Mr. Joyce Takes on the World

Electric Lindsey Violin  There are certain times in my life when I’m convinced that certain people are angels, or angels in training. Lindsey Stirling is one of those people. There’s a light and warmth that radiates from her. It travels through her well-honed fingers, and into the elegant violin that rests under her chin. And from those four strings she is able to create an entire spectrum of sound. It’s as if the notes themselves are like colors. And Lindsey is painting her emotions on the air with a sonic brush. I had the opportunity to meet Lindsey on June 13th, 2014--just one week after my thirty-fifth birthday. I felt that this would be a late birthday present for me. I’d never met any of the musicians I’ve been a fan of before, and so this would be something very new for me. But also, it gave me a chance to meet someone that I both admire and respect as an inspiring figure; musically, spiritually, and personally. Needless to say, I was nervous. I was so nervous

                                                                                                                       A Finger Snap in Time  I’d normally write some sort of introspective piece about my impending birthday. And this is no different.  I’m not where I expected to be in life. I don’t think most of us are where we’d like to be; either emotionally, physically, or geographically. I don’t ascribe to clichés about “life dealing us a hand.” Instead, I feel that life is half of what you do, and half of what it does to you. There are choices that we make, and consequences that follow. Not all of us had the same opportunities in life, and so we don’t all wind up where we’d expected to be. But that doesn’t mean that one has to stay where they are.  I’ve found that since turning thirty I’ve had a minor collection of, “Oh my God, I’m an adult,” moments. I’ve also had a few “Now I feel old” moments as well. These are few in number, but never fail to scare the hell out of m

Harold Ramis  1944-2014 I will talk more about the Ghostbusters 30th anniversary in future posts. Suffice to say I am deeply saddened by the loss of Harold Ramis. He was one of the comedic talents that shaped the humor of my childhood; and helped defined 80's comedies. I truly am saddened by his death, as are all Ghostbusters fans.  In addition to his considerable talents on-screen, Ramis was also a successful screenwriter and humorist. He co-wrote both Ghostbusters films (with Dan Aykroyd) as well as Animal House , Stripes (in which he co-starred with Bill Murray), Groudhog Day, and Caddyshack (the latter two were also directed by Mr. Ramis). His wiki entry for director and writer (respectively) reads like a "Best Comedies of All Time" list. It also includes the first National Lampoon's Vacation film.   His earliest writing gigs were for National Lampoon magazine, and as a joke editor for Playboy. His earliest television work was on the ic

Riley Vs. The Comic Book Thieves   On the morning of New Years Eve, December of 2013, my mother and I went back to the old house to retrieve some things, as we were in the process of moving. The front door was locked, but on entering, I noticed that something was amiss. I saw the pantry door was open, along with every door in the house. Even the kitchen cabinets were opened. The basement door was open as well.  I then said to my mother, “Somebody was in here.”  “Are you sure?” she asked.  “Somebody had to be in here.” I said. “All the doors are opened.”  I then went down to the basement, and saw that one of the windows down there had been smashed. It was broken from the outside. Shards of dusty glass glistened on the concrete of the basement floor. And as the basement window is next to the backdoor, I then checked it as well. Both the deadbolt and knob were unlocked, which is incredibly unusual. I always locked both the knob and deadbolt, even if I was only outside