told and he really hated staying in his kennel. So, I had to resort to allowing him to use the toilet and reward him with candies. And being he was my kid, I had to make sure he was doing the right thing by having him show me the good job(s) he was doing. We went through a lot of Smarties before I caught on to the fact that sometimes he would just flush the toilet for a candy.

Anyways, enough about that...I am sure I am going to get a comment soon from my child, so I will wrap this thing up now. My son is now the new owner of a 2 month old puppy named Sarah. I can't wait to meet her!

Have a great week everyone! Cheers!

G.

No! Don't you dare read this blog.....No!

Ok. So I guess you didn't listen and now you are reading this blog. And if you aren't...well you are. That's so schizophrenic of you.

Its funny how on a daily basis, we don't follow the status quo. We started defying our parents, some of us spent a good majority of our childhood grounded. Right? As we get older, we still have these traits. They are just more refined. Take the dating game for instance. That's one of the best examples I can bring forward. The "Love Game" is something that not only effects our lives, but our lives effect it as well. When it evolves we have no &*@!ing idea on why we are failing. We aren't failing though. We need to adjust. Synch it up.

At the beginning of our dating lives, defiance is what drives conflicts with our parents. My teenage years were no exception. I had many battles with my mom during those years. "But I love her mom!" That phrase was iterated with each new love interest. And when she would say no to it, I would sneak out and do it anyways. I hope she's not reading this. I'm bound to get a text message after if she is.....love ya mom! :-)

When we reach our  twenties, there is a sense of freedom we feel. Yeah, we're broke and not living at home anymore. But now the difference is there is no one putting bars over our windows and locking us in our rooms anymore. That's right! We can do anything we want. The defiance there is how we can't figure out why relationships are not working. Its because we are young. We would break up with someone one day, and the next we would be connecting with another because they are "perfect" and "what I have been waiting for all my life." Those two dream words are what made us defiant  in this part of our evolution. And to add to it, we were blind to the certain circumstances that arise from jumping in again head first. Its always in the name of love right?

Our 30's is where those if us who have learned how to evolve actually find stability in this stage of life. This is where they find balance between their professional lives and their dating lives. Those of us that don't are left in the dust and forced to continue on trying to figure out why we can't find what we want even though we are dating lots. Kudos to the stable ones....I feel the pain for the rest of us.

Which now brings me to the next stage of defiance. Thanks to the stable ones, the pickings are now slim. Most of the good ones are now taken. Those of us in our 40's and still dating feel a sense of hopelessness. But here is where we are going wrong. And really, its one of the simplest things that if we realized it in our 20's, this stupid subliminal defiance would never be an issue. Defiance you say? Yes. Defiance. Here's my point. Sometimes, we just carry aounnd that idea of what we think would make a perfect mate. What they will look like, smell like. We get defiant because we are using those ideas that now blind us to what we have evolved into. Take me for instance. I was on a dating site for over 2 years before I left the site to take a break. Now I know I am not a homely male, right? But here is where holding out for someone that balances the "current" us really should be the path we should take.

The last time I was in the position where I was looking for someone, I was just a corporate guy. I was at odds with myself because life was stagnant and also I had just got out of a bad relationship 4 months before. Damn rights it was time...right?  It took me 3 weeks to find a nice girl. We liked each other a lot but we never went out and did anything. Our fling only lasted 2 months. I wondered why, at the time, but only realized now that she was actually in the same boat as I was. We both just broke up with someone. After her I met someone pretty quick and ended up dating this new girl for 3 1/2 years. We did stuff together but we were quite different in a lot of ways. We rushed things in the beginning which didn't help us in the end.

