So Use Your Backup Knee
It all started innocently enough with a sideways kick of my right leg. I know that many of us Boomers are dealing with chronic pain of some type in our everyday lives; a badge of honor that we have somehow been awarded, like a Purple Heart for maturity. My case is probably no different, but…
Show Biz And Marriage
I must confess that it is really difficult to describe some of the wacky commercial shoots I work on to the average civilian, let alone my wife. I have been on sets where we stuffed an old lady in the trunk of a car so she could bake cookies, had an actor wear a pair…
5 Secrets To Staying Relevant As You Age (Or How Not To Become An Old F**k)
We Boomers have every bit as much to offer as the Millennials or the Gen-X’s or the Gen-Y’s. Hell, we invented the world as they know it. But to bridge the generation gap, or chasm, we need to stay relevant. So here are some safety tips for dealing with the young whippersnappers. 1. Upgrade everything.…
Christmas Starts After Thanksgiving, Dammit!
I saw my first Christmas commercial ten days before Halloween this year. Well, okay technically it wasn’t a “Christmas” commercial. It was a “holiday” commercial with lots of red and green decorations, decorated fir trees in the house, snow on windows, stockings over fireplaces, presents, squealing children, Menorahs near the ham . . . but,…
Hollywood Habitat Hell
Holy smokes did we have a dilemma at the Brakeman household. It started a few days ago when the kids found out that I would be working on a PetSmart commercial. I had tried to keep this secret from them, for reasons that will become obvious, but their little snoopy eyes are everywhere. When they…
The Great Toilet Paper War of 2015
When a woman is pushed too far . . . enjoy! From one of my favorite writers on the planet. You can check out her work at kristenbrakeman.com
The Great Jello Assault
Kids love Jello. Or so we are told. But as a kid, I never “got” it. I saw it as a worthless food-like substance that didn’t taste like it looked, frequently contained hidden fruit, and never satisfied like crunchy chocolate anything. But later in life I discovered a much different use for the wiggly, stiffened…
Giraffes And Zebras, Oh My!
Oh my God, on a commercial shoot the other day we got to work with wild animals! I have to tell you that every time we work with something unusual and unique, like this time it was a giraffe and a couple of zebras, the little kid in me comes bubbling to the surface.…
How To Raise A Family Of Women
I’m completely screwed. I have three daughters. Besides the obvious joy that statement brings, it also means several other things: I have no hair, I’m never right, there will be three colleges, three weddings, and consequently, I will never retire. But that doesn’t mean I haven’t learned a few things along the way that I…
Forrest Brakeman 