Michael Boylan's blog

The speech they’d rather their kids hear

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 16:19:55 -0400

Since there has been loud opposition to President Obama’s address to America’s students, I thought I would give them the antithesis of his speech so that they can read this to their children and deliver the exact opposite message.

Back to school

Tue, 04 Aug 2009 17:53:47 -0400

My son starts Pre-K next Monday. As most parents out there probably can guess, especially if they have gone through this themselves, my wife and I are more excited and nervous than Colin is. We have been running practices to get up and out of the house earlier so he makes it to school on time, have gone back to school shopping and are going to an orientation tonight. I’m glad we get to meet the teacher because I’m not sure exactly what Pre-K involves. Pre-K is pre-kindergarten, but I never really thought that children needed preparation for kindergarten. I had always assumed kindergarten was preparation in itself.

Time flies when you're having fun

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 17:07:07 -0400

When all the big dates and events pop up in my life, a column is sure to follow. Skeptics would say it is because I am a cheapskate and writing sappy columns is a cheap gift, but, in truth, these columns are popular outside my household as well. I want to thank the nice people who say hello to us in the grocery store and say things like “ I read your columns all the time.” It makes us feel like Brangelina. Not as wealthy or glamorous, but still, thank you. Also, Ernest Hemingway once said that “good writing is true writing,” and when I open myself up to talk about my personal life, the truth, which we know is out there, gets delivered to the page.

Protesters, politics, left and right: Let’s agree to disagree agreeably

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 15:51:13 -0400

“I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore.”

Well, not me. At least not right now. That’s a quote from the film “Network.”

A new beginning

Thu, 09 Apr 2009 17:06:38 -0400

I would start writing this column from the beginning, but I wouldn’t really know where to start. Being born in Salem, Mass.? Living in Swampscott? My life on Swan St. in Beverly? Being king of my elementary school for three years? There are plenty of stories about growing up in Massachusetts, but I think it is far more relevant to discuss my life in the South, which started when I was 17, because over the years, a lot of people from all over the country have moved to the Fayette County. Things are different down here, even though they probably get more similar to the rest of the country every day.

In defense of Facebook

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 16:04:43 -0400

Michael Boylan is enjoying Facebook.

OK, that was never my status on what is arguably the nation’s (maybe even the world’s) top social networking site, but I do like Facebook. With the site closing in on 200 million members worldwide in a few days, there always seems to be something in the news about it. Some people say it is doomed to fail or that it is a stupid concept for narcissistic people to stroke their egos, while others focus on the business model and wonder how someone could hit on something so big.

On the road with ‘The Movers’

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 17:24:29 -0500

Colin had just turned two when the Imagination Movers came to Fayetteville. The year was 2007 and everything was hunky dory. At least, as far as I can remember. The Imagination Movers were performing at the Villages Amphitheater on a Saturday evening in May and, as sponsors of the show, The Citizen had some tickets. We decided to invite some friends and their kids to take in the concert with us, even though we had only seen one short video from “The Movers” on the Disney Channel a couple of times.

Pride

Fri, 16 Jan 2009 09:57:37 -0500

There are countless books that provide people with ideas of things they should do before they die. I’d like to add an item to those lists.

Old year, new year

Wed, 07 Jan 2009 09:06:12 -0500

I am writing this column before the end of 2008 and I am feeling pensive, reflecting on a year that gave me a lot of good things, while taking away some others.

Crack reporter grills jolly old elf; Santa gets the big laugh

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 16:13:19 -0500

Several years back, old Kris Kringle gave me an exclusive interview. It was one of many highlights of my career and he was a perfect gentleman — charming, funny, thought-provoking and every bit the legend I expected.

My son’s first meaningful Christmas

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 16:12:07 -0500

Christmas is extra special at our house this year.

Not because it is “Baby’s First Christmas,” because our baby could give a toot. It will be nice to have Christmas where Nora is not in utero (especially for my wife, Sabine, who can actually add some fun to her egg nog this year) and Sabine’s folks are coming down to mark the occasion, but, honestly, Nora can’t tell the difference between Christmas and Talk Like a Pirate Day, so why get all excited about Baby’s First Christmas? It was Baby’s First Thanksgiving, too. How did she celebrate? Strained bananas. Not exactly what the pilgrims battled the deadly ocean and harsh winters for, lo those many years ago. We have a present or two ready to go under the tree for her, but when we were looking for ways to tighten the belts and trim the excess of the holidays, the budget for presents for Nora was the first item on the list to go.

The worst (and best) Christmas song

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 16:42:34 -0500

Ask any of my fellow colleagues, past or present, and they will tell you that it just isn’t Christmas until Mike starts blasting “The Christmas Shoes,” several times a day, regardless of how many people cry, beg and plead for him to stop.

The impatient father

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 14:16:21 -0500

Last week I published my first column in a long time. Apparently, I was a little rusty because I made a faux pas. When discussing my infant daughter, Nora, I stated that she tended to look like Peter Boyle from the back. Although the line was greeted with much laughter, I was urged to write something a little nicer about her.

Talking to myself

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 14:49:58 -0500

Last year I wrote a book that dealt a little with time travel (Time Killer - available now at Lulu.com) and one of the things that happens in the book is that the present version of the hero meets up with the past version of himself. This also happened recently on the great new television show (based on a BBC show of the same name) “Life on Mars.” The same type of thing happens in all sorts of programs involving time travel, from “Back to the Future,” to “Quantum Leap” and beyond. It’s pretty trippy stuff, because one often has to wonder what would happen if you, meaning the you of today, met up with the you of some time in your past. What kind of advice would you impart on yourself and how would your life be different afterwards?

Bad horror movies

Mon, 27 Oct 2008 16:09:58 -0400

Every year around this time I write about my favorite horror movies and each year the list is basically the same. I always recommend “Halloween,” the original, not Rob Zombie’s dreadful and unnecessary remake, and I think Peter Jackson’s “Dead Alive” is a lot of fun - if you don’t mind being completely assaulted by massive amounts of goo and gore - but I want to talk about what horror movies you should avoid.