Now here I am, 3 years later after ground zero of my break up, and I'm still single. But here is what the difference is now. I realize that I have changed, and not just a little. Over the last three years, I became an actor, writer, stand up comedian. Any girl in my life needs to embrace that with me. I am a creative person and I need someone to be open to that. This time around I have been true to who I have become. Yeah, so what if I met a lady that advised me she just came off a 3 month crack binge and that as long as she stays off the pipe she is fine. Or the lady I met who told me she likes to hang out at the local pub with her mom, get drunk and wait for the Friday meat draw. Those girls most certainly wouldn't be what I would call my type of "dating" material. Good for me! No settling!

What I am really getting at is this. Stay true to yourselves. Always hold out for the person makes you happy and balances that happy. If you are in a position where you have someone in your life and you are still doing all the things that make you happy (within the scope of local law of course) then you are definitely living life. That is what the goal is now.

Have a great week!

G.

SEX......come read my blog....

Hey everyone! After a bit of a break it was brought to my attention from a post on one of my blogs that I have a blog.....thanks Miss Money Penny! :-)

Well...I know. What do I have to say for myself. Well, all is well in my world. I think the last time I blogged I was just finishing writing the first draft of a story I had. Well, I am happy to announce that I am now finished the second draft and that I have some interested parties that may want to shoot this thing. The feedback alone motivated me to start writing the sequel and the backstory that will lead to a third story in this series. Wow you say? I know I did! This thought process then got me thinking. Why is it that I needed someone to go nuts over my story to get motivated enough think beyond one installment?

Well, I think it all starts with our nature as humans and that undying need for validation. I mean, its not impossible to motivate yourself to do wonderful things. But still, motivation like that still has to be inspired. The prime example of that kind of motivation was displayed by a man known to Canadians as a hero. Terry Fox.  If you don't know who this man was, please use Google now. I truly feel that his picture should be underneath the words motivation, inspiration, and perseverance. There are many inspirational stories out there. Take the subject of the Will Smith movie "The Pursuit of Happiness." The story about how Christopher Gardiner persevered through extremely adverse situations humbles me. I too was a single dad that had to persevere through adverse situations. I had a child that had an eating disorder early in his life. I didn't have a car so we walked and took buses everywhere. I even rode a mountain bike with a child seat on it just to get around. I got moved around by a landlord three times in a month because he couldn't provide the necessities of a safe place to live for my son and I. He even placed us in an abandoned Jewish funeral home that had no hot water. I could tell you how I had to boil water on the stove just so we could have a hot bath. The one thing that inspired me through that whole rough time was my son. He stuck with me even when I hit a low. He was just happy to be around his daddy. I had to be a source of strength for him but he actually became my inspiration (I'm writing this with a tear in my eye). I did this all while maintaining a full time job. I even had my bike stolen along with my lunch all on the same day. It was a very hard time indeed. But guess what? I was inspired and motivated to make life work.

As the years went on, I always made it a point to make sure we progressed to something better each year. We had a few bumps and potholes in our journey, but we had one thing that always kept us motivated. It was our own inspired journey, like all other human beings on this planet, in the pursuit of happiness. I am here to tell you all that you should always motivate yourself with what inspires you. That's what drives me in my creative process. I love the excitement my stories bring to those who get to read them. My friends are my guinea pigs....but their excitement motivates me to create my stories. Their relentless pestering for me to give them more inspires me to finish these stories.

I have to go for now folks. I have a bowling tournament to play in today....and to win is what is motivating me at this moment. Please take the time to be inspired and to strive to push yourself to do things that make you and those around you happy.

Cheers everyone! And always remember, Life Happens.....wear a helmet! See you next week!

G.

Reflection is not always about mirrors...

