Happy Places
I'm a big believer in embracing your Happy Places in life and being proud to have them. Obviously, my family is first in this regard but that goes without saying. This section is dedicated to three Happy Places in particular that have always been able to entertain and inspire me for the majority of my lifetime so far.
​
Check it out.
The Dallas Cowboys
Some of my earliest memories in life was watching America's Team during the Landry era. Some of my favorite teen & 20s memories came from cheering on Aikman, Smith and Irvin during their heyday.
​
I rarely take time to myself, but I'll always make time to sit and watch my Cowboys play. Win or lose I bleed silver and blue.
​
Always have. Always will.​
Drew Barrymore
When I was 7 years old, my mother took me to see E.T., thinking I'd relate to young Elliott. But it was the young lady my own age that I wouldn't stop talking about after.
​
And I haven't stopped since.
​
Since 1982, Drew has always entertained me on screen and inspired me outside of it. In 2020, that grew even more as The Drew Barrymore Show helped me through a dark period in my life. It would also inspire me to lose over 100 pounds in 2021 and get back to some things in life I'd left behind.
​
I've met many celebrities in my adventures, but froze during the one opportunity I had to meet Drew in 2009. Hopefully another chance will come along someday.
​
Click here to check out a huge Drew memorabilia collection I bought in 2021.
Pac-Man
I've done a lot of work in the video game media space, and every second of it started in September 1981, the fateful day where I first dropped a quarter into a Pac-Man machine in my hometown of Garland, TX.
​
I've never grown tired of the game or any related to it. My oldest son once pointed out that I couldn't help but grin during the game's opening musical ditty. An original Pac-Man machine sits in my home.
​
I once had the honor of interviewing Toru Iwatani, the programmer of the game for NBCUniversal in 2016.
Transformers G1
This amazing toy line and it's related fiction caught my attention in the 1980s more than any other.
​
And I'll always feel a wave of excitement when I see any of it again. The cartoon's voice direction is legendary, many of the original toys are still among the coolest action figures ever made.
​
Favorite characters are Starscream, Grimlock, Optimus Prime, Soundwave and Kup.
​
It was an honor in June of 2024 to meet with Frank Welker (Megatron, Soundwave, Galvatron & more) and Peter Cullen (Optimus Prime, Ironhide) in the photo seen on the left.
​
My children ended up growing up with this as much as I did, so it will all live on.