Author: Mike Senczyszak

With December upon us, traditional seasonal movies and shows have begun to monopolize the entertainment spectrum within our household. Polar Express, our annual kick-off-the-season film, was scratched off the list last weekend, along with back-to-back animated UK shorts, The Snowman and Father Christmas, and the Netflix Special, A Very Murray Christmas.

Home Alone, Scrooged, and Christmas Eve on Sesame Street, are just a few that are on tap for this Saturday—amongst others.

I’d written previously on my Top Ten Christmas Movies, and despite the convenience (and appeal) of a quick re-blog, there was little value in regurgitating a prior post, especially since my picks remain solid—immovable, like a tongue frozen to a flag pole.

To mix things up a bit however, I delved a little deeper into my psyche, analyzing my selections; what I liked, who I liked, and why.

Which led me down the pathway…

“Pardon me, but I have some growing up to do.”

I remember that introduction by Peter Gabriel like it was yesterday.

I last saw Peter in concert back in 2003, in Toronto, the North American leg of his ‘Growing Up Tour’ in full swing.

The last concert I attended.

Until now.

Our 13-year old cornered me (after mom’s clever deflection) holding her IPad like it was a sacred scroll, a gleam of want in her eye. The band ‘Fall Out Boy’, her absolute favorite, just announced a 2017 concert tour, with a stop in Toronto.

Who is this Fall Out Boy, you ask?

Good question.

They sing the song ‘Uma Thurman’.

Now you know as much as I do.

The words ‘are you kidding, you’re not grown up enough’ resounded in my head, but I held back, opting to listen patiently to a well-rehearsed argument. I left her with a firm

This post breaks one of the cardinal rules of successful Blogging, that is –don’t write primarily about yourself.  With millions of blogs to sift through, readers want something they can use, learn or benefit from.  This is may not be that post.

Pardon me while I self indulge.

We’ve all faced that blank page.

Whether it’s a novel, script, article, or weekly blog post, reluctance to write versus initiative to create, is an epic battle.  I’m not talking writer’s block specifically, more so the general dread of confronting that creative vacuum, especially when so many pleasant alternatives exist.  Like folding laundry.

Five years ago I phased television out of my life.  Not that I was an addict, but my writing regime suffered, runner-up to every menial task imaginable.  Something had to go and television drew the short straw.  For the next while TV was regulated to weekend movie…