Good morning! I hope this week had lots of joy and happy times for you as it did me. This is the time of year where people usually reflect and then set goals for the upcoming year. It is year end and, as humans, we tend to get nostalgic when the end is near. I was looking at my reflection in the mirror today and for some reason it made me think of how big of a year I have had and that goal setting is very important. I set some realistic goals this time last year and have hit them. This time last year, after the acting bug had taken its hold on me, I said to myself that I wanted to buy a brand new car that nobody else owned, and I wanted to be in my first movie. In April I bought a 2012 Focus (my baby) and won a role in not one but two films. Good year right? I also did 5 shows of stand up comedy, was a principle actor in a Crime Stories episode, 3 commercials, a demo trailer, and I started writing. The writing has been a very welcomed addition. I currently have one short film story and 3 feature length stories on the go. I just got the idea for a book just over a month ago but want to finish my other writing first. Now anyone can say they are a writer, so I have decided to reveal a scene in my blog from the first story that started it all. And please, if you like it I would love to hear your feedback. I'm also going to post a link to my Crime Stories episode that I think aired in the UK earlier this year to give you an example of my work.

During my reflecting (I'm not in front of the mirror anymore), I thought about the friend that really encouraged me to get into the industry. On our latest visit, she just sat there and smiled at me and told me how awesome I was because of all the things I have done in this relatively short period of time. I just looked at her and said the same thing I say everytime she does this....I am just Glenn. I'm just a guy that has finally found what balances his life. I also got to visit another friend of mine this year (after not seeing her for 20 years) and she says I am fearless. I wouldn't say fearless, because when I do stand up, fear almost fills my pants. What drives me is that I need to do this....I love to entertain people so believe me being fearless has nothing to do with it. I would say its just like going home everyday....we do it because we live there. Well, the same thing goes for my creative process....when I go there I am home. Its what I need to do. I've been a fish out of water for so long that not that I have immersed myself in the creative waters, I have really found peace with who I am and what I am all about. I've found myself! I really like what I see.....really!

Back to goal setting. So after seeing what I have done this year, I have decided to make my 2013 goal setting a two pronged process. This year, I want to film more movies. This year my goal will be three. I also want to finish my three stories that I started this year....and I really want to start writing the book idea that I had so I do have my work cut out for me. This is the first part of my goal setting this year. The second is what one would consider "Long Term" goals. One of my long term goasl is to finish one of my scripts, pitch it and then have it filmed. The seoond long term goal is to appear on Jon Stewart (funniest Jewish guy ever) and David Letterman. I figured if I have truly been successful, I want to be on their shows...Jon and I will have a discussion about anchor babies and Letterman and I will discuss everything absurd....he's so cool cause he drives a Viper!

Now, without further ado, I am going to reveal a scene from the first story I started working on with a friend of mine. I kinda took over the whleo thing because my imagination took over.... but I think you'll like what you read. The story is called Zombie Legend: WW1. It is about a zombie infestation that takes place in WW1 France, 3 weeks before the Battle of Passchendaele. It is also the first part of a trilogy that I have planned. I use elements of the WW1 timeline and have included people that were players or quoted individuals from the Great War. The scene I am about to show you takes place early on in the story. I will warn you ahead of time that it is graphic, but what zombie story isn't right? I like this storyline because it sets up nicely in a time when technology was very limited and so was some of our ways of thinking. Once you have read this, I would love to hear what you have to say. This is the first time I have released any of this publicly so I am nervous but excited to share this with you.

Exerpt of Zombie Legend: WW1- The origin story has a parasitic organism that gets released by a comet fragment that falls during a gas attack in France during WW1. The zombies will have different traits than your normal zombie. More agile and brutal. Also, you will see there are camera shots described. It was more for my own visualization and will be filtered out later on subsquent drafts. Enjoy!

The trenches: British front

We see a group of British soldiers in the mucky trenches. They are shooting and firing artillery shells. All are wearing masks. We can see a few dead bodies in their vicinity. Some look shot, others look like the gas got to them.

SOLDIER 1: Bloody hell! The plumes are changing direction...we can finally get those fuckers!

Soldier 2: Don't get your knickers in a knot mate! I still don't trust them fucking Krauts!

SOLDIER 1: Yeah...me neither.

A soldier gets shot right next to Soldier 2 which causes him and Soldier 1 to duck down into the trenches more, along with the rest of the troops. The wind has now shifted so the gas plumes are now being sent back to the German side of the front. Everything goes quiet. We now hear echos of screams and loud animal roars. A smoky haze hovers around the trenches. You hear no gun shots or explosions. Its almost like the Germans just disappeared. You hear a loud growl echoing nearby, which instills more fear than gunfire.

Soldier one grabs a trench periscope and tries to take a look at what is happening. He can't see anything so he gives a thumbs up to the other soldiers. They all kind of peak over the trench to take a view. Its still quite smoky/foggy. When they see there are no Germans in sight, they all stand up more relaxed.

As solder one looks at soldier two, you hear a loud roar again. All of a sudden a mangled torso flies at them as if thrown like a ball and lands in the trench. The head is gone, a partial right arm is still intact. One leg is missing too. There are big chunks of flesh missing throughout the remains like a bite from a hamburger. The torso and the one leg are partially clothed in what appears to be a German uniform.

SOLDIER 2: What the bloody fuck did that????

SOLDIER 1: Do we really want to know? I say retreat! Whatever it was that did this isn't too far behind!!

Soldier 2 yells out the retreat to the rest of the entrenched troops. As they are starting to climb out of the trenches, about 20 zombies come leaping out of the fog and start attacking the soldiers.

The zombies skin is darkened, a trait that was brought on by the parasite's DNA. Their eyes glow and it appears their facial bone structure gets altered as well. The jaw is more square, more prounounced cheek bone. Their muscles appear more defined and 3 times bigger (noticable on arms and legs). They appear very agile, some of them show they are able to run faster when they are on all fours.

Soldier 1 gets bitten in the right shoulder by a zombie. The zombie rips the muscle right off. The soldier falls back into the trench with a stunned look. He lays there, motionless as the creature that bit him goes off to attack another soldier that has caught his attention.

Another solder has a creature ripping off his arm, then hitting a retreating solder, as he is running by, in the head with the arm and knocking him out cold. He throws down the arm onto the ground, lets out a roar, and proceeds to feed off the one armed soldier.

The first German solder that got infected when he drank the tainted water appears. He spots a British soldier hiding in the bushes. He quickly darts off screen as if to prepare a surprise attack. The camera zooms in on the hiding soldier. He's looking around in fear because he has seen first hand what is going on. He hear's echos of the roar throughout the area. Each time he hears one he cringes. He then hears the low growl, like a cat about to pounce on prey. When he turns around he sees the zombie starting at him. As the creature starts to attack, the soldier pulls out his handgun and shoots as the zombie grabs his arm and bites, he fires off one round into the zombie's head. It releases its bite, falls to the ground,and within seconds, a dark oozing substance leaks out.

The bitten soldier runs in the opposite direction of the howls and growls. He is grabbing his arm as he runs.

In the trenches, we see Soldier 1 laying motionless . The view starts to slowly rotate, all the while keeping the soldier's face in focus. All you hear is a heartbeat in the background slowing down as if to depict that transition to death is near. The soldier takes his last breath, the last beat occurs...after a few seconds, changes start to occur in his face. The camera pans out slowly to show the soldier's muscles in his arms are growing. His face starts to make the transition, his skin darkens. The muscle that was ripped out by another zombie starts to repair itself. It repairs the muscle and skin but its not proportionate. You can see his uniform starting to rip in places where his body mass has grown. After the transition completes, his eyes start to light up. The new creature then partially sits up and lets out a big roar.


Thanks for reading my blog! If you like it, spread the word so that others may enjoy it as well! If you want to see my Crime Stories episode, click on the following link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deRGFM85QlM&feature=share&list=FLW_ysQc1TyveEuziclG_Ahw

Glenn

The President is a father too....

Its with a heavy heart and a tear in my eye that I write this post to you today. To say that the shooting attack that occurred at the Sandy Hook Elementary school is horrific is an understatement. It goes beyond anything that I can even comprehend. And this shooting followed another shooting spree (which could have been worse in the end) in Portland Oregon. To say that they were lucky only to lose three people is macabre. Both suspects were in their early 20's.

My main focus today is not on the shooter but on the people that are effected by this....which is all of us...and especially the parents. Those of us, as parents, can relate to the feelings of fear when we imagine what we would do if our children were hurt or even killed. I know it freaks me out. Those thoughts come to me when I see things like people driving their cars with their kids jumping around in the back seats without seatbelts...you know, just like in the '70s. I immediately try to think of something else because its something that is beyond my control and that all I can do is make sure my child is safe...to the best of my ability. But I could never think of a scenario where I would drop my son off at school and drive off thinking about where I am going next not knowing that the guy that just walked past my car was getting ready to shoot everyone. And that is the underlining meaning behind how shocked we all are. No one ever thinks that someone is going to walk into our kid's school and do what that man did yesterday. And I do say never! When my son was in kindergarten, I was more concerned with him climbing on the monkey bars and falling off and hurting himself......but never anything like what that man did yesterday....NEVER!!

I feel very connected to the US for many reasons. I have family that live there....an aunt and my cousins, my mom and grandmother were from the US. My grandfather was in the US Airforce during WW2 and helped wire up the Pentagon....and when things like this happen, my heart sinks because I have ties to that great country. When President Obama addressed the nation....when he shed tears, so did I. I can only imagine what was going through his mind....he made me want to hug my son just to make sure that I knew he was safe. And then I hear some media  reports that claim that his stance on gun control has been more lapse during his tenure as President.....and then that made me think....WHAT?????

Gun control...why is it only discussed when massive amounts of innocent people get shot in public places during peace time? President Reagon was shot on my birthday.   I live in Canada....owning a gun is not a right, but a priviledge. Now I am not saying our country is totally innocent. We've had mass shootings before, like the shooting spree by a man in Montreal at the Ecole Polytechnique in 1989, killing 14 women. Now that incident, as tragic as it is, and the distance of time that it occurred should attest to the fact that gun control works. Make it harder for people to own guns.

In the United States, the 2nd amendment gives citizens the right to bear arms. It was enacted on December 15, 1791. Now, if my history lessons stuck, I do not remember hearing about semi/fully automatic weapons being available to the common man back then. As a matter of fact, I think the only style of guns available at that time were single shot muskets...cumbersome to reload. In the order to kill lots of people, either the victims had to stand in one spot so that the shooter could reload or a whole bunch of shooters could band together and shoot lots of people. I don't think the American forefathers had any premonition that one person could kill 26 people in a very short period of time. The 2nd amendment was created during a time when the country was in its beginning stages and that they needed to band together to protect their land and country. It was meant to bring together people that loved their country and were willing to join forces (create militias) to uphold their sovereignty. Well, I think that amendment is outdated and now needs to be amended to suit the times, and technology of weapons available. There are fully equipped police forces and a state of the art armed force to protect the country. The right to bear arms should be either amended to read the "priviledge" to bear arms...or even the right to "bare" arms...the right to wear sleeveless shirts. They should limit the power of the NRA and tell Ted Nugent to quit telling people that guns don't kill people, people kill people. Guess what? He's right! A couple of loaded handguns sitting on the coffee table are not going to sprout legs and walk to a school and shoot innocent children and adults. A gun will not sprout legs and walk into a shopping mall and announce its the shooter and proceed to kill people. But the fact is that the guns were "AVAILABLE" to a human being who then gave the guns the ability to kill a huge amount of people...that is the underlining factor. If there was tighter control on these machines that expel projectiles at mind boggling speeds, perhaps these tragic events would not occur.

I love America not only because of my ties through family, but because I like what your country represents. One day I may live there when my acting career gets to that point. I feel your pain and support you through this tragic time. I shed a tear for those precious lives lost yesterday and I encourage everyone to light a candle and share a moment of silence with your family members.

Let us move forward and support each other.......have a safe and joyous weekend my friends...

Glenn